Fashion, turn to the left

Apart from being set in one of my favourite cities, one of the things I loved about Sex and The City was the fashion. Like Carrie Bradshaw I love clothes but for me it is not so much Prada and Manalo more Primani and Matalan (well you know what I mean) but I like to think I have my own style with some unique items not worn by the masses and I love nothing more than finding a bargain.

My hubby is a handsome man but has no interest in clothes or fashion, he often says that I have changed his clothes over the years we have been together and I admit that he has been Gok Wan’d many times over by my own fair hands.

After doing a straw poll with my friends quite a few have said they feel unsure about what to wear now they have reached their 40’s. The comments I have had are that they want to look trendy but unsure what their style is, they worry about weight, body changes and what suits their size. They often feel they should cover up more and the classic ‘Does my bum look big in this’ reverberates around the changing rooms. Is this to do with age? Or is it a confidence thing. Does being in your 40’s, feel like a kind of no man’s land? Feeling too old for the younger fashion and wearing short skirts but not ready to start dressing like your mum.

The fashion industry has long pushed the boundaries of how they display their clothes and the type of models they use. The media have once again gone into overdrive about shops using unrealistic sized mannequins. Top Shop came under fire recently which prompted headlines such as ‘Shockingly thin Topshop mannequin cause outrage’. Do these mannequins make women feel bad about themselves and do we need mannequins to show a more diverse portrayal of the female body or is it possible we looking too deeply into this?

Looking through the latest magazines there are so many styles to choose from which they claim are currently ‘on trend’. Tartan; checks; wraps; floral; wartime glamour; animal prints; blanket coats and the list goes on and on. All this screams to me is that pretty much anything goes, we can get hung up on what is in or out of fashion so I say choose your own unique style and go with it. Although the proverb says ‘Clothes do not maketh the man’, they can represent who you are on any given day, make you feel more confident and they can give you the opportunity to show off your personality whatever your age.

For all you trendsetters out there the tip for this autumn is blue, so for this coming season ditch the little black dress and go for a Little Blue Dress.

Article written by Sharon Briggs

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Picture Courtesy of iVillage.com