People will stare, make it worth their while

At the weekend I went shopping to Bluewater with one of my best friends, she commented on how many people were staring like they'd never seen ginger hair before. I said it's also because they've never seen red lipstick either and it happens so much I don't see it anymore- even though it doesn't bother me it's got me thinking about how people do react to the way people dress.

At work I wear a uniform and barely touch my makeup, I put on BB cream and I'm out the door, so very few people I work with see my true style so I can see how it may surprise them. However on days where I have worn my own clothes I've had people ask who I'm dressed up for? (answer: myself) or even had people genuinely not recognise me- one person even reintroduced themselves like we'd never met! It became an ongoing joke between me an a PA that I was 'in disguise' on days I came in wearing my own clothes!

Over the years I've had many comments from people on the street, most of them very positive and complimentary- I even had a girl run after me in London to ask where my skirt was from and the older generation try and guess the label and comment they too used to have a Peggy Page dress! A lot of people ask where I'm off to all dressed up and normally it's nowhere special- I dress like this just when I'm off to the supermarket.

I've only had one or two strange comments in the past, one was from a bunch of teenagers in town who were asking me if I genuinely knew it wasn't the 50's, like I was in an actual time warp- obviously I know it's not the 1950's anymore and I'm not bitter about that- without modern inventions how else am I meant to take selfies!? but I guess being from a place which is renowned for it's creation of the tracksuit wearing chav, I dress very differently. I don't dress the way I do because I wish it was the 1950's but because I love the style and fashions of the day (as well as the 30's and 40's) it has a charm I think modern clothing has lost.

The other comment was from a little boys mum-now children say the sweetest things about my clothes- they are amazed, sometimes baffled, even my niece thinks it a dream come true when I wear red lipstick- however I was going about my daily business and passed this little boy who tugged at his mum's coat saying 'wow look at that lady's red lips' to which his mum replied 'stay away from ladies with red lips, they're naughty'. I was so confused by this, not only by her thought process but what she was trying to achieve by telling him so!

Anyway what I'm really trying to say here is that I don't mind people staring, stare away- although sometimes it can be awkward and I feel like telling them to take a picture as it will last longer! I know I dress differently, I could't even tell you what's currently 'on trend', so I get why people may take a second look but I also think it's a sad reflection on today's society. We live in an age where the vast majority of people want to be a carbon copy of everyone else, hardly any one is different, no one is themselves. Clothes don't define who you are but people should be able to wear what they like, what they are comfortable in without worrying about people judging them for their choices. So I say wear what you like, dye your hair crazy colours, wear all the makeup- wear no makeup just be proud in doing it. Like Harry Winston said 'people will stare, make it worth their while'.