Creatively Unhinged: Fit Battle Round of 16
Using inspiration and creative styling to stretch the boundaries of traditional clothes.
Originally, I had a framework for all my fits in order, as a sort of steady progression in terms of effort and impact to act as a blueprint for what I’d need to purchase, wash, iron, etc. After the initial failure in vote in 1, I pivoted to planning fits that inspired me and trusting my instincts in the process, which proved more successful. My only real ‘rules’ at this point were to not reuse concepts and to avoid completely adopting a brand new aesthetic out of nowhere just for Fit Battle.
I still had two 'planned' looks: something for the final round (which I ultimately did not use) and something for which I deemed "break open in case you're seeded against mew or Crows" which meant “someone who could dress really well and fully opposite my usual aesthetic”, not specifically either of those individuals (thought that is what would happen).
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb834633-9fe1-4aac-81e1-661279cca21f_398x326.png)
For this week I had far less time to devote to planning and far more stress because of external factors, so when the round of 16 match-ups were set, I hit a wall creatively. My usual tactics for putting together a fit – continuously compile inspiration, figure out an intention (a specific reference, an aesthetic or aesthetics to highlight, an attitude to convey, etc.) and then go through this library of references to determine how to put a fit together - weren't working because I didn't have much inspiration. What ideas I did have were either lacking in vision or detail, and that led to me going back to the mew/Crows look, a preppy student caught in a rainstorm post-festival:
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4ce3cc5d-c10c-4904-828a-f34a20627d5f_468x208.png)
It’s a good idea, and one which straddles the line of 'super different for me but also but not completely out of nowhere for me to do'. It wasn't inspired or detailed enough in comparison to what had been submitted previously, even by me, and the pictures didn't align well with the concept but it was my best option at first. One of the suggestions given was to shred up or paint on stuff, like kmn in round of 32 or art in round of 8 in the last fit battle and I started preparing to do just that.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F642cae65-5180-49dc-9857-1e5001922045_367x259.png)
I slept on it and the next morning found and did a rather challenging yoga routine first thing. It was a pain to do at 6am but seemed to get me out of the funk from the previous days. Later that day I had a few glasses of merlot and thought 'what if I were that person leading the routine' and hurriedly ran to a thrift store to get accessories and tried stuff on. That led to this:
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb5a2a26-6566-48ae-a7d7-9fc86299487b_468x223.png)
I don’t advocate for or condone punishing physical activity or the use/abuse of substances to stimulate the creative process, but I reached a point of creative stagnation and those was the catalysts to get out of that. (It also allowed me to move past the mental hangup of seeing this as a “less valid” creative endeavor.)
While I had an idea, I was concerned because 1) I thought it was too big a swing compared to my usual fare and 2) I didn't know how 'big' I could or should make it, for lack of a better term. I went back to my various sources of inspiration and realized that I responded to looks like this, including one of bishopcorrigan’s submissions from the prior fit battle. This was around the time of 'aspirational dressing' topic of the day, and I realized that that's exactly what I was attempting here, except the aspiration wasn’t some sort of heightened status in a traditional sense (wealth, success, validation from peers, etc.). The common theme I took from those inspiration pictures was a general sense of ease, from the neutral tones to the draping to the to the natural materials and the overall cohesion in each picture, despite the individual components. In that sense, my departure in aesthetic followed from a desire to get that ease, and I saw this as a way to manifest this desire.
Similarly, the individual components are fairly traditional. At its core, the fit is a white button down, high rise pleated pants and white Vans, which are practically a uniform for me, but never paired like this.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc78fb497-9044-46d0-873d-6e54f4793fe1_1440x1440.jpeg)
The ‘overwrap’ I wore backwards, inside out and turned 90 degrees vertically - my leg is through one opening and my arm is through the other which made for a good drape and interaction of textures. The outer layer was the same poncho as in that 'initial' fit, except rotated horizontally 90 degrees and partly flipped, so it was more of a cloak or cape; in doing this I was reminded of the journey to turn pants into a scarf. There's four different layers of varying opacity present which gave depth, yet the various shades of white and cream worked well together.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff6d25a53-a99e-44ec-afd5-a2023f207a75_555x186.png)
I had the Berbers in my mind as the sort of ‘character’ that I was embodying, which informed some of the accessory choices. The pouch was a water bottle sling from a drug store, and the mineral necklace was from the same place where I found the overwrap; it read like an abstract version of a necktie even if I may have tied it a little too snugly. I was tempted to have sandals at first, but from a practical standpoint I welcomed the sneakers after several attempts of balancing on a grassy knoll. This is another instance where having extra sets of eyes helped with this, especially with capture the layers and textures in the most effective way, and I am grateful to discord solipsist z and kyn for their help.
Submitted entry
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4bc70ca0-0ca9-4a27-9eb8-1bc525335f51_449x330.png)
I find this person unrecognizable, yet I know that it's me (because of the Vans), and I think that speaks to the power of clothing, as this could’ve easily gone in other directions (earnest trad, ironic punk, etc.) It's a softer look than what I've done before but I like it quite a bit because of the effort and because it's representative of me: less in aesthetic, more in how I find and interpret inspiration and how I engage with clothes on a tactile level.
Writing in hindsight, I think this also represented a fundamental shift in not only how I approached fit battle, but also how I approached clothing in general. While there’s a definite aesthetic that I favor, I think this particularly entry shows that part of my style is that I’m willing to embrace completely different aesthetics should the need or mood arise, and that *that* can be the purpose of a fit, rather than just looking good.
Item Breakdown
Necklace: unknown mineral; found it at a thrift shop (***)
Outermost layer: hiking poncho from Target (white)
Midlayer: Madewell women's fringed shawl (white) (***)
Shirt: GAP linen button down (white)
Trousers: vintage suit pants, brand Evan Picone (white) (^^^)
Shoes: Vans Authentics (white)
Crossbody: waterbottle holder from CVS (off-white) (***)
Socks: Uniqlo colored socks (off white)
Watch: Timex Weekender (black strap, white face)
Thank you for reading! You can click below for the Round of 8 entry:
You can also find me on MFA Discord or Instagram to see more of my fits, to ask any questions about this essay or to connect about clothes, sourcing inspiration or life in general.