Some of our terrific commentators have recently raised the question, “What do you mean when you say ‘remixed’?” One asks:
If you wear jeans with Top1 and Top2, is it really “remixed”? To me, that seems like just wearing a wardrobe basic with more than one top.
I would consider “remixed” wearing something a different way rather than just wearing it again — for instance, a scarf worn in the hair vs. on the neck vs. as a belt, or a dress worn as a dress vs. backwards with a cardigan vs. as a skirt.
I, E., think this is a great question and since I’m the most frequent user of the term here, it made me think. Folks use “remixed” in a variety of ways in the community that birthed the term, wardrobe_remix over on Flickr. The strictest interpretation would indeed be “wearing something in a completely new way to produce a new look” and, often a wardrobe basic, like jeans, would not fit that definition.
I’ve been more loose with my interpretation here to include wardrobe pieces that I’ve worn and photographed previously, even if it is just a pair of jeans. While this might not be the most exciting use of “remixed” I’ve found it to be practical in several ways.
First, it helps me keep track of my wardrobe and to see what my core items are in practice, not just in theory. I knew that I loved my cropped navy blazer, for example, but I’ve been happily surprised to see just how much mileage I’ve gotten out of this little thing. Documenting that frequency helps with future shopping dreams, too. Now I want a gray blazer in a similar cut because I think it will serve a similar, foundational purpose in my closet.
1. 3 March 2009, 2. 26 March 2009 – With Jacket, 3. 15 April 2009, 4. 20 April 2009
Second, it allows me to be transparent about the fact that I have a limited — and at this time in my pregnancy, very limited! — closet. I don’t own one pair of jeans for flats and another pair for heels. I own a single pair, and using the term “remix,” even for those simple jeans, allows me to foreground how flexible they have been.
1. 28 April 2009 2. 24 April 2009 – Evening, 3. 30 April 2009, 4. 27 March 2009
Third, I do a lot of my “remixing” through color rather than altering how I wear an item. Part of that has to do with being preggers, but part of that is just my personal style and my love of coming up with new color combinations. Take, for example, my orange cardigan. I’ve worn it with purple, burgundy, blue-green, gray, and blue. I have never revolutionized how one wears a cardigan, but I love being creative with what colors I choose to pair it and I like keeping tabs on that to serve as color inspiration later on.
But I’m curious. Would you all prefer if we stuck with a more limited definition of “remix”? Do you have suggestions for another term that could be more broadly applied to signal that, yep, it’s the same ol’ pair of jeans? Does it matter to you at all if something has been worn previously? Do you sometimes worry that I don’t wash my jeans frequently enough given how often they appear? I’d be interested to know!
I also use the term remix to indicate that an item is worn in a different way, even if it’s not totally-and-completely-and-holy-cow-changed different. Dresses are really difficult to remix, but I applaud myself and call it a remix if I can style it with a different belt or scarf or shoes or tights. So, personally, I’m comfortable with your use of the word remix. To me, remixing even in subtle ways demonstrates the importance of details in a wardrobe.
As a reader, it seems to me the most useful way to use “remix” is to highlight something creative in how you’re using a piece. I’m not all that interested in whether or not you’re wearing something you’ve photographed before– I guess I had assumed that obviously you would be, because that’s what we *do* with clothes.
Maybe “repeat” or “staple” if you want to foreground the items that you use the most.
My two cents.
(Since this is my first comment, I just wanted to say how much I love the blog. It’s given me inspiration to resee my own wardrobe and be more creative.)
I think that the way you use “remix” is fine, I do like seeing that you have worn the same items a lot and in a different way each time. I think it would be good to still name the brand or source for the remixed items, because it helps in the quest for finding something similar. Also, sometimes as you play with a wardrobe item it gets more interesting, so reiterating its source along with “remixed” would be great.
I can’t remember if I’ve ever commented before, but I really like this blog too. The three different perspectives are fun. I especially liked your silhouette and proportions series.
I also LOVE the blog and I have no problem with your use of “remix.” I think it’s great that you show the versatility of such items with different outfits. And as most of us do not have unlimited wardrobe items, it seems perfectly reasonable that we wear things over and over again, just in different variations.
Which brought me to another question I’ve had. I’ve noticed that you three do such a fantastic job of mixing up clothing items and never seem to wear the same thing twice! Do you ever wear the same exact outfit twice, if you really loved it? I’ve been more conscious of my clothing choices the last couple months, and as much as I’ve “remixed” items, I find myself resorting to certain outfit combinations that I particularly liked.
I think the way you use the term is fine; the only slight drawback for me is that often when you use it, that means you don’t say what the brand of the item is, which I find helpful. (I know I could probably click back to see the item’s brand listed on it’s first post, before it became a remix, but that could take a while to get there.)
Side note – I’m so happy I found this blog – all your outfits are great for getting ideas from – they are creative, but not impractical for real life, 9-5 jobs. So thanks, you three!
I agree with the others, I don’t care what the definition of remixed is, as long as you mention the source of the piece of clothing. There have been so many cute things where I want immediate gratification to know where it was from!
I’m really glad I spoke up and asked what seemed to be a silly question!
Thanks so much for explaining, because I’ve seen the term used over at wardrobe_remix and also on other “what I wore” blogs, but never understood.
I thought “remix” meant that you’d altered the clothes or shoes in some way with new fabric or a new hem or something. I was thoroughly confused! hee hee
Now that I “get” it, I don’t mind your use of “remix” at all. Thanks E!
I think the way you use it is fine. I enjoy seeing how you work with limited pieces, making them seem new. As someone who is rebuilding a wardrobe after two pregnancies, it’s helpful to see how creative one can be without buying something new every week.
I don’t think wearing something over and over again is necessarily a bad thing. If it looks good on you and you feel great, why not?? But, yes, you should be making your outfits creative still or people will KNOW you already wore it.
CLOTHEDMUCH.BLOGSPOT.COM
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Cecília
Thanks for the answer, E.! I don’t mind the way you’re using “remix”, I just wanted to be sure that it meant what I thought it meant. And I have no problem at all) with things appearing that have been worn previously; I actually like that more than the style blogs where people have so much clothing that they go months and months without re-wearing/re-mixing an item; your more frequent remixes are more inspiring because they show how style and creativity is achievable without having a boatload of clothing.
My only thing about the re-mixing is one others have mentioned: please tell us the provenance of what you’re wearing, even when it’s remixed. (That’s one of my very minor peeves about w_r.)
And yes, I worry a great deal about your jeans. My first thought when a post pops up with the jeans in it is , “Those things again?! My goodness, they must be absolutely filthy!” Haha, no not really. :-)
I think it might be nice to have two labels like “staple” and “remixed”, but it’s not necessary if you don’t want to bother! E.g. in the pictures of your jeans above, I would consider the 3rd one remixed because you’ve done something a bit more unusual with the jeans by cuffing them so much.
Side question: surely you don’t mean that everything you *don’t* mark as remixed is brand new?
Also yes, thanks for explaining the term and how you use it! I too wondered if it meant something like “I bought this from a thrift store and changed the hem” or such, especially as the word “remix” appears instead of a store name. I suppose I think of rewearing clothes in different combinations as mixing, so I assumed remixing meant going further and altering them.
I’ve honestly never been a big user of the term remix, but I like the way you define it. I think that limiting the term to wearing an item in a completely different way would be very constricting, because there’s only so many different ways you can wear an item. I agree that it’s useful in determining what your staples are.
I’m so glad you addressed this! I definitely am in the same boat as you. I think for readers, using the term “remixed” is best when the item has been worn differently enough to constitute a whole new look. However, for the blogger herself, using “remixed” is a great way to organize and remember how one piece was worn over time. I know that for me, looking back on different tops or shoes that I wore with one pair of jeans helps me think creatively for the next time those jeans come around in the clothing cycle. I’m still toying with how to use these terms, so I’m glad that you are addressing this here…it’s so helpful to read the comments and figure out what other people think!
I was going to say the same thing so many others have: I miss the brand/store label when something is marked as a remix. However, not to sound like a schoolmarm about this, but if we go by your definition of remix, doesn’t your entire closet qualify once a brand-new item has been worn? Now I’m wondering if using tags might be one way for bloggers to approach this. You know, like “white pants” or “skinny jeans.” Then a reader could click a tag to see all the ways they’ve been worn.
I have a bad habit of always making a first comment that sounds crabby, but I do enjoy the blog. Most of the outfits are right in my zone.
I think your use and implications of the term “remix” is just fine and probably the way most people interpret it. I particularly use it the same way and I appreciate you guys tagging items as “remixed” because it shows how versatile a piece can be and gives me ideas for my own wardrobe. But I do agree with others above, that it would be nice to remind us of the origin of the item too (since I for sure never remember!).
I love this blog and I love how you guys remix. Keep up the great work!
I had wondered what you meant by remixed too – and your answer is definitely not what I expected. I assumed you meant that you’d gotten the piece in a non-traditional way (thrift store, hand-me-down) and didn’t necessarily know the original source or brand, or that you’d altered it in some significant way. If tagging things that way helps you understand how you use your closet better, that’s fine. But as a reader I have to admit that I don’t find the label helpful – I guess I assume that all wardrobe blogs are about creating interesting and/or novel combinations of items in your closet. After all, unless one wears top 1 only with bottom 1 and top 2 with bottom 2 in strict non-mixing fashion, every outfit has an element of remixing.
[...] that one of the most important things to do when you set out on a project is to define your terms. Well, clearly we were desperately in need of defining what we mean when we say “remixed”… Thank you for all of your responses and thoughts and for helping us clarify why and how we use the [...]
I always wondered what it meant by “remixed”. I thought maybe I had missed a vital, explanatory post. Now that I understand, I think I agree with Meagan a little…remixed to me would be to use something in even a minimally creative new way. As Sara said, even by pairing it with totally different accessories to give it a whole new look. I like the idea of keeping track of the basics that work with everything, and maybe a term like “staple” is good for those.
I am just happy to learn that remixing is using items in new ways, and is not necessarily altering the garment physically. I was nervous, as my creative skills do not extend that far. =)
This is my first ever comment, but I found your blog about a month ago via Already Pretty. I have enjoyed the academic way you have approached fashion and style, and it has been helping me look at my body and my closet in a new light. My best example: Saturday at Goodwill I found a top from old navy. My thought process when something like this: “oh, what a great way to incorporate yellow into my wardrobe! With a black cardi, the little bits in the print wont wash me out.”
Thank you for that. =)
Hee hee, you used the word “hermeneutic” and that makes me happy!
But seriously, thank you for this effort to define your terms more accurately. “Remixing” sometimes confuses me, especially when I missed the first post about an item. I like the idea of adding “staple” as an additional label option.
Also, I’m glad I’m not the only person who goes a while between jean washings :-)
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