The first thing I notice about a person is their outfit. It tells you where they’re from, who or what they look to for fashion inspiration, the type of job they have, or that they don’t care for fashion at all.
As a child, I mimicked outfits from Disney characters I loved like Raven Baxter from “That’s So Raven,” London Tipton from “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and Sharpay from “High School Musical.”
Though their personalities differ, the confidence in being themselves, and dressing the part, was something that I wanted to have when I was “a big kid” like they were. For me, fashion was a means of self-discovery. It was uncomfortable and ill-fitting at some points, but apt at others.
Oklahoma may not be the first place you think of when talking about unique clothing styles, but being fashionable is not limited to the west and east coast. Fashion at First Friday serves as a way to show off Oklahomans being confidently, and creatively themselves.
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A close up of Nugget’s wizard cap.
I struggled with this assignment in different ways. Going in to it, I thought that I would find sidewalks flooded with eccentric and boldly dressed people perusing the art scene. I instead found plenty of nicely dressed people, but variations of the same outfits. Oklahoma’s fashion tends to lean towards a modern classic and western feel. I wanted to find outfits that twisted or completely diverged from the Tulsa’s fashion norms.
I grew more nervous as an hour passed by with no progress. Until I turned to my left and saw a wizard hat peeking over a crowd of people. It took me a moment to gather confidence to talk to the man, but I jumped at the chance when I saw him stand up on goat legged stilts!
From then on, I found more people that expressed themselves in different ways through their clothing. From wizards to ballroom culture, each person you pass has a story they tell you through their clothing.
A man by the name of “Nugget” sports a green short sleeve shirt, black parachute pants and accessorized his look with a green foxtail charm and a wizard hat full of pins.
Michelle Cullom takes a bow at the end of her fashion showcase at Guthrie Green.
Michelle Cullom’s ruffle top and sheer skirt topped with dramatic sunglasses from Da’ Shade Room.
A model wears a one-of-a-kind hand-crotchet two-piece set designed by Leatrice Parker, owner of SugarChicCouture, at her Fashion Opera showcase Friday, July 5 at Guthrie Green.
A custom yellow ensemble by Fiber Arts designer Petra Zimmerman. Her designs are inspired by her garden and more of her work is displayed at 108 Contemporary. Glasses are from the Da’ Shade Room.
Lakita Parker sports a custom hand-crocheted dress by her mother, Leatrice Parker, owner of Suga Chic Glam Couture.
A model wears a hand-crocheted tube top designed by Michelle Cullom.
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