TO BE CRAZY IN ISTANBUL
What's (still 😊) great about Istanbul is that no matter how crazy you look, no one cares because there are so many people and so much diversity that you just don't notice. Or you do notice, of course, but you keep going because there's so much to see that it's just exhausting to look at everything and everyone.
But I do somtimes notice special things. Maybe other people do too and they notice that you look a bit crazy, but what's good that they don't turn around and whisper about you or laugh at you. Anyway, these "crazy people" sometimes make their crazy look fashionable. So bizarre sometimes is the look of some people that it catches the eye of others and because there are so many stylistic boundaries and mixes here that anyone can wear anything, it's just not noticeable.
It's very hard to be "conspicuous" here...and many people want to stand out from the crowd...but it's very difficult because there is so much stimulus every minute that there is an overload and it's just hard to cross that stimulus barrier. So, if someone stands out here, that's really something.
I remember one case. Now that was extreme and crazy and a bit insane. One winter, a transvestite (I think) or just a boy who likes to go around in girls clothes was walking down the street with someone and he was wearing a maxi mini skirt and maxi mini top. That was it. No jacket, nothing just the sheer skin of. I froze just looking at him. Of course I think everyone was looking at her. So she did it! 😃
Styles change quickly. I just notice that one day everyone was wearing skinies the next day everyone is looking for saggy pants. There's still not much new under the sun because the same thing changes from time to time. But the most bizarre place to dress is the second-hand market. There, the clothes are not sorted by size and colour and style. You look for yourself you measure what you like, it's about right, you buy it. AND! It's always fucking cheap (last time I bought a pair of jeans for 5 Tl for about 10 Eur cents from). It may be something you never thought you'd wear, but it's so good material and looks so good and it's cheap, but it's so cheap you say to yourself..." fuck it. This is going to be good! No? Yes! What can happen? In this big fucking city, nobody's gonna notice me anyway. Oh, thank God! 😊Yeah! I'll buy it."
And then things like this can become fashion. The weird or bizarre or extreme styles...that people (who don't stare, but look anyway) say: "Wow that looks fucking great! I want one of those!"
There are times when even the original label is left on the dress, because it's never been used. And it's not only clothes that you can buy (of course I've written about this before, but it doesn't hurt to repeat it😊). I bought a carpet for 10 Tl (20 Eur cents) last week, for example. I know that not everyone likes this market, because the clothes are not as clean as at home clothes are not as clean as at home in Budapest, for example, but who cares if they are that cheap.
You take it home, wash it (by the way, new clothes have to be washed too, because they're not washed either), it's great. No one knows it wasn't yours a thousand years ago. Why buy thousands of dollars worth of ripped jeans in the store when you can buy them at the thrift store for a cheap price and if they're not ripped enough at home you can rip them out yourselfor sew them on or cut off what you don't like because you're not sorry if something is only 10 Tl and not 1000 or 10000.
I also buy there beautiful pictures for the wall and kitchen stuff and small little things, sometimes jewellery, of course trinkets and musical instruments like small drums, rattles etc. That's why it's "dangerous" anyway, because it's so cheap that it's hard to leave anything there too. And besides, if something is too small or too big I give it to someone who is good for or has someone who can use it. And they are happy and I am happy. Just a few things I never buy second hand e.g. shoes, underwear, swimwear, socks, cosmetics.
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