September is the January of Fashion

Oh hello darling and welcome to September on benpechey.com. You are entering Fashion Month, where we will be diving into Autumn/winter through the mediums of clothes.

If you are familiar with the legendary fashion documentary “The September Issue”, Candy Pratts Price declares that “September is the January of fashion” and I have no qualms in endorsing these words. I absolutely adore this time of year, because we are entering the time when it is just easier to get dressed.

Summer is lovely, don’t get me wrong, it's nice to eat outside and have longer days. However, if you have any kind of body issues or hangups then summer can be really hard to navigate. How are you expected to deal with 29°C when you don’t feel comfortable in many super summer items. Well, the answer is you don’t and that’s really for another post.

There is no universal narrative for each of us, but today I am sharing mine. I know this will resonate with some, and leave others un-fussed. You see I adore warmer weather, but I hate sweating. There is a small number of people who think that bigger bodies are lazy and worthless. Sweating is a bodily function that makes me uncomfortable. So in essence summer makes me uncomfortable.

It means that I can fully rejoice in the fact that the weather is cooling, and it is very much possible to wear LAYERS. I am very comfortable in my body, and I have taken my time to come to this realisation. I like my arms and legs to be covered and I like to use fabric to compliment the curves of my body. Thus you see this is much easier to achieve in Autumn.

September rekindles my love affair for CLOTHES. The lower temperatures mean I can wear more, which is pure joy. The concept of layering comes back into play. Stepping out of the house, knowing my face won’t melt off, and I will be able to feel comfortable is one less stress in my life.

The sheer bulk of knitwear is the ultimate comfort blanket when it comes to clothes, and I cannot wait to fall headfirst into the warm embrace of their fuzzy folds. As you will be aware I have the biggest soft spot for coats, one which has lead to arguments to the space they take up. Some people collect books, comics or crystals, well I collect coats. I don’t want to put a number on it, I think it could be near to 30 give or take. This time of year is when I begin to bring coats back into my arsenal, they are the ultimate joy for this time of year.

So as Candy said, September does feel like a big reset in terms of my wardrobe and the way I dress. It’s very similar to how I pick a diary. I hate the pressure of a new diary in January, so I have for the longest time chosen an academic diary. Thus August/September has become synonymous with the idea of fresh starts and a sartorial reset.