"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."I was reading today, on AOL Entertainment news, that quite a little fashion faux pas took place at this year's Golden Globe Awards. It seems that the beautiful dress that Reese Witherspoon wore was very similar to a dress worn to the 2003 Golden Globes by Kirsten Dunst. So similar in fact, that it wasn't just similar, it was the very same dress! A fashion no-no to be sure, and not one that the actress herself would have committed on her own. Reese, I am afraid had some help in this fashion mix-up, from none other then the prestigious fashion house that owns the dress... Chanel. Coco must be turning over in her grave! I kinda doubt something like this would have occurred in her lifetime, but if it did...how might it have been received in her day as opposed to now?
"Dress shabbily they notice the dress, dress impeccably they notice the woman." That is one of my favorite quotes by Coco Chanel, because it is really speaking about more then just the apparel we choose to wear, it is also says a lot about how we conduct ourselves and the impressions we might make. I have never believed that clothes make the person, but they do say a little about us. If we carry ourselves with a certain amount of class and character however, it will come across clearer then what we wear, although one should never forget that our clothes do have the first opportunity to make the first impression for us. What we choose to wear directly influences the first initial impression we make in person.
I have seen some gorgeous people, by usual society standards, wearing only the finest and most current of trends in fashion, here a label, there a label and look like a million bucks, only to ruin their whole appearance by opening their mouth and allowing something hurtful or socially unacceptable to spew forth from their lips. Believe me you can dress some folks up, but outside packaging will not change the fact that they are spoiled on the inside. I have yet to find the fashion house that can accomplish a personality change with a bolt of fabric and a spool of thread. I am thinking about some of the parties that my good friend June used to throw.
Every year I was expected to attend two events at June's house, without excuse. Academy Awards night and New Year's Eve. Now, most of the time I looked forward to her parties, she knew some very interesting people and I except for a few duds that I knew would be there, it was a classy way to spend an evening. June always had a nice cross section of folks at her parties as well, and she just had a way with making folks feel comfortable because she knew who would enjoy each other's company. For instance she rarely invited too many of her more politically opposed friends to the same function...except for Oscar night and New Year's Eve. LOL. It was on those nights that I suppose she figured that we could all try for the one night to put our attitudes and ideals aside, and just enjoy the food and the fashion and the atmosphere. Sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't but it was always interesting.
In that I am a people watcher, by nature, I usually enjoyed just jumping in and allowing myself to absorb whatever happened around me. Don't get me wrong, I am not a wallflower at this kind of gathering, I will join in, but I like to take in the room I am in and the people gathered around me for a little while when I arrive at a party. Listening is such an important part of getting along with people. Sometimes that is all they really want...someone to listen. To their politics, their life story, their charitable work, their interests. Now, there is nothing like getting cornered by an absolute bore, lol, but I always had to wonder when it would happen...who didn't listen to them? I am right here, I am at the same party, instead of being bored to tears because their interests couldn't interest me less, couldn't I share a little about myself with them? What is the worst that could possibly happen? After all, for one night we are on the same path, so why not check to see if the journey can be a less lonely one. Besides, there is never a good excuse for poor behavior.
Do you suppose that last Monday night, when Reese showed up at the after party for the Golden Globes, having just won her award for her performance in, "Walk The Line," that the other guests made sure they pointed out the embarrassing coincidence to her? No, probably not. Not if the had any kind of acceptable manners. In fact, Reese showed up to the affair knowing there had been some kind of mistake made. She SHOWED UP. No running off in a fit of tears, no demanding answers in a divaish high-pierced fit of rage, and no histrionics. No, but she did however request some answers. Not hard to understand I think, considering she had been promised vintage Chanel. Chanel's response regarding the snafu was an apology for the "oversight," and a gratulations to the actress on her win. It's hard to say where the mistake was made, according to the actresses publicist, Reese Witherspoon was told her dress would be vintage, but according to a press release from Chanel the gown was described as vintage, but the gown was actually from the 2002 couture collection and isn't considered vintage.
The mistake does seem to rest with Chanel, and it proves my point that you can have the most elegant of style, and the best of intentions and still get it all profoundly wrong. Celebrity stylist Phillip Bloch said it best when he told the AP that Reese Witherspoon, "...was a victim of the fashion powers that be." I kind of admire the fact that she didn't go overboard to make the mistake much worse then it already was. So far, from every indication, she carried herself like a lady, and that will never go out of style. She didn't make herself a victim that night. She knew demeanor is the impression that people of substance will remember years from now. You just can't fake class, you can't rent it, and you can't pretend it doesn't matter. She knows her self-worth and she wears it everyday no matter what clothes she chooses.
Tell me what you think. Is too much importance put on style? If you had been Reese would you have handled things differently? Have you ever met someone dressed a certain way and made a snap decision based on what they were wearing before they spoke to you? Were you right with that first impression? Is there anything wrong with staying current to the trends in fashion? Is it a good idea to change your personal style from time to time? Is it true that you, "Never get a second chance to make a first impression?" Do manners go before personal style?
-OndineMonet
