Living the Dream

I read about the fantastic blog the emperor's old clothes in the Times today, and immediately made a bee-line for the site, reading the archives throughout the day (slow, if you couldn't tell). The author Fluff/Eric Gaskins puts to words so many things I've thought about fashion, the current state of fashion, working in the industry, and ultimately being true to one's self, which can be a difficult thing to do in this city and this industry.

When I moved to New York, I was living on an overdrawn bank account, with no experience and no connections save for one friend in the industry. Five years later, I've had three different jobs at three very different companies, all very edifying in their own way. None, however, have been quite what I was looking for, had I had the luxury to hold out for exactly what I wanted. Still, I have bills to pay like so many other people, and I'd like to be fabulous with a roof over my head, unexciting as that may be.

Working for many companies in the fashion industry, should you be lucky enough to have a job right now, can be an exercise in patience, endurance, and the ability to sit at a desk all day writing emails, wondering why you aren't using any of the knowledge gained in four years of art school. It can be difficult to accept that this money-driven, very un-fabulous part of the industry is indeed 'fashion'. Sometimes what keeps me going is making sure that I've done the best I can with the garment that will eventually retail for $3.50. Everyone deserves some measure of quality, even if it doesn't come in a Barneys bag. After that, though, I have to admit to myself that this is not what I want for my life long term.

My interests are eclectic, but beautiful, innovative, heart-stopping fashion will choke me up every time. Mr Gaskins's blog was a reminder to me to rejoice in that, and that my career story has a long way to go yet.