We came, we Kleined. Can we conquer?

The podcast on the algorithm-ing of style blew our collective minds. Now what?

I’ve never had as many people at once tell me to listen to a podcast than I have this one, where Ezra Klein talks to Kyle Chayka on taste. (And BTW, the issue was covered by Harling Ross Anton now of Gumshoe in 2018 on Man Repeller! Repeller.com — ok! Hello! 2018!)

A prelude: Taste or style?

Becky Malinsky and others have addressed the notion of taste versus style: “Taste is a general category in which things you love fall into. But not everything you love needs to be something you buy, own or wear. Not everything you love will suit you. Style is more specific. It’s the things you love, that you wear (and don’t wear you) and make you feel confident and distinct.”

Personally, I find the whole thing confusing and a little bit of a circle, so for purposes of discussion, I’m going with the Milan Art Institute: “Taste is what informs style, and it covers a broad spectrum of different aspects of life. Taste describes your aesthetic, and the level of sophistication you are currently at as it relates to it.”

I’m going to use “taste” as I discuss.

My (very rudimentary) summary of the podcast:

Taste is listening to yourself. Knowing when something strikes you. When everything becomes a poll and we are only fed “winners” via algorithm, and when there’s so much exposure that the voices overtake our own, we lose our ability to tune into what we like.

Oh look, the High Sport pants. A “fireball” (see below) I bought and kept without considering why or whether I LIKE them.

Now onto what I really care about: what to do about it

Look, we’ve been complaining about the algo, the algo! for a while now. As my then 6 ish son once said: “Don’t be a complainiarian.” Don’t we want to move onto doing something about it? The podcast spoke to tuning into what you really like, and mentioned looking at art without knowing who it’s by (something you can try to apply in other areas too).

And here are my suggestions:

1. Quit judging: It impairs originality. Your judgment overtakes my ability to listen to what moves me and has a chilling effect on what I share. I talk about judgment a lot because I DEEPLY believe in stopping it. While a “no shopping” isn’t happening for me, I am on year 3 of pretty successful “no judging.” Why is it relevant here? It’s easy to mix up taste and judgment. Taste, curating what you truly love. Judgment, determining that the taste or creative output, etc. of others is somehow “less than” your own. If the podcast scares you, the idea that the algo is chilling our exposure to new things, then judgment should terrify you. Creativity takes "putting yourself out there.” It’s inherently vulnerable. Without safe spaces, it won’t exist. Judgment removes the safe spaces. And some of the things you might be calling “bad taste” are the originality that’s so crucial to sparking ideas we ultimately love. These people putting themselves out there are heroes. The next time your lip curls and you think eww, or I would never, it’s ok (we are all works in progress), but do not share the thought. Instead ask yourself why you feel the need to judge. You might whisper to yourself (I do!): “There is no good taste or bad taste, just personal taste.”

2. Exercise your taste:

   1. The Like List: I do something for both branding/marketing and style DNA clients that I call Answer Honestly, where I tailor a list of questions to them before we dig into the work. And there are only two questions I ALWAYS ask: “Give me a running stream of your likes.” And “do the same for your hates.” It’s usually written something like this: “In stream of consciousness form, please list things you love, i.e. Catcher in the Rye, skinny margs, stinky cheese, Jenna Lyons, colored socks, giant dogs, vintage corvettes, cashmere, loafers… “ I often change my own examples from client to client. Basically it’s like a taste “tongue loosener.” It’s also a great practice to enable remembering yourself. Pretty sure it was the podcast that said taste is a muscle; I do agree. A regular practice like this helps.

   2. The Dream Fridge: Another exercise you can try is one I use in fiction writing for character development. Imagine your dream fridge. What does it look like? What’s inside? Now do the same for your nightstand. Top of bureau. IRL, we have real stuff (like a tube of bio-whatever-hormone-replacement-goo), but this gets you back to what you really enjoy and aspire to, what you’d curate with intention. (Side note on that: I just saw something on youTube where someone - when I remember who, I’ll link - removed everything from her closet and only allowed back in what she’d buy shopping in a store. A great practice, but so is just curating your imaginary dream store, imagining a real store with your name on it.)

3. Follow people whose taste you don’t like. Just because it pushes you in new directions and exposes you to things you don’t usually see. F*ck with the algo. At some point I actively sought out Black women to follow because everyone in my feed looked like me. And I did the same with bigger women. Because I did it so pointedly from these features rather than via style words, I followed women whose taste I respond to and women whose taste I really don’t, but whose personhood I respond to. The result is not everything is a “blueprint for an outfit I want to make” — it’s better. It’s less passive, uh huh swiping, more thought and questions and oooo and friction. When given a chance to share influencers with others, I try to share an unusual range for the same reason.

4. Go where you can tune in. The podcast suggests taste is the ability to tune into yourself. And also that you go where you can better tune in. You may immediately think outdoors, on some retreat, etc. But that’s so limiting! The “going” can look like

   1. Going to something cultural, movie, museum.

   2. Going to a friend who makes you think and having a conversation about ideas and fears and wow moments vs. plans.

   3. Going to a journal, doing an exercise as above without getting on a computer or phone.

   4. Going to a vintage outpost where you can observe details, fabrics, shapes thinking about what captures your interest.

   5. Going inside closets! Remember pre-evolution Coveteur, which gave us a chance to peek inside interesting peoples’ closets? Now it’s mostly advertising and influencers, but you can still get the beautiful book. Another one to get you going: Todd Selby’s interiors.

5. Question “IT”. If you’ve been on any channel discussing High Sport pants, you’re going to know what I mean. I can still recall the first time Cecile Bahnsen penetrated my consciousness, a strappy fairy-drama peplum, layered, worn on Jenny Walton. Suddenly Cecile Bahnsen was IT! And since then IT has been High Sport, those Savette bags, The Row Margaux, fireballs that seemingly appear out of nowhere even though we know often there’s a whole machine behind it. The fireball quality can take you in and pull you away from what you really love. (Example: I always wanted a big Kelly bag, I love the design, the history, the lore of Grace Kelly. But I ended up buying a bright Birkin. At the time, the fireball. A decade + later I finally traded. It took me that long to confront it and close in on my true likes/loves.) When you feel something building, and there’s a weird urgency, take it as a sign not to join in but as a sign to ask questions before acting. Ask: Do I like this? And if you do, BTW, the fireball is no reason to turn away! Go with your gut!

   

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   6. Return to childhood: If you’re trying to unlearn what you’ve trained yourself to like, not like, or judge, one way to machete back to your essence is to recall childhood. Open up a notebook and start keeping memories of childhood moments. Can you remember favorite colors? The feel of a certain sweatshirt worn to shredded sleeves? There are tactile snapshots of things that come to me. There’s no need to force yourself to form them into concrete learnings. Remembering and re-feeling them feels like a connection to something essential. Let it wash over you.

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   Do you have ideas of your own about resurrecting personal taste in the face of the algo/socials? Meet me in the comments. I’d love to hear them!

   XO, Rachel