The power of contrast and comparison.
Sometimes you have to wear unflattering and uncomfortable clothing and shoes to see and feel what you don’t want.
You might be in this phase and that’s why you’re looking for a guide on how to find your fashion aesthetic.
You might be in the unflattering and uncomfortable clothing phase and not even know it!
A great example of someone who slowly evolved their fashion aesthetic from ill fitting to stylish is Elizabeth “Beth” Harmon from the fictional story, Queen’s Gambit.
Queen’s Gambit is a story about an orphaned but talented chess player named Beth.
Keep in mind the time period of Beth’s story is between the 1950s and 1960s.
In the orphanage, Beth wears plain dull loose dresses with oversized cardigans and sweaters.
In my opinion, the style of her clothing and hair is conservative as it hides the silhouette of her body and allow little room for creative expression.
This approach to fashion was standard during the 1950s in America.
Of course, Beth needs to wear a uniform similar to what the other young girls at the orphanage wear.
Shortly after she starts living at the orphanage, she discovers her talent and passion for the game of chess.
She plays and practices chess as often as she is permitted.
Later in her teenage years, Beth gets adopted by a married couple.
Beth moves into the home of her new family and desperately seeks for ways to continue playing chess.
She gets her own room which is designed for a stereotypically feminine girl in a spacious two-story home, which has traditional but elegant design and furniture.
The first time that Beth gets to go shopping for new clothes, her mom takes her to the clearance section of the store.
The mom is sparing as much money as she can, so she grabs the most affordable but ill fitting clothing options for young Beth.
What makes this clothing unfitting for Beth?
The shoes are far too big for her size.
The coat sleeves are not long enough for her long arms.
Truthfully, Beth looks like she is wearing another persons clothing , because none of the garments compliment the proportions of her natural body.
She goes to high school wearing her oversized dresses from the orphanage and her new oversized shoes and awkward sleeved coat.
Beth feels the constant stares and snickers of the high schoolers as they too see how her clothing just does not compliment her body.
Beth enrolls in a local chess tournament, with a cash gift as the grand prize.
With her talent for chess and passion for winning, Beth places first in the competition and takes home $500.
That was quite the reward even in the 1950s!
To no surprise, she goes shopping for new white saddle shoes and a new fitted plaid pinafore dress that dazzled her the first time she went shopping.
This is the first time that Beth connects to fashion.
I support you Beth – I know I would surely spend this money shopping for shoes and clothing too!
She enrolls in another chess tournament, with a larger cash prize, and she wears her brand new, self-selected dress and shoes.
Beth embodies the traditional 1950s suburbia feminine core.
I share Beth’s gradual evolution of fashion because it seems so simple, predictable, linear.
But it’s complex because it’s a reflection of her identity development.
In Beth’s case, her fashion transformation is tied to her experience in the orphanage, to her life with her new family, and to her success in chess.
Chess is a male – dominated game.
In 1950’s American suburbia, the rights and privileges to activities and education for women was far more scarce than today.
Beth was surrounded by boys and men at chess clubs, playoffs, and tournaments.
She preserved her identity as a woman through her chess talents and fashion aesthetic.
It would be a waste for a talented woman to deform her beauty and mystery in ill fitting clothing.
Just like Beth practices chess to become a more competitive player, she also gets to practice her fashion styling.
Her success in competitions leads to more cash rewards which gives her shopping power that she lacked beforehand.
As she pursues her passion (or obsession) with chess, Beth also develops an addiction for shopping and fashion.
May we each connect with fashion in our own unique ways.
MerLunaLobo 