Fabulous vs Fashion Faux Pas

Fashion is what you buy, Style is what you do with it. There has never been a time in which this quote has been more apt, than for this post. Everyone is talking about the $8000 Balmain leopard print pencil skirt fashion clash between Victoria Beckham and Kim Kardashian - the two were styled so differently that I only realised it was the same skirt after a second look!

In July this year, Kim wore the skirt with a black and nude textured top (Balmain) and paired it with nude Hermes sandals. She wore her hair all back with a severe middle parting. I think the top and bottom would have worked had it been styled differently with more neutral pairings. Victoria Beckham, on the other hand, paired the skirt with a high-necked black shirt and pointy-toed heels and left her hair in casual waves. On one hand we have fabulous and on the other hand we have faux pas.

I've seen hundred of polls on "Who wore it best" and as expected, Victoria Beckham reigned supreme with a whopping 90% of people voting for her look. Now I'm no Joan Rivers, but what I would like to know is, WHO are these 10% of people who voted for Kim?? At one point, Kim Kardashian was THE ultimate style icon and girls would have killed to have her closet. Nowadays, those same girls will not go near it with a ten foot pole (myself included!) Her looks have reverted from simple and classy to outrageous and fussy. For fashions sake, Kim, fire your stylist.

In April this year, I wore a similar leopard print skirt to my cousins pre-nuptial barbeque dinner. I paired the skirt with a black shirt and round-toed black heels. My general rule is if the bottom is bold, make sure the top is understated (and vice-versa.) I chose a solid colour top as the print was bold and I did not want to distract from it. I chose simple black and gold accessories on my neck and arm to compliment but not distract from the skirt.

Skirt - Jane Norman
Shirt - Alcott Boutique

The fashion and faux pas of Kim and Victoria emphasises that even the most fashion-forward items of clothing MUST be styled well to avoid faux pas. You can't go wrong with simplicity and less is most definitely more.

Positive vibes & The Mandatory xoxo
Hali