Because you can't have depths without surfaces.
Linda Grant, thinking about clothes, books and other matters.
Pure Collection Ltd.
Net-a-porter UK

Sunday 29 June 2008

Interesting thoughts on eccentric glamour


To claim it, think of the basic elements of your personal style. Let’s call them your style constants. Whether it’s a glossy, jet-black ponytail, a saucy beauty mark, a nuclear explosion of natural red curls or a penchant for livid-green tango shoes, every gal needs a repertoire of well-chosen style constants. Simultaneously communicating and defining your unique identity, these flourishes are unaffected by fleeting trends or the whims of fashion. They are the glamorous foundations that will remain with you through thick and thin (literally and figuratively).

Now take your style constants and punctuate them with a jolt of the unexpected: a rhinestone bucket bag, a pair of mariachi slacks, a vintage Pucci poncho. Et voilà! Eccentric glamour is the happy result.

Do today’s celebs possess eccentric glamour? No! Red-carpet glamour is the antithesis of eccentric glamour. Hiring a stylist who scrounges free frocks on your behalf from top designers does not really qualify as “creative expression”. And today’s celebs are, for the most part, much too chicken, too risk-averse, too scared of those what-were-they-thinking pages in weekly magazines to indulge in eccentric glamour.


and then some categories

9 comments:

Susan B said...

Just finished this book and loved it. It's a fun and funny read, and very affirming to read a style book that isn't about a) looking younger/thinner/richer, b) how to hide your "flaws" or c) some arbitrary do's and don'ts based more on what's currently in fashion than anything else.

The chapter describing the Avon lady's visit to his mother is priceless.

Anonymous said...

I'd give up my glamourous eccentricity in a trice, if only I could 'dip' like Miss Piggy.

Anonymous said...

Ah, and he mentions Dame Edith Sitwell, who is my absolute fav in terms of totally over-the-top "Eleanor of Acquitaine" fashion. Her "wellness program" must have included lifting weights simply so that she could wear those turbans and gigantic rings. Love it.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I love Edith Sitwell, but Diana Vreeland takes some beating. She once said 'never fear being vulgar, just boring' and I'm trying daily to follow that advice.

There are a handfull of eccentric celebs - Tilda Swinton springs to mind, Bjork and an American female black singer who wear enormous turbans and robes (just can't remember her name at present!)

Susan B said...

gp, are you thinking of Eryka Badu?

Anonymous said...

Surrealist women encompass all three types, from Frida Kahlo to Peggy Guggenheim. The "theoretical" type (pre-dating existentialism) would include the Czech artist Toyen.

Disneyrollergirl.net said...

Ah, I bought this book at an Urban Outfitters sample sale (£2!). I love it. Nothing I didn't know before but it's the way he writes. Fabbo!

Anonymous said...

deja - thank you, that's exactly whom I mean, Eryka Badu, a role model for us all.

Anonymous said...

Oh, goody! It's out now.

I'd also like to recommend his memoir "Nasty" (an interesting family life starts him off) and earlier profile he wrote of some of his favorite women, "Wacky Chicks."

He's fabulous and much fun.

-- desertwind

PS - Is Tilda Swinton not a goddess?