Why is DC fashion so boring?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:No fashion, entertainment or cool industries. A lot of government people which attracts people who are by nature pretty risk averse. It shows in how people dress (and a lot of other things).

Thats what I'm thinking. I grew up here and moved back after college but realizing now I just can't do it. I am in a creative industry and love to wear avante garde fashion, but I feel like half the time I wear what I think is cool and fresh, I get stared at on the street like I'm some kind of freak. And I'm wearing clothes that would fit in perfectly and be considered normal in LA and NYC. It's really frustrating. I just dont get it.

I think you should move.

I am trying to. In the meantime, it's annoying.

Did one person on the Metro give you the stink-eye? Was she 80? I find it hard to believe anyone really cares that much. What are you wearing. A dress made of safety pins?

I'm not trying to go into a lot of detail but there's a style called "health goth" right now (that I'm guessing many of you dont know about). And not just one look. many. And like I said, these are styles that are totally accepted in nyc or la. Here people look at you like youve committed a felony. And I am a very attractive, clean looking young woman.

Wow, if you fell for "health goth" you are really an idiot. That's basically something probably made up by a handful of social media engineers to see if they could make the most ridiculous trend ever actually take off. Or a sociology experiment. I may look like crap in my dirt grey, ill fitting Ann Taylor pantsuit, but at least I'm not a fashion fraud victim.

You are the kind of person who's opinion I just dont care for. Health goth is not the only fashion style I wear, but it's one. Enjoy your Ann Taylor pantsuits, you might as well just move in to the retirement home now.

Okay, so let me get this straight....you don't like that others don't enjoy/approve of your fashion choices, but it's okay for you to insult others'. Hypocrite.

It's not that. It's the complete absence of any fashion perspective outside what's on sale at Talbots. The complete dearth of any creativity when it comes to fashion.

It also annoys me when people who know NOTHING about a given field weigh in as if they are an expert. I wouldnt come into a legal advice field and tell everyone that all the lawyers are totally wrong. And I would appreciate people who dont even know what the hell health-goth or any other trend is just not weigh in with an uneducated opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The currency of DC is who you know and what you know. How you look is a very distant third place.

+1 Plus we value discerning between "whose" and "who's." LOL

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No fashion, entertainment or cool industries. A lot of government people which attracts people who are by nature pretty risk averse. It shows in how people dress (and a lot of other things).

Thats what I'm thinking. I grew up here and moved back after college but realizing now I just can't do it. I am in a creative industry and love to wear avante garde fashion, but I feel like half the time I wear what I think is cool and fresh, I get stared at on the street like I'm some kind of freak. And I'm wearing clothes that would fit in perfectly and be considered normal in LA and NYC. It's really frustrating. I just dont get it.

I think you should move.

I am trying to. In the meantime, it's annoying.

Did one person on the Metro give you the stink-eye? Was she 80? I find it hard to believe anyone really cares that much. What are you wearing. A dress made of safety pins?

I'm not trying to go into a lot of detail but there's a style called "health goth" right now (that I'm guessing many of you dont know about). And not just one look. many. And like I said, these are styles that are totally accepted in nyc or la. Here people look at you like youve committed a felony. And I am a very attractive, clean looking young woman.

Wow, if you fell for "health goth" you are really an idiot. That's basically something probably made up by a handful of social media engineers to see if they could make the most ridiculous trend ever actually take off. Or a sociology experiment. I may look like crap in my dirt grey, ill fitting Ann Taylor pantsuit, but at least I'm not a fashion fraud victim.

You are the kind of person who's opinion I just dont care for. Health goth is not the only fashion style I wear, but it's one. Enjoy your Ann Taylor pantsuits, you might as well just move in to the retirement home now.

You really probably ought to move to LA. The grownups have work to do here.

By grown ups do you mean senior citizens?

Do you really think calling people "senior citizens" is some kind of effective insult? Are you actually a teenager? Why are you on DCUM? Shouldn't you toddle on over to the Myspace?

At any rate, I've noticed that the older straight women in DC seem to have perfected an old lady style and generally look much better than my demographic (working mom age 30-45).

PS I would like a better fitting pantsuit than Ann Taylor, or really just be allowed to show up everywhere in jeans. I'd even prefer Health Goth to Ann Taylor, but I just can't see going to court in that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh wait, is "health goth" supposed to be like Katniss Everdeen? If so, then it's really just soft butch. Basically you're dressing like a lesbian.

No, it's not. Read up if you're confused as to what it is.

My goodness. I shudder to think what you're read would be of norm core.... what a weird, out-of-touch assessment...

Ha ha, norm core is also a marketing/sociology experiment, and also makes you look butch. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Sweetie, I believe you look good, and I don't disagree that DC looks fucking boring and awful. A very good fashion-forward friend of mine was driven to despair by DC fashion (he called is "khakitown" and left for NYC). But PLEASE, don't fall for these made up trends like norm core and health goth. Really.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Actually, I take it ALL back. I AM a health goth. I too have "That feeling of sadness, but also sportiness." I have found my true self.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/10/faq-do-you-know-what-health-goth-means.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh wait, is "health goth" supposed to be like Katniss Everdeen? If so, then it's really just soft butch. Basically you're dressing like a lesbian.

No, it's not. Read up if you're confused as to what it is.

My goodness. I shudder to think what you're read would be of norm core.... what a weird, out-of-touch assessment...

Ha ha, norm core is also a marketing/sociology experiment, and also makes you look butch. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Sweetie, I believe you look good, and I don't disagree that DC looks fucking boring and awful. A very good fashion-forward friend of mine was driven to despair by DC fashion (he called is "khakitown" and left for NYC). But PLEASE, don't fall for these made up trends like norm core and health goth. Really.

Ha. Ok. I get it. Trust me, i dont wear health goth that much. I was wearing it last week and got a lot of looks. My main issue was when I had green hair and got stared daggers here in DC. I didnt want to post that here because I figured it would make the DCUM moms go absolutely insane and the only responses I would get would be screaming about me about how ugly people find green hair (Yeah, yeah- trust me I've heard it all before and i dont need to hear it again). I tend to try different trends but I definitely cherry pick. I just think overall people get super freaked out by ANY avante grade style- doesnt have to be norm core or health goth, it's just anything that isn't pearls, a button down, and corduroys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I take it ALL back. I AM a health goth. I too have "That feeling of sadness, but also sportiness." I have found my true self.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/10/faq-do-you-know-what-health-goth-means.html

That was pretty painful to read. Ouch.

[Anonymous]

OP, I assure you, no DCUM moms give a shit about your green hair.

[Anonymous]

It is boring here. Consequence of living in a town of policy wonks and lawyers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I assure you, no DCUM moms give a shit about your green hair.

+1000

Plus, it seems that your green hair is a way to stand out not to fit in. Therefore, you do achieve your goal.
DC is not an Amish village (no offense), people are generally well- traveled, many are transplants from around the world, they have seen health goths, norm cores and whatever else is out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is it about DC that makes the fashion here so boring and 10+ years behind NY or LA or other major cities? I've heard people on DCUM literally post that Uggs are still in. I cannot imagine someone walking around in DC with pastel hair, which is a genuine trend in most major cities in the country right now. If someone did that here they would be totally ostracized. I'm just wondering- what is it about DC that makes creative people stay away or expressions of creativity to be routinely poo-pooed?

Oh give me a break. They would not. I work in the interior design industry and can think of at least three people off the top of my head that have colored hair.

[Anonymous]

Is this a complaintbrag? Yer just sooooo cool, OP, and your sense of style is like amazeballs!

[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.

I'm sorry, but if you felt like a terrorist then something is wrong with YOU! If you think people in DC thought you were a terrorist because you had green hair that says that you are nuts. People in DC would not think you were a terrorist because your hair is green. This is a smart city. Not a dumb city.