Today I would like to talk about fashion and style. You may have noticed that I have added a new Instagram @charlietaylorhair, if you are not already following, please pop across and view it. It is mostly about my show work and how that crosses over into style and fashion. Our salons Instagram remains @charlietaylors.
Now technically I’m not qualified to talk about fashion. I have no degree and I really do feel that fashion and style is now so diverse that there are no ‘rights and wrongs’ each to their own as the saying goes.
The fact is that hairdressing is a fashion industry and just like Haute Couture at London, Paris, New York and Milan Fashion Weeks, hair and make-up equally share the catwalks.
I believe that style is something you have to have a vision for. When you are a hairdresser the most important asset you have is your visionary skill. As hairdressers we have to be able to see a client for the first time and be able to see and envisage how that person could look. This involves looking at face shapes, looking at hair types and marrying that up with your talent as a stylist to create.
When It comes to fashion and style I believe the same thing applies. Firstly you have to want to do it. Life is made up of people who 1. Are not interested in fashion at all. 2. People who live and breathe it. 3. In between that a myriad of people who can only be bothered when they are bothered. All of the above are ok, lifestyles come into account and at the end of the day it’s fashion it’s not life or death!
Now that we have that in perspective, the fact remains that I have been (excuse the pun) at the cutting edge of fashion for forty four years now. It is on that basis that I justify writing about it. In my day to day job, I always turn up for work looking what I consider to be the part of a hairdresser, employer and someone recently described me as a fashionista. I’m not so sure about that however I come from the school of thought that you should in my job, present the best version of yourself at all times. The salon floor is our stage and I act that fashion story out every day of salon life. It actually is a commitment, a commitment to my professionalism and dedication to inspire others in some shape or form. I’m often on stage delivering education to audiences around the world, also in that context image is super important.
So here now is a little insight into my philosophy on style. Back to a vision. I feel that to put outfits together well, you need to use your personal vision and you have to be interested. If you are not interested your skills will be un-tapped because perhaps many more things are important or priorities. Totally understandable… as I said before it’s only fashion.
This now is the crux of it. I think you need to have a mental list in your head of what you already have in your wardrobe. Then when you are shopping you see bits and pieces and think about how you can change an outfit, add things in and take things out.
I am an avid believer in no snobbery shopping. I will buy pieces from any shop at any price as you will see from @charlietaylorhair as long as it fits in with my vision for an outfit. It really is how you wear it and what you team it up with that matters.
I don’t believe you can buy style, you have to create it and put together outfits that are unique to you. Let’s be honest, anyone can go out and if they have the money, go and buy an expensive outfit and throw it on, that too is ok however personally I admire far more the skill of ad-hoc stylings, key pieces and an imaginative/visionary ensemble.
So…. taking all this in, the fact is that you can make a pair of Primark high heeled black patent shoes look like Laboutins and a dress from Zara look like a Roland Mouret.
In my opinion, it’s how you wear it. If I had a penny for every time someone assumes my outfits are expensive….. I work to a budget, I recycle, I regurgitate. It’s a lot of fun to dress this way and the good news is you don’t have to spend a fortune. Whilst there are a lucky few with unlimited budgets for clothes, the rest of us have many other things to spend our money on.
Coming up next is the subject of fashion for women and age. In brief most of us hit forty and go into crisis mode, no longer knowing exactly what is right. Can you still wear short skirts? Is this too young for me? are commonly asked questions or indeed doubts. God help us when we reach fifty, do we have to shop brands for over fifties?? Ha ha that makes me giggle and wo-betide those of us nearer Sixty…. well this little lady is on a mission to not look ridiculous, however it’s not in my soul to be boring either. Difficult combination perhaps, however we should all be true to ourselves.
Never forgetting of course, you can have the best outfit in the world but if your hair’s not right…
Cx
P.S here are some fun items..
- Floral orange flower jump suit/ rose gold shoes @misguided/@riverisland
- Black patent shoe @primark
- Vintage Versace belt @versace
- Smoking Jacket @zara
- Black dress with beading @misguided
- Jeans with appliqué @topshop in the sale
- Favourite snake cowboy boot @zara
Some of these items are current, however the majority have been hanging for a long time!
