Beautiful Be Damned!

Clearly opinion becomes hugely divided when the issue of controversial silhouettes, such as the harem pant, arise. It happens most when fashion tries to make people step out of their comfort zone - for most people flattering ones body is the most important factor when deciding on which trend/clothes to introduce to their own wardrobes, which is perfectly sensible and acceptable.

I must confess that flattering my figure makes up only a tiny percentage of my important factors when I chose clothes. It's for this reason I often say that I like things that other people will find ugly. I am more attracted to the challenge of wearing an ugly item and seeing if I can make it work, than choosing something that's obviously beautiful.

For me personally I find obvious very dull. Take for example the harem pants. The most obvious reaction to them is that they will make your legs look short and are reminiscent of a filled nappy. I cannot argue with both those conclusions. It's obvious. However, I find that by delving deeper, by going past the obvious, I can find beauty in the very things that deem them as ugly. The drop crotch stops looking like a filled nappy and becomes an interesting play with exaggerated volume and shape. The way they drape and softly billow around the hip and leg makes them more beautiful since those are not obvious qualities. I like the deep arch the crotch area makes when you stand with your legs apart, and I like how they taper at the ankle in contrast to the excess fabric at the top. I like the contradictions.

I confess; I get no pleasure at looking at beautiful gowns. They are very obviously stunning, but for me that leaves no room for imagination. Of course the wearer will look beautiful wearing such a creation - it's a no brainer, but where's the challenge? I much prefer a bit of wrongness. Something a little off-kilter, where you have to work a little harder and look a little deeper to appreciate it.

Another good example is the Dries Van Noten sneaker heel. These were met with horror by so many people. Yes, they are a high heeled sneaker. Obviously, on the surface, there is something deeply wrong about combining two such stylistically polar opposites - a sneaker and a high heel. Yet look beyond the obvious and you get something much more interesting. I don't see an abomination of shoe-kind, I see a challenge to convention and perception. A beautifully crafted heel, a juxtaposition of materials and details and a nod to the quaint Victorian boot. Suddenly, for me, it stops being a high heeled sneaker.

Pattern clashing is yet another example of finding beautiful in the ugly.  The first thing our eyes look for is if the patterns are geometrically matching, and if they are not and we see an obvious pattern clash our instinct is that of unacceptance, since it questions our optical ideals. But pattern clashes work if the colours match. So even though geometrically they don't at all, if they are of a similar or complementing colour palette, then the clash will work.

Clashing colours is a great example of shifting perceptions. Once upon a time wearing red and green together just wasn't done, full stop. But it's become more acceptable as more people dared to combine them. Similarly pink with orange, blue with green, brown with black. I love all those combination together.

I think it's good to challenge perceptions. It's what moves us forward. Even within the realms of fashion imagine if we never questioned what is acceptable or stylish? We'd still be squished into corsets or bandaging our breast flat.

Nicolas Ghesquiere is a great example of someone who constantly tries to shift people's perceptions. His Spring/Summer 08 collection was genius  - who'd have thought women would be clamouring to have their hips falsely enlarged when they have fought for so long to try and make them less obvious! But they were.

I think very often clothes that aren't obviously flattering are wrongly boxed up and put into the category of 'avant-garde'; the blanket term for generally unwearable. I don't consider myself for one tiny minute as someone who dresses avant-garde, but I certainly have no fear of wearing, or at least trying, the unwearable. I just love the fact that we can manipulate our physical presence simply by the clothes we wear.

Of course, the question is raised as to when to draw the line. There will be people who look even further beyond that. At what point does something just become plain ugly? I suppose it goes right back to the conviction and confidence of the wearer. Even the most wrong thing can look right on the right person.

Ugly is beautiful.

Queen Michelle

Comments

[natalya]

I think the same applies for people.

[lady coveted]

well said..

i also thing the quest for 'flattering' clothing is more about conforming to a particular image or body shape. taking the step beyond 'flattering' and dressing for means of expression and experimentation bring fashion to the next level, which by means art.

[pretty face]

I must say that although you are right, that an important part of fashion is experimentation, flatteringness (not a word, I know) is a *very* important part of choosing clothes for me.

I think it's far easier to be able to go beyong just flattering ones body when you're happy with your body shape, or have the kind of body which clothes are cut for. I know LibertyLondonGirl wrote a very good post about this... how many experimental trends are ruled out by something such as big boobs. Whilst I'd love to wear a backless silk sack dress with an assymetrical hemline (just an example) I think the pregnant look is taking it too far.

Of course, I agree that pushing boudaries is important, but that doesn't necessarily mean going for the ugliest thing available. When I buy an obviously beautiful hairband, I don't think 'oooh pretty' I think that could create an interesting look.

And of course, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

[Queen Michelle]

Natalya, the same thing absolutely applies to people - I find the unconventional much more attractive.
Pretty Face, this is just my own feelings about 'ugly' clothes and my approach to them. As I mentioned, it's fine to chose clothes based on what is flattering - most people do. I personally don't (usually), as I don't really adhere to what is considered flattering (ie, it's generally not regarded as flattering to make your legs look short, or your bottom saggy but I have clothes that do both). But on the flip side I cover my white legs since I feel they are not fit for daylight!

[Sabrina]

I completely agree with what you said about pretty gowns. There is nothing about them that really interests me, and I would probably never want to wear one either.

You are a master a mixing up the off-kilter and strange. Looking at your posts is like oggling over a great editorial. I admire that. My style is much more reserved in comparison. I guess I am still trapped by trying to wear what is only flattering!

[rat pack]

I have attempted on numerous occasions to explain to people the "so bad it's good" phenomenon. I think this is a true test of style: the ability to take something that everyone else has deemed unwearable and transform it into something marvelous.

My favorite interior decorating schemes work much the same way; they're not the ones where the entire set of furniture has been picked out of a gleaming shiny magazine, but where unexpected combinations of styles and eras come together in a sort of disjointed harmony.

I think that your skill in mixing and matching these contradictory elements is one of the reasons that people love to read your blog - it always comes out looking so fantastic and it inspires the rest of us to do the same! We should all try to find beauty in unexpected places.

[susie_bubble]

The term 'avant garde' is not only a lazy blanket one...it's also hideously dated...

[kirsty lee]

I'm so glad you wrote this post and I agree with pretty much everything you say. I have a similar attitude and when something with a 'difficult' sillouette comes out I immediately want to give it a try and make it work.

I think that ones figure has to be taken into consideration though. Being tall and slim you really are lucky enough to be able to wear anything and can totally get away with tights that make your legs chunkier (for example) as you have such fantastic legs in the first place. Although I’m also slim I have such a ridiculously top heavy figure that I am limited in what i can get away with.

Backless and strapless and lowcut (these all sound slutty but you know what i mean) anything is pretty much out, and anything too tight just looks a bit jodie marsh. It's pretty annoying so I can imagine how limited in experimentation those with greater insecurities about their bodyshape must feel.

But yes, anyway, fantastic post. I completely agree about the pretty dress thing.

[Anna]

Yes Michelle, you're right, but then, I think that most of the clothes will suit you(doesn't matter if they're pretty or ugly)...so you can experiment as much as you want. when it comes to people who don't have a model's body, and have a large breasts or a big butt, or a belly etc...they have to consider these paramters while choosing an outfit, otherwise they will look silly.
I have the same bodytype as you have, not a model thin but thin enough to wear what I want, but when I went shopping with a friend who has big boobs, we couldn't find one outfit that looked good on her, while on me the same things would look great...so yes, sometimes flattering should be taken to consideration...about the ugly pretty and avant-garde, this is very personal and I personally think that you have a great style, very unique and very sofisticated...but think, would it look as good on a bigger person?

Sorry if there are any mistakes, english is not my mother tongue...

[Mee]

Many people don't label that clothes which aren't obviously flattering as avant-garde. Sometimes things don't suit people because of their body type.

Also, I find that confidence/suitability is a circular argument. One can say that confidence is derived from the fact that you think you look good. So for the majority of people, whether or not you look good in an item and whether it suits you is a key factor.

[cordelia]

I completely understand where u are coming from. I like some things that isn't obviously beautiful and some things which are obviously beautiful or cool. I love mixing em together and some people in my society just don't get it and find the need to critique the way i dress as if I need help trying to dress accordingly to my shape. Thanks for addressing this issue, it really makes me feel less alone. xoxo

[pretty face]

I think Anna and Kirsty Lee have articulated themselves better than me!

[WendyB]

People always think things are ugly right up till the moment they accept it. How many people said they would NEVER wear high-waisted pants or acid-washed anything? And how often do I see that on people who consider themselves fashion-forward. Fashion wouldn't move forward if no one ever wore anything provocative. It's tough to be the one ahead of the pack though.

[bluehammer]

Very nice analysis. I was tempted to post a comment asking whether you thought there were any garments that were so ugly or unflattering as to be beyond the pale... maybe we will be able to explore that further.

I do like many "unconventional" shapes and a lot of things that might be conventionally considered "ugly". I also have a personal definition of 'flattering' that doesn't necessarily always match the lowest common denominator view. For example I am really tired of the tyranny that says everyone should be wearing bootcut pants to balance out the hips. When did we get to hate the shape of our bodies so much that we're desperate to conceal the merest hint of form! And I'm totally with you on the clumpy shoes. Love 'em. I think, as you say, that the distortions of form that we find attractive are very much a reflection of individual taste and personality.

You wrote a very articulate description of what you like about the harem pants. I just don't find the same things to like - really I find them too drapey and boring. I don't mean you look boring in them - I mean as soon as I put a pair on, I feel bored and blah. Maybe I interpret them as concealing more than they emphasise. That's probably because I tend to appreciate structured garments more than flowing ones. The whole boho/long skirt thing completely passed me by. Conversely, I really liked Vivienne Westwood's skirt suits when she was padding and exaggerating the bottoms. I like tailoring and tricky seams and complicated jackets that don't look like anything until you put them on. I like designers who engage with the challenge of how a piece fits the body in three dimensions, where it is structured to fit and where it stands away. But what makes the best blogs interesting is seeing how other people interpret and work a piece, even if you wouldn't wear it yourself.

[bluehammer]

I really liked the Balenciaga collection you mentioned but while it did exaggerate the hips, the waists were still small, so in my view it's part of the "hourglass figure" paradigm which is going to come around again and again. I don't think it did much to "uglify" or distort in a novel way.

[Knight Cat]

i added you to my blog links, could you add me?

add:
http://knighttcat.blogspot.com/

xxx

love your style :)

[xoxo]

i must agree with a lot of the things you have said here, however you must admit that one must have a great body to pull off "ugly" things. for instance i can't imagine somebody obviously obese pulling off some of the looks you propose. i think our body type also gives us a harder or easier hand on whether we can "go ugly".

[Katie]

Hear, hear!
Its for this reason that I often watch ugly betty and think her outfits are the most interesting and appealing.
:-D

[Lady Smaggle]

I totally agree. I wrote a post recently on ugly crushes. Guys you find attractive even though they are ugly. It's the same thing. Beautiful is boring.

[mina]

Possessing the ability to be able to wear ANY garment and suitably accessorise it to make the outfit work as a whole is fashion styling at its finest (and Michelle you definitly have this ability) - is this not the ultimate state for anyone interested in fashion?

[aziza x]

Beautifully said.

[andrea]

I totally agree with what you have said. I often try to go for the unexpected, to pair things that most people would not put together, and to choose something that is a bit off. In my younger days, I would shy away from doing this and try to dress more conventionally, or to go with the trends. Now, I like to take a trend that much farther, so I don't look like I am going with the flow. It really is an art. Each night, I think about how I would like to look the next day, so I am not flummoxed trying to figure out my persona for the day. Sounds a bit crazy, but I live for it!

[Drusilla]

I'm quite willing to chuck considerations of flatteringness (word?) out of the window, but I must admit that my body type makes certain kinds of clothing impossible to wear for me (anything tight+short= me getting horrid catcalls- not something I'm always up to dealing with). But what is 'ugly', anyway? I'd rather wear an ugly dress that fit my personality or the way I felt at the time, than a pretty no-brainer. And I'd probably think the 'ugly' dress looked better, too.

And truthfully, I find that people are always willing to hate on a look until it goes mainstream- c. 2002 you had people jeering at the idea of wearing dresses with trainers, now Lily Allen's made it popular so it's ok. And those dropped-crotch trousers? Are not weird at all- it's an interesting new shape for trousers, I can't wait to see how people wear them.

[b-rad]

I can't believe people would be so timid or boring. They're not that unconventional, we've seen them before, and they're available in chain stores. ie. Not exactly challenging. Why all the fuss?

And I entirely agree with Michelle. Whether you can carry off a look depends on styling and confidence. They look great in the pics! Go Princess Jasmine!

[belle]

What attracts me to fashion is the simple fact that you can get away with the most ridiculous things, so easily by just being confident in your ability to wear it. it's worked out for me too, so far--when previously i'd be more obsessed with looking GOOD, i didn't feel as good about myself. now I wear what I like, pattern clashing, dropped crotch or whatever you please and I've never felt better, or have been more recognized. :)