This was the comment one of my highschool classmates made to me one day at school when I showed up wearing my Dr. Seuss Sweater (pictured below), a black miniskirt, mustard yellow leggings, and a yellow bandanna in my hair. It was an outfit carefully chosen to be as visually offensive as possible, so when it raised commentary among my peers, I knew my choosing was a success. I could practically see the thought “hehehe burn” cross her mind after she made this quip, but deep in my heart, I felt that my outfit was pretty fucking awesome. If you’re dressing to offend and you offend, the success can go to your head a little bit.
This here’s the Dr. Seuss sweater…that’s what I always called it. It had apparently first belonged to my dad back in the 1960s, then Mom appropriated it, then I borowed it indefinitely circa 1993…and still have it. I feel it is fairly fabulous, thank you.
I have a long and…erm…colorful history of wearing perfectly dreadful clothing, in public and on purpose. The following example is a get-up I wore on the Halloween weekend. My original costume-scheme (early 1990s slutwear e.g. “The Ghost of Fashion Indescretions Past”) turned out to be too lightweight for the chilly fall weather, so I bungled together a new outfit out of stuff I had around the house and claimed to be a superhero called High Visibility Woman. It’s a lousy concept, but at least I was comfy.
Here’s my costume in all its obnoxious glory. John Harter helped encourage the general goofiness by being a total camera ham.
Here’s a closer view of the fabric (poppies!) and my ridiculous tights. I ordered them from Urban Outfitters (big mistake) and they were NOT what I was expecting to receive. I thought I was getting normal yellow, like um…just yellow, not Hi-Vis Safety Vest yallery-greenery. Good god, they are even kind of hideous by my own decidedly loose aesthetic standards. But let’s not dwell on the horrid stockings, shall we? The skirt? It’s one of my absolute favorites!
Check out that scalloped frill around the hem. That little detail is what sold me the skirt. Well, that and the fact that they were having a “bag day” at the Junior League thrift shop, and I could get it with some other stuff for a grand total of $8. It’s a Lily Pulitzer, which means it’s loud, flashy-yet-demure resort wear for posh ladies. I’m by no means posh, but I do love me some neon florals, and the styling is definitely more contemporary than the usual run of neon florals in my 1970s vintage collection
A ladybug thought the flowers were for real!
those are some really dreadful clothes, but i like your sense of humour and deliberateness about it! 🙂
So, what does it say about my fashion sense if I thought that your Halloween “costume” was a fabulous outfit?? I thought it was adorable. I meant to tell you that when you were wearing it.
Aww, thanks, Shannon.
I think it means that you like to have fun with fashion, too.