The Nostalgia in Something New
Ever buy something because it reminded you of something you once had?
When I first spotted this cropped vest by Roam Studio, I got a flashback of the vest my Mom designed for me.
She had me wear the vest with a black pencil midi skirt (much like Tibi’s Tropical Wool Trouser skirt) and black block heel sling backs in grosgrain fabric for a high school dinner party at The Peninsula Manila.
The dress code was semi-formal and if there was anything I didn’t feel comfortable in as a 16 year old, it was dressing up, putting on heels and wearing makeup. Even back then, I was more the no makeup, jeans and flats type of girl and apart from my school uniform, was never into skirts or dresses.
But my Mom brilliantly came up with an outfit that wasn’t too girly for me. This was the early 90s, minimalism and wearing black and white was at its height. She bought the fabric and gold buttons, then enlisted a neighborhood seamstress to help put her vision into reality. We found a local boutique (now long gone called Sari-Sari Store that was popular at the time) that had semi-platform slingbacks with a low heel I could walk in, which completed the look. What kind of bag I used escapes me now, it was most likely an evening bag of hers. If I were to be honest, she was actually more excited about the idea of me socializing (I am introvert who would be more than happy to stay at home and read a book on a weekend night) and getting dressed for a party.
While I didn’t really appreciate the outfit back then, looking back, it was objectively classic and timeless, no, it was a masterpiece! So much so that the thought of recreating this has been on the back of my mind for a couple of months now.
This got me thinking, a lot of the things I have been wearing over the decades that best represent my personal style have always been things that are familiar to me and hold meaning for me.
So when I add something “new” to my closet, is it a desire to reclaim a relic from the past? Or a nod to the memories that particular piece brings back?
In this particular case, it wasn’t the actual pieces I was interested in getting back, but a belated appreciation of an outfit that is long gone, but now remembered with the gloss of nostalgia. Add to that, an acknowledgement of my Mom’s good taste, which I may or may have not given her due credit for at the time. Here’s to you Mom!
Speaking of personal style, if you are still on the fence about what your personal style is all about, I suggest you look back at your own list of greatest hits, the clothes that bring up good memories and maybe that will lead you towards the path to discovering and solidifying your own personal style.
Just looking at my closet go-tos, there is obviously a theme. All of these key components that serve as elements that I build upon to express my style, harken back to my youth. I’ve never lived without them over the decades:
Jeans - something I’ve been wearing since my high school years. I’ve always been fascinated with denim cuts, shapes and washes and it’s become a bit of a hobby to try out new styles and wear them until I find the next new thing. Currently on my barrel leg phase so you’ll often see me in Tibi’s Brancusi or Citizens of Humanity’s Horseshoe jeans when I am not playing safe and in the mood for blending in with Frame’s Le Original Midrise Straight Legs.
Striped Shirts - when I was pregnant with my eldest, all I wore were mens APC and Saint James mariniere shirts. They were perfectly oversized, in a hefty fabric that kept the winter chill away. I wore them up until I was breastfeeding, and up until there were holes and the navy tag on the sleeve fell off. Good memories that I kept on buying them in different variations of stripes until I realized I had too many.
Button down shirts - during my corporate days these were mostly worn with skirts (I learned to like them in my 20s) or black slacks but since they effortlessly evolved into weekend wear when worn with leggings, shorts or jeans they stayed even after I quit working for a company. These days, they are my fallback pieces when I have to go to meetings or do presentations in a traditional office setting.
Army green anything - growing up seeing my Dad in military fatigues, I find the color and utility aspect of it safe, familiar as well as practical. I love pockets, lots of pockets and the fact that it’s a neutral color that goes with almost everything I own has made it a staple over the decades.
Flats - sneakers, loafers, sandals, mules, espadrilles and ballet flats, I’ve had versions of these my entire life. In fact, the oldest pair I have that’s still with me, a pair of mock croc loafers from Cable & Co 1901 is now 30 years old. It looked dated for a while during the 2010s but look very current these days.
If I were to use Amy Smilovic’s Creative Pragmatist-speak, all of the above are my WOFS aka Without Fails. Fundamentals that make me feel like me. I am comfortable wearing them because they are the “grounding element that ties everything together”. So when I inject a cropped vest, or a midi skirt into the mix, they still work when worn with my WOFS, i.e. that party outfit today, would go with flat Chanel slingbacks or Jil Sander sandals this time.
Come to think of it, from a spiritual and metaphysical perspective, time is not linear. The same applies to personal style. In fact, I push the concept further and dare say that true personal style is timeless. There is no then and now. Personal style reflects our essence, and so if I put on my low waist J Brand Lovestory flared jeans and wear it with a button down shirt and flat Ancient Greek sandals, who’s to say if this look was from the 70s, early 2000s or today?
Maybe my barrel leg jeans will look dated some years from today, but with personal style blurring the lines of time, maybe they will also be here to stay. Who’s to say!
When it comes to shopping based on personal style, we may want certain things from the past, we may aspire to certain things in the future but always with a mind to who we are at the present.
Because personal style is what happens when your past self, present self, and future self converge. You can’t go wrong style wise, when what you wear is the essence of who you were, who you are now and who you are becoming.
I love this notion of the nostalgia aspect being fundamental!
I love this — as I’m writing my fashion essay collection (slated for publication fall 2025/spring 2026!) this very thing, the cumulative impact of identifying our selves and our style, comes through.