Why is DC fashion so boring?

[Anonymous]

Because if government workers started wearing anything even vaguely trendy or costing more than $100 an item, taxpayers would freak about federal salaries being too high and the tea party would have a field day.

Seriously. A while back, Vogue had a piece on style here. Some NYC maven was wondering why we didn't di fun, easy things like pair a bejeweled Marc Kors tshirts with a grey Ralph Lauren skirt and a Prada jacket. Honey, the taxpayer may think we're the devil, but doesn't want us to wear Prada.

I get that green hair is cheap. But it implies an interest in fashion, and that implies spending your salary on other things we don't want govt workers to be able to afford.

[Anonymous]

Living in NY I found that most people spend all of their money, especially when in the fashion industry. I think here people are too practical and save money. My friends in NY spend a lot on clothing and don't save for an apartment since owning decent real estate is so out of reach. I would rather live here and own my own home then rent for life and wear Prada shoes every day. I do have some higher end shoes and bags but I'm way too practical now to make a fashion statement every day. I spend the time budgeting, investing and spending money on our home. I'm also not into pretending to be something I'm not. Seems like my friends back in NY put on such airs and act like they live such a fancy life but blow all of their money on dining out and fashion. The older I get the sillier it seems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:former Angelino here. I have lived there many years and am a recent transplant to the DC area (although I was also an intern here a while ago).

I'm just going to comment on LA and DC and leave NYC out of it since I haven't actually lived there.

Of course LA is going to be more hip, since it's big industry is a creative one, namely, entertainment. And fashion. Etc.

DC is where real things happen, not imaginary, fake things. People in DC are actually doing real work that will make a difference in the world (whether for good or ill). Fashion would be an extra thing that is separate to what's happening here, while in LA, fashion is either the main focus or a tangental focus to what many people are doing.

In LA, politics and military are not an industry, so in my experience, you don't get as high of a percentage of people as knowledgable about politics and military as in DC.

If you are in love with fashion and fashionable people, you may want to consider LA. Just know, as I have learned, that there will always be someone more fashionable than you. No matter what. It really can waste a lot of time in one's life, when, imo, other things are more important.

Thanks for the input and long, helpful response. I know it can be annoying to be in a fashion competition with others, but at the same time I am just sick of feeling like my creative side is completely misunderstood by the majority of individuals here. I am not at all into politics or the military, I think as a consequence of having a father who worked with the government growing up. There are things I love about DC, the surrounding countryside, the heavy intellectualism, but I just feel so creatively stifled in terms of meeting other creatively minded people. I have been thinking about LA for a while so that might be where I try to move.

Top PP here. I think I understand where you are coming from. I think there are certain things that you can look at on a continuum, like one's comfort level with, say, stress, or creativity, or routine, etc. For instance, take routine. Too much and a person is bored. Too little and the person is stressed out. But people vary in where that sweet spot on the continuum is for them.

So with creativity (let's say fashion), maybe DC doesn't provide you with enough. Try LA. It might provide you with too much! Or may be just right for you.

I used to work in Cambridge, MA for a Harvard-connected consulting firm. So we were a bunch of intellectuals. Everyone thought I was so hip and fashionable; so crazy, so "LA"; my bosses put me with the entertainment clients.

In LA, I found myself being the least fashionable person in my circle. LOL No one in that circle would guess that in my former circle, I was the happening one.

It was that way for me with politics, too. In LA, I was conservative. Well, to be a conservative in LA is a different than being a conservative in DC. I don't think a far right person exists in the town where I was living. Here, I find myself more to the middle on the continuum because there are more people who are farther right.

So you may be seen as "out there" fashion-wise for DC, and, well, it sounds like it bugs you because you'd like to be in the middle, not on the edge of your group. When you get to LA, see if you like being just one of the crowd--one of the many pastel-colored haired women. You may feel at home, or you may find you would rather be back in DC being defined as the edgy one of the group.

Thank you for your very thoughtful and insightful response once again. Yes, i think you are right. Although I enjoy pushing the boundaries of fashion, I dont like to feel like a "freak". This past summer I had green hair which got so much enthusiastic praise from my friends in other cities. Walking to yoga in DC, I felt like a terrorist. I am usually pretty good about blocking out attention, but people would literally glare and stare at me to the point that my friends who were with me would start getting defensive of me. I like to express myself creatively but it's hard when you're in a place where that creativity is punished. But maybe I wouldnt like to be just one of the crowd. I am planning a trip to LA soon and I will try out how I feel there. LA seems unique in that there are so many edgy fashion styles expressed there, I truly think I wouldnt feel like such a black sheep. At the same time, i know TOO much of that, like the styles I see in portland or austin, also bother me. So I guess I am looking for a happy medium, like you said.

Thank you again, for your words. You have given me a lot to think about.

Haven't read the whole thread, but I just think someone with green hair that's not a teenager is immature and trying to get attention. I would never give you the stink eye, but would secretly think you were kind of pathetic. I really admire creative people, but don't think wearing "edgy fashion" makes you creative. Paint a painting, write a novel or a song -- but dye your hair green or dress in a deliberately weird, provocative way? Seems kind of silly to me. i had blue hair, pink hair, purple hair, etc when I was in high school. Then I grew up and had real things to think about. DC is just too serious a place for you, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because if government workers started wearing anything even vaguely trendy or costing more than $100 an item, taxpayers would freak about federal salaries being too high and the tea party would have a field day.

Seriously. A while back, Vogue had a piece on style here. Some NYC maven was wondering why we didn't di fun, easy things like pair a bejeweled Marc Kors tshirts with a grey Ralph Lauren skirt and a Prada jacket. Honey, the taxpayer may think we're the devil, but doesn't want us to wear Prada.

I get that green hair is cheap. But it implies an interest in fashion, and that implies spending your salary on other things we don't want govt workers to be able to afford.

x2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:former Angelino here. I have lived there many years and am a recent transplant to the DC area (although I was also an intern here a while ago).

I'm just going to comment on LA and DC and leave NYC out of it since I haven't actually lived there.

Of course LA is going to be more hip, since it's big industry is a creative one, namely, entertainment. And fashion. Etc.

DC is where real things happen, not imaginary, fake things. People in DC are actually doing real work that will make a difference in the world (whether for good or ill). Fashion would be an extra thing that is separate to what's happening here, while in LA, fashion is either the main focus or a tangental focus to what many people are doing.

In LA, politics and military are not an industry, so in my experience, you don't get as high of a percentage of people as knowledgable about politics and military as in DC.

If you are in love with fashion and fashionable people, you may want to consider LA. Just know, as I have learned, that there will always be someone more fashionable than you. No matter what. It really can waste a lot of time in one's life, when, imo, other things are more important.

Thanks for the input and long, helpful response. I know it can be annoying to be in a fashion competition with others, but at the same time I am just sick of feeling like my creative side is completely misunderstood by the majority of individuals here. I am not at all into politics or the military, I think as a consequence of having a father who worked with the government growing up. There are things I love about DC, the surrounding countryside, the heavy intellectualism, but I just feel so creatively stifled in terms of meeting other creatively minded people. I have been thinking about LA for a while so that might be where I try to move.

Top PP here. I think I understand where you are coming from. I think there are certain things that you can look at on a continuum, like one's comfort level with, say, stress, or creativity, or routine, etc. For instance, take routine. Too much and a person is bored. Too little and the person is stressed out. But people vary in where that sweet spot on the continuum is for them.

So with creativity (let's say fashion), maybe DC doesn't provide you with enough. Try LA. It might provide you with too much! Or may be just right for you.

I used to work in Cambridge, MA for a Harvard-connected consulting firm. So we were a bunch of intellectuals. Everyone thought I was so hip and fashionable; so crazy, so "LA"; my bosses put me with the entertainment clients.

In LA, I found myself being the least fashionable person in my circle. LOL No one in that circle would guess that in my former circle, I was the happening one.

It was that way for me with politics, too. In LA, I was conservative. Well, to be a conservative in LA is a different than being a conservative in DC. I don't think a far right person exists in the town where I was living. Here, I find myself more to the middle on the continuum because there are more people who are farther right.

So you may be seen as "out there" fashion-wise for DC, and, well, it sounds like it bugs you because you'd like to be in the middle, not on the edge of your group. When you get to LA, see if you like being just one of the crowd--one of the many pastel-colored haired women. You may feel at home, or you may find you would rather be back in DC being defined as the edgy one of the group.

Thank you for your very thoughtful and insightful response once again. Yes, i think you are right. Although I enjoy pushing the boundaries of fashion, I dont like to feel like a "freak". This past summer I had green hair which got so much enthusiastic praise from my friends in other cities. Walking to yoga in DC, I felt like a terrorist. I am usually pretty good about blocking out attention, but people would literally glare and stare at me to the point that my friends who were with me would start getting defensive of me. I like to express myself creatively but it's hard when you're in a place where that creativity is punished. But maybe I wouldnt like to be just one of the crowd. I am planning a trip to LA soon and I will try out how I feel there. LA seems unique in that there are so many edgy fashion styles expressed there, I truly think I wouldnt feel like such a black sheep. At the same time, i know TOO much of that, like the styles I see in portland or austin, also bother me. So I guess I am looking for a happy medium, like you said.

Thank you again, for your words. You have given me a lot to think about.

Haven't read the whole thread, but I just think someone with green hair that's not a teenager is immature and trying to get attention. I would never give you the stink eye, but would secretly think you were kind of pathetic. I really admire creative people, but don't think wearing "edgy fashion" makes you creative. Paint a painting, write a novel or a song -- but dye your hair green or dress in a deliberately weird, provocative way? Seems kind of silly to me. i had blue hair, pink hair, purple hair, etc when I was in high school. Then I grew up and had real things to think about. DC is just too serious a place for you, I think.

Sounds like you are more than boring enough for it, though.

[Anonymous]

OP is clearly just making shit up. Can't be real. No one reacts to green or any other bright colored hair since the 80s. Total bs post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Living in NY I found that most people spend all of their money, especially when in the fashion industry. I think here people are too practical and save money. My friends in NY spend a lot on clothing and don't save for an apartment since owning decent real estate is so out of reach. I would rather live here and own my own home then rent for life and wear Prada shoes every day. I do have some higher end shoes and bags but I'm way too practical now to make a fashion statement every day. I spend the time budgeting, investing and spending money on our home. I'm also not into pretending to be something I'm not. Seems like my friends back in NY put on such airs and act like they live such a fancy life but blow all of their money on dining out and fashion. The older I get the sillier it seems.

Exactly. NYC and LA are places where people spend time and money on fashion. DC just isn't. If you want your style appreciated and understood, move to one of those places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Living in NY I found that most people spend all of their money, especially when in the fashion industry. I think here people are too practical and save money. My friends in NY spend a lot on clothing and don't save for an apartment since owning decent real estate is so out of reach. I would rather live here and own my own home then rent for life and wear Prada shoes every day. I do have some higher end shoes and bags but I'm way too practical now to make a fashion statement every day. I spend the time budgeting, investing and spending money on our home. I'm also not into pretending to be something I'm not. Seems like my friends back in NY put on such airs and act like they live such a fancy life but blow all of their money on dining out and fashion. The older I get the sillier it seems.

Exactly. NYC and LA are places where people spend time and money on fashion. DC just isn't. If you want your style appreciated and understood, move to one of those places.

x2

[Anonymous]

I could care less what anyone else wears or what color their hair is. I have enough of my own stuff going on that I don't really have the time or energy to be concerned about other people's fashion choices. I imagine that this would be the case for most busy people in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I could care less what anyone else wears or what color their hair is. I have enough of my own stuff going on that I don't really have the time or energy to be concerned about other people's fashion choices. I imagine that this would be the case for most busy people in the DC area.

+1

I kind of doubt people stare. The things described would barely get a second look in middle America much less DC. Wear whatever you want. N

[Anonymous]

Move somewhere more cosmopolitan/creative and quit complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because if government workers started wearing anything even vaguely trendy or costing more than $100 an item, taxpayers would freak about federal salaries being too high and the tea party would have a field day.

Seriously. A while back, Vogue had a piece on style here. Some NYC maven was wondering why we didn't di fun, easy things like pair a bejeweled Marc Kors tshirts with a grey Ralph Lauren skirt and a Prada jacket. Honey, the taxpayer may think we're the devil, but doesn't want us to wear Prada.

I get that green hair is cheap. But it implies an interest in fashion, and that implies spending your salary on other things we don't want govt workers to be able to afford.

x2

x3 Nicely put. And this has been the case since many decades before the tea party was in existence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Move somewhere more cosmopolitan/creative and quit complaining.

This.

[Anonymous]

I am 40. I am unfashionable. I live in the Midwest. No one here would care about OP's green hair either. Zzzzzzz.

BTW, I was normcore before normcore was cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because if government workers started wearing anything even vaguely trendy or costing more than $100 an item, taxpayers would freak about federal salaries being too high and the tea party would have a field day.

Seriously. A while back, Vogue had a piece on style here. Some NYC maven was wondering why we didn't di fun, easy things like pair a bejeweled Marc Kors tshirts with a grey Ralph Lauren skirt and a Prada jacket. Honey, the taxpayer may think we're the devil, but doesn't want us to wear Prada.

I get that green hair is cheap. But it implies an interest in fashion, and that implies spending your salary on other things we don't want govt workers to be able to afford.

x2

x3 Nicely put. And this has been the case since many decades before the tea party was in existence.

x4