Tonight I’m making my merry way to the University Degree Show. I will be surrounded by mullets and people that think wearing an “American Style” truckers cap makes them cool. I will be wearing clothes that are torn and faded though being old. The rips in my clothes tell a story about a part of my life, the stains and the dirt shall be my own. My clothes are the result of my life. Their clothes are the result of people recognising that people like me inherently look good in clothes that have been worn. Do you want me to tell you why I look good in my clothes, it’s because I’m comfortable in them. They are like old friends to me. They have been with me though the good and the bad times of my life. My clothes have seen it all. Sometimes I buy clothes that don’t fit that well but I don’t care cause I like them. I draw on my clothes, I make them fit through ripping and stitching. I tear arms of shirts, I cut trouser legs to make them go over boots, I do not spend more than £20 on clothes, ever. If I am forced to for such necessities as coats or smart stuff for interviews, it makes me sweat, there are such better things I could spend my money on. Like a night out.
So tonight there will be people wearing “anti-fit” jeans and faux ripped jeans, t shirts with “fake” bleach stains (just bleach your hair while wearing a shirt, worked for me), their shirts will be “easy crease” or “distressed”. They will look at me and I wont fit it. The difference is that their clothes are expensive and made to look shitty. My clothes just look shitty. Somehow they will know that they spent up to 10 times more than me to end up looking just as shitty. They will look at me with anhorrence and pretend it’s because I’m not wearing the “fashionable” stuff. I will not be wearing Diesel or Reiss. I will take their looks and each time I get one it will make me feel better. Every time one of the fancy assed designers swings past me wearing too many rings and bracelets, sipping from a champagne glass, each time they look at me and visibly size me up, I will not despair. For while they try and pretend they are somehow better than me, I know the truth.
They are not looking down on me with disgust.
They are looking up at me with envy.