"People have never looked so ugly..."

"...as they do today regarding their dress." Quite a statement from Dame Vivienne Westwood at the recent LFW. Some would probably argue she's in the position to slate today's society in such a manner, given her contribution to British style.

   She seems to think today's fashion is predominantly uninspiring and unflattering, and whether or not she's right to say so - bloody hell, it is! I agree with her that our age is full of clones and that nobody is 'thinking', she even goes as far as saying that it is usually 70 year olds that she tends to notice as having 'style'. And whilst these inspiring characters aren't given nearly half as much the recognition and appreciation they deserve, the minority of us do give this 'think' lark a damn good go! 

   However, what I can't bring myself round to agreeing with is the absurd reference/comparison she makes to Queen Elizabeth's style. What Vivienne fails to mention/consider is as stunning as this woman's dress was, the majority of her people lived in poverty as a consequence of. By 'eck what an unjustified, strong statement to make, and what a time to compare us with? Variety was a massive priviledge back then...

'But Queen Elizabeth had the finest dress-makers and tailors in the country. She would have had her choice of the finest materials, the softest silks – the shiniest satins and the most voluminous velvets known to man. With all the money in the world, looking good is easy.' ('Vivienne Westwood's comments begar belief', Gammie, J.)

  

   Variety nowadays if anything is too available, it's too easy...what happened to that item you desperately want/need being ridiculously hard to get your hands on, but once you did, you treasured and appreciated it a damn site more than the ungrateful lot about today. Back in the 80s, the suit was a 'made-to-order' jobby which men took weeks/months to pay off, week by week. Nowadays they're much too easy to pick up off the shelf, made using a standard retail size guide. Whilst this benefits a larger proportion of society, the majority just don't understand and/or appreciate good old fashioned workmanship. So why on earth should this spoon fed society be arsed to 'think' about being individual when they're given so many; easily accesible; ways to dress to 'fit in' on a massive silver plate? Trained consumers who consume, wear probably a few times, then thrown into last seasons pile. So yes, Westwood may have been a tad harsh in her absurd comparison, but she is on to a winning statement if you take the following into consideration - In her heyday she was surrounded by sociopolitical stylists whose clothes depicted who they were (or thought they were). People during the Eighties looked for ways to express their creativity and Individuality through their appearance; an identity. C'mon England, sort it out!

Much Love, 

Miss E xx