The Art (and Function) of Getting Dressed
On creativity, utility, and what we actually wear đ
One of the reasons I was drawn to fashion from a young age was its unique blend of art and function.
It was beautiful, expressive, and creative â but also something that could be used.
Worn.
Lived in.
It wasnât just something to hang on a wall. But it also wasnât merely functional. It held meaning and purpose.
Fashion is art. And fashion is utility.
Sometimes these sides exist in beautiful harmony.
Other times, they feel completely at odds.
đââïž Fashion as Function
This past week â spent hiking and camping (well, ok, glamping) in the Rocky Mountains â reminded me of that tension again.
When youâre at 10,000 feet hiking through 10 inches of snow, you donât care how your boots look if they donât work.
Functional gear can mean the difference between reaching the summit safely or sliding down with a twisted ankle and a very inconvenient emergency call.
Or when you go from sweating under the sun to freezing in 35-degree windchill, you suddenly feel the consequences of polyester. That layer that was fine at the base becomes an icy trap at the top.
Thatâs when you realize⊠maybe that investment in natural fibers wouldâve been worth it.
Outdoor gear leans strongly into the function side of fashionâs spectrum.
Sure you get some say in the color and a few aesthetic details, but ultimately you choose what performs in the elements.
đš Fashion as Art
On the opposite end is couture and red carpet gowns. This is fashion as pure art. Garments that require a team to slip on or tie up, pieces made to walk the runway, hang in a museum, or catch media attention.
Fashion that challenges norms, makes statements, and sometimes simply exists for the sake of it.
Some dismiss this kind of fashion as useless or frivolous. And from a sustainability standpoint, it can feel extravagant or disconnected. But fashion as art also has value. It can inspire, provoke, document history as we saw with this year's Met Gala's theme Black dandyism, or simply bring joy.
Fashion can be function and fashion can sometimes just be expression.
Both have their place.
𧄠Living in the In-Between
The reality is, though, that most of us live somewhere between those ends of the spectrum.
Clothing as pure art can feel like a costume.
But clothing as pure function can feel lifeless. Dull.
The thing is, we want to feel good in what we wear.
We want our clothes to reflect something about us, but we also need them to work in the lives we actually live.
The shoes we walk in and the bags we carry.
The outfits we reach for when weâre late for work, heading to a last-minute meeting, or walking five blocks in unpredictable weather.
It sounds obvious. But how many times have we bought something that strikes us on the hanger in a boutique or charity shop only to realize it doesnât make any sense for our real life?
Maybe it rides up. Maybe it itches. Maybe it lacks pockets, or requires dry cleaning, or leaves sweat patches by noon. Maybe itâs just too much effort for a Tuesday.
On the flip side, weâve all made functional purchases that donât feel like us â a pair of boots bought in a snowstorm, a pair of shorts from a resort shop.
They serve a purpose in the moment, but when weâre home, they seem to end up in that ânever wearâ pile all too soon.
Those pieces just don't feel like us.
đ Clothing as a Support System
Fashion can express who we are or who weâre becoming. But at its very best, it can also support our lives, not distract from them.
Good design isnât just about aesthetics. Itâs about how a piece moves with you. How it feels on your skin and the ease it gives your day.
Whether weâre miles into the backcountry or at our desks in a city center, clothing can either help ground us in the moment, or pull us out of it entirely.
đȘĄ The Slow Fashion Takeaway
What the fashion industry can sometimes forget is that clothing doesnât live in showrooms. It lives on bodies and it is worn through real days.
When we buy something, we sometimes forget this ourselves. That this dress or this pair of pants wonât just hang in our closet but itâll exist on us, in our actual life.
The longest-lasting pieces arenât just well made â theyâre well lived in.
What if we made space only for pieces that work and bring joy? That express our style, honor our values, and support our reality?
That summer dress may never climb a mountain, but it should help us feel confident on a sweltering, sticky day. It should let us breathe, move in comfort, and exist fully in our lives.
The best outfits are chosen not just for how they look but for how they live with us.
They reflect our style, yes. But they also respect our climate, our commute, our energy, our needs, our values. (And it goes without saying, our budget.)
Clothing doesnât just live on the surface. It shapes our experience of the world.
A great reflection on what we really NEED from our choices of fashion!
Love this and couldn't agree more. Our closets should support our lives, not clutter them up!