Mango trench
Zara top (similar)
Sezane shirt
Sezane jeans
Chanel flats
Chanel handbag
Celine sunglasses
Vintage necklace (similar)
Linjer ring (c/o) (similar)
Location: Winnipeg Art Gallery – Winnipeg, Manitoba
(Thank you everyone who reached out after reading The Story | Part I earlier this week. Part II will go live next Monday. But in the meantime, let’s take refuge in something that feels safe and comfortable – fashion.)
This is my Parisian dream outfit. I’ve worn some iteration of it dozens of times over the years (and if you diligently search the archives, you’ll find them all, but you can see a recent favourite version here.) Of course, many good things just get better with time. Fine wine, good art… and this outfit, in all of its variations, among them. And everything is better when you can add in the luxury accessories of your dreams. Just in case anyone is new here or hasn’t been paying attention, (almost) all of mine come from Chanel.
The fact is, I had an entirely different topic planned to go along with these photos. But someone asked me a fascinating question about luxury items earlier this week that I can’t get out of my head, and I wanted to expand upon my answer here, because I think the topic is an important one.
I admit, I paused. The writer made it clear that their question wasn’t directed at me or how I share the luxury items in my wardrobe. But I suppose I’d never thought of it as showing off? I recognise that influencer, or what I prefer to call content creator, culture looks and feels very different from the outside than from the inside, which impacts perception considerably. And beyond that, I suspect that I would have felt different, perhaps not at twenty-seven, but at twenty-two than I did at thirty-two about people with extensive collections of luxury items that seemed to be constantly growing.
And, of course, in that pause, I felt lucky. Whenever I get questions about designer or luxury items, I’m grateful to have the privilege to answer them. My twenty-two-year-old self wanted desperately to get to this point but struggled to imagine it might ever be possible. So much has changed since then, and I’ve worked my tail off for that change, but I recognise that working hard is never a guarantee. There are people who work just as hard as I have who will never get here – that doesn’t diminish my work, but it does mean there are elements of luck and privilege that contribute to it, too. I recognise both, and I’m thankful for them.
But the thing is, I don’t see it as showing off because I know that for most people, being able to make luxury purchases does require hard work. And I think if someone has worked hard for something, they deserve to be able to share it in a way that feels meaningful to them.
…see exhibit A: the overhead shot of my beloved Chanel ballet flats.
I love taking pictures of the beautiful things with which I’ve rewarded myself for accomplishments or personal milestones. That’s what’s meaningful for me, and I suppose I’m projecting a bit on other people who do the same by thinking that their motivation might be similar. It doesn’t matter too much. I know it doesn’t feel like showing off to me. Someday I might get tired of seeing other people’s beautiful pictures of their lovely things, but that day isn’t here yet. Whether the pictures are mine or not, I love them. They inspire me. I always want more. If they didn’t resonate with me, I’d be quick to move on.
I guess that’s the crux of it. Authenticity and integrity are hugely important to me in every area of my life. I’m transparent, honest sometimes to my own detriment. While I don’t think everyone needs to be that way, I naturally gravitate towards people who share those values – so if there are content creators truly “showing off” their luxury purchases, I probably don’t know who they are in the first place. Or I clicked the unfollow button on their profile long ago.
There are so many things in life we have no control over. But we do control what we consume, particularly on social media. So how I feel, at the end of the day, is that if I’m not comfortable with how someone represents any part of themselves, luxury purchases included, that’s a problem I can easily solve. I move on. There’s an audience for almost everyone and everything. It doesn’t always have to include me. And I never need to feel guilty for protecting my energy by opting out of being part of a given audience. I hope none of you do, either.
