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For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed wearing dresses, heels and lots of jewelry.
I express my personality through clothes. Clothing is a form of communication, to myself and to others, and I dress differently compared to when I'm at home making dinner or attending a wedding with my close family and friends.
Especially when attending live performances, such as musicals, dance recitals and operas, I've noticed that many attendees opt to blend in, showing up in jeans and sweatshirts. Noticing this trend at local performances and city events, I'm left wondering where the fun of dressing has gone.
Are we choosing comfortable clothing instead of creative clothing in the same way that we're choosing artificial intelligence artwork instead of human-powered artwork? In a world where sweatsuits seem to rule the world, I think people are leaving out the creativity that comes along with clothing.
Bonnie Resinski, Saint Francis University adjunct faculty member and Fine Arts department costume designer, said that people express themselves through fashion for a range of events such as weddings, cosplay conventions, and funnily enough, sporting events.
Football, basketball and World Cup jerseys typically start at $50 and enter into the double digits.
"A jersey is more expensive than a reasonably priced dress," she said.
When it comes to live performances, however, I've always believed that it's a sign of respect to dress up for these events. As a former actress, I appreciated when someone in the audience put effort into their appearance to watch a show that I dedicated countless hours into making enjoyable.
Event centers are a place where an attendee has an excuse to wear a clothing piece that collects dust in the back of their closet, Resinski said.
Plus, dressing for an occasion has psychological benefits. According to a 2015 study from the Social Psycological and Personality Science, authors discovered that formal clothes enhanced abstract processing and enhanced social and psychological distance between people.
Reskinski said she couldn't count how many times she's stood in front of her mirror and swapped out her jewlery, curious about which pieces would produce a specific effect on her outfit.
"There's an element of design, selection and arrangement that's satisfying rather than putting something on because it's there," she said.
And those elements can be used for any type of outing, whether it be live performances, cosplay conventions, sporting events, even grocery shopping.
Contrary to popular belief, dressing up doesn't require an exorbitant amount of money; I can't count how many times I've found a unique piece of clothing on Goodwill or Salvation Army racks. And those moments result in the best stories I tell my fiance over dinner.
Considering that fast fashion is a huge issue, purchasing clothes second-hand is also an eco-friendly alternative to department store finds.
"Take that sense of creativity and find things that don't cost a lot," she said. "It takes going out into the world instead of sitting on a phone looking at Amazon or Temu for clothes."
But society forgets that upcycling clothes is an option.
Sewing is still taught in Family and Consumer Sciences courses in grade school, so young people are graduating with beginner sewing skills. It's just a matter of taking an old or unloved piece of clothing and cutting or adding new items to make it new again.
Resinski said "The Great British Sewing Bee" is a shining example of seamstresses repurposing clothing patterns and even scraps from opponents and making something fashionable.
"It's an interesting concept for reducing waste because they talk about the transformation challenge," she said.
People can express themselves through clothing, and it doesn't require attending fancy events or having deep pockets. Wear that coat hanging in the back of the closet to visit a friend; wear that jewelry to your local theatre's next performance. Life's too short to let technology or society dictate your appearance.
The moment we limit ourselves from wearing what we want is the moment we limit our creativity.
Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.