“Change your shoes, change your life.”
That’s the motto that is emblazoned on the window of the Edward Mueller shoe store on Collins Street, and it’s really gotten me to thinking. Can clothes and shoes really change your life? I know it sounds like a bit of a vapid and shallow question, but stay with me.
I think the answer is yes – clothes make a definite impact on the way you feel about yourself and the way you are perceived by others. Your clothes are part of your image, and when you change them you do change a part of your life.
I know this because I’ve recently become a little obsessed with watching Trinny and Susannah (T&S). I know, I know, they can be more than a little annoying. And I accept that all their poking, prodding and general bossiness can become tiresome after a while. They’re forever rolling their eyes skywards, sighing, giving each other knowing looks and muttering curses under their breath.
But although their style rules can seem so strict they border on militant and ridiculous, they actually do work and the result is often life-changing for their subjects.
What’s interesting about T&S is that their focus isn’t really on the latest trends or being fashion forward, it’s about getting women to feel better about themselves and their bodies; giving them confidence and making them feel beautiful.
In their latest endeavour, T&S venture down under to make over Australia. For the most part they’re making Aussie women ditch the track pants, the black and the boxy boring corporate suiting we seem so fond of – and replacing them with clothes that celebrate shape and welcome colour.
The women who feature on the show are basically running low on confidence. Many have had children, some have gotten older, others have lost or gained weight, been through divorces or lost partners. Their lives and bodies have changed and somewhere along the line they’ve lost focus on themselves and other things, other people and other demands have taken over.
T&S remind us of the importance of taking some time for ourselves. Even if it’s just for a short while, it’s important to put yourself first for a moment and feel good. Because how you look is important. And I don’t mean important to other people – although that is a factor – I mean important to yourself, how you feel and what you do.
If you feel happier and more confident in the way you look, this confidence will automatically spill into other areas of your life. Perhaps you will feel more motivated, more productive, more willing to take risks and try new things.
After all the shoving, poking, painting, plucking and waxing is done, the women on the T&S show do seem genuinely happy. They strut down the catwalk with unbridled joy, they’re excited, suddenly they’re enjoying clothes again. They are happy they’ve had some time for themselves and to look how they’ve always wanted to. Most importantly, they’re happy with what they see in the mirror – and how often can we say that?
When TV has become overrun with shows about weight loss, dieting and plastic surgery, T&S are oddly refreshing. They’re not about shedding pounds, they’re about celebrating women’s bodies and finding solutions that work for them.
Women are stripped to their knickers and forced to stand under glaring lights in a three way mirror. There are often tears, complaints about sagging breasts, big bottoms, bellies and thighs and though T&S might agree that there are some bits that could be improved, it’s the positives that they focus on.
“Look at these tits/that bum/those legs!” they shriek. “Darling, you’ve got the most wonderful set of pins… I could eat breakfast off that bottom… Your breasts really are magnificent…” they gush.
They find the positives in each woman’s body and suddenly, the woman realises that things aren’t as bad as she thought.
And that’s a lesson for all of us – it’s never as bad as you think. We’re much more critical of our own bodies than others are; we find fault so easily. A lump of cellulite on a bum cheek sends us reaching for a diet shake or embarking on some ridiculous diet.
We exaggerate every flaw and we waste precious time obsessing over a dress size. A good outfit can make you forget all of it, and T&S show us that we can look good at any age, stage or size, we just need to devote a little of our energy into believing it.