Through Our Eyes: Dressed for Success

Were you to walk into my closet, you would find a variety of clothing in several different styles. You would find professional wear as well as casual. You would find dress shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, sports team apparel and what some might classify as an overabundance of jackets and coats.

Located directly above my clothes is a plastic ben containing hats of many different styles, from baseball caps to flat caps and even a French hat known as a Casquette Gavroche. Were you to glance to my dresser, you would find a bottle of hair gel, some cologne, a men’s braille wristwatch and a pair of sunglasses. I do not know what any of these articles of clothing and accessories look like, but I know what they feel, smell and even sound like. Even as a blind man, I do my best to always look good.

How Does Someone Who Can’t See Dress Themselves?

There is a common misconception that blind people do not care what they look like. Some people might even suspect that we don’t dress ourselves. Assumptions that are not true, I can assure you. Not only do I dress myself, I take a certain amount of pride in my appearance and try to maintain a modest sense of style. This has nothing to do with vanity, and everything to do with perception. In other words, it is about showing others that just because I am blind it doesn’t mean I don’t want to look my best. It is very important to me that as a blind adult man that I am perceived as someone who did not just roll out of bed and grab whatever was handy. No, instead I want to be seen as someone who is well put together and professional.

I openly admit that I enjoy clothing, but the aspects of clothing that appeal to my other senses interest me just as much as the aesthetic. I love the way a silk shirt feels, or the sleek feel of my leather jacket. I’m equally interested in how that jacket smells and even how it sounds. I love the creek of a leather jacket (reminding me of the creek of the needle against vinyl on my record player) as well as the relaxed springy sound of a windbreaker. As for actually deciphering between the different types and colors of clothing, this can be accomplished by feeling the styles of the clothing, the stitching, the fit as well as any designs that might be present. Many blind people (including me) will organize their closets in very specific patterns, and even the use of phone apps such as Be My Eyes to get assistance when picking out colors.

I’m Not Alone

I wanted to see if other blind people were as conscientious of their clothing and sense of fashion as I was, so I spoke to some of our clients and employees here at Alphapointe. I was neither surprised nor disappointed.

“The superficiality of what others perceive my fashion choices to be does not matter. What does matter, however, is that I feel comfortable and confident in what I wear in public. It gives me a sense of normalcy, and if I stand out it won’t be for a yellow shirt and violet pants,” commented Devin Williams, a friend of mine who happens to be blind.

“It is a mind thing with me,” says Hurtis Mason, an Alphapointe client. “I always dressed casually before I lost my sight, so I am already familiar with how to lay my clothes out and dress myself before each day.”

“… it is very important to me how I present myself”

“I know what my clothes feel like,” explains Tally Davis, also an Alphapointe client. “I know what the collar feels like, what the sleeves feel like, even what the hem feels like. Monday through Thursday I will wear a nice blouse and slacks, it doesn’t matter what color it is. For some reason, people seem to think that when you lose your vision your brain also goes, so it is very important to me how I present myself. I know what I like, what looks good and what feels good, and just because you are blind doesn’t mean you stop caring about how you look.”

“I have a concept of what colors look good together, like light and dark colors,” explain Sarah, another Alphapointe client. “I shop for neutral colors that go well with anything. I love to wear dresses and skirts, and I love wearing the types of shoes that make that dressy clicking sound when I walk. There are enough misconceptions about blind people out there. I don’t want people assuming that just because I’m blind means I don’t care what I look like or that I can’t take care of myself.”

Through my own personal opinions and experiences, mixed with those of my colleagues and close friends, I have arrived at the conclusion that not only are blind people perfectly capable of dressing ourselves, but we are very conscientious of how we look, so much so that for some of us it is even more important because of our blindness, rather than despite it. Everyone likes to look good, and care about how they are perceived by others, but most of all I think we all want to feel good about ourselves, to feel confident when we walk out of our homes, and those of us who can’t see are no different.