Do you dress eccentrically?

[lmelanie]

hell yeah i do..it spruces up my day...

 

[Bel]

bel i don't think you need to dress like a nut to dress in an eccentric way

Hmm, I'm not sure about that. With the Cory Kennedy, scene fashion thing going on, it's like "individuality" is the new trend. Even Seventeen, about as mainstream as you can get, is pushing this "personal style" business now. Now that everybody is trying to be an individual, in a while you're either have to be impeccable or downright offensive to get any attention. I prefer offensive.

 

[Bel]

I'm guessing most people have already seen this, but how's this for eccentric? This guy is my HERO.
http://www.pixyland.org/peterpan/petersFashionPage.html

 

[kisa]

I don't dress eccentrically and I'm not a fan of dressing eccentrically. No offense meant to anyone, but I think it looks contrived and ridiculous.

 

[chaneladdict]

Ohhh Bel I LOVE that guy. I had forgot about him, thanks for refreshing my memory

 

[dreamecho]

I know from discussing with another introvert on this board that she and I both say things with our clothing that we would be too shy to say with words.

Great point, Tang. Everyone knows that how we dress is a reflection and expression of ourselves. So in a way, we can say that our manner of dress is just another form of communication, much like writing, painting, talking and trumpet-playing are all forms of communication. Some people are most comfortable expressing themselves through music, while others are more at ease expressing themselves through sculpture, while even others--like you --are more comfortable expressing yourselves through outfits and appearance. We humans can be shy and inhibited in some areas, yet be bold enough to express ourselves in other ways...such as dressing eccentrically.

 

[Fuuma]

I believe there is an important distinction to be made between wanting to express yourself through the clothes you wear, without necessarily meeting the expectations of your peers and society at large and thinking “I’m going to dress eccentrically!!” The first option entails acknowledging that personal appearance does carry weight in the sense that it conveys meaning through signifiers and shared concepts while the other one is just basic attention grabbing without rhyme nor reason. A good example would be a designer like Gaultier, who acknowledges what a skirt “means” and consciously choose to present men wearing skirts, a provocative gesture but also a genuine desire to expand the fashion palette available to (bold) men and express his ideas about the fluidity of gender roles. Contrast this with some freak who decides to just pile on the most outrageous clothes he can find, including a skirt, then goes parading about town, hypocritically complaining that everybody looks at him and that his “individuality” is not being respected.

 

[mkd1187]

can I bump my thread... anyone =)

 

[softgrey]

i think it depends on what we define as 'eccentric'...
cause sometimes when people say 'eccentric'...they really mean 'like an idiot'...
...

i never want to look like an idiot...
that said..
i don't really want to look like everyone else on the street either...
*so my goal is to have a unique personal style without looking like an idiot...


i was just thinking about this though...
* there used to be a very specific look that a lot of british girls had that was the definition of 'eccentric'..
they could manage to clash patterns, use lots of ditzy florals, throw in some random vintage pieces and still look cool...stuff that made no sense and totally went against the rules, but somehow worked...

unfortunately, with h&m and zara etc...
the globalisation of fashion seems to have meant the death of the english eccentric..
and i really miss her...

 

[mkd1187]

I miss her too Softy =(

but I think if one dresses outside the box - it is eccentric. It doesnt mean circus freak. Just... creative =)

 

[fashionista-ta]

I would say no ... but I suspect some other people would say yes I do

 

[ravensWood]

I don't dress eccentrically, in my own opinion. My wardrobe consists of v-neck sweaters, plain dresses, jeans and t-shirts, but I am an obsessive person and one of my main obsessions is a huge dislike for the sun which means I carry an umbrella year round.

I live in Australia too so this would be considered eccentric by many!
However, I do it to satisfy something in myself, not for anyone else.

I am sure true eccentrics like Anna Piaggi and that Peter Pan guy dress that way to satisfy something inside them - like it would actually hurt them mentally to put on jeans and a white t-shirt.

 

[softgrey]

I am sure true eccentrics like Anna Piaggi and that Peter Pan guy dress that way to satisfy something inside them - like it would actually hurt them mentally to put on jeans and a white t-shirt.

shari...
that is a really good observation...
that is exactly how i feel when i wear something too 'normal'...

i feel like i am jumping out of my skin and i want to tear the clothes off of me... and run around screaming......


.................................................

 

[ravensWood]

^^ Yes. I am sure when I am underneath an umbrella on an overcast but not rainy day (the UV rays are worse!) people are looking at me strangely and thinking I am a freak, but to not carry it and expose my skin gives me the heebie-jeebies (for want of a better term) so I carry an umbrella!

What I'm trying to say is that I risk ridicule to be true to my thoughts and opinions and desires and it's likely that eccentric dressers do the same.

 

[pucci_mama]

* there used to be a very specific look that a lot of british girls had that was the definition of 'eccentric'..
they could manage to clash patterns, use lots of ditzy florals, throw in some random vintage pieces and still look cool...stuff that made no sense and totally went against the rules, but somehow worked...

unfortunately, with h&m and zara etc...
the globalisation of fashion seems to have meant the death of the english eccentric..
and i really miss her...

To be perfectly honest Soft and I live in the UK you just described the uniform look of British girls, I don't think their eccentricity will never go away, I am not saying it always looks good, but Brits are very thrifty so they always source vintage etc. You just have to go to the right places.

I am not really into this way of dressing but it's a uniform often done badly.. but when it's good it looks great.

 

[NicolaItaly]

i don't dress eccentrically, i don't like too audacious or too particular clothing..

 

[Jane Loves Marc]

I think the appearance of 'eccentricity' occurss when you incorporate visual aspects that are apealling to you regardless of how they are relavent to the way people dress...this can mean very architectural pieces, dresses with entire paintings on them, three dimensional addendums on clothing, or even things that aren't relavent to current styles like coat tails, spats, etc
its like you cant help but wear whatever is beautiful to you, no matter if it could seem frumpy, unsexy, unfeminine, too femenine, dated, prissy, disheveled, or WHATEVER to others.
and i agree with what ShariEma said about how it seems so unnatural to them to dress 'conventionally', it seems like a complete betrayal of who you are!
it takes someone who is really an aesthete to dress eccentrically and perhaps someone who is a bit disconnected from other people to have the courage to adorn themselves in whatever makes them happy.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

MKD you sound just like me, maybe a bit more eccentric - you sound totally cool, I want to see you in one of your usual outfits

I wear sort of unusually(?) formal stuff - I'm like eighteen and sometimes I wear like, a suit to college. This wasn't really deliberate, it just happened, and I kind of noticed I was wearing a nice Jaeger blazer and other people older than me were wearing like nylon hoodies.
I like to contradict my clothes, like wear a shirt with cufflinks and have the collar open with a bright t-shirt underneath it.
I love cufflinks because there is such a little amount of socially acceptable jewellery men can wear. I do have a string of natural black pearls that I would love to wear, but I need to get around to it, ha.
I think people don't dress more like it because they think it's uncomfortable, but it really isn't.
I keep getting sort of complimented with such phrases as "You look very smart today, going somewhere nice?" or something someone said to me today: "I like that scarf - it looks very dapper!".
I have this massive collection of scarves and i'm going to start wearing my collection of ties for summer (in a sort of, inventive way).
Okay i'll stop yapping!
Here are some pictures taken originally for the "What Are You Wearing Today" thread haaa

Not too eccentric on this day, but with a typical blazer and pocket handkerchief

A typical contradiction: ripped jeans with blazer and scarf

Favourite blazer with skinny jeans and cowboy boots

A neutral outfit


MKD don't you find sort of formal accessories like bowties, ties, tailcoats (btw, i TOTALLY want one of those) etc are the only way for a man to accessorize unusually without going into female accessories??

I would love to see everyone elses eccentricities!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
this thread
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

[mkd1187]

MKD you sound just like me, maybe a bit more eccentric - you sound totally cool, I want to see you in one of your usual outfits

I wear sort of unusually(?) formal stuff - I'm like eighteen and sometimes I wear like, a suit to college. This wasn't really deliberate, it just happened, and I kind of noticed I was wearing a nice Jaeger blazer and other people older than me were wearing like nylon hoodies.
I like to contradict my clothes, like wear a shirt with cufflinks and have the collar open with a bright t-shirt underneath it.
I love cufflinks because there is such a little amount of socially acceptable jewellery men can wear. I do have a string of natural black pearls that I would love to wear, but I need to get around to it, ha.
I think people don't dress more like it because they think it's uncomfortable, but it really isn't.
I keep getting sort of complimented with such phrases as "You look very smart today, going somewhere nice?" or something someone said to me today: "I like that scarf - it looks very dapper!".
I have this massive collection of scarves and i'm going to start wearing my collection of ties for summer (in a sort of, inventive way).
Okay i'll stop yapping!
Here are some pictures taken originally for the "What Are You Wearing Today" thread haaa
Not too eccentric on this day, but with a typical blazer and pocket handkerchief
A typical contradiction: ripped jeans with blazer and scarf
Favourite blazer with skinny jeans and cowboy boots
A neutral outfit

MKD don't you find sort of formal accessories like bowties, ties, tailcoats (btw, i TOTALLY want one of those) etc are the only way for a man to accessorize unusually without going into female accessories??

I would love to see everyone elses eccentricities!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
this thread
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thank you so much for the feedback
I must admit that I have toned my look down recently - I still like to mix traditional menswear with streetwear.

PM me and I'll send you some pics of the tailcoat (my fave )

 

[mkd1187]

MKD don't you find sort of formal accessories like bowties, ties, tailcoats (btw, i TOTALLY want one of those) etc are the only way for a man to accessorize unusually without going into female accessories??

I would love to see everyone elses eccentricities!

LOVE LOVE LOVE
this thread
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

THank you so much Diamonds =) I love your look - mixing traditional menswear with cooler, casual things.


Heres the tailcoat I promised you.