Four women and the ritual of dressing, plus how women interact with fashion in times of pandemic

As we are approaching the Christmas season, I am thinking of all the parties I could have dressed up for, of all the fun I am missing, meeting with friends and family, sharing love, gifts and memories from the passing year. Instead I am sitting at home, dressed in my cosy and chic loungewear, thinking how I miss those times  and moments right before the Holiday Bash: the ritual of dressing up is tremendously invigorating and stimulating for me. Slipping into a gorgeous sequin dress or a swanky velvet suit, putting on red lipstick and high heels, fixing my hair and make up and that last glance in the mirror, during this holy ritual i lose sense of time and reality, there is a story in my head that unfolds and I find those moments spent with myself quite special. They are moments of honouring your own beauty. Your body becomes an altar and you decorate and embellish as if you are bringing gifts to pleased the gods. 

“Mythology is much more satisfying than historical accuracy, said once Coco Chanel, who masterfully concealed a bitter past and to create a brilliant new persona. She invented her new life and she made her clothes represent that life, but it was also equivalent to the respect and control she wanted. Why don’t more people take that opportunity? Truth is overrated and sometimes rather boring. I don’t mind a white lie if it contains substance and humor”.

There are many things I adore and cherish around the ritual of dressing up. Every time it gives me a chance to reinvent myself, to express a feeling thats’ hard to be captured with words, to make a statement, to give an idea who I am striving to become. Dressing up literally elevates me, empowers me and gives me confidence that I can be the woman I always wanted to become.

“The ritual of dressing is a way to appreciate and embrace beautiful things. Beauty is a positive force in our everyday life. Colors, materials, senses, emotions, shapes and attitudes. It’s the excitement of finding beauty in everything, decorating yourself and your life both in a material way and a spiritual way.”

Contributor Magazine

I often hear the opinion that women use clothes to hide who they really are and to hide their feelings, but for me dressing has never been about others. It’s always been about me.  The ritual of dressing is a ritual of paying respect to your personal beauty and the variety you bring to this world. It is also a time to be playful, to have fun and to exercise your creativity. Those moments bring em extreme satisfaction and happiness. 

“what I don’t understand is why so many people choose to dress themselves down. Fashion is a part of society and a part of life. It is my language and my window to reality. I am crazy about embellishing myself, and I’ve been like this ever since I was a little girl. But never in an exclusively playful way, it has also always been a matter of extreme significance to me”.

Working in fashion and getting ready for many photoshoots and Instagram reels, dressing up can become a routine, or just one of those rushed things I do in the day. It’s different though when you dress up for a party or to go out. You become more mindful and in a certain way you connect with yourself to find out what feels good at this day and moment to dress in. In such moments I can easily lose track of time and more importantly all boundaries. May be not everyone is like me, but in those moments I feel most connected with myself. 

Food for thought perhaps – what does the ritual of dressing mean to you? 

“I loathe narcissism, but I approve of vanity.” Vanity is healthy for you!

D. Vreeland

I’ve invited five women to share their personal rituals of dressing and how did the pandemic change ether approach to fashion ands dressing:

Marisa Burn-Pichler, artist and co-founder Peace Club and Burning Lights

Tsitaliya: Do you have a specific ritual of dressing? 

Marissa: I’ve always been a very fashion-interested person.Through my work as a stylist, fashion blogger and editor of an online fashion magazine, I was always in the middle of the fashion action and loved it. I loved to express myself with my clothes and almost always wore high heels.

Today I am less actively involved in the fashion scene, but still love it very much. My body and style have changed over the years and I often don’t have the time to dress up every day. 

However, when I have enough time, I do it very gladly. 

I don’t really have a ritual, I have maybe five outfits that I wear regularly that I often go back to in the morning after I have them freshly ironed.

Tsitaliya: How do you describe your personal style?

Marisa: I would currently describe my style as a colorful mix of sporty with a touch of esoteric and elegance. I am inspired by many women with their style, my friends, for example Kathrin Eckhardt or Raphaela Pichler or “influencers” like Blanca Miro or Wanalimar, but I am also inspired by many different musicians with their looks, for example Priya Ragu.

Tsitaliya: What are your expectations from fashion today?

Marisa: I look at a more holistic fashion world, sustainability and social justice are two important topics of it. But what goes along with that is also the constantly imperfect image that we women have of ourselves. In the future I hope that we do not always try to be more alike but live out our uniqueness. At the moment we live with so many beauty ideals through all media I hope that these finally burst and dissolve into thin air. It is also up to me to start this change. But I also look at fashion as an important element in our everyday life to emphasize beauty and joy and to promote our own expression of personality.

Brenda Tavares, travel blogger and influencer 

Tsitaliya: What’s your ritual of dressing in the morning? 

Brenda: In my daily life in Switzerland I just grab what is adapted to the clima of the day and the kind of work or errands i need to do. But when I go for a walk, for a special lunch with friends, for a cake with my mother in law, then i take a time to think about what i would like to wear. Which accessories i could combine to my outfit. I feel that what I wear can completely empower me or do exactly the opposite.

Tsitaliya: How would you describe your style?

Brenda: I am very eclectic in my style. Some days I wale up feeling a rock star, in others I am just a country girl ready to ride a horse.

Tsitaliya: What’s at the moment most exciting for you in fashion? A collection, a trend or  someone who inspires your style, perhaps a certain age from the past?

Brenda: I love the way how fashion helps us to communicate without need to tell one single world. The 70s are one of my favorite ages cause it was the beginning of a style that gave us more liberty, the colors and shapes of the decade… a lot of people inspires me. One of them is my mum, I ave amazing memories of her going to work so elegant and I could still wear her clothes today. My grandma is another fashion icon for me. She was the first contact I had with a dressmaker and i spent lots of times just sitting beside her.

Tsitaliya: What’s your most memorable and absolute favourite Look you’ve ever worn?

Brenda: Even if my first marriage didn’t end that good, my absolutely memorable piece was my first wedding dress. I was so young but so sure of what iwanted. I went against every rule or opinion and enter that church in a colorful dress.

Karin Kämpf, founder and owner of By Adushka

Tsitaliya: Do you have a ritual of dressing in the morning?

Karin: Im very intuitive and when I wake up my imagination activates a story in my head.

That can be a memory of from a book, a Film sequence, an Art Painting, a look I’ve seen on one of my muses from all around the world. It can be also only a colour combination which I find in nature. Very often everything mixes all together and sometimes is re-inforced by an image I discover  on Instagram , Pinterest etc.

Tsitaliya: How has your style changed because of the pandemic?

Karin: As I live a lot with inspirations and imagination I wear what I see and I love. So I don’t change really. I love Kaftans, I love Babouches, so I wear them with a turtleneck to go out, or without if I am spending the day at home. I am inspired by women from all around the world and I don’t really think so much of the pandemic in terms of what I wear. I think of now and today and how I feel. 

Tsitaliya: What inspires you currently in fashion? 

Karin: I’m fascinated by the positivity that fashion keeps bringing in our lives, the send of hope and joy. When fashion can make people happy wearing or buying an item and at the same time build a bridge to other cultures, traditions, crafts and artisans, whose lives are also influenced, supported, I think fashion is wonderful in that sense. 

I`m also fascinated in the new ways young designers create from a sense of belonging and their commitment to keep old traditions live, while at the same time innovating. I’m fascinated how society and the current times are integrated and expressed through Fashion.

I love original, artisanal and  authentic designs. I love heritage and handcrafting and I love to retell history, culture, while mixing all of that in new ways, following certain mood and personality. 

Debora Accola, founder of the Deboras Wellness Method and Coffee Talks

Tsitaliya: Would you share your morning ritual of dressing?

Debora: Since I am a mum, I truly have to admit that my wardrobe changed. However, on some days I just feel like dressing up, so I do not care, if I haven’t planed anything special, I just love the feeling, for me dressing up or clothes and fashion in general is Selfcare. I do get dressed for myself. I have to feel good and comfortable in my body and not anyone else. So if I have days where I feel good in a sweater, I go for that,if I have days I feel good in a dress, I go for the dress.

I do not follow a special morning dress ritual. I try to move my body every morning, I do one of my own flows and then I take a shower and get dressed. That’s a part of my morning routine. I simply just choose clothes I feel like wearing that day, I love to dress based on how I feel.

Tsitaliya: What are you looking for currently in fashion?

Debora: I love fashion, fashion is art to me. For myself I love a mix of clean and romantic. I would describe my style as a mixture of clean  and playfulness. Therefore when I am looking for new pieces, I always check for this romantic, playful and clean pieces.

Tsitaliya: Your current style inspo?

Debora: For many many years I am a big fan of Sarah Jessica Parker and Olivia Palermo. I guess I am a mix of both of them. I love Sarah Jessicas hair cut and colour, I remember I used to bring pictures to my hair dresser to show her what hair colour I am dreaming of:-)

Olivia is a style icon, I never see her bad dressed. She always inspires me, no matter what she is wearing. I think she can wear whatever she wants and looks good in it, as it is how she wears something. I love women who are confident in their body and skin and I believe no matter what they wear, it does look good as it is how they are wearing it and again all is about how you are feeling.