Like every obstacle in the way of possessing something...poverty, more generous than opulence, gives women far more than the clothes they cannot afford to buy: the desire for clothes, which creates a genuine, detailed, thorough knowledge of them.
- Marcel Proust
Having now sunk to very low levels of poverty, not only can I not afford the clothes in magazines, but I can no longer afford the magazines themselves. I was thinking about this today as I lingered indulgently in Magma, Manchester, soaking up a batch of amazing new fash editorial (nude palette beach shoot in Fantastic Man is AMAZING, by the way), without purchasing anything. This is not a problem. Really. I still left the shop feeling a little exhausted, drained, but utterly cathartic and inspired. My head was swimming with ideas about fashion.
Similarly, clothes have always meant so much more to me in my imagination than they have on a hanger. I dream about clothes that I not only cannot afford, but that don't even exist and that I know I will never have. I love that Proust recognises this emotional aspect of clothing beyond the material. One of my favourite things to do before I go to sleep is to think of colour, shape and style combinations in my head. The one dress I find myself looking for and dreaming of most is this alexander mcqueen on kate moss. I will never wear or even see a dress like this, but I can dream of it and that is no less special a thing.
