The current fashion

It takes a lot to tip me over the edge. I'm quite ready to display a short fuse over matters of manners (please and thank you requires little) and nothing moves me to greater irritation than people cannibalising their nails and fingers on the train and tube. Yet I've never been over motivated to behave like the fashion police whether on matters of fashion design, art, architecture or performance. Taste, is after all a matter of choice and I'm too philosophical (or too liberal depending on your viewpoint) to make judgemental pronouncements. In fact quite frankly there is enough rent a views or moral fetishists out there to save me the effort.

A recent interview with Louise Wilson the MA course director at CSM (Central College of St Martins) was picked up by Sister Wolf and it took me a few weeks to read it properly (I had a film to make, don't ya know). Sometimes it is good to wait to read and digest things as they take on new meanings or rather relevance. I particularly got the essence of her views with her final pronouncement

"It might be very good for fashion if fashion goes out of fashion, and maybe nothing does happen for awhile and a few companies shut down. When the light turns away that’s when the new work will be done." (New York Times, 26/7/09)

Three things pushed me to think 'bl**dy hell Lou, you are right, the fashion industry is bereft of something and it is actually rather over done and very dull. Firstly I read a Grazia article by the very good Jessica Carter-Morley about Emma Watson's new found style. She has hired a stylist called Caroline Sieber and whilst I'm a stylist, and Caroline (Austrian born living in London) is very stylish and works with Chanel as a style ambassador ( yes I know what an earth...) and styling is an interesting business, I suddenly felt extremely bored by it all. It was an oh yes what's new, blah, blah blah moment. I don't know are you truly stylish with designer garments at your disposal or merely privileged?

My next sunken feeling occurred on Saturday night when I went to a friends 30th birthday bash at the Embassy in Mayfair. It was a perfectly pleasant evening and I had only one drink as I still felt quite weak and plenty of water. I met some lovely people and also suffered my usual pang of guilt because someone worked in the toilet and consequently I over tipped and over talked to them. It's not somewhere I'd choose to go but it was great people watching.

Moi, Violet, birthday girl and Mary

It was the stupid pointless VIP areas that creates a them and us situation that bored me the most. No sooner has I mentioned that the left hand side empty VIP area behind the dance floor, near the DJ booth was waiting for a D lister, then Mutya Buena* and a posse arrived to give the baying throng the gratification the crowds would have felt in a Roman gladiator contest. How fashionable to be out in a fashionable place (for some) and a celeb to boot. Although I did like the fact that Simon Cowell's X Factor bouncer was sat next to us eating earlier! And it was this issue of taste, habitus and aspiration that made me feel flat. I'm not saying the gathered throng were tasteless, although even I could not defend the trashiness of most, it was just the predictability of it all.

Then I had the tipping moment when I opened the Sunday Times Style Magazine to lo and behold a model turned designer! This time Erin Wasson and reading the article one could play substitute the model, location, lifestyle, designer friend, first styling moment blah. Seriously my eyes went into hyper roll and I just laughed at the garments, then I raced to read Louise Wilson's interview.

She has more than got a point! Never has tablecloth wearing looked more inviting....

(*ex Sugababes and I did not know who she was, although I know probably every Sugababes song!)