Close Reading (23 October 2011)

THE SHIRT: When I wore it, I was invincible - By Edith Zimmerman
This article can be found in the October 2011 issue of Elle magazine. (I couldn't find it online, and I'm not going to take the time now to type it up, but if you REALLY want to read it, I'll let you borrow the magazine)

       Remember, when you were a little kid, or maybe in that awkward tween stage, and you wore a certain piece of clothing way too much? Edith Zimmerman does; she recounts and defends her unconditional love for her not necessarily fashionable, but still favorite gray polo. She uses vivid images and details, along with colloquial diction to create a memorable tribute to her beloved shirt.
       At the very beginning of the piece, Zimmerman provides two images that are integral to the meaning of the piece as a whole. First, she describes "The Shirt" as "long-sleeved, gray cotton polo from the men's section of the Gap." While not necessarily a fashionable image, the image begins to define her. We can already deduce that she is sort of a tomboy, maybe not too popular or interested in feminine things. Secondly, she describes her "popular" cousin: "He skateboarded and dyed his hair and wore wallet chains," We are further introduced to the younger version of the author, and our deductions are confirmed. These descriptions, all within the first short paragraph have captured the attention of the reader and incited them to make important deductions. Later on, it is stated that she had "only recently started to befriend the popular girls," so our insecure tomboy now has a motive to purchase a "cool" new shirt, emphasis on the "cool".
      Zimmerman uses relatively colloquial language, in particular the word "cool" repeatedly throughout this piece. The definition of cool that she uses is purely based on the slang connotation of the word. She uses this word mostly do describe The Shirt, but also to describe her "intended... lifetime of coolness". This diction choice brings the reader further into the mentality of a seventh grade girl, who is just trying to be cool.
       To make her piece more appealing to her fashion-oriented audience (this work is found in Elle, a fashion magazine) Zimmerman includes details related to specific designers and past trends. When describing her potential popular friends, she mentions they sport "Doc Martens". If her readers recognize this trend from the late 1900s, they are drawn further into the story by her key fashion reference. Zimmerman reflects her evolved fashion sense when, at the conclusion of the story, she refers to a specific dress that her dad gave her for a birthday present. This "beautiful blue Madison Marcus sueded-silk sheathdress" not only provides relevance and legitimacy to the audience, it also is an important dress, in that it shows how her fashion sense has changed. She also mentioned earlier in the piece that she didn't mind wearing The Shirt when it wasn't totally clean. This background knowledge, along with a description of her modern preferences, lead to her final statement of loyalty: "... I think he'd [her Dad] would be happy to know that I immediately got it [the blue dress] dry-cleaned after dripping ranch dressing down the front." While she appreciates her new fashion articles, the older, and maybe ranch-stained, Shirt has a permanent place in her heart.