Short answer: You’ve earned it! If your outer self isn’t becoming more true to your inner self as you get older, what even is the point? Ageing is hard, but much less so if you look at it as the opportunity to let your inner eccentric peek through the seams.
For me, the woman who was emblematic of this concept was the late British designer Vivienne Westwood (see main image above, centre), the person in fashion that I was most nervous to interview (though of course she was lovely, as the most talented people almost always are). Items from her personal clothing archives are going up on the auction block at Christie’s in Paris in a few weeks, and she was so ahead of her time in mixing up artistry, personal expression and activism (Amnesty International, Climate Revolution, Greenpeace). Transgression was her modus operandi: for instance in 1989 she took a jab at the British Tory party by dressing as their sitting prime minister, Margaret Thatcher (in her own suit, no less!) on the cover of Tatler. In her work she combined bustles and knitwear and referenced the paintings of Fragonard and Gainsborough. But most of all, Westwood championed aesthetic individuality, which is our subject this week.
The only expert on my list to pursue for this question was Odessa Paloma Parker, an award-winning Toronto-based writer, stylist and storytelling strategist and the contributing art editor at Globe Style Advisor. She founded the art-centric editorial platform Opaloma in 2022 to celebrate creative expression across categories from fine art to fashion. But what is most relevant for this story is Paloma Parker’s own exuberant, confident, maximalist style, a flourish of joyful pattern and colour (check out her Instagram page for some of her personal looks).
“My style heroes have been consistent throughout my life: Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, the members of Roxy Music (mostly when Eno was still in the band), Beck, and Kim Gordon have been my longest-running inspirations,” she says. “Their rebuking of gender tropes, their attention to silhouette, and their insistence on individuality have always been very appealing and influential.”
That isn’t to say Parker would ever copy them; their individuality is the lesson here. “While I’ve never tried to expressly emulate their style – save for tying a scarf on around my thigh like Jimi did – I appreciate their unique taste and ability to evolve their style through either stark or subtle shifts, and I try to apply that approach to my own wardrobe.”
She is emphatic about the benefits of embracing fearless dressing. “Personal style is one of the few things we can typically have control over in our lives, so why not go for it?!” she says. “Not only are you able to satisfy yourself through dressing in a way that emphasizes individuality and speaks to your love of kitsch, quirk and whimsy, but it can also really affect your relationships with people.
“Even folks you don’t know, you have the potential to inspire someone by how you dress, or simply cause them to smile at the joyful statement you’re making with your look.”
Dressing can also be a form of artistic expression, Parker adds. “I think of myself as the canvas and use clothing and accessories to bring my creative vision to life. And of course, there are many designers whom I consider to take a very artistic approach to their work.”
Playfulness in your wardrobe also counts, she says, as does exclusivity. Vintage, meanwhile, is the place to find vibrant patterns and colours. Parker’s own closet includes “an Undercover sweater that has a giant lurex image of David Bowie’s face from the Aladdin Sane days; a Simone Rocha egg bag from the first season they were introduced; a pair of Loewe espadrilles with a watermelon embroidery detail.”
So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty advice part of the story. How does Parker recommend putting together a look? As in everything to do with fashion, confidence is key.
“I’m of the mind that if you’re not convinced about what you’re wearing, no one else will be either.” So start small and build up your nerve. “Maybe that means colour-blocking a few different pieces instead of going full print-on-print or adding a vibrant accessory or two to an outfit,” she says. Plus this will build naturally: “If you’re desire to dress differently and outside of your norm is authentic, you’ll likely start to get compliments from folks and that will potentially encourage you to push things even more!”
She also had a few print tips: “If I’m mixing prints or patterns, I generally try to choose one that is dense and one that has a bit more “white space” (more of a solid background is showing through). This breaks things up visually.”
Colour-matching is also very helpful, she says, and easier than you may think. “I’ll try and pull out a few colours from a pattern and see where I can add that in as a solid accent to anchor the look. So perhaps it’s wearing a bold pink purse with a patterned dress that has the same pink in it.” More can be more if the colours work together, she adds. “For colours, it’s more a case of thinking about what complements or contrasts; I might wear three jewel-toned colours together, for example.”
Accessories are a great way to add individuality to an outfit too, “because for the most part, there are no rules to how you wear them and you can layer them, too. Why not pin a brooch to your beret? Or wear your scarf tied around your wrist (or leg, like Jimi)? Asymmetrical earrings are perennially popular now, and such an easy way to incorporate some oomph and interest into your look.”
This advice can also work for people whose fashion persona is more classic minimalist, as you can still inject personalization into your look in a more subtle manner. “Texture lends some je ne sais quoi to an ensemble,” says Parker, “but maybe in a piece that’s solid black or another neutral. You’re piquing interest with the look but it’s not a full-on statement. And there are so many wonderful vintage options for this, from old fur coats to metallic handbags.”
But shopping for more isn’t the point. Instead it’s about playing around with fresh combinations. In the words of Westwood: “Choose well. Make it last. Quality not quantity. Everyone is buying far too many clothes.”
Parker echoes this sentiment, saying she is at capacity in her closet. Instead of shopping, “I try to reenergize my wardrobe by finding different combinations for putting things together; it’s like being a painter or sculptor who has a finite amount and variety of materials to work with at a given time in order to make something artistic.”
This is an opportunity to be inventive. “I think we place a lot of expectation in how we want to look, and it strips the joy from dressing rather than having it be a process of discovery and delight.”
Being inventive feels good, and feel-good brain chemicals sparks the confidence you need to just go for it.
Always asking questions,
—Leanne Delap
