The Fashion Police

[blas87]

Exactly, Andara.

I can't believe some people feel the need to coach someone on the way they should look. It's one thing if someone openly asks for clothing advice or asks what would be something different and new, but it's a whole other thing to try to play helper and just push your own preferences on someone.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The person who gets me onto one of those "what not to wear" shows or nominates me for an ambush makeover is a person I will henceforth deny any knowledge of.

My daily wardrobe is a ranom t-shirt or hoodie and jeans in assorted stages of decomposition. And you can have my birkenstocks when you pry them off my cold, dead feet. For me, dressing up is wearing a polo or a button-down shirt and khakis, or at least unripped jeans, with my birkenstocks.

It's clean, it's casual, it doesn't take a lot of work, it's what I like. I know when this kind of dress isn't appropriate, and know how to dress for more formal occasions like a wedding or a job interview. As far as I'm concerned, I have nothing to answer for in the fashion department.

[guywithashovel]

I think I'm a bit of an atypical guy, because I actually like to dress up. At my current job, I wear a dress shirt and tie every day except for Friday, and I actually like that. Sometimes I even wear a jacket with the shirt and tie. I just like dressing up. It makes me feel good about myself. Not that I don't feel good about myself overall. I had a teacher in high school who said that he had never met a guy who liked ties. I should probably go back to my hometown and reintroduce myself to him, because I like wearing ties. I like putting on a pressed dress shirt and then tying on one of the ties in my collection.

[Gravekeeper]

I will sheepishly admit to enjoying What Not To Wear as it was about all that was on TV when I was recovering from my back injury. But in its defence, at least they're actually, you know, fashioning as it were. Not just circling the red carpet like misery vultures.

Besides....Kelly Osborne and Joan Rivers? Not....what I would call experts per say. I mean Kelly dresses like she robbed a Salvation Army back in 82 on her way home from working a Cabaret show, and Joan Rivers is, well, a lich.

Yes, I'm catty. Rweor.

[Amanita]

Those people would hate me- When I go out in public, I like to wear clothes I made myself. I use a fair bit of asian influence in my designs, among other things. I don't care what length hemline the fashionistas deem acceptable this year- I only wear a skirt or dress if it's long, and I can wear biker pants or shorts under it, for modesty. And I don't care if A-line skirts are the trendy thing, I'm all about the circle skirts. I guess my style could be called Pagan-Eclectic, with elements of goth thrown in. And no, I would not be caught dead in a modern formal gown.
Yeah, these folks would crucify me.

On the other hand, I wish I could get a friend of mine a makeover. If I had to choose one word to describe her style, "Frumpy" would be it. Virtually all of her clothes are used, so some of them look more "used up" than anything. This is compounded by the fact that she never irons anything, not even clothes that need it. She wears too many layers, even in summer. And the layers don't match- it looks like she just threw together the first things she found while groping around her closet in the dark. The thing is- nobody ever taught her how to match or coordinate, or how to choose clothes that flatter her body and fit properly. So everything is rumpled, mismatched, shabby, and/or shapeless. Her idea of accessorizing is all these thin, ratty cotton scarves around her neck, which I doubt she ever washes or irons, and several bags. She can't leave the house without a stuffed knapsack AND Tote bag or two, and two or three small purses hanging off of her, all in the name of being "prepared". Prepared for what? Armageddon? (please note I'm not ragging on anyone who wears used clothes- you can get some kickass thrift store outfits if you know what to look for, but my friend doesn't)

Thing is- I suspect my friend isn't entirely happy with her look. When we're together, she's all like "Oh, I feel so mundane next to you!"
yeah, call me catty, I guess.

[Cat]

Ugh, I hate the show "What Not to Wear," is this one similar? I didn't mind the male host so much, but I wanted to slap that women....she was really mean.

Jean and t-shirt gal here, and agree, don't judge people on their dress.*


*Funny don't judge story....I was at my beloved pub, and this group of very well dressed girls came in...they looked great, just outta place. Well, as soon the sea chanties started, they knew all the words, shout-outs, and dances. They perfectly fit in (and dancing in those heels....dang impressive)

[Boozy]

Those people would hate me- When I go out in public, I like to wear clothes I made myself...
Yeah, these folks would crucify me.

<snip>


On the other hand, I wish I could get a friend of mine a makeover. If I had to choose one word to describe her style, "Frumpy" would be it.

I don't see how you can reconcile those two points of view.

On one hand, you proudly announce that you dress differently from what others consider "fashionable" (and that's admirable), but on the other hand, you use your own standards of fashion to judge your friend's clothes.

If your friend isn't happy with her look, and is asking for your help, that's one thing. Otherwise, shouldn't you reserve judgment? Isn't that what you would like others to do for you?

[Amanita]

The difference between my friend and I is that even if I don't obey all the rules of what's trendy, I still look well put together most of the time. You can dress well outside the mainstream, and still know how to pull things together and come up with great outfits. I've seen awesome goth and other non mainstream looks.
I may not be the most obscessive ironer, but I try to take the wrinkles out of things that need it before wearing them, and when putting things on, I make sure my shirts arent all bunched up on one side and hanging awkwardly, or that shoulder seams are where they're supposed to be, not pulled too far forward.

The thing with my friend is that nobody ever taught her how to take care of her clothes, so a lot of her stuff is wrinkled and rumpled, and even coming apart in places because she can't do repairs as simple as stitching a sweatshirt cuff back on. End result? Her clothes don't look Used, they look Used Up.
Nobody ever taught her how to put things on and make sure they're hanging right, so her sweaters and shirts are often bunched up in odd places, and shoulder seams are almost down to her chest. End result? Her clothes look slopped on, rather than put on.
She has never learned how to choose clothes that fit her properly, or how to coordinate things. End result? A lot of her clothes are baggy and ill-fitting, and nothing looks like it goes together. And to make matters worse, the poorly fitting clothes only draw attention to parts of her figure that she complains about. She says she hates her stomach- where she carries most of her weight. But layers of baggy sweaters paired with stretch pants/leggings only serve to make her stomach look bigger.

All this bothers me, because her comments make it seem like she is envious of me, to some extent. She's always saying things like "Oh, I feel so mundane next to you!", and it's beginning to grate on my nerves. She wants to look as cool as she thinks I do, but doesn't seem to want to do any of the work. Not designing, not making, not care, not even learning basic rules of good fit, coordination, or how to even check to make sure one's clothes are even hanging straight. If she werent' always whining about how mundane she feels, this all might not even be an issue.

Now, if I could get her a makeover, it would NOT be What Not to Wear. To heck with their snark and attitude, and throwing things into trash cans. No, I'd just set her up with somebody who would teach her those basic rules she never learned, like good fit and coordination. Perhaps somebody who could take whatever look she admires and teach her how to pull it off on a budget.

[blas87]

I see what Amanita is saying and I understand why she feels the way she does about her friend.

Back-tracking a bit, I've said it before and I'll say it again......it wasn't until I saw how great Anna Paquin looks the way she is, gap tooth and all, when I realized that I could also rock the gap tooth look. As soon as I had it cleared by my dentist that it wouldn't affect my other teeth (as in shifting or snaggling), I decided I'd leave it alone. Even though I can easily afford those temporary fillers ($150, you get them re-done every few years), I feel comfortable knowing that a hot celebrity with tons of money chooses not to fix her gap. Her, along with a few other celebs with wacky teeth, have made me feel comfortable in my own skin.....err....teeth.