Honestly, I really hate that expression.
For starters, what is this "statement," anyway? Just because something is unique doesn't mean it's "stating" anything. Maybe I just like light-up t-shirts, or over-sized accessories, or pop culture allusions. A girl I knew once told another girl that wearing booties with a short skirt was something she shouldn't do unless she wanted to "make a statement." Since when is wearing booties with a short skirt the sartorial equivalent of a "Make Love, Not War" t-shirt? Sure, you can make a social or political statement using fashion (think Annie Hall, old school Punk, hell even GaGa's Meat Dress), but to call any look that's even the slightest bit original or sassy a "statement" completely saps all meaning from the phrase. Maybe there was a social or political statement there once, but nowadays the expression has become grossly watered-down and over-used. On ManRepeller, a comment once referred to a small, more-or-less traditional gold mouth pendant as a "statement piece." As if an entire agenda could be condensed into a single, purchasable object so you don't have to worry about the the rest of your outfit. In another blog, simply popping blue shoes against a white outfit was enough to merit the title "How to wear a Statement Shoe" as if they were the kind of out-there foot sculptures you'd find on NastyGal (thank you, inescapable and freakishly effective facebook advertising).
Seriously, people, this is 2012. People have worn booties with short skirts before. People have worn vampire-inspired jewelry before.Wearing a studded leather jacket means you like edgy-looking clothes like studded leather jackets, it doesn't mean you're actually a greaser rebel in a biker gang with extreme leftist tendencies. In fact, if I wasn't so pissed off at the phrase "statement piece," I suppose you could say this entire blog is composed of "statement pieces"... if by "statement" you mean "eye-catching, unique, and really awesome."
For starters, what is this "statement," anyway? Just because something is unique doesn't mean it's "stating" anything. Maybe I just like light-up t-shirts, or over-sized accessories, or pop culture allusions. A girl I knew once told another girl that wearing booties with a short skirt was something she shouldn't do unless she wanted to "make a statement." Since when is wearing booties with a short skirt the sartorial equivalent of a "Make Love, Not War" t-shirt? Sure, you can make a social or political statement using fashion (think Annie Hall, old school Punk, hell even GaGa's Meat Dress), but to call any look that's even the slightest bit original or sassy a "statement" completely saps all meaning from the phrase. Maybe there was a social or political statement there once, but nowadays the expression has become grossly watered-down and over-used. On ManRepeller, a comment once referred to a small, more-or-less traditional gold mouth pendant as a "statement piece." As if an entire agenda could be condensed into a single, purchasable object so you don't have to worry about the the rest of your outfit. In another blog, simply popping blue shoes against a white outfit was enough to merit the title "How to wear a Statement Shoe" as if they were the kind of out-there foot sculptures you'd find on NastyGal (thank you, inescapable and freakishly effective facebook advertising).
Seriously, people, this is 2012. People have worn booties with short skirts before. People have worn vampire-inspired jewelry before.Wearing a studded leather jacket means you like edgy-looking clothes like studded leather jackets, it doesn't mean you're actually a greaser rebel in a biker gang with extreme leftist tendencies. In fact, if I wasn't so pissed off at the phrase "statement piece," I suppose you could say this entire blog is composed of "statement pieces"... if by "statement" you mean "eye-catching, unique, and really awesome."
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