Crimson opinion writer
Lily K. Calcagnini
Lily K. Calcagnini ’18 is a current Editorial writer and previous columns editor living in Dunster House. Originally from New York City, Lily studies History & Literature and Spanish in Cambridge. Her interests include fashion, art, music, and women’s rights.
Latest Content
Closely Reading Clothes
Why does it matter what we wear? I’m no longer satisfied by the answer I used to give—that our clothes help us present our unique identity to the rest of the world. I think it’s a cliché. Sometimes, we misunderstand. Sometimes, we’re misunderstood.
Not All Clothing is Fashion
I think fashion receives some undue criticism that is based on serious misconceptions about what clothing could signify if we created and consumed it more thoughtfully.
Put Down Your Phone, Put on Something Spiffy
Struggling to be present is a cultural problem that goes far beyond being underdressed, and we need to deal with it now in a different way than we used to.
Out With the Old, In With Nothing New
Even I, a lover of clothes, think that less is more when it comes to stocking your closet.
A Gold Cloud With Silver Lining
Inanimate fashion objects—be they sweaters, shoes, or necklaces—truly do change when they are worn, and, in turn, change their wearers. I know this for certain now.
Racy, Not Lacy
The lacy Zimmermann dress and not-at-all lacy Calvin Klein underwear are two interpretations of the same definition of attractiveness—one that recognizes that benign details are the most intimate. One that wants us to dress for ourselves.
Dress Responsibly
But in order to talk responsibly about fashion and why I love it, I need to acknowledge that clothing is a tool with considerable inherent power.
Compliments that Count
Somehow, the coat fit like a charm. And though it was attention grabbing in its original form, it was even more so now. It was the kind of coat people would have an opinion about. Likely, many would think it bizarre. To be frank, that frightened me a bit.
Labor and the Color of Its Collar
If my internship gave me the skills I need to apply for prestigious posts, my restaurant job taught me what kind of person I want to be once I’m there.
Friendship and Gambling: On Being Yourself
The point being that friendships are easy to start, but to turn one into the really beautiful, awesome kind, you have to be willing to do more than just smile, or laugh, or even share a living space.
Changing How We Think About Change
I wish we’d humble ourselves when we realize we’re misinformed, or our alliances have shifted, or we’ve simply changed our values. I wish we’d give others the benefit of the doubt when they do the same.
A User’s Guide to Clothes
As it turns out, even a self-proclaimed Uninspired Individual like me can only wear shirts right-side-front for so long before feeling woefully confined by our society’s norms of dress.
Artful Advertising
LVMH’s new museum may indeed be a beautiful gift to the art world and a lovely amenity for Parisians, but as a surreptitious marketing attempt, it is ultimately nothing more than sponsored content.
Street Style
It seems like artists are painting themselves into a semantic corner that mirrors a more conceptual one happening in all aesthetic fields. Have we innovated as much as we can?
