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The pandemic has caused many people to make changes in their lives for various reasons. Listeners call in to share how what they wear has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Now that we've been through January 6th, desperate migrants coming to the US and being bused to New York City and cancer from drinking. We can have a little bit of fun as we go into the weekend and talk about the clothes we're wearing, specifically self-expression in the form of what we wear and how that has changed or hasn't changed since the pandemic began in your case. Listeners, give us a call at 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692, or tweet @BrianLehrer and tell us if your style, clothing-wise, has changed since the pandemic began, especially in this period where most people are coming back out into public life in one way or another, 212-433-WNYC, 433-9692.
Now, we did talk about this once before. It was back in the spring of last year with Emily Spivack, the author of Worn Stories. You know that book? And Worn in New York: 68 Sartorial Memoirs of the City. Those are great books, by the way, they're so much fun, and creator of the Netflix docu-series called Worn Stories. She isn't here with us this time. It'll be just your calls. Let's listen to a clip from when Emily first came on a show in April, 2021.
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Emily Spivack: Maybe there's a standard assumption about what one's uniform is going to be. After we get through this, do we redefine what our uniforms are or what we want to wear? I'm hearing about so many people who are either going to, when they can come back out into the world wearing bright, vibrant colors, and other people who are like, "I'm sticking with the comfort." My hope is that people will start looking in their closets in a little bit of a different way and start wearing things that really do have meaning to them or that they're drawn to pulling something out of their closet because it has a story or because of who gave it to them.
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Brian Lehrer: Emily Spivack of Worn Stories fame here almost a year and a half ago now. That was predicting what would happen or speculating on what might happen as people step back out. Tell us what really has happened in your case. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. I'll tell you some things that we've been hearing, some examples. They tend to be in the categories of wearing brighter colors, going bigger and bolder in your clothing choices, because "I'm back in the world, I'm really going to shine now, I'm really going to express myself now. Not like before the pandemic when I was wearing all those grays and browns." That's one.
Somebody told me about a wedding that was called where the invitation said the dress was supposed to be neon formal. [chuckles] Anybody go to a neon formal level wedding? That maybe is indicative of the kind of thing that's happening more now. The other one is that people are going for lockdown comfort attire even when they're going back out. Are you going to work more in your sneakers and your sweatshirts and whatever, because you've decided, "I just don't have to anymore. I learned during the pandemic. I just hate wearing ties," or whatever it is.
You're going back out. Some of you may have heard the guests we had recently, New York Times Cultural Reporter on how there are smaller audiences still at a lot of performances, even though the performances are back. He said one thing that he was noticing in what we might think of as the more formal performance settings, opera, classical music, things like that, people have been coming a lot more down-dressed. He attributed that to getting comfortable in your pandemic lockdown clothes and then just like, "I don't have to."
Which is it for you? Is it neon formal weddings? Is it you're wearing your lockdown comfort clothes to the office? How are you expressing yourself with clothing differently from before the pandemic? We'd love to get some calls on this. Maybe we'll even do a separate segment about it. It's about how we express our gender with our clothing. Has the way that you embody your gender, or maybe just the way you view societal gender norms shifted since the pandemic?
Anyone noticed there have been more examples recently of celebrities like Brad Pitt, Lil Nas X, Bad Bunny, Timothée Chalamet just to name a few who have gone against traditional American gender norms with their fashion choices. We would love to hear if there's anybody like that in that category listening right now and you've come out of the pandemic dressing more against traditional gender norms no matter where on the gender spectrum you are. 212-433-WNYC. Jim Bay in Harlem, you're on WNYC. Hi, Jim Bay.
Jim: Hey, Brian, how are you? Good, good.
Brian Lehrer: Good.
Jim: Yes, I was just listening to this, and I was thinking about this all during the pandemic. I decided just to wear what I want. It's not that I'm not wearing something that's upscale or dressing down. I just decided, "You know what? We might not be here in two years or a year or five years. Why not just-
Brian Lehrer: Wear what you want?
Jim: -something. Yes. I was going to say something else. I just decided, "Look, I'm just going to wear what I want. I'm even scruffy." I've gone out scruffy, not to anything business-wise or I'm just casually. I got a pair of 6" boot heels. What else? I've decided to wear colors. What else? Oh, painting my nails occasionally. Why not? It's like with--
Brian Lehrer: You're answering that last question a bit too. Yes.
Jim: Yes. With Russia and the bombs and all this, you might not-- We might not be here to enjoy our life. I always say, "Do it before you're 90." Whatever it is, even posing nude, do it before you're 90 because not at 90. No one wants--
Brian Lehrer: Jim Bay, thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much for starting us off so well. Scruffy and gender non-traditional, both of those things, and loud. Okay, interesting. Steven in Nassau County, you're on WNYC. Hi, Steven.
Steven: Hi. Thanks for taking the call. I'm a physician and I wore a tie for the last 35 years in practice until COVID. Stopped doing it and I'm not planning to put it back on again.
Brian Lehrer: Steven, thank you very much. Very concise and very specific. No more ties. Frank in East Islip, you're on WNYC. Hi, Frank.
Frank: Hey, Brian, how are you? During the pandemic, I learned how to sew. My grandfather used to be a tailor back in the day. I started making some shirts for myself out of some prints that I'd buy at the store and I wear them out. I went to Disney recently and had a stitch shirt on and I got a lot of compliments. I went to a poker game, I wore a Lucky Baseball shirt that I made and I get compliments on it. I don't know if I'd wear them to the office, but wearing them out and about, I love it.
Brian Lehrer: That is great.
Frank: They're very comfortable.
Brian Lehrer: Another gender non-traditional expression, a guy learning to sew. Frank, that is super cool. Carolyn, in fact, you know what? It's surprising to me, maybe this is a gender stereotype, but on this whole call in about your fashion choices changing, most of our callers are guys. Carolyn in Westchester isn't. Hi, Carolyn. You're on WNYC.
Carolyn: Hi, Brian, can you hear me?
Brian Lehrer: I can.
Carolyn: Good. I guess I'm a third-time caller already and I got in.
Brian Lehrer: Great.
Carolyn: I just recently got invited to a party, to an event and the invitation said, "Spiffy, but comfortable."
Brian Lehrer: Spiffy, but comfortable.
Carolyn: Yes. I thought, "Oh, boy, that's fun. I'm going to wear my sneakers, but I'm going to wear a bright red sweater and flashy but wear my sneakers and something warm.
Brian Lehrer: There you go. Sounds spiffy but comfortable. Thank you. Lori in Raleigh, North Carolina, you're on WNYC. Hi, Lori.
Lori: Hi, Brian, can you hear me okay?
Brian Lehrer: I can.
Lori: My new look that I'm aiming for is a combination of a couple of things. I'm in the process of trying to move back to New York City where I'm born and raised from Queens. I've been applying to positions to try to land something, and I have an interview on Monday. [laughs] Maybe I'm giving too much information.
Brian Lehrer: Good luck.
Lori: With a district attorney's office, and I won't say which borough. It's sparking exactly in connection to this fashion thing. Since I've been here during the pandemic, I was not able to be there for my parents when they passed in 2020. My mom from COVID.
Brian Lehrer: So sorry.
Lori: She was in a Brooklyn nursing home. It's really exciting for me to be coming back home. One of the things is, during this time, of course, we've increased all of our app streaming myself and--
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Brian Lehrer: Lori, just for time sake, what are you wearing to your interview on Monday?
Lori: I decided that I finally in honor of my mom besides wearing some of her jewelry, we love sci-fis and fantasies and big Star Wars fans. I was just about finished watching Obi-Wan on Disney+, I want to dress similar to a Jedi which is like loose-fitting clothes, that wrap around your body, which gives you, of course, comfort. This idea that I'm going to come back to New York City to really do more of the human service work that I've been doing on a next level.
Brian Lehrer: That is awesome. Now I have to figure out, is it Bronx DA Darcel Clark, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez, who you think is going to respond to a Jedi interview? Good luck with whatever it is, Lori. Thank you. All right, let's see if we can get two more in here in our 60 seconds. Fred in Bushwick, you'll get 20 of those seconds. Hi there.
Fred: Hey, Brian. I am all about a captain, I'm a Moroccan-inspired captain of gorgeous, rogue, that almost looks like something you'd wear to the bathroom but it's far more chicer. Pajama bottoms, just be comfortable.
Brian Lehrer: There you go, PJ pants. Alicia in Queens is going to get the last word. Hi, Alicia.
Alicia: Hi, how are you doing, Brian? My factorial change has to do with inequality. I had COVID back in the beginning, very beginning in 2020 and stopped wearing a bra and I haven't worn one since. I don't wear bras anymore.
Brian Lehrer: Alicia, that is the last word. Spiffy comfortable. Jedi, no bra, no tie, however you're dressing, very interesting how the pandemic has changed us. Thanks for all your calls, have a great weekend. Brian Lehrer on WNYC.
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