" Eccentric"- unconventional in appearance or behaviour [ Oxford Dictionary] ... in other words, " eccentric" can be defined as " special", " amazing", " iconic" ...
I had this topic in mind from three days ago, after walking down the streets and noticing few people whom I would like to describe as " different", people who left a strong impression on the others, but unfortunately not a positive one as they have left on me.
I am sure that all of us have wondered at least once why people react so coarsely when it comes to unusual. I have seen a lot of those and I decided to write this in order to prove that being different is not always odd ( though I am sure that none of those judgemental " brutes" will read this), on the contrary, it is the salt and sugar of this world. There is no use in hiding who we are, all of us have habits, hobbies or passions that to others may seem strange or inadequate; strange does not always have a negative connotation and eccentric does not refer to something bad.
In my opinion, being " unconventional" is equivalent to showing your real self to the whole world, screaming who you are and saying " I don't care what you think about me, love me or hate me, at least I have taken my mask off". I admit it: I almost never had the courage to prove myself, to act like I don't give any damn, just do whatever I feel. I always have this self-control... which is good, but still... Instead, when it comes about clothes, I always like to " spice" things up a bit. As a famous song says, " I was raised on rock" and I kept on living on electric guitars, leather jackets and pants, big boots, bandanas and so on, especially when I was in primary school or in Highschool. In the same time, the women in my family have always been very feminine, fashionable and stylish. A lady on a bike... can you think of anything better? I would describe my actual style as classy but hardly accessorised. I don't dress to kill everyday( 10 hours of courses/ day do not allow me to do that), but any other time when I leave home I wear sober clothes, mysterious black is my ally, but heavy accessories (made of colored textile or metal). I don't look that shocking, maybe not even that eye-catching but if it had been up to me, I would have worn the Eiffel Tower as a hat. I am not that kind, I somehow( I don't know why) care if I " offend" the others.
I am not here to talk about my personal style tonight, but about the eccentrics. Imagine the world without them: art wihtout Salvador Dali`, Barcelone without Antoni Gaudi, rock music without Jim Morrison or Ozzy Osbourne, Fashion without Coco Chanel( one of the first women who dressed up in pants) or John Galliano. They are all special and amazing and iconic as I said at the begining. In Fashion, there can be as much eccentricity as you like, only one condition: do not become
kitsch ! Clothing is the first choice of an eccentric, then there comes the attitude and then the passions.
Here are some examples of eccentricity from 3 women I admire for their personal, powerful style: Daphne Guiness, Anna Dello Russo and Lady Gaga:
Daphne Guiness Anna Dello Russo
Lady Gaga
Caroline Issa x LK Bennett shoes(NY Fall)
Fendi shoes[left] (Milan Fall)
Fendi shoes(Paris Spring)
J.W.Anderson for Aldo shoes(NY Spring)
Jason Wu(London Spring)
Valentino shoes(Milan Spring)
Liz Cabral for Aldo shoes(London Spring)
YSL shoes(Milan Spring)
Peter Pilotto shoes(Milan Spring)
Thabita Simmons shoes(London Fall)
(Milan Spring)
