the presentation of self in everyday life

"the meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed." - carl jung
i think it's safe to say that carl was right about personality clashes. in fact, the only thing more reactionary* than the meeting of two personalities is the meeting of five. it was bound to happen with a bunch of females living together in relatively close quarters, but the residents of our room have been locking horns increasingly often during the first two months of this year. in order to address the growing drama, i suggested and suceeded in staging a "family meeting" to air grievances and hash out our differences. after several hours and some trying revelations, we all emerged smiling, our friendship stronger than before, but the best part of the meeting by far was our concluding remarks, where we each had to say what we love about each other. cheesy, yes, but a major self-esteem booster, nevertheless. while my suitemates all gave genuine compliments and anecdotes about me, i was caught off guard when blair praised my storytelling abilities.

according to her, i have a great gift for making even mundane stories come alive with my voice, mannerisms, and enthusiasm. she even flattered me by saying that she looks forward to hearing me speak and that i could be an actress. this observation was an immensely pleasant surprise. i'm no hermit, but i'm still terribly shy, have been all my life, so it's nice to know that my efforts at being outgoing, or small performances, are appreciated. then my thinking got really muddled, remembering an anthropology class i took in which we read erving goffman, and the train of thought was a bit heavy for a friday night, so i put it to rest, choosing instead to bask in the presence of my favorite girls.

a day or so after the family meeting, i received an email from the creative director of evie belle, a relatively new womenswear label out of london. all of my musings on characters and performance came rushing back, channeled so potently through the evie belle collection. everything, from the logo to the model to of course, the clothes themselves, weaves a definitive tale. and why not? if we're all acting on a daily basis, every time we interact with others, why not add sartorial credibility to the role? the narrative aspect of the label didn't come serendipitously to designer sairah hicks: since childhood, she's been "enchanted by the house of elliot," the 1920s setting of the tv show about a designer named evie.

the line's aw'08 collection maintains that vibe with unapologetically feminine, simple, and structured garments that really have me swooning. it strikes me as what this blog's unofficial mascot, louise brooks, would wear if you plucked her out of her era and placed her in 2008. yet the clothes refuse to be dated (i'm dying to stomp through new york city nights with that red hooded toggle coat and skinny pants). i love the fact that hicks doesn't shy away from a limited color palette, instead relying on the pieces themselves to pack a punch.
but wait - there's more! evie belle is "ethical and corporately kind brand," complete with local manufacturing, sustainable fabrics, fair-trade suppliers, and eco-conscious fashion shows. bottom line? evie belle is a role i'd love to play.

[photo credits: evie belle, google image search (1)]

p.s.: happy election day! i propose we all celebrate this day by well.. electing someone! vote!
p.p.s.: here's the song of the day - didn't want to get too political, so it's chock full of vague references to america and independence. hurrah!

[*a concerned anonymous commenter has graciously pointed out my misuse of the word 'reactionary'. in case this has caused any confusion, the word i meant to use was 'reactive'. on with the posts!