Mo Kim

The Chinese characters for yin and yang hold many meanings, but nobody on the Internet can seem to agree about them. According to the dozen or so websites I skimmed in preparation for this theme, they represent moon and sun, dark and light, feminine and masculine, earth and sky. What holds across all of these interpretations, though, is the idea of duality, a dialectic between two forces that simultaneously oppose each other and put each other in perspective. There’s that iconic symbol: black and white dovetailing in perfect harmony, an island of yin lit up against an ocean of yang (and vice versa). We hold both of these halves as parts of the whole. There is no light without dark – and there is no life where these two forces don’t spill into each other.

What this meant for my outfit of the day was less clear, at least based on my research. My 2AM Google searches for “yin and yang fashion” and “yin and yang outfit” were mostly fruitless, yielding Etsy stores full of $25 t-shirts and Pinterest infographics of dubious credibility (apparently I, a small-boned human with a high-pitched voice, radiate “yin” energy). Ultimately, I decided to move away from yin / yang philosophy and think more broadly about ideas of contrast: was there a way to take clashing fabrics, colors, and styles, and integrate them into a harmonious whole?

I found an answer on a 6-year-old Reddit photo album showcasing different ways to mix streetwear and formalwear. In my personal taste, I lean heavily towards the former: I feel more at home in a baggy T-shirt and work pants than I do in any dress jacket I’ve ever worn. (Even as a high school teacher, I rarely if ever dressed up.) But seeing how creative and innovative some of these example outfits were sparked my curiosity. Maybe there was a way I could take the business formal clothes buried in my closet and dress ’em down a little bit.

Here’s how my experiment turned out:

Besides learning that I really like doing the thumbs-up pose in pictures of myself, I also learned that a lot of my formal wear actually does work in a more casual context! I always thought white Oxford shirts were a little boring, but once you pair one with a baseball jersey and cap, they become a smart base layer and a great way to add some variety in color and texture. The dress pants, which I wish I had tailored, still worked well with the top and shoes: they were also surprisingly comfortable. I was least confident about the tweed jacket on top, so I was surprised when many of my co-workers mentioned it was one of their favorite parts of the whole outfit.

Speaking of work, I felt so confident all day! It was super fun to walk into the day not knowing how people would react, but I got a lot of very kind compliments from my friends and colleagues. More importantly, I was proud of myself for wearing something I wouldn’t normally wear on my own. Maybe I’ll break out the Oxford shirts a little more often when I go into the office now!

Steal the look:

• Banana Republic Untucked Slim-Fit Oxford (You will notice that there will be a LOT of Banana Republic items in today’s outfit, and that’s because in 2018, my very sweet mom talked me into making a Banana Republic credit card so she could get 20% off her in-store purchase. To Banana Republic’s credit – hah – they let you rack up absolutely bonkers amounts of store credit just by using their card. I haven’t paid for anything in-store in the last five years.)
• Hollister Relaxed Look Baseball Shirt (Very proud of snagging this from the Clearance aisle. Definitely get it in a bigger size if you want to layer it!)
• Banana Republic Slim-Fit Tweed Blazer (Tweed has always given me associate professor energy, which didn’t feel right to me when I was teaching high school. I like it, but I’m still figuring out how to make it work with my personal style.)
• Banana Republic Slim-Fit Dress Pants (Incredibly comfy pants that I wish I had started wearing earlier.)
• ASICS OC Runner in Cream/Beryl Green (These are quietly becoming my favorite pair of shoes and it’s only been two days.)

Coming Tomorrow: I put together an outfit based on my favorite K-pop music video. A lot of strong contenders for that title…