Peace of mind comes now from Prada instead of normalcy.

In College I was so taken with styling, trend spotting, discovering new looks, and the general normal conceptions of fashion. Looking back I believe it was a response to the staid academic atmosphere. I craved the loud pink skirts and cashmere pullovers the ones my mother got my specially from some indian Markets. It helped balance my heady intellectual life.

Right now, in my current incarnation as Barnista Fashionista, I am a whirlwind of activities. The idea of always having something to rely on as I whisk out the door really appeals to me. As they say: “There is a kind of peace of mind that comes from being perfectly well dressed that even religion is powerless to bestow.” Hence my current fascination with basics. What kind of wardrobe can I craft that will carry me through any occasion, especially as I have so little money to spend on it?

Thus I find myself in Prada pumps, my jeans, and basic American Apparel tank tops. It works, I don’t feel out classed, and I have some kind of peace of mind as I mingle with the rich, the well heeled, and their celebrity archetypes. I felt just fine at the Prada party in my little black dress, cardigan, and Prada pumps even as I am surrounded by the best dressed people on the planet.

My love of basics is still evolving. Perhaps in the future I feel more sartorial in my fashion choices as my life settles down and I can rely on a steady paycheck, a real apartment, and the other things in life people take for granted. Peace of mind comes now from Prada instead of normalcy. 

In that sense my love of basics is how I make sense of the world, or at least the world I currently inhabit. The beauty of fashion is that it is always changing, just as we are, and as we become who we are and who we wish to be, fashion can mirror that back, or push us on towards greater things. And I think that makes me a real fashionista, even if I wear the most boring clothing on the planet.

Today basics, tomorrow who can say?