Models Make Fashion Possible

"Models make fashion possible.
They make the extremes of design seem attractive because of their perfect beauty – the poreless, flawless tans; The zero-fat tautness, the nubile waists and necks and tiny, little pin heads; The dense heads of hair brunette or blond; The magnificent legs and the glossiness of extreme youth. Anything would work on them, even the most outré of designer fashion. And that’s where accessories come in. For the rest of us mere mortals, with our untidy office-honed physiques, our secret, unbidden bulges and wrinkles, there are shoes, and bags, and sunglasses (and the patronizingly named ‘small leather goods’!). You may not have the stature to wear cropped multi-pleated Hammer pants, but hey, there’s that pair of fancy croco lace-ups that will add two inches to your self-esteem. You may not be brave (or foolish) enough to wear a leopard print jacket with metal studs but there’s a bag for you somewhere in the same collection that won’t make you look like an interesting ottoman.
Colour, too, can be thought of as an accessory in the way that wearing a splash of brilliant colour can really turn a dreary outfit around immediately, and improve your mood considerably. A bold red loafer, a royal blue shirt, a brightly patterned Hermes scarve, are all painless, easy ways to adopt colour into a too-staid wardrobe.
A menswear staple that can work as a figure-enhancing accessory is the jacket. A classic jacket will do the trick if like me, you feel fashion has left you behind, along with a waist, which I last had in 1990."