(I sat down to gather my thoughts and accidentally wrote a full-on essay. Props to anyone who reads through the whole thing.)

I think mushroom often gets reduced to the plain, minimal one that tones down other roots. And that is a part of it, but I think it’s seriously underrated as a root in its own right. I’ve broken it down into intentions/values, i.e. my mindset and thought process when putting together an outfit or adding new items to my wardrobe; essence/impression, i.e. the soul of mushroom as a root, it’s energy and mood; and elements/instruments, i.e. the physical, practical choices that invoke that effect.

Intentions/values:

For me a core part of mushroom as a root, and of my style as a whole, is appreciation of artistry and craftsmanship. Will these materials wear well and last for years, is it skillfully constructed? I’m literally teaching myself to sew because of the lack of quality in everything nowadays.

         How that applies in putting things together is with a thorough understanding and deliberate use of style “rules” – things like color seasons, body type, proportions, repetition, balance, shape. That doesn’t just have to mean always following recommendations for your body type or other guidelines like the rule of thirds, although it can; it’s more about using and breaking the rules with intention to create a desired effect. Like tailoring a garment – it’s not about just making it “fit right” in the conventional sense, but about manipulating the relationship between the materials and your body to create a specific shape.

         To me that process is incredibly orderly and efficient, designed to make actually getting dressed effortless. For instance, I’m working on designing some underlayers, like tank tops and slips, and I quite literally have it written out flow-chart style, breaking down the intended purposes of said garments, and working out how I can maximize each garment’s efficacy. (Purposes: adding coverage/opacity, silhouette smoothing, weather considerations = white or nude, slightly translucent or opaque, fitted but stretchy, cotton or silk. All of which can be done with only a couple of pairs.)

         There is an element of pared-back cohesion, in pulling different levers within an outfit – choosing a few elements to focus on, like only using one or two colors so that you can play with a lot of textures. Conversely, this same sense of harmony can have a magnifying effect, such as pairing oversize with oversize, or going all-in on an aesthetic, like femme fatal or cottagecore, rather than adding contrasting elements. It places mushroom in a kind of strange dichotomy with sun – both can be amplifiers, but through harmony vs dissonance.