The chameleon changes her wardrobe to blend in
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 by Nadine Kam
What a difference a day makes as far as wardrobe is concerned. As much as I admire women like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who always had great signature style, whether dressed formally to meet heads of state, or casually dressed in capris and a white shirt (proof that you don’t have to be sloppy to be comfortable), I cannot stick to any one style.
When Theory opened, I had a brief “Aha!” moment when I learned their urban-chic styles fit my proportions perfectly. For a brief moment, I swore I would become a Theory girl and buy all of my basic wardrobe there. I could do no wrong with their clean-cut, city-sleek direction. Then Miss Sixty opened and my head spun around. Color! Retro hippie va-va-voom separates! I needed to get me some of that too! I had to face facts. I’m a fashion chameleon, flitting from brand to brand and changing to fit the scenery. This was obvious upon arriving home after just 2 weeks in New York.
It was unsettling to board the plane at JFK at 6:15 a.m., all in black and gray, then wake up in L.A. I felt like an alien while walking through the airport for a change of planes. The New York uniform of cool black, fitted T-shirts and fitted jeans had given way to baggy shorts and boxy oversized Ts. It wasn’t aesthetically pleasant, but I slipped back into Hawaii style very easily. Here’s a look at what I wore while shopping on my last day in New York, vs. what I wore on my first day in Hawaii during a trek to Genki Sushi Ala Moana.
Nadine Kam photo
In New York: Gray cowl-neck mini dress from H&M, Theory summer jacket, 17th Street Flea Market boots.
Nadine Kam photo
In Hawaii: Siblings’ discarded tank top and yellow plaid Bermudas rescued from my mom’s house, with black rubber slippers.
While in New York I came across a Japan-based clothing store called Uniqlo, which offers a wardrobe of funtional, classic, stylish casual apparel. By keeping it simple, just as with Theory, wearers can do no wrong. Shopping that way could be somewhat boring, but it was evident to me that if everyone dressed that way, we’d have one aesthetically pleasing populace. That doesn’t have to mean sacrificing individuality. Uniqlo’s mission states, “Clothing says a lot, but you can say it better,” meaning style comes from within a wearer and not the clothes themselves.
Nadine Kam photo
Keeping the uniform simple works at Uniqlo.
Even so, it’s those individual touches that say so much, offering a good indication of whether I want to get to know someone better, or not. I might talk to a person wearing an interesting piece of jewelry if we seem to share the same taste, for instance. Then again, there was this girl standing outside Genki Sushi with a red-orange plastic spider on one side of her head, as big as her head, and it’s not even close to Halloween. I felt no need to know what she was all about. That spider pretty much said it all. Maybe she felt the same way about my plaid Bermudas.
