My Wardrobe Manifesto

I’d like to say I stick to these guidelines all the time but, no matter how obvious and sensible they may seem when sitting at home, somehow they can fly straight out of the window when I’m in a panic out shopping or trying to find the right thing to wear in the next five minutes.  And I’d like to say that I’ve never gone out with chipped nail varnish or bits of old mascara lingering under my occasionally hung-over eyes, but then I just wouldn’t be telling the truth.  The thing is, some of these things don’t sound so nice in print, but they kind of make sense and I try to work with them.  But it’s a bit like trying to stick to a diet – and I do think I deserve a reward if I manage half of them most of the time (or even most of them half of the time).  I thought I would share: 

1. I will be true to myself - fashion is about communicating a sense of who I am through what I wear.  When I check in the mirror, if I feel confused, I can be sure that everyone else will be.

2. It may be my favourite shirt/sweater/skirt/whatever and I may be desperate to wear it RIGHT NOW, but if it’s got a mark or stain on it, I will take it off and put it in the wash.  Mucky is never a good look (yes Mum, you were right about this).

3. This is true for my body too – greasy hair, old makeup and sweaty armpits bring nothing to an outfit or an occasion.

4. I will buy clothes in a size that actually fits me, not a size I want to be or something that I love but which simply doesn’t fit.  I won’t buy anything that gives me an extra ass, or is so big I disappear inside.  I know I won’t get my wear out of it and need to trust that, even if I am having a desperate shopping day today, something better is waiting out there for me tomorrow.  This is a killer rule to try and stick to. 

5. I will dress to impress myself – never for anyone else; if I wear what makes me happy then my friends will be happy with that too.  I sometimes find this one a bit tricky too.

6. I won’t be a slave to current trends.  It’s so brilliant on those few occasions when you put something on and it feels immediately right – I won’t wait and worry and talk myself out of it because it’s not a colour or shape I usually wear or intended to buy – I will go for it with confidence that if something feels so right for me, I will look good in everyone else’s eyes too. 

7. Know when to let go – maybe that skirt with loose threads, or the favourite jumper that’s lost its shape and gone a bit thin.  It’s had its day, then I will let it go or re-love it into something else – a soft clutch bag, a new cushion – anything that’s reasonably simple to make!

8. Once I am dressed and satisfied, I will let any thoughts or worries about my clothing go, be happy and confident in what I am wearing and will not tug that short skirt hemline down every two minutes, fiddle with the hems of my short shorts or keep yanking up that strapless top!

9. I will remember that I wear the clothes – I won’t let the clothes wear me.  I will be confident and appear relaxed.   

10. I will never, ever, wear kitten heels.

Mellow Yellow

Summer is coming- finally, we hope!  Maybe this lack of sunshine is making us welcome more and more the yellows which are becoming prominent in our streets and been cited as the colour of the season.  So let’s all add some sunshine to our lives/wardrobes and work this season’s summery look!  Here are ten yellow-themed pictures to get the ball rolling and make you feel that little bit closer to summer. 

                        

Take 5, Weekly Inspirations.

1. Paul Arden's 'It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be' book - striking graphics and definitely agree with the message, the content is just as inspirational... 

2. Doodle for Saul Bass' 93rd birthday.  This cleverly put together animation is for the American graphic designer and Academy Award winning filmmaker Saul Bass for his birthday,  as well as crediting a number of his films and poster work.  I think it's a really clever graphic film piece.

3. The fashion photographer Miles Aldridge is coming to Somerset house from the 10 July - 29 September.  This coincides with the publication of his book by the same title - 'I Only Want You to Love Me'.  I'm looking forward to seeing this exhibition filled with striking, glamorous images! 

4. I re-discovered 'Her Morning Elegance' by Oren Lavie this week.  Still find this fun and inspirational to watch. 

5. A fun way to use illustration!  Found this image on the web, hope you like it as much as i do.     

Time to think bigger?

No matter our size, we all want to look good, because that makes us feel good, right?  So why is it still so difficult to buy great clothes if you carry a few curves? Marks and Spencer may be one of the few high street stores to carry up to size 30, but it’s never going to cut it as a fashion hub for the younger market, even if they have just appointed a new  - it’s where my grandmother and her other (albeit reasonably stylish) octogenarian friends shop for goodness sake!  I hope Belinda Earl, new Style Director for M&S, will prove me wrong.

A Plus Size Fashion article in The Telegraph, 13^th August 2010, it is clear to see we are still significant and growing market in the clothing department.  The article, from the health section of this paper, shows size has been an issue for a long time and will continue to grow (pardon the pun): The plus- size market has grown by 50% in the last five years turning it into an industry worth £3.8 billion, with 6.2 million women falling into this category.  Demand for larger menswear is also on the increase, yet the fashion industry does not fully seem to appreciate that this is no longer a niche market.

So with such a large market out there why are the high street and high end designers not tapping into it?  Could it be something do with the training we are giving designers, always catering for the smaller sizes?  Are we trying to cling on to the idea that fashion is exclusive to the slender and not relevant in bigger sizes?  Either way, the nation is not going to get smaller any time soon so maybe everyone just needs to wake up and see that those plus size lines could be where the future (and the money) is.  After all, fashion is about the attitude we bring to the clothes we wear, and there’s plenty of attitude beyond size 6. 

Has street fashion gone too far?

Is street style becoming more of a circus act to gain attention than an individual fashion statement?  Laura Weir asks in her article for the Sunday Times  ‘Is This Fashion?’ making some interesting points and quoting from experts in the fashion industry.

Street style has always influenced the fashion industry, but the birth and rapid increase in fashion bloggers has encouraged the spread of extravagant new street outfits you would never expect to see, and which increasingly gather outside runway shows.  However, as Weir states in her article ‘what was once the height of cool has become homogenized.  Too many people arrive at fashion shows in outfits designed to shock rather than intrigue.’  Has this once on-trend scene become a bit too overdone?  Scott Schuman, founder of the blog The Satorialist says ‘the internet and blogs have created monsters- it’s totally changed the way we communicate about fashion.’ 
          

The Editor of Love magazine, Alex Fury, said ‘It’s about as sophisticated as a toddler exposing themselves on a jungle gym.  Pay no attention and they’ll stop doing it soon enough’.  He has a point, if we didn't lift an eyelid, would we still have these extravagant individuals circling fashion week venues waiting to be snapped?  I don't think so.  For me true fashion style is carried seemingly effortlessly by those lucky people who have a clear sense of their personal style and enjoy expressing it through the clothes they wear – whether that’s a dress made from lightbulbs or simply a pair of well fitted skinny jeans and an oversized biker jacket.  Either way, it’s the person wearing the clothes, not the clothes wearing the person; fashion is a way to express who we are, not a vehicle to gain everybody’s attention.
    

Street style has enjoyed a long standing reputation as a place for innovation, creativity and influence.  We all enjoy seeing how people dress individually and within their own social groups.  But please, let’s get back on track and, on reflection, step away from the dress made from lightbulbs.