When fashion sense goes wrong

People can dress well (gay men). people can not give a shit how they dress (lesbians, computer programmers) but the very, very worst fashion crimes are those pulled off by people trying to be fashionable, and failing miserably.

I mean, stonewashed jeans and a slightly faded Pantera t-shirt, or badly-fitting black pants and black button-down shirt are never going to land you on the front cover of Vogue, but people will walk past you without wincing, which is more than can be said for mullets, puffball skirts and pre-teen girls wearing glittery pink eye make-up (tip, girls - if even Barbie looks embarassed to be seen in it, it's too girlie).

The sad truth is that it is always the people who are trying really hard, reading fashion magazines, hanging out at sample sales and scouring blogs for details of the 'must-have hits of fashion week' (awful, awful phrase) who will end up looking like utter prats. They will hear that shorts are in, platform shoes are 'so now' and you literally have to be seen in a to-die-for silk blouse with bow detail, they will wear them all at once, probably with some kind of overdone bouffant hairdo and 'statement' make-up. They will look terrible.

My no-fail fashion advice - just before you leave the house, look in the mirror and if you think you look like last month's Vogue cover, go change.