Angela Li

Angela Li considers clothing to be art, so she certainly doesn’t agree with the phrase “dress to impress”.

My clothes are everywhere: flung on the bed, tossed on the dresser, crumpled haphazardly on the floor. My tons of clothes can take up three closets of space, becoming as prevelant a feature of my room as my bed. But they aren’t some superficial means of conforming to a crowd or displaying my material wealth. In fact, most items in my collection are salvaged from thrift stores, consignments shops and bargain bins. My clothes are my own personal way of creating art. I woefully cannot sculpt, paint or sing, but what I can do is find a creative way of expressing creativity through the ensembles I wear. I think we should move away from the dress to impress mindset of generations past. What we should do is dress to express, and that means finding a look that lets you say what you want about yourself. Even if I can’t draw, I still want my clothes to show I that have an artistic vision. And though most wouldn’t call me an artist, I think I am.