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Because I am a St Martin’s graduate, female and a writer I am required by law to comment on London Fashion Week. That’s not strictly true, but as with my unexpected fondness of mentioning George Michael on Squeamish Bikini, (let’s use this as a gratuitous excuse to link to the Freedom 90 video) I do have the odd hobby and enthusiasm for subjects people don’t always link with feminism. Fashion is one of them.
This is silly. So many people choose to switch off or claim to have no interest in fashion when what they mean is they think fashion has no interest in them and so deserves to be dismissed as ridiculous. Ultimately fashion is all about being brave, being interested and not fitting in.
This is silly. So many people choose to switch off or claim to have no interest in fashion when what they mean is they think fashion has no interest in them and so deserves to be dismissed as ridiculous. Ultimately fashion is all about being brave, being interested and not fitting in.
There is a difference between ‘fashion’ and ‘fashionable’. It is not hard to be fashionable; pick up the odd Grazia, strive to be a size 8 and worship The Measure in the Guardian Weekend. Where being fashionable is a question of following without a thought to who (or what) your guide is, fashion is about risk and art.
This is probably why Vivienne Westwood is so bloody bored with us all. Westwood is so bored with us all and our samey fashion that she isn’t even worried about repeating herself. If memory serves me, Westwood has been suffering from ennui brought on by the general public for years now. So, another season, another collection. Same bored complaint, same bosomy neckline.
“We are so conformist, nobody is thinking. We are all sucking up stuff, we have been trained to be consumers and we are all consuming far too much.”
Only this time Vivienne Westwood has given us a clue, outside of Elizabeth I, of who does excite her. “Everybody looks like clones and the only people you notice are my age. I don’t notice anybody unless they look great, and every now and again they do, and they are usually 70.”
One suspects the missing follow up utterance there is ‘and no way are they living on just a state pension’.
But let’s concentrate on what Westwood did say, we should because hopefully we are all going to make old bones and half the compensation for this is saying and wearing whatever the heck you like. According to Katherine Whitehorn her Saga agony aunt column receives many letters from women at that ‘fashion age’ who can’t find a thing to suit them.
But, phh! Who said anything about suiting? When young the desire is to fit in, when you’re old you need to stand out or you will fade away. Increasingly when shopping the question should not be about covering what you think of as your flaws but what interests you.
These fashion mavens will take you through the details so you are prepared for September and the next LFW…
First up has got to be someone who rather proved that to them, fashion was to die for. Zelda Kaplan, a socialite and women’s rights campaigner (of particular interest to her was the banning of female genital mutilation) died this month at 95 after collapsing in the front row for the Joanna Mastroianni presentation at New York Fashion Week.
Signature Style: African inspired hats that matched exactly the bold print fabric of her dresses. Accessorise with huge shades and wear at New York night clubs.
Did someone say huge shades? But we all know that fashion is about being yourself and to do that people need to see the windows to your soul. Born in 1921, Iris Apfel is the leader in massive, massive round framed glasses. The nonagenarian lectures in art and fashion and is well respected on the scene, recently Mac created a make-up collection inspired by Iris.
Signature Style: Big glasses, chunky jewellery and feathers.
Oh too conservative for you? Right, Anna Piaggi it is then. This fashion writer and icon has plied her trade on a red Olivetti valentine typewriter since 1969. If that doesn’t endear her to you she’s been called “The world’s last great authority on frocks” by Manolo Blahnik and has a collection of over 2865 dresses.
Signature Style: Bright dyed hair, peaking out in a finger wave from a hat. Clothes that can only be described as mad.
This is probably why Vivienne Westwood is so bloody bored with us all. Westwood is so bored with us all and our samey fashion that she isn’t even worried about repeating herself. If memory serves me, Westwood has been suffering from ennui brought on by the general public for years now. So, another season, another collection. Same bored complaint, same bosomy neckline.
“We are so conformist, nobody is thinking. We are all sucking up stuff, we have been trained to be consumers and we are all consuming far too much.”
Only this time Vivienne Westwood has given us a clue, outside of Elizabeth I, of who does excite her. “Everybody looks like clones and the only people you notice are my age. I don’t notice anybody unless they look great, and every now and again they do, and they are usually 70.”
One suspects the missing follow up utterance there is ‘and no way are they living on just a state pension’.
But let’s concentrate on what Westwood did say, we should because hopefully we are all going to make old bones and half the compensation for this is saying and wearing whatever the heck you like. According to Katherine Whitehorn her Saga agony aunt column receives many letters from women at that ‘fashion age’ who can’t find a thing to suit them.
But, phh! Who said anything about suiting? When young the desire is to fit in, when you’re old you need to stand out or you will fade away. Increasingly when shopping the question should not be about covering what you think of as your flaws but what interests you.
These fashion mavens will take you through the details so you are prepared for September and the next LFW…
First up has got to be someone who rather proved that to them, fashion was to die for. Zelda Kaplan, a socialite and women’s rights campaigner (of particular interest to her was the banning of female genital mutilation) died this month at 95 after collapsing in the front row for the Joanna Mastroianni presentation at New York Fashion Week.
Signature Style: African inspired hats that matched exactly the bold print fabric of her dresses. Accessorise with huge shades and wear at New York night clubs.
Did someone say huge shades? But we all know that fashion is about being yourself and to do that people need to see the windows to your soul. Born in 1921, Iris Apfel is the leader in massive, massive round framed glasses. The nonagenarian lectures in art and fashion and is well respected on the scene, recently Mac created a make-up collection inspired by Iris.
Signature Style: Big glasses, chunky jewellery and feathers.
Oh too conservative for you? Right, Anna Piaggi it is then. This fashion writer and icon has plied her trade on a red Olivetti valentine typewriter since 1969. If that doesn’t endear her to you she’s been called “The world’s last great authority on frocks” by Manolo Blahnik and has a collection of over 2865 dresses.
Signature Style: Bright dyed hair, peaking out in a finger wave from a hat. Clothes that can only be described as mad.
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