Arbiter of Fashion Marty hates flip-flops.
Posted on 10/11/2009 9:16:28 AM PDT by Steelfish
Have We Lost The Art of Dressing Up? Joan Collins says British women have given up trying to look good. Lucy Cavendish asks the nation's style-setters whether the doyenne of shoulder pads has a point
By Lucy Cavendish 10 Oct 2009
For Collins, the rot set in during the last decade, when our fashion choices became Americanised.
Women of Britain, we have let ourselves go. Suffering from a terminal lack of glamour, we are becoming a nation of frumps. We don't wear enough make-up, we don't get our highlights done nearly often enough, and we dress badly, preferring to live in unattractive stay-at-home clothes. And if we carry on the way we are going, nothing but fashion misery lies ahead. Our husbands may even walk out on us.
This apocalyptic vision comes from no less an authority than Joan Collins. According to a new documentary, Joan Does Glamour, we have all turned into putative Waynetta Slobs, spending our days in baggy tracksuits and T-shirts. "I think standards have slipped," she says, dressed in a neat pencil skirt, complete with her trademark big hair and pinky-red lips. "If they continue slipping, we'll all be walking around barefoot with a minimum of clothes, and lots of tattoos and piercings."
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
“Dressing up” is about respect for self and others and I have zero respect for the general public. There are very few places that I would even consider wearing my finest. You don’t wear good clothing to a barn and that is what most public places look like. “Dressing up” is about being civilized. Every restaurant has the bratty kids running around and adults who don’t act much better. Corporate offices are no longer offices but prairie dog towns or rows of buffet style seating.
Sorry, but if the public wants to dress fine they must act fine.
But frumpily dressed individuals are found not just in restaurants but in malls, schools, colleges, theaters, churches and funerals. Weddings may be the only exception.
he only thing that’s hit more balls than Hank Aaron & Babe Ruth’s bat is Joan Collins’ chin.
In 1976, I visited Britain and was surprised how well dressed some workers were. In some of the train yards, I saw men in old tweed suits with leather patches, plaid shirts and ties. If you cleaned them up a bit, they would have been set for a posh party.
Being sloppy is one thing.
We do not run around in baggy pants, nor do we look like frumps.
We dress accordingly. Dress is more relaxed these days and that’s OK but doesn’t have to be sloppy, frazzled or frumpy.
However, on the other hand...plastering your face with makeup thick enough to be put on with a trough, false eyelashes that flutter each time you close an eye and wearing blaringly crass color lipsticks does NOT look any better than sloppy, frazzled or frumpy.
Extremes on both ends which brings to mind what my mother always told us girls. Dress with taste, dress in the fashion that is right for you, wear the styles and lengths that is right in proportion to your own body and wear what is appropriate for the occasion whether that be at home or out. There are clothes appropriate for evening that are not appropriate for church. There are clothes for occasions that should not be mixed for evening parties. There are occasions that deserve RESPECT for everyone else of all ages. It all boils down to RESPECT for one’s self and others. Simple and ageless advice.
Joan Collins always looks MADE UP and fake. Too glitzy all t he time.
Of course. But do you have any idea why Ms. Collins says British women have become “Americanized” and does not include the rest of the Europeans or Japanese?
Arbiter of Fashion Marty hates flip-flops.
As usual you make the point well with pics! This is unfortunate unless it was meant to be a casual occasion. W is dressed up to the nines.
She makes a good point. Notice that Asian women usually appear in public wearing full makeup and a pretty dress or suit; even when they wear pants, the pants are carefully fitted and are coordinated to the rest of their outfit. They look lovely and men appreciate that. I am sorry to say this as I am a blonde American, but many of us outside of the business districts of major cities, and upscale suburbs, don’t attend very closely to our grooming anymore.
Think of how beautifully women dressed in prior eras. We were treated like ladies then because we didn’t let our cellulite show or let folds of fat hang over the top of a pair of too-tight jeans shorts.
Of course, I know that my fellow freeper women never dress immodestly or go around with things sticking out that only the gynecologist should see.
Oh yeah, as if it looks any better to be all dolled-up like a friggin’ drag queen.
"Corporate offices are no longer offices but prairie dog towns or rows of buffet style seating."
I love the image.
Agreed and I find majority of the public that I encounter, with very few exceptions, show very little self respect. One half look like an unmade bed and the other 49% like they're wearing Walmart Specials after the 15th time through a commercial laundry.
I don't even have to wear a sport coat to feel like a million bucks, just pressed slacks, crisp and clean shirt and leather soled shoes will get stares galore.
I was struck, a decade or so ago, returning from DC/Boston to LAX — it looked like the Land of the Lotus-Eaters. Folks were dressed in tshirts, sloppy shorts, all manner of jeans. I would call it slovenly. I was at UCBerkeley in the late 60’s, so have been part and parcel of that myself.
Since then, however, I have made an effort to always be dressed nicely, hair fixed, etc. Not the stiletto heels, and thank you anyway, but just to look my best.
Just because others are not making an effort does not make me want to do the same. I believe the Lord made women to be pretty, and part of the dressing-down ‘movement’ has to do with Feminism and anti-Maleness. Wasn’t there a quote recently from one of the Feminist Big Names (now ~70) congratulating herself and her colleagues on “never having stooped to ‘being pretty’” This is one reason they ragged on Sarah Palin so much — she broke the Feminist Rule of Ugly.
Bingo!
“The better you dress the better you’re treated. Period.
“
Actually, no. Society “Uncle Tom’s” those who dress nicer. Overdress to the common and be shunned.
Hey, she was one good looking woman when she was young, if it is the Joan Collins I am thinking of.
That's the whole idea of dressing well!
I don't know where you live but everywhere I've been, being well dressed gets the best treatment and respect.
My pet peeve: ball caps (or ANY type of non-religious head covering) in restaurants! Oddly enough, I see this more in the South than anywhere else. Its one thing for the counter in a diner/truckstop, quite another for a steakhouse.
Tell it to this one:
OMG!!!!
I’m surprised we haven’t seen her butt-crack yet!
Re: “But frumpily dressed individuals are found not just in restaurants but in malls, schools, colleges, theaters, churches and funerals. Weddings may be the only exception.”
*************
Nah, wedding’s no exception: a relative’s kid married someone of another ethnicity here in L.A. and a few of the younger family-member guests showed up at the formal wedding is near-gang attire.
It was amusing in a way, but certainly horrifying as well. I must say the teens did look a little embarrassed when they saw everyone else dressed appropriately. One of the kids could hardly keep those pants from falling down around his ankles.
Re: “My pet peeve: ball caps (or ANY type of non-religious head covering) in restaurants! Oddly enough, I see this more in the South than anywhere else. Its one thing for the counter in a diner/truckstop, quite another for a steakhouse.”
**************
I think the ‘rule’ used to be ‘no hats indoors’ anywhere. Agree many are seen everywhere now and some seem to be attached to the wearer’s head as they are always wearing a cap.
A friend of mine, 65 years old mind you, has worn a baseball cap everywhere he goes for years now when his combover hair-do (ack) was impossble to maintain any longer. He never fooled anyone with the combover, by the way.
He is so traumatized by his own bald head that he refuses ever to take off that cap. Once he sat down for Thanksgiving dinner at someone’s house and later mentioned some woman was staring at him in disapproval. I finally said “IT WAS THE CAP!!!” This didn’t bother him at all and he has never changed the behavior.
But many wear the caps indoors for other reasons or NO reason at all so count me in with those who think it’s just wrong.
Your too jaded!
Something in there about the golden rule and which came first the chicken or the egg?
Try this, You want to change the world and what you see?
Start from within.
And... if that doesn’t work at least “look better” and you’ll feel better, about yourself and others.
Amen. All these tight fitting clothes or I should say clothes that make an adult woman look like she just raided her Jr. High School student’s closet look absolutely silly. Grown women wearing some of the little and middle school clothing is absolutely ridiculous. Those clothes are not (and I don’t care who disagrees)and never will be appropriate. Women should dress nicely and while they don’t have to wear clothing that makes them look like they are OLD they SHOULD wear clothing that makes a firm, common sense statement instead of one that says: “bubblegum.”
Men can look abosolutely sharp and crisp with nice jeans and a nice shirt. I don’t think people have to spend large amounts of money either. Just looking, clean, neat and put together is always the best plan. Going to extremes with fads/trends makes one stand out true...but how????
She probably means British women have lost their sense of fashion and become frumpy and sloppy from what I read. Of course...when I see some of those hats that are worn by the Queen and others in royalty...well, I think I’d prefer a cute ball cap over those. Ha,ha.
“Try this, You want to change the world and what you see?
Start from within.
“
I did start but now I am finished. I dress like everyone else now. It saves me time, money and grief. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
Actually #32 is not a bad picture of MO.
IMHO ;)
I remember I used to get teased and questioned at work for dressing up (wearing dresses and skirts). Some of the women would ask why do you bother? My response was because it made me feel good. I did it for myself foremost.
Here is to people with self respect and dignity.
My impetus comes from honoring the Lord and his creations--me being one of them. Along with this though means if He gave me a potato sack to wear I would happily wear it, but carry the dignity in respectful action at a minimum (and if the option presents itself, go to the nearest leaf, cut it off and twist it around my waist for a little polish. LOL.) I like to think God appreciates us using His creations creatively. :-).
In the end we all go to heaven or hell clothes less, but hopefully with souls that shine with beauty and love--radiating with His light.
I try to be the example I want to see.
I’m dressed like a frump right now.
I have always worn suits for interviews and sales meetings, not cheap suits, either. For my latest position I wore a suit to the interview. Of the other candidates that were hired, only one other wore a suit. Everyone else was hired just the same. So, why do I go through the expense and effort when the outcome was the same? Not to mention, those who did the interviewing were not dressed up at all.
No more suits for me and that’ll save a thousands of bucks over time.
BINGO!
I guess I should have read all the posts first. I see Steelfish beat me to it.
Oh well, GMTA and all that.
My mother is a woman of the 50's and I remember that at 5:00 every afternoon she went to her bedroom to freshen up, change clothes and put on her lipstick before my dad arrived from work. It was a diffferent world then but to me it was a demonstration of how important he and their marriage was to her. And in return he always made the effort to look nice for her. Not so many stay at home moms today and we are all busy, but there is nothing wrong with making an effort to stay attractive.
If this is from Julia Banderas, I’ll say OK.
why not have one nice, classic black suit to wear for interviews. I don’t care what you say...you probably looked really classic and professional. That soars above other clothing in the workplace. Be proud of what you wore and wear it again.
The kicker is she turned up on two Best Dressed lists this year!
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