learning journal 9: fashion, of course

Okay, when I first started reading this chapter ("Dress Codes") from Watching the English, I immediately thought of this Youtube clip: 100 Years of Style, East London (which was an advertisement for the opening of a shopping mall). I admit, I was in the group that believed that England, because they are a part of Europe, had very strict rules on dress and fashion that indicate one's social status. So it is true that there are some indicators, but apparently the British don't have clear-cut rules. (Aside: favorite moment from the reading: the grand French lady exclaiming that the British should have better style because "Paris is what, an hour away?") So, obviously if I want high fashion, I have to cross the channel. That's okay, though, because I'm not going to London for high fashion. 

I love what she said about the Queen. She can wear whatever she wants--she's the Queen of England, yo! But I did love how Fox pointed out that although she can wear whatever style she wants, she dwells in the 50s stylistically. And the HATS! Oh, oh, the hats. This isn't restricted to the Queen, of course, but as you can see here, she has pretty fantastic hats.

But let's get down to business. What does dress code and style have to do with my project? It might be a stretch, but more and more, when I think of style I think of writing. Like Fox points out, the English like to be eccentric and different as long as they are part of a group. This was an interesting point, because oftentimes with writing it's the same way. We can't all be like Ezra Pound ("make it new," "make it new," "make it new"), and as a writer, I realize that when I try to establish my persona and my style in my writing, it's a matter of choosing a specific group or specific genre to imitate. "Imitation" often has a negative connotation in writing, so my saying that I want to imitate the classical British essay in my writing might be considered unoriginal, like I have to do that because I can't find my own style.

I beg to differ, though. I think it's important to "make it new," but there are so many nuances of the C.B.E. that are worth emulating. Making it new is easier than it seems, even in imitation, because what I bring to the essay as an individual is different from what any other writer would bring to it. So I'm going to shamelessly imitate while bringing my own style to the essay.

 Make sense?