An international fashion research project exploring the 'craft of use'

Alternative Dress Codes

The choices we make about what we wear are influenced by life present, lives past and our ideas about our future selves. Expressions of values, aspirations, heritage, understanding and the physical shape of our bodies build a rationale for dress that transcend narrow commercial views about fashion. Instead they give us broader perspectives that honour our reality as well as our aspirations; and connect our psyche with our fibre and fashion choices.

Second-hand, black, nice fit

“These pants are pretty standard, black jeans. I got them for two Euro in Ritzy’s Rags. The jacket’s also from Ritzy’s Rags. It was huge. The old ladies in the shop are like, “oh it’s lovely on yah but it’s too big” So I just took it and got it taken in. And the other thing is the sleeves are really short and really wide which is unusual. I love the red lining and the buttons – I’m a sucker for detail - at the time I thought it’s really annoying the way that this comes out [of the sleeves], but I like it now...

I get most of my stuff apart from underwear and jeans usually at charity stores. You know what I always end up doing; I always go in and go straight to black leather jackets, the black jackets. I love black. I always go for things I already have. And for fit. A nice fit is what I need. It might be really coloured but I can dye it. I dye things a lot. But fit I think is the most important for me…”


Dublin - April 2012
Photograph by Des Moriarty

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