Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex and the City and Divorce fame was recently interviewed for Net-A-Porter's Edit magazine on her latest business venture, new line of shoes SJP for Sarah Jessica Parker. Just so you know, I'm not getting paid for any of this, I just admire Sarah as a strong independent woman with her own style and business savvy.
I love this quote from her in the article:
Sometimes I’ll be working on a shop floor and I’ll see a customer trying on a nude pair of the classic SJP ‘Fawn’ pumps, and the conversation will go like this:
Me: ‘Did you see the purple version of those?’
Customer: ‘Oh no, I couldn’t wear those.’
Me: ‘But do you want to wear them?’
Customer: ‘Of course I want to, but I can’t wear them to work.’
Me: ‘Why not?’
Customer: ‘I don’t know.’
Me: ‘Is your brain going to function any less well if you are wearing a purple shoe?’
Customer: ‘No.’
Me: ‘Are you any less capable if you are wearing a purple shoe?’
Customer: ‘No.’
Me: ‘Are you afraid that people will think you are less capable?’
Customer: ‘Kind of. I mean, I work in a conservative place.”
Me: ‘Do any of your [male] colleagues wear a purple tie every now and again?’
Customer: ‘Yeah.’
Me: ‘Do you think any less of them? Do you think that they are not taking their job seriously?’
Customer: ‘No.’
Me: ‘Do you want to try the purple shoe?’
Customer: ‘Of course I want to try the purple shoe! Give me the purple shoe!’”
Cause you gotta wear the purple shoe, and the beautiful floral skirt, the diamante earrings and the crazy glasses.
This weekend I was reminded of how you have to dress to suit yourself and your personality and that sometimes you also have to be brave.
I travelled to London, just for a night, to play tourist with one of my great friends. She was travelling back through London on her way home to Hong Kong. I arrived at the super hip, hipster, too cool for school Ace Hotel to wait quietly in the Lobby. Well....the lobby was jumping. Along with your standard check-in type desk arrangement the large space contained a cafe, a bar and a whole lotta chairs, tables and ottomans along with a really long table that sat about 14-16 people. And the place was packed with millennials working and collaborating. Some with headphones on, working on their code. Others talking animately with others working on design themes, and there were more Apple devices than your average apple store. There was amazing fashion and a creative buzzy vibe. I just wanted to sit in there and soak it all up.
But the fashion, oh how I loved the fashion. It was dark and edgy and relaxed and plain and ugly and beautiful and unique and individual. It was everything and it represented the purpose and the work and the lifestyle of all those people. If I was to fit in I needed to be a bit more grungy. I had left posh Harrogate in the morn wearing a friggin butterfly on my chest, more suited to a street style blogger heading off to sit second row at a fashion show, rather than the scene I arrived to. But you know what? My outfit was me, and my friend reminded me later how she admired my style and that I am brave and cool.
I love that when I walk into a business meeting I'm different and unique, while all the men are wearing the same version of a pale blue shirt. Maybe you should try a little bravery with your fashion this week?
P.S. I may have purchased a metallic gold culotte jumpsuit at the Old Spitalfields Markets the next day. You never know when you are going to need to rock some gold.