Happy & Healthy

THE FASHION CODES AMONGST FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES

About borrowing, copycatting and hijacking

I’m under the spell of our girl Elke’s clothing style. Every time she walks in with her exciting Levi’s jeans (the Wedgie), cool Chanel-like shoes, sexy bralettes and about six thousand other things and then I haven’t even mentioned yet that she’s extremely slim too and I’m not. But let it go. Let it go! Anyways, back to what I wanted to say: last week I caught myself ordering the Wedgies and the Chanel-like shoes too. Although, buying similar things can be an issue. Then the following day I only made it harder on myself by wearing them to work.

However. On my way there, doubt kicked in. Was I about to break an extremely important fashion code? Was I about to be lynched? It’s one of those feelings of doubt that makes you nauseous, wheezy, and contemplating whether or not you need something to calm your nerves. But in the end, Elke loved the fact that I had bought the shame shoes and she didn’t mind at all. They weren’t that expensive anyway. Oh, the relief! The euphoria! I wish I had known this beforehand so I wouldn’t have felt so antsy. Now I’m hoping none of you ever end up in that situation so hereby: the five most important fashion codes amongst friends and colleagues.

Fashion code 1: Copying is allowed, in small doses

It’s fine to play the role of the copycat, but do it in (very) small doses. After asking the rest of the Amayzine girl squad, we limited it to either one huge item, or two small ones a year. If you do it more often than this it just gets annoying and awkward because people always try their best to look original and then there you are, copying all of it. BAM. How rude. Just don’t do it.

Fashion code 2: Copying is allowed, but not when it comes to expensive and/or striking items

Don’t copy something someone spent a long time saving up for. Take our girl Kiki for example. Last year she saved her ass off to buy a designer bag, but then what does a good friend of hers do (who isn’t a good friend of hers anymore)? Buys the exact same bag a week later and has the nerve to say: ‘It was on sale!’

”I thought, fine, why the heck not, I’m such a great friend”

Fashion code 3: Borrowing is allowed, but don’t claim it

Believe this or not, but I once had a colleague-friend. We worked together, went out for drinks together, dropped by each others places on a regular basis. One day when she was over at my place, she saw one of my jackets hanging in my closet that I hadn’t worn yet. The colleague-friend got really excited and asked if she could please please please borrow it for a wedding she had to attend in the weekend and this jacket was the missing link her outfit needed. I thought, fine, why the heck not, I’m such a great friend, if this is going to save her life, she can borrow it. But! The following Monday when I went to the office, what was she wearing? EXACTLY. I didn’t know how to respond and for some reason told her she could have it because it looked good on her. But a week later I wept because she had somehow managed to claim MY jacket: everyone thought it was hers and all I could do was sit and watch her get all the credit.

Fashion code 4: Don’t buy things you know someone else really wants but can’t afford

A colleague was recently out shopping with one of her best friends and fell in love with a Max Mara jacket she bumped into. The price tag wasn’t so appealing, but it was so beautiful! She nearly had a stroke, that’s how pretty it was. But unfortunately, her bank account was on the emptier side. And what happened next was not okay. Her best friend took it straight out of her hands and put it on.  It looked good on her so she walked straight to the cash register and without even a blink, swiped her card for almost two thousand euros. Condemnable for numerous reasons. First of all, it’s extremely selfish. And second of all, you’re being a complete show-off. What you’re doing is waving around your money in someone else’s face. Not chic.

”Well guys, the feeling of anger, outrage, dismay and humiliation is indescribable”

Side note. There is an exception for this rule: shoes that for some reason don’t fit can be bought by others.

Fashion code 5: Don’t hijack ideas

Friends talk A LOT. About relationships, about food, about work, about their extreme need to loose weight, about whether or not another bottle of wine should be ordered or you should go for cocktails instead, about stupid colleagues who steal your thunder and yes, about clothes too. About items that have already been bought, but also items which – as soon as checks have been cashed in – need to be bought immediately. Look, how nasty is it if that item you so desire then gets bought by someone else. Example: one of our Amayzine girls was under the magical spell of a really expensive designer bag. Seriously though: it was the first thing she thought about when she woke up and the last thing before she went to sleep kind of bag. She decided to share this with her best friend A., who wasn’t necessarily a fan of having designer bags. Not even a week later her phone rang. Friend A. was at the airport and she needed advice. Her plane would be leaving in fifteen minutes, but she didn’t know whether she should buy the blue or the black version of THE designer bag. The one our girl wanted to have. Well guys, the feeling of anger, outrage, dismay and humiliation is indescribable. So I’m going to stop. But as you would understand, that friendship didn’t really last long afterwards.