The recent Jubilee weekend led to the typicall commentary of who was wearing what, with Kate Middleton yet again under the media’s scrutiny.
The recent Jubilee weekend led to the typicall commentary of who was wearing what, with Kate Middleton yet again under the media’s scrutiny. The Daily Mail possibly gave the harshest of criticisms of the Duchess’ fashion decisions. BBC’s presenters also bore the brunt of their wrath with Tess Daly’s hairstyle choice being questioned. Two issues crossed my mind when reading the Daily Mail’s original article. Since when was the Jubilee a fashion show? And why should celebrities be forced to follow the current ‘trend’ and not show who they are through their choice of clothes?
Firstly, Kate Middleton is either loved or hated by the Daily Mail. One moment they commented on her Alexander McQueen red dress, saying that it stood out compared to the pale attire that everyone else chose to wear and then the next commentator decided they were ‘disappointed’. During the last formal day of celebrations, it was picked up that the Duchess of Cambridge was wearing ‘Heavenly Necklace’ earrings costing a mere £48. Her love of her LK Bennett shoes has been stated and on the jubilee tour she ‘recycled’ a coat she had worn 2 months previously. Most of the articles had a tone of confusion as to why she would decide on these choices. Why shouldn’t she? We’re still in a recession, wouldn’t she be criticized by the same people if she constantly stepped out in brand new, thousand of pounds earrings when everyone else is struggling? More than likely.
Running with the former question, I’m pretty much well known as shunning the existing ‘it’ look. My style is either vintage finds (and I mean actual vintage finds not Alexa ‘vintage’) or mismatched as if I recently raided Helena Bonham Carter or Andrea Riseborough’s wardrobe. I strongly believe in what Alexander McQueen once said; ‘Clothes and jewellery should be startling, individual.’ Along with Rachel Weiz’s; ‘There’s not much room for eccentricity in Hollywood, and eccentricity is what’s sexy in people.’ After every award show, premiere and television appearance, celebrities are spread over magazines and fashion programs picking apart every fragment of their looks down to the choice in nail varnish. God forbid you step out of the bounds put in place by the previous fashion weeks, sometimes you’d be wrong for thinking they had murdered a child rather than picked a blusher that doesn’t match the lipstick.
It transfers into society, teenagers, and adults in most cases, look like sheep. Every person I walk past on the street wears the same clothes, has the same hair colour, style and false tan. Individuality is a thing of the past, or have we always been forced to conform to the same norms when it comes to our clothing?
Looking back through vintages clothes, although there were distinct styles that define a decade, it’s still easy to find a style that breaks the norm. And that’s something else, clothing used to be made to span years while today it’s disposable, created to last 6 months at most before it ends up in a landfill or at the local charity shop.
Can we not be whom we decide to be rather than whom society wants us to?
