If there's one thing that unites us all, it's clothing. We all wear it. Okay, the Naked Rambler's an exception ... but the rest of us spend our days encased in fabric, sending signals out to others about who we are and what we're about.
I used to think about fashion a lot when I was a girl. Hand me down clothes from cousins and dull grey and blue school uniforms weren't fashion, and I didn't have the cash to buy the real thing from boutiques or department stores.
As a teenager I was a working class girl reading Vogue and Elle, dreaming about beautiful things while passing summers in crushingly dull factory jobs and trying to find my place in the world of further and higher education.
Over the years I bought endless fashion magazines and made endless fashion faux pas, I wore impractical high heels and costume jewellery, long dangly earrings that caught in my hair, even some hand-sewn skirts and dresses. I had a navy blue bat-wing jumper that I loved, and a calf length skirt that made me hobble like a geisha girl. I dabbled on the edges of New Romanticism with my taffeta puff sleeved top and wide brimmed hat. Yup, I wore the hat to the disco, probably with crimped and hennaed hair ...
As I got even older (yikes!) my clothing gradually morphed into practical and occasionally slightly stylish. But lately it's veered into not-very-interesting and ridiculously practical. Too many stretchy leggings and even some sweatshirts. Even – to my shame – trainers...
I'd say that part of the reason is lack of cash, but that's not really true, is it? Cash strapped people can still be stylish. The clothes might come via car boot sales or charity shops, but a limited budget isn't a reason not to look fab. Part of the reason is weight. After putting on half a stone I kept saying 'buy a summer skirt or a dress when you've lost the podge', 'when that waistline's reappeared'. Silly, snack-eating me didn't lose that half a stone though, but gained another. So I've got a stone or so to shift, and it's easier to wear comfy clothes with a high lycra content.
But things need to change. The jeans have been binned, and the trainers are on their way out. I've been inspired by blogs put out there by 'women of a certain age', being one of those dames myself. http://vintagevixon.blogspot.co.uk/ is fabulous. I love the lady's sense of style. Another great site is http://sopastcaring.blogspot.co.uk/. I'm going to take inspiration from them, and revamp my wardrobe. Along with shifting the jelly-belly it's time to reawaken that girl who read Vogue, who marveled at Japanese designers and devoured articles about French couture houses. It's time to trawl the charity shops and dust off the sparkly diamante. Me and fashion need to get reacquainted.
I used to think about fashion a lot when I was a girl. Hand me down clothes from cousins and dull grey and blue school uniforms weren't fashion, and I didn't have the cash to buy the real thing from boutiques or department stores.
As a teenager I was a working class girl reading Vogue and Elle, dreaming about beautiful things while passing summers in crushingly dull factory jobs and trying to find my place in the world of further and higher education.
Over the years I bought endless fashion magazines and made endless fashion faux pas, I wore impractical high heels and costume jewellery, long dangly earrings that caught in my hair, even some hand-sewn skirts and dresses. I had a navy blue bat-wing jumper that I loved, and a calf length skirt that made me hobble like a geisha girl. I dabbled on the edges of New Romanticism with my taffeta puff sleeved top and wide brimmed hat. Yup, I wore the hat to the disco, probably with crimped and hennaed hair ...
As I got even older (yikes!) my clothing gradually morphed into practical and occasionally slightly stylish. But lately it's veered into not-very-interesting and ridiculously practical. Too many stretchy leggings and even some sweatshirts. Even – to my shame – trainers...
I'd say that part of the reason is lack of cash, but that's not really true, is it? Cash strapped people can still be stylish. The clothes might come via car boot sales or charity shops, but a limited budget isn't a reason not to look fab. Part of the reason is weight. After putting on half a stone I kept saying 'buy a summer skirt or a dress when you've lost the podge', 'when that waistline's reappeared'. Silly, snack-eating me didn't lose that half a stone though, but gained another. So I've got a stone or so to shift, and it's easier to wear comfy clothes with a high lycra content.
But things need to change. The jeans have been binned, and the trainers are on their way out. I've been inspired by blogs put out there by 'women of a certain age', being one of those dames myself. http://vintagevixon.blogspot.co.uk/ is fabulous. I love the lady's sense of style. Another great site is http://sopastcaring.blogspot.co.uk/. I'm going to take inspiration from them, and revamp my wardrobe. Along with shifting the jelly-belly it's time to reawaken that girl who read Vogue, who marveled at Japanese designers and devoured articles about French couture houses. It's time to trawl the charity shops and dust off the sparkly diamante. Me and fashion need to get reacquainted.