I Now Pronounce You, Husband and Wife

Yesterday was a bit of milestone for me, and I've done something I have yet to do in my lifetime, attend a wedding.Now don't laugh if you've been to numerous ceremonies and receptions, but I have yet to be invited to one. Well, more along the lines of not knowing anyone who wants to tie the knot in the near future, and, sadly, most of my relatives are either married well before I was conceived or really enjoy the independent life (sorry family). But hey, I'm not hating or judging on them. Anyway, back to the point. With this compact challenge being a priority in my life for the coming weeks, I had to really consider my options for one, my outfit, two, my gift, and three, my outfit. Alright, It's only two problems, but events like these always calls for the attention of looking good and one's nice gesture to the newly wedded.

In deciding my outfit for the evening, I took account of the many factors that would influence my attire: the weather, time of day, occasion, wardrobe and a few interesting statements regarding fashion in our Fashion-ology book. In the section "Adoption and Consumption of Fashion," it stated, "Fashion can be analyzed as a process of collective selection of a few styles from numerous competing alternatives. Innovative consumers my experiment with many possible alternatives, but the ultimate test in fashion process is the competition between alternatives styles for positions of 'fashionability.' Consumer try to discover the items of clothing wish are defined as fashionable (102)." How I related this excerpt to my challenge is this: All the clothes that I've purchased well before this event can be mixed and matched to form a new, fashionable look that is both stylish, appropriate, AND cheap.

What I did was take the vest from an older three piece beige suit I had and matched it with some khakis I've had from middle school. Next, I grabbed my creme 1MX button shirt from my former employer, "EXPRESS" and rolled up my sleeves to the top of my forearm, not elbow. Finally, I took my girlfriend's ivory silk scarf and used it as a tie. I tucked in the remaining draping fabric inside my vest and there it was, the wedding-friendly fashionable look for no cost.I must add that I did get a few compliments at the reception. As for the gift, instead of buying a Hallmark card, I added a sentimental and personal touch by making my own card. It wasn't the best, but it showed the sincerity and love that I wanted to convey in my small token of congratulations. The attachment, however, was a bit pricey, but hey, it was a wedding.

All in all, it was a great experience for me. I was able to experience and share a special day with a couple truly in love and look good doing it, all without breaking my back and following the compact challenge.

CHRISTIAN BORGONIA, BLOG#3

WORKS CITED:
Kawamura, Yuniya. FASHION-OLOGY. BERG: Oxford, New York: 2006. Pg. 102
Image - courtesy of Shopstyle - http://www.shopstyle.com/browse/mens-suits?fts=vest#