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If it was fashionable to put bright green paint on your face, would you do it? After all - it worked with bright orange. All they did was change the name to "Fake Tan".

That's the sort of thing I think about in everyday life. When I walk around the city centre I can't help but notice how everyone has copied the haircuts of celebrities - the Victoria Beckham bob, the Amy Winehouse beehive, or more commonly the typical D-Lister's bleached blonde hair, ironed straight with extensions that almost match. This is all a bit of fun, but it gets more serious when I go home and switch on the television and see the documentaries about anorexia on Channel Four, with girls so thin they could snap in half because they wanted to look as beautiful as their idols on the catwalk.

Of course, this is what fashion is all about. That's what this blog is all about - popular ways to dress, do your hair or apply make-up. But if everyone was to wear the same thing then surely the said fashion would no longer be special? It's like that song by Groove Armada; "if everybody looked the same, we'd get tired of looking at each other." To be fashionable all you have to do is copy people - except I don't want you to be fashionable. I want you to be a Style Icon. A Style Icon takes little garments of something popular and puts their own spin on it, to make something that flatters their body shape, suits their personality, and could be described as on-trend. It's a difficult task, but it's so worth it when everyone on the street turns their head to look at you.

So, how does one become a Style Icon?

First of all you have to know what suits your body. Certain clothes look better on certain shapes: for example, wide-legged trousers. I've wanted a pair for so long, but I shall never buy them. Why? Well, I have large breasts, a small waist and wide hips, which makes me an hourglass, and then have skinny legs and arms. As my legs and arms are the most skinny parts of my body I have to show that in my clothes by wearing skinny jeans - if I were to wear wide-legged trousers, then it would look like my legs are the same width as my wide hips, making me look about a stone heavier than I actually am.

So look in the mirror and see what your shape is - the most common are hourglass (like me), pears, and apples. Pear-shaped women tend to be flat-chested then have wider hips and thighs. Apples have skinny arms and legs but have a lot of weight on their stomach and breasts, with no waist (they're like a plus-size version of an hourglass). There are other shapes too, but these are the most common. Once you know your shape, find out what's flattering. You can do this by trying on clothes in shops and seeing what makes you look thinner, by watching How to Look Good Naked, or by reading Trinny and Susannah's Bodyshape Bible.

Secondly, is to know what's in fashion. Keeping up-to-date with current trends is pretty simple - flick through magazines, watch makeover programmes, go to a crowded place and see what the most common item of clothing is... oh, and check up on this blog, obviously.

Then it gets trickier: when you've gained vast knowledge over both subjects, you combine the two. This involves a little creativity and is something you can't be taught, you have to learn it yourself. However, I do have one piece of advice that will make it a little easier: Don't rush shopping trips. Most women hunt for outfits like a lion would hunt for a gazelle - running into Primark and grabbing anything pretty, scratching other shoppers with their false nails to get the last size twelve frock then racing to the till without even trying anything on. Shopping is not a competition. Take your time, study things carefully before putting them into your basket, and remember to think "would this flatter my body shape?" Obviously, try everything on. This way you are guaranteed to buy clothes that you will wear more than once - think of all those times you've returned from your hunting trip with bags worth of goodies, but nothing fits, or looks as good on you as it did on the slim mannequins. Before you know it, they're in a plastic bag of donations that you're giving to Oxfam and all your money has been wasted.

Once you've mastered the art of making something fashionable suit you, you can add your own unique touches to it, whether they are in fashion or not. This "touch" can start off with something as simple as a piece of jewelery, then gradually build up to a dress you found in a vintage shop. As your compliments and confidence grow you'll find more outfits that you can "get away with" that you couldn't before. Remember to smile, and walk like you're the most important person the Earth has ever witnessed, and before you know it you'll be influencing others around you.

(Of course, then you'll have to cope with the annoying bit, which is when all your friends copy your outfits. I suppose everything has a catch.)

So, now we come to the end of my first article. I hope I have influenced at least one reader to leave the comfort-zone of copying trends behind and move on to becoming the one who creates the trends. I suppose the key to pulling this off is to have the confidence. A lot of women don't want to wear something special because they don't want to stand out, but the trick is once you ARE wearing something special you'll feel special. Giving yourself a bit of TLC can really boost your confidence, because if other people think you look amazing, so will you!

You never know, one day you could even start a trend of bright green face paint...

Description
If it was fashionable to put bright green paint on your face, would you do it? After all - it worked with bright orange. All they did was change the name to "Fake Tan".

That's the sort of thing I think about in everyday life. When I walk around the city centre I can't help but notice how everyone has copied the haircuts of celebrities - the Victoria Beckham bob, the Amy Winehouse beehive, or more commonly the typical D-Lister's bleached blonde hair, ironed straight with extensions that almost match. This is all a bit of fun, but it gets more serious when I go home and switch on the television and see the documentaries about anorexia on Channel Four, with girls so thin they could snap in half because they wanted to look as beautiful as their idols on the catwalk.

Of course, this is what fashion is all about. That's what this blog is all about - popular ways to dress, do your hair or apply make-up. But if everyone was to wear the same thing then surely the said fashion would no longer be special? It's like that song by Groove Armada; "if everybody looked the same, we'd get tired of looking at each other." To be fashionable all you have to do is copy people - except I don't want you to be fashionable. I want you to be a Style Icon. A Style Icon takes little garments of something popular and puts their own spin on it, to make something that flatters their body shape, suits their personality, and could be described as on-trend. It's a difficult task, but it's so worth it when everyone on the street turns their head to look at you.

So, how does one become a Style Icon?

First of all you have to know what suits your body. Certain clothes look better on certain shapes: for example, wide-legged trousers. I've wanted a pair for so long, but I shall never buy them. Why? Well, I have large breasts, a small waist and wide hips, which makes me an hourglass, and then have skinny legs and arms. As my legs and arms are the most skinny parts of my body I have to show that in my clothes by wearing skinny jeans - if I were to wear wide-legged trousers, then it would look like my legs are the same width as my wide hips, making me look about a stone heavier than I actually am.

So look in the mirror and see what your shape is - the most common are hourglass (like me), pears, and apples. Pear-shaped women tend to be flat-chested then have wider hips and thighs. Apples have skinny arms and legs but have a lot of weight on their stomach and breasts, with no waist (they're like a plus-size version of an hourglass). There are other shapes too, but these are the most common. Once you know your shape, find out what's flattering. You can do this by trying on clothes in shops and seeing what makes you look thinner, by watching How to Look Good Naked, or by reading Trinny and Susannah's Bodyshape Bible.

Secondly, is to know what's in fashion. Keeping up-to-date with current trends is pretty simple - flick through magazines, watch makeover programmes, go to a crowded place and see what the most common item of clothing is... oh, and check up on this blog, obviously.

Then it gets trickier: when you've gained vast knowledge over both subjects, you combine the two. This involves a little creativity and is something you can't be taught, you have to learn it yourself. However, I do have one piece of advice that will make it a little easier: Don't rush shopping trips. Most women hunt for outfits like a lion would hunt for a gazelle - running into Primark and grabbing anything pretty, scratching other shoppers with their false nails to get the last size twelve frock then racing to the till without even trying anything on. Shopping is not a competition. Take your time, study things carefully before putting them into your basket, and remember to think "would this flatter my body shape?" Obviously, try everything on. This way you are guaranteed to buy clothes that you will wear more than once - think of all those times you've returned from your hunting trip with bags worth of goodies, but nothing fits, or looks as good on you as it did on the slim mannequins. Before you know it, they're in a plastic bag of donations that you're giving to Oxfam and all your money has been wasted.

Once you've mastered the art of making something fashionable suit you, you can add your own unique touches to it, whether they are in fashion or not. This "touch" can start off with something as simple as a piece of jewelery, then gradually build up to a dress you found in a vintage shop. As your compliments and confidence grow you'll find more outfits that you can "get away with" that you couldn't before. Remember to smile, and walk like you're the most important person the Earth has ever witnessed, and before you know it you'll be influencing others around you.

(Of course, then you'll have to cope with the annoying bit, which is when all your friends copy your outfits. I suppose everything has a catch.)

So, now we come to the end of my first article. I hope I have influenced at least one reader to leave the comfort-zone of copying trends behind and move on to becoming the one who creates the trends. I suppose the key to pulling this off is to have the confidence. A lot of women don't want to wear something special because they don't want to stand out, but the trick is once you ARE wearing something special you'll feel special. Giving yourself a bit of TLC can really boost your confidence, because if other people think you look amazing, so will you!

You never know, one day you could even start a trend of bright green face paint...