I was obsessed with Barbie dolls when I was younger. I can’t think of another way to describe the twenty-odd dolls that I collected over my childhood years. I had the Japanese Barbie, the Doctor Barbie, the just-had-a-baby Barbie, the grandma-and-grandpa Barbie-and-Ken combo, the Barbie horse, the Barbie Ferrari Testarosa, the scooter, the apartment, the office -everything. My dolls had the world at their feet. The predominant palette of my bedroom was every color ranging from hot-pink, freshly unwrapped bubble gum to pale-pink, I’ve-been-chewing-this-piece-for-four-hours-bubble gum. It couldn’t get any more girly. Yet my mother insisted on cutting my hair the same way as my older brother (super short!) and in a very avant garde effort to reuse, recycle, restore, I inherited my brother’s very boyish clothing.
I’ve found myself shopping in the man’s department many times and not for my male counterparts, but for me. I love it when my husband purges his closet and all his unwanted nice shirts find a new home in mine. Not only do they fit me perfectly -i.e. they look huge- but the male scent they come with is just priceless! (grrr). My new wallet (I lost my old one during a slightly wild birthday celebration) is from Jack Spade, and my all-time favorite shoes are Cole Haan men's black oxfords -to the point where I've purchased the same pair with slightly different variations several times. I love wearing men's bow ties, and nothing beats John Varvato's shower gel (although I've found a new best friend in Chloe's hand lotion).
I love this gender-specific-clothing grey zone where woman can rock male outfits. In a world where gender inequality is undeniable it's very refreshing to feel that one can take advantage -to an almost abusive extent- of the opposite sex's closet. Despite the many times I was mistaken as a cute boy when I was little, I have to thank my mom for giving me a wider point of view regarding clothing, hair styles, and frugality.
Real Nice Thing in Life #11: Barbie dolls, brothers, mothers, and the ability to somehow survive them all happily. Mixing men's plaid shirts, cheetah patterns, flower powered-jeans, red lipstick, purple booties, and a pounding headache.
I love this gender-specific-clothing grey zone where woman can rock male outfits. In a world where gender inequality is undeniable it's very refreshing to feel that one can take advantage -to an almost abusive extent- of the opposite sex's closet. Despite the many times I was mistaken as a cute boy when I was little, I have to thank my mom for giving me a wider point of view regarding clothing, hair styles, and frugality.
Real Nice Thing in Life #11: Barbie dolls, brothers, mothers, and the ability to somehow survive them all happily. Mixing men's plaid shirts, cheetah patterns, flower powered-jeans, red lipstick, purple booties, and a pounding headache.
All pictures by a very hungover Alcibiades.
