My life in fashion
I’ve always loved fashion and the way that certain clothes can make you feel. From a little girl with a penchant for pretty party dresses to the questionable fashion blog I started in my early twenties, fashion has been a big part of my life. Clothes help us express ourselves in the most simple and straightforward manner and can be fun and frivolous, or practical and perfunctory, depending on the mood. Nowadays, I stick firmly to the ‘safe’ zone: lots of black, loose shapes, interesting outerwear and statement accessories, but I’ve not always been averse to risk. There's been leather, pleather, short shorts and enough sequins for the whole of this season's series of Strictly, here are just a handful of my favourites moments en vogue.
1. The birthday beret
For my 10th birthday my Mum took me shopping to choose my own party outfit and the result was resplendent. I chose a mustard chenille jumper dress, tartan tights and a deep red beret. If only I had the balls to rock such a sartorially stylish combo today.
2. The GAP striped jumper
In the late 90s I thought GAP was the ultimate in cool and thinking myself too mature for the iconic fleece hoodies, I fell in love with the multi-coloured striped chunky rollneck from the Christmas campaign. My podgy, pre-pubescent body didn’t quite pull it off like the willowy model but I felt sophisticated and stylish nonetheless.
3. The mini-kilt
When I stumbled across a denim mini-kilt in Kookaï on a long weekend in Manchester I knew it had to be mine. It was more expensive than any item of clothing I’d ever owned but thankfully I had the takings from my 15th birthday burning a hole in my pocket. That skirt saw me through school discos and house parties, underage fumbles and family gatherings. A real all-rounder.
4. The sequin bolero
I went off to uni with a suitcase full of sequin boleros that I’d bought in Primark. I felt sure that these sparkling shrugs would identify me as a real tastemaker, a trendy gal that everyone would want to know. I was correct.
5. The Alexa skirt
I still try to apply a ‘What Would Alexa Do’ mentality to any major wardrobe purchase but the high-waisted American Apparel skirt was the first actual item I bought that I’d seen on ultimate style-maven Alexa Chung. I bought it in 3 colours in the end, despite the fact that my flatmate’s bitchy girlfriend suggested the style gave the wearer a ‘gunt’.
6. The disco pants
Fresh from a heartbreak and at my skinniest, I finally decided to try on the skintight satiny trews that had become the toast of every Indie disco. I was instantly 10 times cooler and had no qualms about parting with £75 of my hard-earned cash. Reader, I wore them twice.