Written by Eleanor Wynne

Photographed by Ellen Anderson

Modeled by Sarah Harbaugh, Koli Croy, and Mavis Parks

[Note for pictures:] Sarah Harbaugh’s orange purse is hand-beaded with buttons and charms she collected. Koli Croy’s “Good Attempt” tee is sewn by Koli onto a used t-shirt she thrifted.

This photoshoot features original designs by Koli Croy. Learn more about her brand on Instagram @ko._.bean! 

Your closet is a vault. Rifling through your hangers (whether they’re neatly aligned in your closet or strewn across your bedroom floor) turns page after page in your sartorial scrapbook. Each ruffled sleeve, denim miniskirt, or highly-coveted thrift find is a time capsule for a moment in your life–be it a job interview marred by an overly starched shirt, a staple you wear weekly, or that one dress from high school you can’t bring yourself to get rid of. Donning these items turns you into a walking museum, constantly rotating out exhibitions that display your sense of self in new ways. 

In a way, this collection is a form of archive. The definition of an “archive” is historically fraught. In a 2002 special issue of the academic journal Archival Science, authors Joan Schwartz and Terry Cook contested the power of the archive, weighing its tendency to be decided by those in positions of power against its potential to preserve a more honest, collective memory of the human experience. “Through archives,” they write in their introductory paragraph, “the past is controlled. Certain stories are privileged and others marginalized. And archivists are an integral part of this story-telling.” Viewing your fashion expeditions as ventures into the world of archival storytelling invigorates your pieces with a fresh, generative perspective. Combine this view on the fashion archive with the resurgence of DIY culture, and your closest’s full potential is unlocked.

Photographer and stylist Ellen Anderson has compiled a list of DIY starting points to add a touch of personal flair to your new or already existing pieces. These projects include:  

Beads on shoelaces

Unique keychains on keys

Hang things from your belt

Make new personal necklaces out of old things

Embroidering small details on jeans

Drawing on shoes

Putting string around earbuds

Drawing temporary tattoos on yourself with a pen

Unique camera straps

Little papers/stickers on a phone case

Putting pins on your bag

Doodling/writing on your bag
For other resources on channeling your creative drive to reshape the archive, check out the Poetry Foundation’s learning prompt, “Engaging the Ordinary”!