Fashion Annoyance

Fashion to me means wearing whatever feels comfortable and whatever enhances your body. Above all else, fashion should be about wearing things that suit your personality.

This is something I don’t believe a lot of people understand, especially women. It’s quite shocking just how many of us parade ourselves in public, unaware of how silly we look in skinny jeans (I blame Kate moss), short shorts (Agnus Deyn) and skin tight couture (Victoria Beckham).

Taking inspiration from today’s fashionista’s and icons of the past is and always will be the easiest way to mould wardrobes and curb images. However, there are certain people who must understand that transforming yourself into an exact replica of someone does not always make you look as good as they do.

Without sounding conceited, I have often found myself in the position of being copied. Quite a number of female acquaintances have taken it upon themselves to buy identical pieces of clothing that I have donned. Let me give you a few examples.

There was one occasion where an all black outfit required a little dash of colour. I searched for something to put in my hair. I could only find a piece of red ribbon, so I turned it into a mock Alice band and was good to go. A few days later, my then flatmate (Single White Female 1) utilised a piece of ribbon in precisely the same way, a red piece of ribbon too nonetheless!

Another girl (Single White female 2), asked where I had bought a dress. I told her which website I had purchased it from and low and behold, she walked in a week later with the same dress, wearing it in the same way. This particular person has also been known to order the same shoes as me, wear the same chunky knit cardigans as me, buy the same skirts as I have and mirror my exact style right down to my patterned tights and still it continues! I have even had someone who dyed their hair jet black and put in green coloured contacts because she “thought my eyes were beautiful”. This person was probably the most extreme copycat to cross my path but the others are not that far behind.

All of this could be seen as a compliment. If people are modelling themselves on you, it must mean you are doing something great. However, when “Single White Female 2” makes a bid to imitate your style and ends up paying £70 on something which resembles your grandmother’s tea cosy, you’ve just got to feel sorry for her. Where will she draw the line?

My list of copycats could continue well into the night, for there have been quite a lot of them. However, all these girls have one thing in common. Upon trying to replicate my image onto themselves, more times than none, they have all ended up looking uncomfortable, misshapen and just plain wrong. Why? Because they have a chosen a look which doesn’t suit there uniqueness. The clothes do not reflect who they are, the image is not one they naturally project and their bodies can’t carry the attire.

What these girls should have done is to find a hair band that was maybe a different colour/ material, a longer skirt and more tailored cardigan and a different shade of hair dye. If all this had been adhered to, these lost and unstylish clones might have done a fabulous job of finding their own personal trend.

When it comes to fashion, the people who inspire you should be nothing more than a foundation for your own flair. Take what these fabulous people are wearing and make sure your own twist is put into the outfit. Make sure the jeans are the right cut for your body, the jacket is tailored to your own torso, your heels are a height you can walk on and your top is a colour that looks good on you! After all this is done, you may find someone else is now trying to look like you…….

SHEENA CHUNDEE