Perfect Piece
Consumerist fashion is all about what is right on trend, right for uniform mass-manufacture and ultimately right for the figures on a balance sheet. Lost in the mix are a garment’s finesse, fit, appropriateness; and the space to nurture individuality, skills and confidence in a wearer to recognise and revel in the ‘rightness’ of a particular piece.
Finding the right partnership between wearer and garment is the difference between using a piece time and again or throwing it away. Each partnership, like each person, is different. Matching one with the other and being open to the almost limitless variety of possibilities this enables, underscores fashion system diversity.
"Blankie"
"I call it my “blankie” and I bring it with me all the time. So I always carry a bag that’s too big so that I can have this in the bag… unless it’s a really, really hot day... And it’s kind of a modular garment that you can wear as a little vest or you can wear it around your neck or you can just open it up and literally wrap it around yourself when you’re cold. It’s made from wool and I’ve only washed it twice, I’ve hand washed it in Rose Bubble Bath (laughter) and it doesn’t have a label or anything... It’s got a really simple Japanese shape that allows you to do lots of things with it… like it has a very wide neck so if my shoulders are cold, I’ll wear it upside down and then you can kind of…it’s kind of like a second skin then. Sometimes I wear a big brooch here…"
Dublin - April 2012
Photograph by
Des Moriarty
