It’s the weekend, the sun is shining, what else can a girl do but indulge herself in her favourite pastime? Yep ladies I’m talking about shopping (again!). Chanel sunglasses perched on my nose and gladiator sandals on my feet I waltzed off into town ready to treat myself. A few hours in, empty handed and suffering from a serious bout of changing room rage I found myself sat the city square, icy Starbuck’s in hand indulging in one of my favourite past times. People watching. As I sat in the sunshine with my blood pressure slowly dropping from the dizzy heights the changing rooms had pushed it to, I started to look around me and was slightly concerned by what I saw. Why is it when the sun comes out some peoples style goes in to hiding? Most city centres are now style savvy, what with the rise of shops like Primarni and cheaper fashion magazines, style and high fashion is something that is now within every ones reach. Now I know your thinking how can a maxi dress go wrong? Surely that’s the easiest item to wear? You would think so but for some reason in the heat women stop thinking about the shape of their body and wear clothes that are so ill fitting. I have to be clear here that this is NOT a size debut but a style debate. As a heavy chested girl I know that strapless/ spaghetti strapped tops or dress don’t work for me, they don’t in winter and they still don’t in the balmy summer time either. That’s why I don’t wear them. I need a thick strap so all scaffolding that is required can remain in place. Same goes for all you gorgeous pear shaped women with your lovely J-Lo bums, you look stunning in a maxi dress that gently skims and flatters your assets. Hot pants that flash next week’s laundry do not. For those of us who have more jelly than belly round the front, why wear a crop top? I do not want to scare small children or inflict my fat rolls on innocent bystanders. A longer vest top looks so much stylish and flattering. Another serious style no no is Ugg boots with hot pants. If it’s warm enough to strut round in teeny tiny shorts and a vest you really don’t need them on. How hot and sweaty must your feet be?! But it’s not just disregarding your body shape completely that happens, for some reason some women really aren’t bothered by how what they wear fits. Skirts that are so tight round the waist they don’t just create a muffin top as much as an entire bakery. Cotton dresses that probably looked great 15 yrs ago but now hang at the most unflattering point on the leg and create a VPL that doesn’t exist. What’s that? Did Nike start making tents? No? Ah I see, the sun is shining, it’s boiling hot and wearing your fella’s XL t-shirt seemed a good idea. No, it really isn’t, not even if you’re a super model. But ladies the biggest fashion faux par is the flashing of the bra. We all have our favourite one, it’s a bit battered, the colour has faded, it’s gone grey and the world does not need to see it shining through your summer cottons or trying to escape the confines of your vest top. If you are wearing white, you need white underwear, nude as the worst case scenario. No fashion guru from any couture house has ever thought a pink bra looks good under a white t-shirt. The final style rule for summer is the pedicure. It doesn’t matter if your sporting Collection 2000’s Hot Head or Chanel Le Vernis in Mimosa, make sure it’s not chipped and applied all over the nail. The only cracks should be with OPI Black Shatter.
As I reflected on the sights I have witnessed today one thing is very clear. Fashion, elegance and style have little to do with credit cards and couture. Rather than letting fashion wear and dictate to us, it’s about understanding our own unique body shapes. Getting the balance between what suits us and what doesn’t is a difficult process and one we often all get wrong from time to time. I would love to just for once be able to wear a strapless dress but I can’t, for me a top has to be something that can accommodate the over the shoulder boulder holder. It’s about the finishing touches, ensuring our underwear is hidden and knowing ourselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment