December 7th, 2017
The first date is important to us, especially when we think we might have found the right person. We spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, in front of our wardrobe and we overthink the outfits.
So I made an experiment. I wanted to find out whether three couples involved in long relationships still remember their first date in detail – their clothes, their attitude, their thoughts. Then, when they moved in together, whether they chose to wear pretty clothes around the house, or they were influenced by the other’s style.
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Ionuț had never imagined that his coat would be Oana’s main element of analysis on their first date. They had met on New Year’s Eve, and most of their talks were about clothes. She wore a camel leather skirt, a turquoise shirt, black tights, a black sweater, and a faux fur collar around the neck. He wore a pair of gray jeans, a simple sweater, boots and a brown coat.
Since they’re in a relationship…
Oana dressed in Ionuț’s clothes for a while – trousers or shirts. At first he seemed cool with her habit, but over time his wardrobe began to look chaotic. “I would be looking for some clothes and wouldn’t be able to find them where I had left them. Oana dressed in interesting ways in the beginning of our relationship. Every day I wondered how she was going to use our clothes. She also had some moments when she looked like a Christmas tree. “
Oana adds “I put on two pairs of tights, blouses, all kinds of accessories in my hair. That was until Ionut told me I was missing the simple things. He organised a styling session and made me realize I had no basic clothes. I was impressed. I rethought my aesthetics. “
Ionuț remained constant in his style – comfortable clothes, quality fabrics and minimalist design. Oana taught him to avoid some types of shorts or certain designs because they make him look short.
Since they’ve moved in together…
14 days after their first date, Oana and Ionuț moved in together. Oana had a closet, but there wasn’t room in it for two people. So one day he came home from the office with building materials and started designing a larger one. He also brought a clothes rack to create a comfortable space. It wasn’t enough, so they decided to temporarily move part of their clothes to their parents every time the season changed. Their relationship with clothes had many stages and I asked them why this attraction was so intense .
Ionuț felt drawn to clothes since his childhood. His mom was a dressmaker. When he was a kid, he woke up in the morning to join her at the manufactory. He was excited and left the house with the enthusiasm you usually have when going on vacation. He loved to climb into the big trolleys that were carrying fabrics or clothing, and he enjoyed talking to the women asking them about their work.
For Oana, the passion for clothes stemmed from her relationship with her mother. As a kid, she fell in love with uniforms and couldn’t wait for the beginning of each school year so she could pick them from the stores. She has kept all of them – aprons, shirts, skirts. Her mother also stores things she’s attached to. Oana has inherited many things from her – shirts, pants, skirts, costumes. She wears them, as her mom did in the past, even though they’ve been stored in five different wardrobes. The fabrics have not changed, the colors are impeccable, and Oana is disappointed that the clothes they now buy in the shops will not last for 30 years.
Ionut often wears his grandfather’s hat, even though it has a bit of a communist feel to it. When he looks in the mirror, he sees his grandfather always wearing something on his head, and he remembers his words, “You wear something on your head to cover up your stupidity.” When he was young he stole his hats, played with them, and went out in front of the courtyard to greet the neighbors with a hat tip.
They both believe in stories. Especially in the stories of clothes. Ionut works in the fashion industry and takes photos in his spare time. He likes visuals, building characters, fabrics and designs that fill you with a certain mood. Oana works in the clothing field as well. She is a big fan of the French aesthetics and thinks that beauty has lost part of its magic, but she understands that not all women have to dress in a particular way.
Ionut and Oana wear clothes to keep stories going, the ones in their families, those found in second-hand shops. They wear new clothes to give them life. They both enjoy spending time with their clothes, it’s like a daily ritual.
iwearstories.com 