JOANNE watkinson
AM I SUPPOSED TO BE FLATTERED?
THIS week I was sent a follow request on social media from a club night for the over-30s.
How depressing? I get the point of targeting such a specific age group is because the music they play is specific to a generation but still...
I had been identified as a prime candidate for the over-30s night from a thumbnail picture on my profile. When I spoke to friends about the situation, I was told that at my age I should be relieved it was only an over-30s night.
Fair comment. But it came in the same week an influencer I admire spoke about opting for flattering clothes over “cool” clothes as she gets older.
What does that even mean? Is flattering a pseudonym for sensible? I immediately googled ‘flattering clothes’ and the most unattractive list of items appeared before my eyes: shift dresses, sheath dresses, A-line skirts, drop waists and boot-cut trousers.
Kill-me-now! The definition of flattering is to “enhance someone’s appearance”, while cool is defined as “fashionably attractive
QI AM looking for a jumpsuit for my Christmas party. I’m quite tall, so I would like to wear flat shoes. I don’t mind my arms, no sequins please!
ATHIS Weekday jumpsuit, £70 (weekday.com), has wide legs so will work well with flats, and the asymmetric neckline will show off your arms. or impressive”. Are the two mutually exclusive?
Can flattering clothes not be cool and vice versa? Are flattering clothes intended to improve your appearance to others?
As I get older, I plan to give less hoots about what other people think of me, and especially with regard to my dress sense. It feels regressive to dress for anyone other than yourself.
Never have I felt more akin to someone in fashion than when Leandra Medine launched her Man Repeller Blog back in 2010. Her irreverent take on fashion was so refreshing. She loved clothes but she wasn’t about to be told what to wear. She wore what she liked when she liked – Man Repelling clothes. She was my Carrie Bradshaw 2.0.
Fast forward a decade and #clothesmyhusband hates is regularly used to describe clothes such as dungarees, oversized dresses, quirky prints, fugly shoes, super wide trousers, all of which you could call unflattering, all of which are in my top five favourite things to wear and not a sheath dress in sight.
Joanne is a stylist with more than 20 years’ experience in the fashion industry. Email: Joannecwatkinson@me.com