Be bold, be British

WITH the release of the second Sex and the City film on 27 May there will be a collective sigh across the land and a lament from women everywhere that they want to be styled by cool fashionista Patricia Field.
"I wish I could dress like that all of the time - I wish I could take my wardrobe to a whole new level," a friend of mine said this week after seeing the film trailer.
And she wasn't talking about the designer labels either, but the combinations of colours, styles, patterns and the ever-refreshing twist given to each outfit seen on Carrie and co. 

True these are New York ladies with money to burn but apart from that, are they really so far removed from us? 
Is their eclectic fashion ever suitable for us mere mortals?
Actually, I would argue that as a Brit, you have more encouragement than most to dress like that.  Last week my French mother told me about a middle-aged couple she had seen walking down the street; he was wearing a burnt orange cord suit, she was in a long tutu with a raincoat slung over the top.
As other shoppers stopped to witness the spectacular sight, mum smiled and told me later: "It's only something you would see in Britain and I love it." 

And she has a point. As a nation we are known for being eccentric (bog snorkelling and cheese racing anyone?), but cool Britannia is still a phrase commonly heard too and I think the two ideas are very closely linked.
After all, when was the last time you saw someone in comfortable jeans, shapeless sportswear top and bland trainers and felt a deep respect and admiration for them?

It's our ability to be eccentric which has earned us a place on the fashion radar. 
There doesn't have to be any hard and fast rules about fashion so when you choose your clothes in the morning, the last thought you should have is: "Does this top stand out too much?" or whether the colours clash.  Sure you can dress accordingly to the occasion, whether it's office wear or a weekend look with friends and family, but don't for a minute consider that you are confined to blending in with the background or that you don't deserve to look good.

Clothes aren't about how much they cost - they are about how much they make you feel.
And if that feeling is less than £1million, then don't bother with it; your country needs you goddammit.