ModeNY.com

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Changing Fashion To Cope With Change
November, 20 2009

What a difference a day makes. It's been a week since I pulled what some deem the fashion equivalent to Sarah Palin's resignation with my decision to "suddenly" leave Mode. While there was nothing sudden about it to me and all those close to me ("all those" being my assistant, Marc), it wasn't because I felt like self-righteously issuing fashion edicts to the world from a Facebook account. I did it because, as I said in my press conference, I wanted to explore other options. Now it bears mentioning that, the day after my announcement -- in a completely unrelated coincidence -- the world learned of the death of former Meade CFO and international fugitive Connor Owens, a man to whom I was briefly romantically linked.

Since these events, I admit to feeling conflicted about leaving Mode. Make no mistake; it has nothing to do with the death of Connor Owens -- absolutely nothing at all. However, both matters each entail the sudden closing of a door to a relationship for me. My life is undergoing major transformations, and I've found an unlikely island of comfort amidst this sea of uncertainty, one that has come, surprisingly, through a different sort of change... in my own personal fashion. Namely, my newfound love of comfort-wear.

Yes, I'm aware heels are the lynch pin of below-the-knees style, but seriously, have you worn clogs recently? It's nice wearing shoes that don't butcher your heels, cause toe cramps, and warp your feet into Bunion City Central. And don't get me started on Juicy velour tracksuits -- it's all the warmth of fur with none of the annoying animal rights activists to throw blood on you. As for undergarments, I've found silk boxers provide the loose, non-intrusive feeling of "going commando" without the unhygienic reality. One must wonder what women were thinking when we embraced the thong as the official underwear of the female nation; honestly, ladies -- do we really want perpetual "wedgies" as our natural state?

My point is, when matters make discomfort for the spirit, make comfort for the body. As the ground shifts beneath you, you'll find it easier to stand in gardening clogs than in the tallest stiletto, and that it's better to weather the winds of change in a cozy sweatshirt than in the sexiest halter. After all, when the core of your being is what hurts the most, healing should start from the outside in.

Wilhelmina Slater