20.2X26.3 cm, digital print, edition of 50 (2013)

BL CK T

The Blacket (a marriage of the words ‘black’ and ‘jacket’), the common dark winter coat of choice for any fashion-conscious/fashion-challenged Estonian, is something we wear in defence "against the general unfriendliness of the world as a whole" ¹ for those five-to-six long winter months of doom and gloom. But why is the Blacket such a prevalent phenomenon on the streets of Tallinn during the winter? It can’t be claimed to be a distinctively Estonian style (black clothes are ubiquitous); it surely can’t be considered a cognizant fashion - or anti-fashion for that matter - approach to clothing (while everyone seems to own one, few have offered a good reason why they own one); and it certainly isn’t a manifestation of some misguided Americanized middle-class consumer dream (where a Blacket would be the thing we all crave, something that marks our status in the society).

The Blacket seems to stem in part from the globally felt economic malaise of the last few years – we feel insecure in our jobs and need a protective barrier against the outside world. We might also find an explanation from the SUN era, when standing out from the crowd and drawing attention to oneself was not considered appropriate (and could indeed prove to be dangerous). "Hiding the body by means of clothes thus becomes associated with the desire to avoid feelings of sin and shamefulness" ² and indeed psychoanalytically, "clothing has been likened to a neurosis, a slight neurosis, to the precise extent that it hides and advertises at the same time" ³. Post-socialism Estonians have had to negotiate new consumption practices in difficult economic situations, rather than display a state of ruination; "the poorer middle-class simply dresses in inferior design and quality." ⁴

The third aspect to the dark clothing is the fact that it is in direct contrast to snow, which gives the added benefit of standing out from the harsh environment while still blending in with masses.

1. Malcolm Barnard, 'Fashion As Communication' (2002)

2. Malcolm Barnard, 'Fashion As Communication' (2002)

3. Roland Barthes, 'The Language of Fashion' (2005)

4. Kate Louise Rhodes. 'An Apparent Ugliness: Fashion and Dressing Poor' (http://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/eserv/rmit:12001/Rhodes.pdf) (2010)

Together with Priit Pärle and Janar Siniloo, we made a contribution to a self-published magazine (a school project), where I wrote the text and did the hand-drawn typography. The theme of the magazine was 'fashion', and we could focus on any aspect of fashion we wished. We decided to take on an phenomenon where the majority of people in Tallinn seem all to wear black clothing in the winter.