Worrying about which handbag or tie will go with our outfit seems to be a thing of the past as there’s a new accessory hitting the fashion frontier—alcohol.
Worrying about which handbag or tie will go with our outfit seems to be a thing of the past as there’s a new accessory hitting the fashion frontier—alcohol. According to a nationwide survey of British drinking habits by fruit cider brand, Kopparberg, 42 per cent of us Brits match our drink to our style.
Just like there are differences between Chanel and Primark, there are drinks that score better than others in the style stakes. Topping the ‘drinkccessory’ charts are cocktails, wine and fruit cider, whilst lager and beer are deemed unfashionable.
Concept sounds preposterous
Stereotypically you’d think women would be more fashion conscious concerning drink selection. Opting for a pink cocktail because they’re wearing a pink dress. But surprisingly men, with 54 per cent, are the most likely to select a drink to match their style.
The whole concept that you consciously buy a certain drink because of the clothing you have on sounds preposterous to me.
I understand that drink choice can be used to judge someone’s character as there are preconceptions surrounding certain drinks, for example male lager drinkers are perceived as exuding masculinity to some women, whilst a male drinking a cocktail could be seen as being more in touch with his feminine side.
I decided to ask around and see if people were as conscious in their drink selection as they were in selecting an outfit.
Chooses different drinks depending where I am
Amy Clarke, 22 from Leeds, says she chooses “different drinks depending on where I am or what I am wearing, if I go for a nice meal or someone perceived as trendy, and if I feel good about myself, I would choose a glass of wine or cocktail. Whereas if I’m at the pub, dressed casual, I would choose a pint of cider or lager.”
Alex Oppenheim, 31 from Macclesfield, agrees with the idea that its location that dictates your tipple choice, saying “if I’m at a gig with my mates, I will drink Red Stripe, but if I was at a swanky bar there is no way I would touch it.”
Location controlling factor in drink decision
Location being the controlling factor in drink decision makes more sense as certain surroundings will ask for different fashion styling, with some places even instilling a dress code to be adhered to.
You may not even notice you’re choosing a different drink when dressing differently as Scott Tyzack, 22 from Bollington, points out when I ask ‘Are you conscious of what drink you drink when dressed in a certain style?’ he replies with “if I’m in a restaurant I might order a bottle of wine…but then I guess when I’m in a restaurant I dress smarter than I do in a pub.”
Contributing factor may be healthier lifestyle
To some, in particular students, like Laura Scott, 19 from Failsworth, it’s “whatever I fancy and can afford.” Although she does agree that “it depends on where they’re drinking; a bar might be a bit more pretentious but in a club people have the same goal really – to be pissed.”
Another contributing factor into choosing a drink for a night out may be towards a healthier lifestyle, like Lauren Greenwood, 19 from Manchester: “I get what has the least calories in it, diet coke and vodka.”
There are plenty of reasons for influencing our drink choice but it seems that location is the controlling factor. After all it dictates what we should wear in certain surroundings. If you’re at a rock band’s gig we might dress with a rocky edge and drinks cans of beer, whereas at a wedding or other formal occasion we’d be dressed in an elegant dress or smart suit sipping on champagne.
What influences your drink choice? Have your say in the comments section below, on Facebook or on Twitter.
