What Does "Timeless" MEAN??

I've been thinking a lot about "timelessness" lately. 

It's such a selling point, right?

I mean, the idea of something being "timeless" is almost magical- like the idea of eternal youth (or tear-free shampoo).

No matter how you age, a timeless item will grown with you. The years will work for it, rather than against it, and instead of crumbling beneath trends and fads (and wedged sneakers), it will stay its course and proceed forth into eternal coolness (also, coincidentally, how I describe Frodo). 

But what makes something "timeless"?

Does "timelessness" mean "in style"?

Or is it even about fashion?

When I think about "timeless" pieces, I think about items that are so inarguably basic that they'll be appropriate in most future situations.

Maybe they'll experience slight peaks in popularity, 

such as how the basic blazer plays into my whole menswear obsession,

but they'll never truly become unwearable (unless, of course, I keep up this 2lbs of candy/day kick I've been on, in which case - yes - they will become very incredibly unwearable). 

When I type "timeless fashion" into Google images, I basically get 10,000 pictures of Audrey Hepburn in a little black dress (& one small picture of Tim Gunn), which leads me to believe that timeless "fashion" maybe has less to do with the clothes themselves and quite a bit more to do with poise.

Maybe really, when we think about "timelessness", we think about a level of sophistication and elegance that could carry us through nearly every moment in our lives - regardless of the year or social situation.

As things continue to get more and more casual - as we friend our bosses on Facebook and do business from on cellphones and sometimes wear the shirt we slept in last night to work (what?jk), there's a growing appreciation for things like camel coats and black blazers and white blouses and tailored pants and items that we don't have to justify as "business casual", etc, because it's already guaranteed that they are. 

I know that, as much as I love changing styles, there is definitely a part of me that wishes that every outfit I put on would work for every social situation I attended. There's definitely a part of me that wishes that regardless of who I'm around, I'd always have the poise and grace of Audrey Hepburn.

jeans: NSF via iona, blouse: Raquel Allegra via iona, coat: ASOS (similar), boots: Theory (similar & here)

My hope is that fashion evolves to the point that we dictate the garb of a social situation, rather than letting the social situation dictate that for us. My ultimate goal would be to see personal confidence overtake outwardly-perceived elegance, and to watch "timelessness" evolve into something generated from the inside-out, rather than the outside-in. 

To see women filling world leadership roles and working in fancy establishments while wearing torn jeans and tie dye shirts with the same air of effortless elegance with which Ms. Hepburn wore her perpetually black dresses.  

Cheers. 

Photos by Matt Engelart