Why do you put your self esteem in the hands of complete strangers?
Helena Bonham CarterRead
Wear what you feel comfortable with. People say nasty things about what I wear in the street. I'm always in worst dressed lists, but you just have to dress for yourself and nobody else.
Interpretation
This quote encourages individuals to wear what makes them feel comfortable, regardless of others' opinions.
Helena Bonham Carter's quote emphasizes the importance of self-expression through clothing choices. Despite facing criticism and being labeled poorly in fashion circles, she advocates for personal comfort and authenticity over conforming to societal standards. The underlying message is to prioritize one's own feelings about fashion rather than succumb to external judgments.
In practice
During a fashion seminar, I shared this quote to inspire young designers to focus on comfort in their designs.
Why do you put your self esteem in the hands of complete strangers?
Sometimes I get it right and I sometimes I get it wrong. But fashion is all about having fun. I think fashion has been hijacked by the fashion industry creating rules on what one should wear and I feel like breaking the mold and seeing that the world won’t crumble.
I just went and got an agent because I thought I can create my own world - you can't right your own life, but you can escape to a world where you can have control.
Sometimes I go, “What am I doing with my life?” But then I get letters from young women, or people come up to me, and they say, “You’ve made such a difference to my confidence.” And that is a good thing. I should read more fan mail though. I’m crap at responding.
My life had been very work-orientated, and all in close-up. Once I had the family, it went into sudden widescreen.
Very early on, you figure out that you put your self-esteem in the hands of strangers. There's a different commodity. There's the Helena Bonham Carter that everyone thinks they know, who really has nothing to do with me. But you just have to let that go.
The dress must follow the body of a woman, not the body following the shape of the dress.
Fashion can be about escapism but I have always been interested in the aspirational side of it - wanting to present the self you hope eventually to become.
I want to make beautiful clothes for women and men who appreciate detail and quality. The product must be the best but this is almost secondary to the service the customer will receive.
Go out there and try on everything - short skirts, long skirts, mid length, little jackets, men's clothing - and really look at yourself; really walk around in the clothes. Don't just take someone else's advice. You must feel you in these clothes and feel what it's like to live in them.
It pains me physically to see a woman victimized, rendered pathetic, by fashion.
There is no fashion for the old.
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