DEDICATED FOLLOWERS OF FASHION

Personally, as you can tell from my photograph, I've never been one to slavishly buy clothes because a particular fashion dictates it and over the years some of the ways men and women have been told to dress must have had the designers laughing all the way to the bank.

Take shoes. Who can forget the fashion in the 70's for platform shoes and stacked heels. I can remember seeing one girl having to walk up a street in Exeter sideways because she couldn't make the incline with the heels and soles she was wearing. 6 inch high heels look great on a woman with slim legs, but the pain and accidents she has to go through are incredible. Bunions are never the prettiest of foot accessories, but even Victoria Beckham has them. Not only that she admits she has to buy stiletto heel shoes 2 sizes too big so her toes don't bang against the front of the shoes. Next time you see a photo of her take a look and you'll see a gap between her heel and the back of the shoe. When I saw it, it reminded me of the little girl wearing her mother's shoes. Still, she's a style icon!

After the fashion for military Sergeant Pepper jackets disappeared in the late 60's and early 70's men seem to have largely given up on being style followers with the exception of 4 fashions that I personally find ridiculous, verging on ugly.
1. There's been a fashion for designer stubble for some years, personified by footballers and George Michael. It looks untidy and the "just got out of bed" look says "I couldn't care how scruffy I am" rather than "I'm too sexy to shave". What staggers me, men pay a load of money to buy shavers that give them the designer stubble "I'm a scruffy bastard" look. Remington and Phillips must be really laughing!
2. Again started seemingly by footballers, though Telly Savalas may have had something to do with it initially, the fashion for having a shaven bald head is one I definitely don't understand. It used to be the case that anyone young and bald was either to be pitied, was a convict, or had some sort head disease. Now it's quite common for young men to shave their heads completely which must not only be very cold, but also makes it difficult to tell if someone is in their 20's or 50's on occasions. Unfortunately for the 50 year old with the shaven head it doesn't make him look in his 20's. What it does make them look is threatening and aggressive.
3. Even in the City of London there's a fashion now not to wear a tie. Not so long ago the tie was an identifier for your old school, university, club, secret society (!), or company. Men would,'t dream, of being seen in a suit without that final piece of silk that completed their business uniform. These days the young bloods of the city wear their suits, their tailored felt coats and have an open necked collar... even worse, many have the collar buttoned, making it look as though they've forgotten to finishing dressing.
4. It doesn't seem to have hit the City yet, but doubtless it will, the fashion has started for a man to wear a shirt not tucked into the trousers. It's almost on a par with Superman wearing his underwear outside his costume! A Tshirt outside jeans I can understand, or outside a pair of shorts, but a nice "formal" shirt worn outside suit trousers looks rubbish. In fact a shirt with tails flapping outside a pair of jeans looks pretty naff! It says "I'm too bloody lazy to tuck my shirt in", or "I forgot to put my shirt on BEFORE my trousers and this is the result", or worse "I think I look really cool!". For COOL think STUPID!

So there you have it. 4 fashion that have been foisted on men that make them look aggressive, lazy, unkempt and stupid. What more could a woman want.... or expect!
Bring back the tie!

Blog on, Dudes!

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