What to Wear to Violate Curfew
Chic civil disobedience, delivered.
Quebec’s first covid curfew was implemented in January 2021 as a drastic and desperate measure to combat the pandemic, initially meant to only last a few weeks. Five months later on May 28th, I was sitting in Parc Jeanne-Mance as the city celebrated the end of curfew, counting down to 9 PM like it was midnight on New Year’s Eve.
So when New Year’s Eve this year was legally canceled by the return of curfew, people were pretty upset. Giving no justification for the benefits of curfew other than waving his hands and talking about scientists1, Legault has plunged the province back into effective house arrest. Many have already begun to take action, brazenly violating curfew. There have also been, at the time of writing, two anti-curfew protests in Montreal. As a concerned citizen, you may wish to violate or protest curfew yourself, and good on ya. But what are you going to wear?
If you are going to do anything you may as well look good doing it, and it’s important to dress both functionally and well for the activity at hand, if for nothing but the confidence that you look wayyyyy better than the police.
The Curfew Violator Look should be functional and chic but in no way memorable. Montreal is an AI hub, which means that there are a lot of people in this city who are really good at getting computers to identify things in pictures. So we should be a bit careful and adopt some basic elements.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for your curfew tickets. I study mathematics for a living and thus do not have the money to pay them.
Footwear: Salomon XT-6
First things first, we cannot ignore the chance your evening ends with you running from the police, fleeing through the often perilous terrain of the city. “Performance” is the demand on your footwear, and the Salomon XT-6 answers handily. Designed for trail running, the XT-6 is a sleek, technical “do-anything” sneaker well-suited for the task at hand. The real edge of the XT-6 is a design that feels forward-thinking, yet stays simple enough that the shoe remains versatile. This means you can fight dystopia without having to go all Matrix on it.
Socks: Raised By Wolves “Fuck Off” Tube Socks
Clothes that say rude things are pretty passe in most scenarios, but this occasion seems fitting.
Pants: Nike X Drake NOCTA Fleece Pants
Drake’s NOCTA line is mostly sportswear but differs from your average tracksuit in that it is “inspired by those who roam the streets”. Candidly, Nocta is the love-child of Drake’s infatuation with roadman culture. Roadman culture is itself inspired by the hustlers of the UK, who persevere through dreary English weather and austerity-driven urban decay to roam the streets. Basically, these are the official pants of the “WE OUTSIDE” mindset.
Underwear: Pony “Friendship” Set
At the end of the day, this is about solidarity. Are you willing to get fined for the sake of strangers? Selecting this underwear set reaffirms your commitment to your fellow man on the most foundational level of your outfit.
Shirt: Puma X 1106 Zine “Activism” Tee
1106 Zine is a “punkzine on garments”, with each “issue” (shirt/bag) commenting on some social issue or cause, with a portion of proceeds going to a non-profit working in a relevant area. In this case, it’s EQUITAS, a human-rights organization based in Montreal. The shirt is a proud entry in the “text4days” genre of graphic design, and as such will give you a lot of material to ponder, reminding you what you do and who you do it for.2
Outerwear: Pre-2000s Carhartt Detroit Jacket
The Detroit Jacket, in production since the 1950s, is an incredibly durable piece of outerwear: jackets from the 80s have survived to today, fading beautifully as they’ve aged. Their age harkens back to better, curfew-free times and inspires the optimism needed to persevere. It’s also nice that their popularity prevents you from sticking out. Just don’t get ripped off by some “vintage” reseller. Most Carhartt tags have a 3 or 4 digit code on them corresponding to the date of production: the first 1 or 2 digits indicate the month, and the last 2 give the year. More tips for finding the age of Carhartt pieces can be found here.
Headgear: DIY Crochet Balaclava
We all have at least one friend who has learned to crochet, and seemingly the balaclava/headscarf is the first thing that anyone learns to crochet. Despite their abundance, I have never seen anyone wearing one outside. It’s time to change that. Providing both warmth and anonymity, the crochet balaclava is the perfect curfew violation headgear. Further, the DIY nature of the piece, being a physical token of friendship, is the sweetest cherry on top of the solidarity sundae.
The clothes we wear provide clues as to who we are. With this look, you are saying you are someone who cares for their neighbors, who has been doing their best for two years, and who really just cannot take this anymore. If we have nothing else, we have our sanity-securing nighttime walks to nowhere, and we will not lose those too.
Link a study! There are like 5 universities in this city. We can handle it.
Plus, if you ever forget to bring your phone into the bathroom, you could just read this.
Unsure how, but I am just reading this now. Great issue.