There are certain things that naturally, instinctively stylish people do, which mean they just look stylish even when wearing jogging bottoms. I haven’t got to the bottom of all of these things that they do, but I am slowly winkling them out, one by one.
One rule that I know many stylish people follow without thinking about it is the One Colourful Thing rule. If you are wearing all white and navy or grey and black or whatever, you add one colourful thing. Not two! Or you stray into Mad Lady territory.
Tedious fashion douchebags call the One Colourful Thing rule a “colour pop” but I cannot use that phrase because it’s so awful and nauseating. It makes me want to set fire to my laptop and go and find something better to do.
Anyway you do not need to be a tedious fashion doucebag, into harem pants, ugly Ferragamo-style block heels YUK or SnapChat in order to follow the One Colourful Thing rule. You could be a punk, or my mum or a professional gardener or a schoolteacher. My bank manager, Anne, follows the One Colourful Thing rule and always looks terrific even though she is forced to dress like a bank manager.
This is probably the first and easiest thing you can do in order to raise your style game even one notch, if that’s a thing you want to do (and if not, Jesus, good for you – sometimes life is too short for this shit.)
It’s the thing I started doing when my son, Sam, started walking and turned from hysterical, clingy, part-honey badger moron into a normal toddler who could be left for 2 secs while I thought about what to wear.
Don’t get me wrong! I am an absolute slob: when I talk about One Colourful Thing I mean adding a bright scarf to an outfit that otherwise consists of navy joggers, white Supergas, a checked shirt and a denim jacket. We are not talking Dries Van Noten here – do you have any idea the number of spillages I have to avoid every day? Do you have any idea the number of times I am successful in avoiding those spillages? I’ll leave it there.
The One Colourful Thing does not have to be expensive or exciting – or even an item of clothing. The other day I successfully used a free bright green cloth bag as my One Colourful Thing with an otherwise dreary outfit of blue boyfriend jeans, a black sweater and my prison white Nike Air Force 1s. I felt verily the “ting” (as my friend Irish Mary would say) as I strolled to Sainsbury’s for some milk.
Some other people following the One Colourful Thing rule:
See what she’s done here?
Ugh I just die for Taylor Swift. Love. Her. Without the green bag? Insane granny outfit. With the green bag? Gorgeous down-to-earth starlet. It’s all about the One Colourful Thing.
Esther! Loving the new blog already.
This article has made my day – I am ‘working this look’ (kill me now) due to my 1year old having emptied YOGHURT into my usual black handbag. Silver linings an all that (well, strawberry flavoured linings in this case).
oh my GOD!!!! little scoundrel.
I love that you have a bank manager. And that she’s called Anne (although it would be better if you didn’t know her Christian name). It’s beautifully 1972.
anne has my entire life in her hands
My non-walking toddler (he’s 18 months old! WALK ffs!) is still a part honey-badger moron, and some days manically rereading that post you wrote on Recipe Rifle about how Sam massively cheered up once he could walk, is literally the only thing which keeps me sane (bad form to bring up Recipe Rifle on your new blog? Bit like keep banging on to Colin Firth about Mr Darcey, whilst ignoring all his recent work?)
I would be really surprised if your toddler didn’t cheer up once he could start walking. I had 2 late walkers and it’s horrible. Really horrible. My latest theory (I am obsessed) is that it’s tall children, or children with long backs (I have a long back, but I’m not tall) walk late. You’re in my prayers. But seriously just hang on a bit longer and he’ll be up on his feet and you won’t know yourself! I don’t mind at all bringing up Recipe Rifle! It’s not “previous work”, more like the first in what I reckon will be a trilogy of blogs..
He’s tall AND had a long back. Theory proved!
Has a long back, not had. Just realised I made it sound like he was either dead or had a shrinking spine.