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FASHION TALK with MARIA LANG
I often step into my daughter’s shared bedroom to find the two of them sifting through their closet. Almost every drawer has been pulled with pieces of clothing dripping from the drawer edges and spilling onto the floor. The hangers that keep some of their dresses neat and orderly have clearly lost their purpose as their most prized articles of clothing are included in the pile that sits next to them. The pile that only seems to be rising in both size and chaos.
By now, Emery, my 6 year old, has not one but two dresses on, a true blunder of fashion but somehow the layers and colors seem to make it look just right, maybe even more right. Eve, my 3 year old, clearly dressed in the footsteps of her older sister, has doubled up on every piece of clothing she wears as well. This time, a little more open to question as some of her layers are inside out and backwards. Dressing up and changing outfit after outfit has become a true form of play for my daughters.
Boardgames, puzzles and actual toys are things I wonder why I even have when they are so often found marvelling in front of their closet with hours of entertainment ahead of them. Emery turns around to see me, immediately runs up to me and says “Do you like it?” For a moment, I forget about the unholy mess that has hit all four corners of their room and can only see the true delight in her eyes as she twirls in front of me. I am swiftly pulled into their fashion arena, I’m asked to sit, I sit, immediately a scarf is wrapped around my neck then draped over my shoulders. Eve, tries to fit shoes on me, a size 7 in youth. Dissatisfied, she explains to me that I will need to “grow smaller feet” if I want to wear her shoes.
Every item pulled out and worn is equally as special to me as it is to them. I think that is what makes these items so loved, that they are worn and they are worn with memories attached to them. Clothing is more than just a trend to me. It is a tribute to moments in our lives, little reminders that allow us to standstill in a memory. When I recall some of my favourite pieces that my kids wear, I choose them not because all of their threads are intact or because they never lost their luster. These pieces of clothing are my simply my favourite because they enable me to relish in the memories that they have gathered.
