Sunday, January 13, 2008

You can't have one without the other

I've heard it said that smokers who make a habit of lighting up whilst drinking, find it really hard not to smoke if there's already a pint (or a shot glass or whatever) sitting on front of them. And vice versa.

Well, I seem to find it hard not to go clothes shopping every time I watch one of those fashion-rescue shows on tv.

(Beware: the following paragraphs are a bit of a link-a-palooza for women addicted to fashion self-help).

First there was What Not to Wear shows (that's the BBC series i.e. this one and this one). These shows made me realise I could possibly get away with never going to the gym again, if only I can find the right clothes.

When I started reading the Trinny and Susannah books (the latest being The Body Shape Bible), I couldn't decide whether I'm a shapelier-calved cello or a wider-waisted hourglass. But I was inspired to chuck out tonnes of stuff that I never wear any more - I just have a very crowded hallway, because all those bags of op-shop destined garments have to go somewhere, for the time being.

There was, briefly, even a Kiwi fashion-rescue show, called Does My Bum Look Big? (as you can tell, we Kiwis just get straight to the point with our tv show titles). They used letters of the alphabet to categorise body types. I smugly put myself in the "X" category and determined to find clothes that defined my waist. But, y'know, if I had a tiny waist like true X-er Marilyn Monroe did, then I wouldn't need to.

That's not to mention the botox-friendly Ten Years Younger, with its overtly posh-sounding host, (and its Kiwi version), and How To Look Good Naked, which spends most of its screen time advising each client how to look good un-naked (there is nudity, but host Gok is a bent as a Quasimodo lookalike so I guess that's pretty non-threatening). Funnily enough, Gok is always advocating the use of those industrial-strength, flab-controlling undergarments euphemistically known as body shapers.

And now that Tim Gunn's Guide to Style (hosted by that most helpful and judicious man from Project Runway) has started showing on Friday nights, I am more likely than ever, to spend my occasional free hours hunting and gathering through the cowpat-ridden fields of fashion.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well I have no ambition to go out and shop after seeing those shows - I've stopped watching them because I just got too depressed thinking about my sad purchasing decisions. Needless to say Him Indoors thinks I look great in anything but especially nothing - which isn't good for the public...8-)

Violet said...

It's probably just as well, as this leaves you with more money and free time :-)
BTW I've been trying to remember to call you for weeks, to arrange a social visit. I'll get there...

Angela said...

Not being able to actually see the television has saved me from that kind of addiction. I do love the law shows though

Watson Woodworth said...

I've gone anti-fashion for a while due to fatigue & penury.
May pick it back up (or at least not look like a surly drunk who's actually completely sober) when I get back into shape in the new town.

Violet said...

angela: so does being blind make you immune to fashion? Or just less so than sighted folks?

zephra: I hope it's not a lie, because I'm depending on those exta-large patch pockets on my jeans to do exactly that, for me!

nigel: secondhand shops? But you need lots of patience to sift through the junk, and I don't have that.

Watson Woodworth said...

Oh you sure do unless you enjoy repairing the clothes you just bought.
Luckily there's so many second hand shops that workwear isn't at all hard to find.