Pugwash magazine

No Good Advice

Television and magazines seem to be full of advice on ‘what not to wear’ and quite frankly I’m tired of it.

What happened to dressing to express yourself?

The whole concept of the fashion industry is not only to showcase a designer’s talent, but to also give inspiration to people. The industry is being flooded by clueless celebrities who have no fashion qualifications except shopping in ‘Selfridges’ and ‘Harvey Nic’s’.

Too many women are obsessed with getting the seasons ‘look’, whether they like what is in or not. I can’t imagine Victoria Beckham wearing the long gloves and braces she’s been pictured in, if she hadn’t seen it on the catwalk first, yet she has jumped on the bandwagon and has written ‘The extra half an inch’ a fashion bible offering tips on how to be chic. The self-proclaimed ‘style icon’ has become the biggest joke within the elite fashion circles for being “Too contrived… [and looking] like a shop mannequin.”

Where Victoria goes wrong is that with her unlimited budget she can afford to pick her favourite designers (usually Dolce and Gabbana or Roberto Cavalli) and buy their entire collection. This demonstrates a serious lack of imagination and an inability to put things together herself. She is nothing more than a label slave not a style icon.
Fashion should be about using clothes to highlight aspects of your personality, and not about following the crowd.

I wouldn’t discourage TV style guides from advising people to dress more modestly in the sense that nobody wants to see people exposing themselves by letting it all hang out, especially on older and slightly larger women. I admit some people do need a little encouragement in the style stakes but is that really an excuse to quash their quirkiness and individuality?

What I have the most trouble with is that TV makeover shows do women a disservice; they seem to be an outlet for the stylist to build upon their own ego by running someone down. The ‘victim’ is told they look ‘crap’ in whatever they pick and are forced to tow the party line.

The worst culprits are the new presenters of ‘What Not to Wear’ model Lisa Butcher and singer Mica Paris. The duo need to look a little closer to home before they take on the trends of the nation, especially since they always seem to look like a dogs dinner. Their greatest achievement is their ability to make the young look old and frumpy and the older women tend to look like faded drag queens. I find myself tuning in to see what horrendous outfits they have picked in colours that are only fit for circus acts.

The sad thing is that the women who take part volunteer to be ridiculed by people who should know better.

The best way to assert your own sense of style is not to listen to people who oppress your identity, but look at what interests and inspires you whether it is music, art, nature or someone you look up to. The most important thing is to dress in what makes you feel comfortable and test the perimeters by being as individual as you can.

Zandra Rhodes and Vivien Westwood are among the design world’s elite and are not afraid to dress against conventions. Not many people would accessorise with devil horns when meeting the Queen, but Vivien stuck to her ‘style guns’ and demonstrated you can pull off any look with masses of confidence. It is this stance that makes both women the epitome of individual style.

Whether shopping in Primark or Prada, everyone should be encouraged to wear what they like without fear of being hounded by the unqualified self-confessed fashion police.

Who wants to look like everyone else anyway?

/Carly Tibble