It would be easy to pick on someone like Brooke Hogan or Bianca Gascoigne this week – girls, you make it so easy – but let's take a moment instead to praise someone who always gets it right... even when she's getting it wrong. Ladies and gents, I give you Dame Vivienne Westwood.
Us Brits love an eccentric, and Vivienne pretty personifies the term. Carrot-coloured hair (I can say that, I'm ginger?) Check. Fuchsia granny-style cardigan (that probably cost £500)? Check. Weird blue tights that make you look diseased? Check. Bicycle, badges, clumpy shoes and slightly hysterical face? Check, check, check, and check again.
I won't mention the dress because I assume it's one of hers and even though I think it looks weird all buttoned up, it's awesome.
Sometimes I feel like we bandy the term 'eccentric' around a bit, especially over here, but I don't think anyone could dispute that Viv deserves the title. This woman, arguably Britain's most respected and revered designer, rocked up to the premiere of eco film The Age of Stupid on a bicycle, dressed in what can only be described as an 'assortment' of clothes, neon hair flowing in the wind...and that's just fine.
Can you imagine someone like Diane von Furstenberg (probably Viv's US counterpart in terms of longevity and influence) in that get up? Even self-styled eccentric European designers like Viktor & Rolf tend to look disappointingly normal in real life. Boring!
So, while we (well, I) may mock the Brookes and Biancas of this world for daring to try something a little different, maybe it's worth remembering that this experimental mentality and refusal to conform to the norm is the exact same reason why we love and respect other people so much...
Pics c/o of Zimbio