In “Articles of Interest #3: Pockets,” Trufelman describes the inclusion or exclusion of pockets as a clear indicator of “who can walk through the world comfortably and securely” (Trufelman 00:04:34). This ties into the deeper meaning of fashion in terms of both how it makes you feel, and how it makes others perceive you. This outfit is styled in my interpretation of Ivy, with careful attention to both my comfort and my public perception.

The jeans I chose are high-waisted and wide-leg mom jeans, with subtle rips at the hems. These have the effect of drawing more attention to my legs and visually ‘lengthening’ them, which is something I usually aim for to distract from the fact that I am, in fact, merely 5’1″. This effect would likely be greatest if I were wearing heels with these jeans, as they would be an uninterrupted straight line rather than bunching at my ankles, but I think this gives it a much more laidback and carefree appearance. They also have huge pockets, both in the front and the back; I can fit my phone, wallet, and airpods all only in the front two pockets. The tank top I’m wearing is one of my favorite articles of clothing, since it’s a basic black tank that’s tight-fitting but not constricting. Layered over that is a red button down; I actually thrifted it for $3 for a physics conference a few weeks back. I again chose to wear it in a relaxed style, fully unbuttoned with the sleeves rolled up. Finally, the accessories all complement each other; the bracelet on my left hand complements the blue on the jeans (although not exactly; it gives the outfit a somewhat spontaneous pop of color that’s lightly mismatched but not totally unexpected either), the silver necklace complements the silver buttoning on the jeans, and the black and red in my glasses match the black and red in the tank and button down. Despite how lax the outfit is, its coordination signals some level of thought and looking ‘put together’ to others.

Works Cited

Trufelman, Avery. “Pockets” Articles of Interest, 2 October 2018, 99percentinivisible.org/episode/pockets-articles-of-interest-3/.