A statistically improbable polymath's views on politics and culture.

 
(Much of this has already appeared in the Manolo's comments.)

From the half-U of C blog I am Fashion comes Carnivale of the Couture VII, which asks us the following question:

Suprise darling! You have just won the lottery! How will you, the super fabulous fashionable blogger, spend your US$10m winnings? Tell us all about your money-spending plan!!

My first thought upon seeing this was: Bespoke suits that'll actually fit both my shoulders and my hips, in various neutrals, some of them with vaguely eighteenth-century influences. Cashmere-wool for winter, linen-wool for summer.

Of course, one can't wear suits alone, so next comes top-quality, expertly-fitted and tailored blouses and lingerie, and shoes with toebeds that are actually the width of my toes--perhaps handmade? I'm sure there'll be some that I can buy off the rack, including a couple of pairs of black suede sneakers that don't automatically scream "I'm an athletic shoe!". And yeah, I suppose I'll see whether or not designer jeans are any better than what I have now, I'll buy more cashmere pieces, and try to hunt down a mattifying, high-SPF, oil-free, non-comedogenic, aloe-free (my face doesn't handle aloe vera well) moisturizer.

But really, the above doesn't even begin to approach $10 million dollars. So then comes Phase 2: Expanding everyone's clothing options through investing in a small start-up company that makes moderately-priced, well-made professional clothing for women of a wide range of sizes and figure types, in quality fabrics and (mostly) classic colors, with free alterations. It's a complaint that many women of my (and other) generations have voiced--see Almost Girl and the Crescat Sententia fashion archives--but it's something that has not been adequately addressed by the fashion industry. To quote everyone's favorite spinster aunt, I blame the patriarchy.
posted by Maureen at 6:43 PM