Brilliant entry, I love the writing, this really brings the nature of clothes and style to life, the fabric of our lives- nostalgia, attachment, aspiration, dreams and self image.
Congratulations Daria!
yes, it looks like a lot of time went into this entry, and what you said about the clothes and the person wearing is so true. http://untrucoudeux.wordpress.com/
Mmmmm. I can definitely relate to this! My mom had a black velvet evening gown, long sleeved and floor length…that I thought was absolutely gorgeous and made her look like a queen. In college, she offered to let me go through a few bags of her old clothes, and there it was! But it just wasn’t the same looking at myself in the mirror as it had been watching her get all dolled up to go out :)
I think it’s even more brilliant that your entry didn’t require an attached photograph. Quite well done. I hope you’re writing for a living. http://lordashbury.com
Congratulations, Daria!! Fantastic story and so true! I wear many of my mom’s clothes too, and oftentimes, like you, I also have pictures of her wearing the pieces or I simply remember the moments she wore them while I was little, so I know what you mean. It’s like the person is the “soul” of the piece of clothing, adding to it their style and personality when they wear it. Sometimes, we can give the piece our own “soul” and sometimes, the “shell” doesn’t match our “soul” at all….
Aww!! I love her story and she so right about “but it is very often that it’s the person who give the clothes the unique look”
I am glad you picked her entry…she deserved it.
mysmallwardrobe.com
I love this essay. So thoughtful and true.
And I always remember my petite mother looking fantastic in a string bikini – before anyone else ever wore them.
It suited her.
Yes, dear, you have it exactly right. And, I imagine that beautiful woman, dress and photograph. I’d be the first to keep that dress just as you have done.
That was my first thought too. I understood the contest to be a story of something you dreamed about and then regretted purchasing. “what was I thinking?”
The contest asked: “What item did you dream most about wearing but never did?”
Therefore, although the title “What was I thinking?” could imply a regrettable purchase, it also includes the idea of someone acquiring an item that, when worn, no longer matches their dreams of it. Daria spent years imagining herself in her mother’s dress. She tried it on. She was disappointed. Therefore: “What was I thinking (to believe I’d look like the photograph and that the dress would be transformative)?” is not, in my opinion, at all out of reach in terms of the essay.
I think the essay was well within the bounds of the contest title and description.
I am glad she is keeping the dress, because you never know when you reach an age or a place in your life where all of a sudden? Magical.
I really agree that it’s the person that makes the clothes memorable. Someone may be wearing all the latest fashion and designer clothing but not carry themselves well. I would really love to see the photograph of her mom, too. Congratulations to Daria!
Such a lovely sentiment and written to touch the heart. How true that in the end any piece of clothing is worn best when it is worn with reason and emotion.
Lovely! A think that every young woman have had a moment like that in her life. either because she looked a picture of her mother or grandmother, a women on the street, o simply a photograph of someone’s significant other. I agree with her in saying that what makes your blogged special and different from the rest, it’s how it captures people -way of being- and by that I mean, that in a way fashion convey the way of a person’s thinks, live, handle things, etc. And chiefly the power of fashion and chicness relies on the fact that “it’s not the clothes that give you the style, but it is very often that it’s the person who give the clothes the unique look.”
A lovely story to start the day with. Thank you Daria and congratulations! I love how how it captures the all important chemistry between a piece of clothing and the person who wears it. I also love, Daria, how you capture the memory that a piece of clothing can evoke (especially about someone so beloved as your mother), and how honest you are about the fact that you yourself cannot wear it… It makes clothing such a unique experience for all. It means even if you walk into a room and find a dozen people wearing the same suit or dress, if you have that special sparkle in your eye, as your mother had, you will still stand out, above all others. I love everything about your story. Congratulations!
This is such a beautiful statement on the power of fashion, or the power we give to fashion and style. I have been spending months in art school trying to figure out the correlation between my art and my fashion, how clothing relates on a deeper level than just materialism, that there is something magical and ineffable about it, and this story is a perfect example.
That final statement, “people in the photo present their own personality, not only the brands; they’re not like the dummies in the window shop. It is just like my mother’s dress.. The particular day, time and her happiness in her eyes and smile made the dress so beautiful – not the other way around.” Clothing is our way to express these intangible feelings about ourselves. Long story short this is a great choice for the winner.
this reads like the beginning of a novel or a memoir, lyrical and makes me think of all kinds of things, from my aunt’s gold and silver gilt leather high heels from 1940s (our favorite dress-up item), to the nature of time. Also she got it in one, what is wonderful about this site — bravo (or is it brava?).
A very touching entry. Very powerful and thought-provoking. It’s interesting to think that the person inside the clothes is what gives them their splendour.
What a perfect story. I didn’t realised until I felt my heart drop when she tried it on how invested I was in it being the perfect magical dress! A reminder that confidence and grace really make the outfit!
Wow, I can almost see the story play itself in front of me! Could make a short movie of this entry, no words, just music, emotions, memories and fashion…Congratulations!
“… it’s not the clothes that give you the style, but it is very often that it’s the person who give the clothes the unique look. This is also one of the reason why I love your blog…” I agree! =D
Polly
August 13, 2012 at 3:04 pm
Brilliant entry, I love the writing, this really brings the nature of clothes and style to life, the fabric of our lives- nostalgia, attachment, aspiration, dreams and self image.
Congratulations Daria!
SM
August 14, 2012 at 1:51 am
yes, it looks like a lot of time went into this entry, and what you said about the clothes and the person wearing is so true.
http://untrucoudeux.wordpress.com/
D.
August 13, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Comgratulations to Daria! Her story is just perfectly wonderful :)
Jupe
August 13, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Mmmmm. I can definitely relate to this! My mom had a black velvet evening gown, long sleeved and floor length…that I thought was absolutely gorgeous and made her look like a queen. In college, she offered to let me go through a few bags of her old clothes, and there it was! But it just wasn’t the same looking at myself in the mirror as it had been watching her get all dolled up to go out :)
<3 Cambria
jupefashion.blogspot.com
Daria
August 13, 2012 at 3:09 pm
I think I am the happiest girl in the world right now :)
Simbarashe
August 13, 2012 at 4:04 pm
I think it’s even more brilliant that your entry didn’t require an attached photograph. Quite well done. I hope you’re writing for a living.
http://lordashbury.com
Sevan
August 13, 2012 at 5:52 pm
One word : bravo !
Stephanie
August 13, 2012 at 6:37 pm
Yes, well done!!
Sariska
August 13, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Bravo!
Claire
August 13, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Simply love it!
Ann-Marie
August 13, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Well deserved. Such a lovely story and it held a great truth about the clothing we wear.
Ammu
August 13, 2012 at 10:53 pm
Congratulations! Lovely story – I think you deserved the prize :)
Melanie
August 14, 2012 at 5:15 am
Lovely story and well-made point! Congratulations.
Mariatru
August 14, 2012 at 6:38 am
Definitely a winner. You are completely right about the people in the pictures of this blog.
SM
August 14, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I can tell that this probably happened in the Soviet Union. I had similar memories from my childhood and similar “awakenings”. Good job and congrats!
Tomek from Radical Eyewear
August 13, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Wonderful story. Well written. Important thing pointed – search and develop your own style, not others’.
RJT
August 13, 2012 at 3:16 pm
What a lovely, lovely story – and I couldn’t agree more with the assessment of the true power of fashion
I’m touched.
Touche to a deserved winner !
claire
August 13, 2012 at 3:22 pm
I could not have said it better myself – what a wonderful story – truly warming x
http://fashionandfrank.blogspot.co.uk/
Laura
August 13, 2012 at 3:27 pm
Great story, she deserved to win!
http://www.laurablogmode.com
Angel
August 13, 2012 at 3:27 pm
this is the most beautiful and heart felt thing ive read. perfect.
Susana
August 13, 2012 at 3:29 pm
Congratulations, Daria!! Fantastic story and so true! I wear many of my mom’s clothes too, and oftentimes, like you, I also have pictures of her wearing the pieces or I simply remember the moments she wore them while I was little, so I know what you mean. It’s like the person is the “soul” of the piece of clothing, adding to it their style and personality when they wear it. Sometimes, we can give the piece our own “soul” and sometimes, the “shell” doesn’t match our “soul” at all….
Again, congratulations! Beautifully written! :D
xo,
Susana
http://www.akeytothearmoire.com
Fred
August 13, 2012 at 3:32 pm
So may we see the photo? Sounds lovely!
Carelia
August 13, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Aww!! I love her story and she so right about “but it is very often that it’s the person who give the clothes the unique look”
I am glad you picked her entry…she deserved it.
mysmallwardrobe.com
Her Ace in the Hole
August 13, 2012 at 3:34 pm
I love this essay. So thoughtful and true.
And I always remember my petite mother looking fantastic in a string bikini – before anyone else ever wore them.
It suited her.
loulou
August 13, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Great choice for a winner! It’s a beautiful story with a thought provoking conclusion. Congratulations Daria!
Loulou
j'ecris
August 13, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Insightful and poignant. An excellent choice.
Congratulations, Daria!
Simon Brown
August 13, 2012 at 3:40 pm
Beautifully put Daria. Enjoy your well won book.
EricEsq
August 13, 2012 at 3:41 pm
I can’t see the picture! I’m dying to see after reading about it.
Daria
August 13, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I moved out about month ago, but I”ll do my best to find it. :)
phoebe
August 13, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Pity there is no photo of the dress..
Sigrid
August 13, 2012 at 3:50 pm
That was really beautifully written! And true.
CultureShockArt
August 13, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Well deserved Daria, what a beautiful story. Now I want to see the photo!
Puje LK
August 13, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Congrats to Her!
http://www.thefashioneldiary.com/
Joa
August 13, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Yes, dear, you have it exactly right. And, I imagine that beautiful woman, dress and photograph. I’d be the first to keep that dress just as you have done.
frida
August 13, 2012 at 4:03 pm
oh that’s beautiful
REBECCA maccallum
August 13, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Hi, are we going to see a picture of this dress sometime?? would luv to. great story, made me think of my own mom so much. tks
McKenzie
August 13, 2012 at 4:15 pm
Wow, that is amazing! I agree completely!
http://currentlylovingblog.blogspot.com/
Name*
August 13, 2012 at 4:19 pm
Sorry, but for me, this story – although beatiful- has nothing to do with the motto of the competition “What was I thinking?”.
Maybe I’m just envious because I didn’t inherit an evening gown from my mother… in fact, nothing at all I’d like to keep.
anthony
August 13, 2012 at 10:46 pm
That was my first thought too. I understood the contest to be a story of something you dreamed about and then regretted purchasing. “what was I thinking?”
Joe
August 14, 2012 at 10:00 am
The contest asked: “What item did you dream most about wearing but never did?”
Therefore, although the title “What was I thinking?” could imply a regrettable purchase, it also includes the idea of someone acquiring an item that, when worn, no longer matches their dreams of it. Daria spent years imagining herself in her mother’s dress. She tried it on. She was disappointed. Therefore: “What was I thinking (to believe I’d look like the photograph and that the dress would be transformative)?” is not, in my opinion, at all out of reach in terms of the essay.
I think the essay was well within the bounds of the contest title and description.
I am glad she is keeping the dress, because you never know when you reach an age or a place in your life where all of a sudden? Magical.
Martha
August 13, 2012 at 4:25 pm
Beautifully written and a well deserved win!!
XOXO
http://www.princessmartha.com
christine
August 13, 2012 at 4:33 pm
i’m so jealous but simultaneously i want to congratulate you!well donee for your story
ttea
August 13, 2012 at 4:49 pm
This is a great choice for the winner, the story hits all the right notes. The point that it’ s the woman that makes the clothes is so true.
http://fashionananthropologicalpointofview.blogspot.ca/
Diana Pereira Dardashti
August 13, 2012 at 4:54 pm
Congrats to Daria!!
http://www.thefashionadroit.com
kiran
August 13, 2012 at 5:00 pm
what a beautiful story, a well deserved winner!
Lilian
August 13, 2012 at 5:15 pm
I really agree that it’s the person that makes the clothes memorable. Someone may be wearing all the latest fashion and designer clothing but not carry themselves well. I would really love to see the photograph of her mom, too. Congratulations to Daria!
Kim
August 13, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Eloquently put. I agree. that is why I am having so much fun working in a resale boutique.
Congratulations Daria. : )
Ivy
August 13, 2012 at 6:36 pm
What a wonderful story !
Elaine
August 13, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Such a lovely sentiment and written to touch the heart. How true that in the end any piece of clothing is worn best when it is worn with reason and emotion.
fashionablecollections
August 13, 2012 at 9:41 pm
This is such a great entry, the story is so applicable to fashion. Very well written, definitely deserved the win :)
Collections
Kat
August 13, 2012 at 10:48 pm
congrats daria! I agree with your post about how the people in the photos give the photos and clothes the charm and style. Well done!
Wakasa
August 14, 2012 at 12:29 am
What a brilliant story, I can imagine the beautiful dress reading this. Congratulations to her!!
Maria
August 14, 2012 at 1:21 am
Lovely! A think that every young woman have had a moment like that in her life. either because she looked a picture of her mother or grandmother, a women on the street, o simply a photograph of someone’s significant other. I agree with her in saying that what makes your blogged special and different from the rest, it’s how it captures people -way of being- and by that I mean, that in a way fashion convey the way of a person’s thinks, live, handle things, etc. And chiefly the power of fashion and chicness relies on the fact that “it’s not the clothes that give you the style, but it is very often that it’s the person who give the clothes the unique look.”
Sara
August 14, 2012 at 2:52 am
It is an amazing text! It is brilliant and full of true! Congratulations to the writter and to the judge (you?). Hugs! A fan from Brazil.
jeanne de montpel
August 14, 2012 at 3:25 am
émouvant !
Amy
August 14, 2012 at 4:16 am
So lovely !
Astrid
August 14, 2012 at 4:23 am
What a lovely story. Thank you for sharing it!
Sue
August 14, 2012 at 6:53 am
Cngrats! Two words:Perfect Choice! Xoxo,s.
Maria (from Cambridge)
August 14, 2012 at 8:52 am
A lovely story to start the day with. Thank you Daria and congratulations! I love how how it captures the all important chemistry between a piece of clothing and the person who wears it. I also love, Daria, how you capture the memory that a piece of clothing can evoke (especially about someone so beloved as your mother), and how honest you are about the fact that you yourself cannot wear it… It makes clothing such a unique experience for all. It means even if you walk into a room and find a dozen people wearing the same suit or dress, if you have that special sparkle in your eye, as your mother had, you will still stand out, above all others. I love everything about your story. Congratulations!
Gigi
August 14, 2012 at 9:14 am
What a fantastic story! Good choice, Scott! Thanks for sharing, Daria. You are so right.
roelien
August 14, 2012 at 10:11 am
Well done Daria! And well chosen, Sartorialist team.
Alln
August 14, 2012 at 10:33 am
……..wow………
Diane
August 14, 2012 at 10:59 am
Beautiful.
Ashley Garner
August 14, 2012 at 11:53 am
This is such a beautiful statement on the power of fashion, or the power we give to fashion and style. I have been spending months in art school trying to figure out the correlation between my art and my fashion, how clothing relates on a deeper level than just materialism, that there is something magical and ineffable about it, and this story is a perfect example.
That final statement, “people in the photo present their own personality, not only the brands; they’re not like the dummies in the window shop. It is just like my mother’s dress.. The particular day, time and her happiness in her eyes and smile made the dress so beautiful – not the other way around.” Clothing is our way to express these intangible feelings about ourselves. Long story short this is a great choice for the winner.
Anna
August 14, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Love the story:)
Zyx
August 14, 2012 at 2:35 pm
this reads like the beginning of a novel or a memoir, lyrical and makes me think of all kinds of things, from my aunt’s gold and silver gilt leather high heels from 1940s (our favorite dress-up item), to the nature of time. Also she got it in one, what is wonderful about this site — bravo (or is it brava?).
Becky Bedbug
August 14, 2012 at 2:35 pm
A very touching entry. Very powerful and thought-provoking. It’s interesting to think that the person inside the clothes is what gives them their splendour.
Well done, Daria! A deserving win!
Becky
http://www.beckybedbug.com
Kimberly
August 14, 2012 at 3:04 pm
I read the story. I was intrigued. But I must see the dress! Please post.
Rosa
August 14, 2012 at 4:01 pm
Congratulations! Unique and beautiful story!
TiranaAduka
August 14, 2012 at 8:08 pm
Congratulation….and Bravo….
Abigail
August 14, 2012 at 8:30 pm
Beautiful story. And I don’t want to see a photo. The writing has given me my own image. Thanks
Blaise
August 15, 2012 at 2:23 am
Well-deserved win! I was captivatived by her narrative. Congratulations.
Monet
August 15, 2012 at 12:16 pm
This is entry was fantastic! Well done she definitely deserves this win. Congrats! I could really visualize everything she was telling us.
Yolanda
August 16, 2012 at 1:02 am
beautiful story, congratulations Daria!
Maar
August 16, 2012 at 7:32 am
class act story, brilliant, beautifuly written and told. kongatz Daria :)
Martine
August 16, 2012 at 11:34 pm
There were so many wonderful entries, I don’t envy Scott choosing one. This one is very nice, and I am glad she won.
the desert echo
August 19, 2012 at 10:33 pm
What a perfect story. I didn’t realised until I felt my heart drop when she tried it on how invested I was in it being the perfect magical dress! A reminder that confidence and grace really make the outfit!
SusannaVesna
August 23, 2012 at 6:26 am
Wow, I can almost see the story play itself in front of me! Could make a short movie of this entry, no words, just music, emotions, memories and fashion…Congratulations!
M.G
August 26, 2012 at 1:51 am
Wonderful. I truly enjoyed that entry.
Paula
October 17, 2012 at 3:42 pm
“… it’s not the clothes that give you the style, but it is very often that it’s the person who give the clothes the unique look. This is also one of the reason why I love your blog…” I agree! =D
Emilia
January 10, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Goosebumps! Love this entry…and I can relate! :)