Wendy Brandes Jewelry Blog

Never Is the Next New Thing

Ossie Clark Is Fugging Fabulous

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Thanks to commenter Carrie for pointing out that director Lucy Walker’s vintage Ossie Clark dress made it onto Go Fug Yourself.

Courtesy of Go Fug Yourself. Click photo to read the whole post.

Carrie remembered that I had re-posted this 2004 photo of myself last month.

Click for original post of this photo.

I read Go Fug Yourself from 2004 to 2006, when comments were regularly allowed (now they’re selectively allowed.) Commenters ranged from comic geniuses who tried to outdo the bloggers in hilarity to people who seemed determined to prove they were dumb fucks. Didn’t a great man once say, “Better to step away from the keyboard and be thought a dumb fuck than to type ‘u r jellus’ and remove all doubt“? It was the dumb fucks and h8ers who helped me develop my Wear What You Want policy, which has been part of this blog since I started blogging in July 2007. “Too much good taste can be boring,” said Diana Vreeland, and so can too much negativity.   I felt like hardly anyone was deemed acceptable — everyone was too dressed up, too casual, too wild, or too conservative. They were wearing the right dresses at the wrong events. Shoes were either too impractical or too business-like. Complaints about TV stars snapped on set wearing puffa coats or Ugg boots with their glam TV wardrobe because they were trying to stay comfortable during a 16-hour day on the set? Zzzzz. Wake me up when the actors wear that evening-gown-and-Uggs combo on the red carpet and I’ll try to care a little.  And people who are deliberately dressing outrageously to get noticed, like Bai Ling, can be fun to dissect, but after the 100th bad outfit — obviously selected because fashion police are the only people who care about her — it’s kind of silly to get outraged. For some people, you need to say, “Yeah. It’s Cher. That’s what she does,” and move on.

I speak from personal experience when I say it’s more fun to be considered a fashion disaster than to be a perfectly acceptable — and invisible — wallflower.

I love to re-post this image. Click for the original post.

You’re never going to be ahead of the fashion pack if you don’t take any chances. Maybe you don’t want to be a leader. Maybe you want to be right in the middle and go unnoticed. That’s fine. But if you do want to stand out, remember my other fashion philosophy: Never Is the Next New Thing™. Leopard is EVERYWHERE now. You can’t swing a dead leopard without hitting leopard Lanvin, leopard Dolce & Gabbana, leopard Louboutins, leopard accessories, leopard, leopard, leopard. Like red lipstick, leopard never truly goes away — it just takes occasional vacations before bursting into popularity again — so I won’t take credit for starting the latest leopard love affair by wearing that 1980s Patrick Kelly gown (Yeah, I know it looks like a catsuit from that angle, but it’s a dress!) in front of a bunch of cameras in 2008. But when I say something is in the air, believe. Can’t wait to see y’all in your knickers.

UPDATED TO ADD: More Vreeland quotes, including one about lettuce, can be found in her New York Times obituary.

UPDATED AGAIN TO ADD: Siouxsie Law wrote a great post on wearing at least some of what you want in the corporate world while still holding onto your job.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. I dont see the point in being interested in fashion unless you wear what you wantTM.

    I look forward to the day when I am put on a worst dressed list, but sadly, Colorado Springs does not have one of those.

    This is why I like Taylor Momsen. She is so stubborn! And the more black she puts around her eyes, the more she is sticking it to people who call her a prostitot, in my opinion. its not an empty gesture after all of the criticism she’s gotten!!

    • Totally agree with you on Taylor! First of all, that’s a fairly typical teenage girl look so I don’t know why people are shocked — SHOCKED! I do have other concerns about how she’s being parented. Seems a little Lohan-ish to me because I’ve certainly seen her out and about, smoking cigarettes at adult parties. But as far as her appearance, the more black eyeliner the better. I couldn’t get enough of it when I was her age.

  5. Man are you ever right. And I’m delighted to hear that your philosophy of dress stems from a retaliation against the idea that there IS a wrong way to dress.

  6. Right on with taking chances, but did someone tell Lucy Walker to Go Fug Herself right before snapping that pic? She looks like she needs a hug. Dresses look better with smiles, not scowls.

    • She does look stressed! I don’t know anything about her. Maybe she’s nervous in front of cameras? Or maybe she was worried about her top untying. I definitely was!

  8. “Too much good taste can be boring”–I’ll have to keep that quote in mind because it so perfectly describes the red carpet snoozefests in the last couple of years.

  9. I cannot believe the fugged that Ossie Clark! Of all the Ossies, THAT one?! You rocked it back in 2004 Wendy! I agree with you – I think the Fug girls have run their course. It’s tired. While I may not agree with people’s fashion choices, at least they make a choice. They aren’t happily mediocre.

    And dissing an Ossie? Their jus jellus!

  10. You look way awesomer in that dress and I’m not just kissing your ass…
    I think people don’t like Taylor Momsen because she is so contrived and unoriginal.

    • You don’t lose points for ass-kissing around here, hon.

      And Taylor — yeah, girls that age often are contrived and unoriginal. I wasn’t exactly making waves with my eye makeup. I was copying Joan Jett! And I got my motorcycle jacket from Bloomie’s. I mean, really!

  11. Can’t imagine what it feels like to read that one is a trashy bad dresser … what’s with the snarky remarks.

    Or as Ms. Vreeland could have said “why don’t you say something nice.”

  12. I can’t help but still be entertained by the rare gem of a disaster that pops up on the fug girls. I hardly agree with at least 50% of their criticisms. It ends up feeling petty a good amount of the time so I don’t have them on my reader anymore. It’s still fun to check the site out once in a blue moon though.

    And that dress looks adorable on both you and Lucy (well, maybe if she looked a bit more happy)! It’s summertime! Have some damn fun!

    • Agree, once in a while there is something great but too much pettiness for me to check in regularly, looking for that rare gem.

      Wouldn’t it be funny if there were 1,000 pictures of Lucy taken a mere second later where she was beaming?

      • Oh you know they use the worst picture they can find, and their clever writing has definitely suffered over the past year or two.

        PS – I am soooo on the knicker train!

  13. Miss J thinks “Mee-ouch” should be WendyB’s catch-phrase. Let’s try it:

    “Mee-ouch- this Wrinkled Slut is strong!”

    “Mee-ouch! That Paul McCartney is my almost-husband.”

    Yeah, its catchin’ on.

  14. I love that dress on you. 😀

    I’ve never really been into GFY. I check in once in awhile, but…meh. I’m not impressed. Then again, maybe I started blogging after they started to get boring/petty.

  19. I totally subscribe to the “wear what you want” policy as well. Dressing to the standards of others can be boring and is the opposite of expressing your own creativity. Plus, I think that Ossie Clark dress is gorgeous, anyway!

  20. Hell yes, Wendy! To me there’s nothing worse than not being noticed. Better to take chances and shake things up a bit.

    Also, I NEED some knickers in my life.

  21. I really want to do the knicker thing.

    I’ve always loved that leopard dress on you, and the rest of the world/whoever doesn’t like it can stick it!

    (My captcha was “obsvmode” again!)

  22. I forgot to mention your bravery/brass huevos in wearing the Ossie: not because it’s “fug,” but because of the cutout under the bust!

    Genius! Bravery! Lack of inhibitions!

  23. “I speak from personal experience when I say it’s more fun to be considered a fashion disaster than to be a perfectly acceptable — and invisible — wallflower.”

    thoroughly applaud that statement. . .

    some commentators and detractors sometimes seem to do it for the sake of sounding clever or to justify their existence, but wear what you want is a darned good policy.

  24. OMFG I knew I recognised that dress when I saw it on GFY. I love it, love Ossie Clark, you look wonderful in it. I agree GFY are trying way too hard. Some of the outfits they dis are uncommonly gorgeous.

  25. Eh, I enjoy GFY – I’m not going to get my panties in a twist (not suggesting anyone is here, of course) over what people wear, but I do enjoy the writing and seeing all the fun clothes. I would LOVE to be singled out and fugged.

    I think you are my idol, however, Wendy, for wearing whatever the f**k you want. I strive to emulate you. 🙂 My dream is to be splashed across a fashion page as a disaster!

  27. Ah, Ms. Vreeland said it right! And so did you… but you added “dumb fuck.” Yes! Oh, and you know that you look 100X better in that Ossie Clark!!
    Oh, and we hate wallflowers!

  29. I love that Ossie dress and don’t think Lucy Walker looked that bad. And you look fantastic in it. Better to make a statement than never get noticed anyway.

  34. I am personally of the opinion that nothing can be a fashion faux pas if leopard, red (anywhere and everywhere), paisley, and metallic are involved.

    Christine

  35. I love BOTH of your dresses, which makes me glad i’m not famous; i’d never be off the worst dressed list. The Ossie in particular looks amazing on you x

  37. fashion reviews are a whole lot more fun when the trainwrecks and risk takers are all involved. the most boring oscar shows are when everybody looks “nice.”

    your dress DOES look like a cat suit! meOW!

  38. I also had to quit reading GFY because it went from making me snap out of my “all celebrities are perfect” mindset to annoying the hell out of me because they often veered on seeming catty and repetitive.

    I have said it before and I’ll say it again, I think your leopard look is bad ass.

  40. Wendy the comments are off on the post about your Sale. I am so proud of myself I have never pressed a share button before but did and now I have your sale post on my Twitter. I am getting more technical by the day!

  41. Ido love reading the fug girls commentary just because they write amusingly. But I often also love the outfit they are criticising, and this dress is FABULOUS Xxx

  42. That dress is gorge.
    I always visit GoFugYourself when I want to see interesting outfits; there’s way too much “safe” in the world lately…although I find it really hard not to get sucked into…

  45. agreed completely. i don’t know what that go fug yourself site even is. i can’t really be bothered with negative sites. too much of that going around without having to go searching for it. imo. i sure love the he** out of you though, that is for sure.

    xxx
    t

  48. oh, you are so great wendy!
    i love Diana Vreeland’s “too much good taste” quote. may i be a copy-cat and add it to my blog? i’m sure you won’t mind. great quote! i totally agree!!!
    and also, i admire you for being who you are! wish i were that honest in fashion and wore what I wanted!

  50. For the record, I love the leopard dress. You are so right, it is way better to stand out. And more fun.
    Life is short, might as well go for it.

    Thanks for the link love. I am a big fan.

    xoxo,

    Siouxsie