Page 69 - Allure - November 2016 USA

Christopher
Kane Rodarte
A FASHION ALCHEMY WAS OCCURRING BEFORE MY EYES:
I’D WORN AN OUTFIT SO WRONG
THAT IT STARTED LOOKING RIGHT.
is one of the great privileges of getting
dressed every day. Each time you
open your closet, you’re given a chance
to shock your coworkers to pieces,
startle your family to bits, and make your
boyfriend or girlfriend question your
sanity. Surely it’s worth exercising that i
right every once in a while, if only to n my case, it was the white see the looks on their faces. Fortune jeans that got me. After favors the bold, as they say. decades of avoidance, I woke
This doesn’t mean you have to up in a perverse mood one exchange your perennial fall staples morning last year, opened my (trench coat, cashmere V-neck in a laptop, and, from bed, ordered a tasteful neutral) for a rack of runway pair of Levi’s 501s in a snowy
costumes. Baby steps in a quirky
direction can be just as satisfying as mature thing to do. If I could force giant leaps. If you’re not ready to myself to wear a pair of white jeans
sport a statement pantsuit, you can try houndstooth trousers. If thigh- length leather jackets are a step too far, stick with a bomber. If full fur sleeves make you nervous (about your silhouette, about PETA, or about attracting stray wildlife), a coat with
for even one day, I figured, it might have the effect of a vaccine, curing me of my spiteful thoughts and hypersensitivity for good. When the pants arrived, I let them sit in their plastic wrapping for a full weekend. On Monday, I forced myself to wear them to work. At 9:15 A.M., I got a compliment. By noon, I was passing reflective surfaces on purpose in order to clock myself in the pants. I didn’t
a faux-fur collar will accomplish
the job. The only taboo is playing it safe. And once you discover the pleasures of being unpredictable, you might just find yourself strapping into that pantsuit after all.
selvedge. It seemed like the
TREND REPORT
recognize the woman in the mirror, but I was starting to respect
her style. In fact, a fashion alchemy was occurring before my eyes: I’d worn an outfit
so wrong that it started looking right. By lunchtime, I’d ordered a second pair.
Now I wear them all the time. My favorite outfit—regardless
of the season—consists of white jeans, white brogues, and a white silk shirt. I think it makes me look like a big, sexy glass
of milk. If there’s a lesson here, it’s that our sartorial antipathies might be worth exploring
for precisely the reasons they make us squirrelly and anxious. And the timing couldn’t be better: This season offers
more opportunities than ever to face your fashion allergies head-on. Or feet first. Or, you know, however you get dressed in the morning.
NOVEMBER 2016 ALLURE 63
Proenza Schouler
JASON LLOYD-EVANS (3)