Fashion Vs Style

"Fashion is a trend, Style lives within a person" Late Oscar de la Renta

This post is beyond tardy, but I was invited to preview M&S's winter collection over Fashion Weekend a few months ago, courtesy of Stylist Magazine and Emerald Street. It was my first time previewing a catwalk show in Somerset House, and I lapped up every minute of it. From the models on the catwalk to the bloggers on the cobblestone pavement; the entire scene was a style-stalker's dream!

"Fashions fade, Style is eternal" Yves Saint Laurent

Shirt : Thrifted (Wales) | Dress : Custom made (Nigeria)

"The difference between style and fashion is quality" Giorgio Armani

Those who've been avid readers will be aware I suffered self-image issues from a young age. Nothing that warranted clinical or psychological intervention, but merely the result of falling victim to teenage bullying. I idealised images in the media, and placed celebrities on a pedestal. My mother was very liberal with her children's wardrobe, and I was allowed to shop for myself from a very young age. Fashion and shopping allowed me to mask all my insecurities in costumes of my choosing. As a result, I learned to express myself through my attire. If I'm down, I donned black, etc...

"The fashionable woman wears clothes. The clothes don't wear her" Mary Quant

Somerset House 

M&S A/W 2014 Collection

Backstage

"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn" Orson Welles

Shopping for myself, coupled with one too many hours indulging in countless Gok shows, stalking style blogs and reading too many glossy magazines, gave me ample opportunity to learn about my body and how to flatter it, earlier than my peers. That's not to say I've perfected it, but I am soon learning what my uniform of choice is, and how best to adopt certain seasonal trends to match my style. Style is very much subjective, whereas, fashion is objective. I know to steer well clear of bodycon pieces because I'm no Kardashian. Neither will I drown myself in tent-like athletic pieces, because...well, because I just don't like that trend.

"Fashion is what you're offered four times a year by designers. And style is what you choose" Lauren Hutton

Hat : Forever 21 | Coat : River Island | Chelsea Boots : Dorothy Perkins | Bag : Moschino

"Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak" Rachel Zoe

I was watching a style-less youtuber (and that's not me hating, its just me expressing my subjective opinion which may be concurred by many deeming it true, but I digress) dole out style advice, and it hit me; who gave you the right? Gok thrived in the era of the waist belt (or the 'abortion belt' as its referred to in Nigeria), and endeavoured to tailor every figure to the hourglass silhouette. Yes, the hourglass shape is the most desirable, based on psychological studies on men associating huge breasts, wide hips and a slender waist with the criteria for a maternal woman...but not all of us were blessed with those proportions, or had the dosh to shell out for a silicon rack and fat-infused derrière. What I have learned over the years is that the best way to learn what works for you is through trial and error (who knew GCSE Maths woukd come in handy someday?).  

"Fashion can be bought. Style, one must possess" Edna Woolman Chase

Fashion talks, Style listens. BLEURGH