The Sartorialist’s Dilemma is a blog about wondering what to wear in an increasingly complicated world. It is about finding value, and values in fashion. I’ll attempt to tackle the topic using a different approach–one not unlike journalist Michael Pollan’s perspective on food, which is to say, holistic and with a healthy respect, but also with, well, hunger.
In his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan attempts to answer a single question:
What should we have for dinner?
Here, I’m posing a dilemma even dearer to my heart (rather than my stomach), that also has to do with value, as well as values:
What to wear?
I spend even more time, energy, and money thinking about what to put on my body than I do thinking about what to put in my body. Both of these “dilemmas,” the omnivore’s and the sartorialist’s, are problems of privilege. It’s because we’re blessed with so many choices, and presumedly, a little bit of time, energy, and money, that we can question these matters at all. Combine that with an affinity for fashion, and ever-increasing information, and you’ve got the makings for a great deal of debate.
Here at the Sartorialist’s Dilemma, I’ll try to put the wonder back in wondering what to wear.
This project is still a work in progress, a process if you will, sort of like gathering string.
Please contribute by adding your comments or emailing me at jenniavins@gmail.com!
