The Journal of Wear: My kind of classic
This is the third entry of our running monthly series The Journal of Wear, where we document our swappers’ stories and relationships with their wardrobes in a style reminiscent of the 2000s blogging era. In a time of hyper-editorial and polished fashion content, this series centres the humanity of the wearers, captures the nuance of their relationship with their clothing pieces, and highlights how everyday clothes are incorporated into their lives.
Stepping into Eileen’s home, I was hit with a rush of nostalgia. The neatly packed, colourful books lined up on wooden shelves, the drawings pasted on the wall, the toys lined up and awaiting their owners — I am reminded of my childhood, how a home as warm and as playful as this would await me when I scampered home from school. Eileen’s cheery laugh echoes in the then-empty house as her cat begins sniffing at us, acquainting with the strangers.
Holding her cat, Eileen is in a strapped blue dress with lace trimmings.
We are immediately ushered into her bedroom. At one corner, I see a chest of mahogany wood drawers, with a neat jewellery organiser resting on top. At the opposite wall of the room, we see a built-in closet — one that Eileen shares with her husband. This is Eileen’s wardrobe.
Left: Eileen’s drawers with her jewellery collection atop Right: Esther and Eileen standing in front of the wardrobe
We gather in a small-ish circle on the floor, cross-legged, letting our eyes wander around the room. Eileen smiles at us expectantly.
She is in a blue tiered cotton dress, with white lace trimming. As she sits, Xingyun asks her about it. “Well, I actually bought this to go on a girls’ holiday”, Eileen explains, her eyes twinkling. “But when I got pregnant, it was such a great dress too — so much [room]! And now, it’s an everyday piece I wear around the house.”
I marvel how a simple dress could take on multiple different uses and meanings throughout Eileen’s life. From a dress to party in, to a dress that gives comfort during pregnancy, to a dress that allows for comfortable elegance around the house. A single piece that evolves with time, and adapts to her needs.
This seems to be a theme in Eileen’s wardrobe, too. Something that changes and evolves with her throughout different seasons in her life, and something that contains pieces that are flexible enough to meet her varying needs.
She quips, “As women, you know, our lifestyles change, our bodies change. I’ve always admired the youtubers who have capsule wardrobes, full of classic pieces that they wear for 10, 15 years. I would love that, but for so many reasons — we just put on weight, lose weight [through all the different life stages] I’m like, how do you not change?”
She mentions that swapping became important for her in seasons of fluctuation and change.
“When I relocated, I was coming from a hot country, to a very different kind of hot country. And the clothes I wore from that country are not suitable for this country! So just being able to swap out clothes [at The Fashion Pulpit] was really really good! I think almost my whole wardrobe has been through various swaps, and my wardrobe here is really different from my wardrobe previously, what it was. Now, I have a lot more linen and cotton pieces, because its more suited to the climate here.
Through the process of swapping, she had learnt to adapt and curate her wardrobe according to the different ways her body evolved over the years, too.
“I did have a mastectomy for breast cancer, so mobility wise, I needed clothes that are all button-down, so nothing that has to be [removed] over the top because you can’t raise your arm. So before my surgery I did go into The Fashion Pulpit and grab a few pieces, so those came in really handy.”
“I think you know, fashion should really fit your lifestyle, instead of always [you] aspiring to fit into something. Before children and after children is a different phase of life, and when your children are even older, that’s another phase of life again. There’s so many phases, so swapping, that’s the best thing. It allows you to go with the flow.” Eileen concludes.
I sit with this revelation for a moment. Eileen’s words made me think of the wardrobe as a permeable space, rather than something to constantly build or fix. There may be no moment in your life where you decide, “This is it. This is my wardrobe for life,” because life itself is always changing. The clothes you need will change alongside that. I mentally cast aside the aspirational pinterest photos of super sleek, perfected wardrobes that have always made my own wardrobe feel ‘unfinished’ in comparison. Like life, your own wardrobe is always a work-in-progress.
Left: Eileen shows us the inside of a chest of drawer of neatly folded and stacked clothing Right: Eileen is pictured holding up three button up shirts
Xingyun and I ask Eileen to give us a tour of her wardrobe. With familiarity, Eileen opens up her chest of drawers, gesturing as she explains what each section is for: “Here, I’ve got my t-shirts… then my strappy tops. Then, I’ve got my shorts here, and my long trousers.” She walks over to her end of the shared closet, explaining, “So my husband and I share a wardrobe, and that is his side, and this is my side. So, I’ve only got four skirts, and I know my four skirts are here, and these are my dresses… and my shirts…”
Here, Xingyun and I start gushing over how organised and minimal everything is. Eileen laughs in reply, “I keep things small, and simple. That’s when you start to know your pieces really well, and you can easily grab them. Getting dressed becomes really fast. I just go Okay! And there, Okay! (Eileen mimics pulling stuff quickly out of her wardrobe) It’s really because I know what I’ve got, and if you look at the colours, they are all colours that will match with pretty much anything.”
As I gaze at Eileen sifting through her pieces, showing each piece to us and telling us about a material or colour she really enjoyed, I realise that her wardrobe was thoroughly well-loved. Each piece has been touched, caressed and worn on the body, several times over. Each piece had a purpose and reason, and Eileen knew exactly where it was, and how she would wear it.
“This is my favourite jumpsuit. It is great for moving around while still looking cute, because as a mom, I have to pick up after the children. It looks good in the day, and it looks good at night, too!”
She gushes over the cottons and linens in her closet, and holds up a piece, happily exclaiming as though she were recalling the memory of finding it for the first time: “At the OG The Fashion Pulpit at River Valley, I found this Grana linen top! And I still wear it to this day!”
Eileen’s favourite striped jumpsuit (right) and said linen top (left).
I realise that Eileen's wardrobe isn’t what one may typically think of when we say “capsule” or “classic”. Yet, there was something so classic about her wardrobe all the same — it was something that was true to her.
I mentioned this to her, saying, “You know, you mentioned you don’t have a curated or classic wardrobe like the youtubers you watch, but when I look at your pieces, they are curated according to you — I think this is your own version of a capsule wardrobe!”
She emphatically agrees, “Yes, yes! When you’re just following people who are considered “classic”, it’s not actually your “classic”. You’ve really got to find your own personal style. You really need to sit down and think, what really works for me?
“Fashion, it’s not complicated. Once you know your colours — what makes you shine and what makes you confident… you won't just be grabbing pieces that you see other people wear.”
Eileen’s love for colour, for fun and sparkle in her wardrobe was evident, amidst the practical pieces.
When Xingyun and I asked about what advice she would give to her younger self regarding style, Eileen exclaimed, “Fun! Fashion should be about having fun.”
Eileen articulates how swapping is a safe space for her to experiment and try new things, even whilst balancing the practicality and needs of her wardrobe. “With swapping, you can still try out things, and colours, and if it doesn’t work, that’s fine, just swap it out again. I love the whole swapping ethos, I love how you can still have fun. I love how every time I go, it’s always different.”
I loved how Eileen’s wardrobe seemed to capture both the fun and spontaneity of fashion, but also the comfort and safety clothes can bring.
“WITH SWAPPING, YOU CAN STILL TRY OUT THINGS, AND COLOURS, AND IF IT DOESN’T WORK, THAT’S FINE, JUST SWAP IT OUT AGAIN. I LOVE THE WHOLE SWAPPING ETHOS, I LOVE HOW YOU CAN STILL HAVE FUN. I LOVE HOW EVERY TIME I GO, IT’S ALWAYS DIFFERENT.
Eileen is pictured smiling and standing before her wardrobe.
A wardrobe that is classic, but also a wardrobe that is permeable and ever-changing. A wardrobe filled with well-loved pieces, but also a wardrobe that would not shy away from fun and experimentation, simply for the joy of it. Eileen’s wardrobe seemed to sit between binaries, in a wonderful way.
I hope that I can grow up to have a wardrobe like hers.
About The Journal of Wear
The Journal of Wear features narrative-style writing, where we capture the wearer’s unique voice and story from their perspective and ours. Instead of a simple Q & A format, we hope to craft a narrative that depicts us entering the wearer’s wardrobe/closet/bedroom space, how we got to know about the wearer’s story of their chosen item of clothing, and how each of us felt within the experience of conversing about our clothes.
The Journal of Wear is the labour of love of Esther Koh and Xingyun Shen who first bonded over how clothing can affect and shape its wearer in an intimate way. It is an extension of The Fashion Pulpit’s existing video series: SWAP STORIES. This article is written by Esther and edited by Xingyun. All photos in this entry are captured by us with a DSLR camera and a iPhone X.