Esta es la versión inglesa de mi boletín, puedes encontrar el mismo texto en castellano aquí.
One of my pleasures in public spaces is just seeing how people dress. My mind – just like yours, probably – makes a semi-conscious annotations of what is “in” now. And every time I see someone who stands out from the crowd, someone who has clearly put an effort into dressing up, someone who has listened to their little inner voice telling that they should wear *that* and disregard the attention or possible misunderstandings it could bring…
It fills me with pride for them. It fills me with satisfaction. It fills me with optimism. It fills me with confidence. It inspires me.
I don’t think that I’m the only one, and that’s why it’s your duty to dress as extravagant and “weird” as you can.
It is your duty for your own sake since your most authentic and most playful self deserves to be expressed and to roam the streets freely.
And it is your duty for others as well.
Because you never know who you can inspire to express *their* most authentic self. Maybe they didn’t know it was allowed, maybe they didn’t know where to start… And in one moment, just by being thare, you have taught them.
Also, because you never know who is living their creativity and expression vicariously through you. We each have our restrictions, whether self-imposed or social, political, financial. Hence that “as you can” above.
An “as you wish” is implied here, of course. Being comfortable comes first, yes, but let this serve as a reminder to also listen to yourself regarding your relationship with the extravagant and the extraordinary.
Obviously, we each have our own limits of the normal and the extravagant… which is why it is interesting to explore them. What is too much for you? What is too little for you? Where is your sweet spot between feeling underdressed and overdressed? Where is your “normal” and “I am well dressed” in relation to the average of the people surrounding you?
To have some benchmarks for the high end of that distribution, here are some ladies who have done a lot of extravagance work for all of us: Diana Vreeland, Anna Piaggi, Lynn Yaeger, Iris Apfel.
We shall swap again, only 20 months after the previous swap… If you find yourself in Barcelona, see you on August 15th to swap your pre-loved garments for those of somebody else.
This swap will be part of the official Festa Major de Gràcia programme in c/ Ciudad Real. To ensure the happiness and safety for all, the event will take place outdoors, in C/ Ciudad Real (where it intersects with C/ Terol), with limited and controlled access, using masks and collecting data for contact tracing.
The swap concept stays the same, though: bring clean clothes and acessories (or not), take away as many as you want!
Para los días cuando nada parece tener sentido: ¿Es demasiado tarde para cuidar la Tierra?
Uno de los conocimientos clave para un consumo informado en 2021 es saber qué palabras necesariamente – por ley – significan algo concreto y cuáles se puede utilizar libremente para hacer greenwashing: Cosmética ecológica, bio, orgánica, natural… ¿Cuál es la diferencia?
So, the mythological creatures like Edna Woolman Chase, Carmel Snow, Diana Vreeland or Anna Wintour (or the very fictional “Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking” Miranda Priestly) might be extinct? The Imperial Editor Goes the Way of the Dodo / La extinción de la editora imperial.
Fast fashion hasn’t gone anywhere: How Trump’s Trade War Built Shein, China’s First Global Fashion Giant.
Ouch! When this happens: Everlane’s Promise of ‘Radical Transparency’ Unravels + Everane rating on Good on You. Also, it is much easier to create an image that feels ethical-ish than to actually live up to that.
Is variety overrated? Experience: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years.
And that’s it for this week! I hope that you enjoyed reading and would be very happy to hear from you, regarding extravagance or anything else… in the comments below, via Facebook or Instagram, or via e-mail at luize.ratniece [a] gmail .com
Guardarrr is a weekly bilingual newsletter dedicated to sustainability and mindfulness in fashion. It is written by Luīze Ratniece, a sociologist and textile activist based in Barcelona. Guardarrr is both a tool for reflection and a crowdfunding channel for the wardrobe tracking app that Luīze is building. If you read this newsletter and value it, please consider going to the paid version to fund this project for a monthly equivalent of a coffee + pastry. Each subscription warms my heart immensely and helps going on, thank you so much for being here with me!
