Is that an instant camera?, my friend asks as I (unsuccessfully) pretend I’m not taking a photo of my shoes. I was trying not to be obvious – we are always trying not to be obvious, aren’t we? – and yet, by the time the shoe photo is finished developing, she and I have moved on from talking about our chaotic Tuesday and have begun reminiscing about the instant cameras we used to own.
Our cameras saw us through late night midterm exams and our first concert date with a boy (me: Dave Matthews Band; she: Teitur). They snapped joys and freedoms; they captured anxiety and grief. They developed as we did, I suppose – gaining clarity and perspective with time and time alone. You simply had to wait, and sometimes shake it up, and wait again.
She then shared with me an idea I thought so brilliant, so perfectly obsessive that of course we tackled it that afternoon while the kids played on the deck. She told me that when she was younger – in junior high, I think – she planned her outfits for summer camp by taking a photo of each individual article of clothing, then mixing and matching to plan various ensembles that might last her for weeks on end.
You can imagine her regret that she hadn’t kept those photos – the endless snaps of boy band tees and acid wash denim with neon lining – and yet, she noted, her method was surprisingly effective. She was the greatest dressed camper with the lightest suitcase.
Hours later found us in the backyard snapping photos of 25 items I’d be wearing all summer – a minimalist continuation of last winter’s Wardrobe 25. And while we snapped and sorted, captured and coordinated, we giggled about how these photos will shape our memories twenty years from now. Bee will roll her eyes at my Birkenstocks and I’ll say to her, wait. Just wait.
Our fun little experiment is up on Pinterest, if you’d like to see – a board full of tiny peeks at what I’m wearing this summer. It’s what I’m imagining my mother wore decades ago.
And it’s what I’m imaging Bee might wear in decades to come.
p.s. This project was produced in partnership with FUJIFILM INSTAX®. Thanks for reading!
Great idea! I remember something similar I read one time. It involved carrying snapshots of your wardrobe with you when going shopping for something new. I never put that into practice, but if I had, it might have saved me from some fashion mistakes. :)
Ha, that’s a fun idea for sure!
This idea seems novel enough that it may actually make outfit matching a bit of fun (it’s typically something I rather dislike), especially if I could involve a girlfriend in the project. What a great way to laugh, have fun, and rethink your wardrobe.
Totally!!!!
I think there is something so appealing (& refreshing!) about these tangible, not crazy filtered or edited pictures. (Not that I don’t love those as well, but…) I loved going through my parents stashed shoeboxes of old photos as a kid, I think I need to start building a few for mine! & the wardrobe idea I love too!
I totally agree! They feel so raw, just as/is. Kind of like life. :)
What an awesome idea! I love reading your posts … You do such a beautiful job of working in sponsored content in such an authentic and genuine way. I never know that they’re sponsored until the little mention at the end!
Chelcey | http://www.chelceytate.com
Oh thank you, Chelcey! That’s very kind of you to say. :)
hey miss erin, had fun reading this and about your wardrobe 25 … i too have been diligently trying to have far fewer items in the closet and just did a big purge … still have too many, but with temps from -30 to +100 it sometimes is hard to pare down … love the little camera too … did you use the one in your pinterest pin? not that i don’t already have enough cameras, but it looks like it could be fun :)
hi dawn!
i did, yes, and i LOVED the camera. i’ve been having loads of fun with this project, and even though the film can get pricey, i’m really enjoying the printed memories. :)
I love this so much…my 15 year old and I both have one of these cameras and I love the idea of us capturing pieces of our wardrobes at our perspective times in our lives! Such a perfect little glimpse…
Thanks, Tammy – let me know if you do it! ;)