A sense of humour

I have to thank the wonderful Style East for taking what I think is my favourite photo of the whole fashion week - it really encapsulates all that is whimsical, fun and fantastical about LFW. By the monday, I had got used to the whole rather fabulous circus/ cabaret that is Somerset House, and was up for some fun. So when I meandered outside with Style East, the first thought that went through my head was "jump!" And reader, she got the shot - in one! Please do take a look at her blog if you want to read a fantastic post!

I know that sometimes naysayers claim that fashion gives nothing to the world and is merely a frivolity. Well, the latter maybe has a little truth - we've all overheard a vacuous conversation or two at some point. However, the same argument could equally be applied to the fields of modern art, sport, cars, fine food or wine etc... And I really resent the view held by some that if one enjoys fashion one must be a 'bubblehead'. Fashion may not solve world crisis' (but it can be valuable to help rebuild psychological confidence - read Linda Grant's 'The Thoughtful Dresser' if you don't believe me), but to use a suitably cheesy Devil Wears Prada quote - "We live our lives in it". And one of my favourite things about living in good clothes is the sheer fun it presents. I love getting up on a weekend, knowing that I can choose to wear whatever I want, and that I can enjoy the process of putting it together. Likewise, one of the best parts of behind-the-camera shoots with friends is the organisation and styling stage. After all, isn't styling merely an extension or update of the beloved childhood dressing up box?

Of course, London Fashion Week is a serious matter for most. People's careers hinge around it - whether you are a new designer trying to make your name or a journalist reporting. But sometimes it's nice to take a step back and appreciate the funny alongside the business-like. Lucy's Snippets of Shiny Thoughts provide a perfect example of whimsical observations of the industry. Something else that had me chortling at my computer were the Fake London Fashion Week tweets, with one notable excerpt being:

"Colour crisis! Can't decide [if] Aquascutum mac is orange, tangerine, mandarin, satsuma, Libby's Orange C, Quosh or FiveAlive #madeuplfwtweets" You can see @MichaelHogan for more gems.

I don't know if it is slightly tongue in cheek to take something that gently ridicules the fashion industry and use it as proper inspiration, but I couldn't resist. And so I present my own orange ensemble. The particular shades in question are up to you...

Alright, Jane Eyre may be a bit of a cliched blogger book choice (at least I didn't include my matching mug!), but I plead my case on two points. One, it is the orange-est cover on my shelves. Two, it also happens to be one of my favourite reads - I sped through it. The cardigan is from a charity shop, and the accessories are all family inherited.

Another little humorous detail I noticed at LFW was this dog peering out of a bag at the Jaeger London/ Vodafone show. (The photo is mine). My mum and I were musing as to whether it belonged to someone backstage, or whether there is the equivalent of a dog modelling agency for shoots and catwalks requiring a canine element? Thanks once again to lovely Amy at Vodafone.
Edit: The dog has now been named as Butters, and belongs to The Clothes Whisperer. This was apprently Butters' catwalk debut, and this cute little canine has her own dogblog here.

Finally, to do the usual blogger thing, here is a summary of what I was wearing on that monday at London Fashion Week. The denim dress is vintage Calvin Klein, bought off ebay. The headscarf is Charlotte Taylor, the bag was from a charity shop stall at the Big Chill music festival and the belt was my paternal Grandma's. I think her late son (my dad's brother) made the buckle? The shoes and tights are both from ebay.

Photo credit: Vogue Portugal (Mafalda Silva)

Do you think that fashion has both a place as art (Alexander McQueen springs to mind) as well as the simple function of being worn and enjoyed? What about the humour of fashion? I particularly loved seeing milliner Stephen Jones' latest hat collection, which has a great sense of whimsy and not taking itself too seriously (a Chanel-style cardigan for your head? An upside down bowler hat?) in the topsy-turvy inspired creations.

A sense of humour 2011-03-01T14:00:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown