This is it. Last week of the MAGFest fashion wrap up. I’m sad to be bringing it to a close, but we’ve got to make room for Katsucon.
The unifying theme of this week's post is individual items I saw at MAGFest that grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. And leading us off with several items is…
10. Hannah Cohen
I stopped Hannah not because of her complete ensemble (I mean, she has some great items here but they don’t really go together) but because individual portions of it just floored me. Let’s start with Hannah’s amazing trench coat.
The fabric is a corduroy made from 100% cotton giving it a subtle textured look. I have a thing for garments that are made completely from natural fibers. Only $10. This is easily a $200 garment retail. The coat is deceptively heavy and it is warm—it would have to be, she is living in the blustery North East right now—and check out the amazing buttons on it.
She describes her fashion as “zombie-survival.” That is, fashionable but functional. She also loves how the coat moves in the wind, and says that it helps her get noticed. I imagine so. The coat is one part Victorian London Steam Punk, two parts bad ass. The biggest tragedy is that I did not have the opportunity to see the wind grab it and stretch it out dramatically behind her.
Hannah’s shoes are similarly fantastic. Although the style is still totally acceptable in modern fashion and worn by high class ladies in offices today, the shoes are also so classic that, with her coat, they say Euro-Steampunk.
These are a pair of cap-toe pumps with punch detailing. You may be wondering what that means. See how a band separates the toe portion of the shoe from the rest of the shoe? That’s called a "cap-toe." Cap-toes are the epitome of formal. But taking away the trench coat and her fun, zippy tights suddenly makes them cute, even school-girlish.
The hole patterns you see in the bands is called punch detailing. It is neither formal nor informal, but it is a look that I find sharp. It can sometimes be too much in an otherwise busy outfit, but when well-paired, it is hard to think of a design choice that makes a better first impression.
Finally, turn your attention to alternating glossy/ matte/ glossy sheen of the shoes. Though not black-tie formal, it allows the shoes to be worn in both business and semi-formal settings as well as more casual settings. It also helps give the shoe that 1890’s anachronistic look.
11. Scooter
Scooter, like Hannah is also a big believer in thrift stores, and has put together many of his best items from thrift stores. He notes that when people pass away, much of what they own is given to thrift stores. “You can get a great outfit for $20.” That’s Scooter, scavenging from your dead grandma. But Scooter says that while you can get great items at thrift stores, you’ve got to do the work. Try and hit thrift stores in small towns because thrift stores in bigger cities are often picked clean before you ever get there. Speaking of, An Affordable Wardrobe is a great blog on shopping for men's dress clothes in thrift stores.
Scooter founded DC Geeks. Seeing as he is involved with the site, I really didn’t want to interview him, but I couldn’t help it. I was unable to walk fifty feet with him without someone stopping us to comment on his jacket. And it truly is a thing of beauty. You can’t tell from the photo, but the black portions are slightly raised velvet, and the white portions have a carpet bag texture. The lapels are cut so that they create a bell roll, sometimes called the Brooks Brothers Roll.
Scooter dresses with a lot of flash, and he really pulls it off. I like flash, but I am only ever brave enough to put on one or two flashy items. Scooter will make an entire ensemble that demands attention with all the aggression of half-starved pit bull.
I asked Scooter what it was that allows him to really pull off the loud, flashy garments. Scooter boiled it down to courage and confidence. He says you simply need to wear the item enough that it’s “no longer a big deal. It becomes casual, to you at least.” I can see the logic in that. You have probably heard that most communication is body language.
Most body language communication is subtle, or even imperceptible to the conscious mind. Whether or not a garment wears well on an individual often comes down to whether that person wears it with genuine confidence. So next time you want to do something bold, try this: think of it as a costume. Like you are playing a character. Maybe the outfit is too much for the real you, but it doesn’t need to be too much for the imagined you. Treat fashion like a confidence game, make the world your mark, and I expect you will pull off your next bold choice.
And speaking of personal fashion journeys, it is never too late to start becoming fashionable. What was my personal fashion journey like? Well, luckily for you it was documented by TV….
12. Ava
I only wanted to do 10 of these, but then I saw Ava, and the mad-awesome hawk she was rocking. I didn’t interview her, other than to ask how long it takes her to do her hair (10-30 minutes), but she was kind enough to pose for a stupid number of sadly blurry photos. So enjoy these front and back shots.
Also, I don’t know who this is, but his only weakness is Pimptonite.
That’s it for this week. See you after Katsucon.
I do believe that the last guy there is Rainbow Dash.
ReplyDelete