Samantha Cameron and Victoria Beckham.
Does fashion reflect life? That was the question at the British Fashion Awards held at the Savoy theatre last week, and specifically what the fashion photographer Nick Knight got me thinking about.
If sharing a table with the model Lara Stone and Victoria Beckham isn’t enough to convince you, then a teary Naomi Campbell accepting her Special Recognition Award by dedicating it to more women of colour in fashion, or Celine’s Phoebe Philo perching next to Victoria Beckham for an especially long chat, should get the synapses firing.
Aside from the fact that fashion is an influential multi billion pound industry, which on numbers alone is on par with Football, the power of fashion is as an expressive extension of ourselves. Most of us have a memory of the importance of a favourite dress on a first date or an interview. Mine is a midnight blue shift dress I wore on my first date with my now husband.
It was clear at the Savoy that the most successful designers, brands, photographers, and models, tap into this sense of identity. They help give us confidence, show our allegiances, get attention, or help us fit in. Fashion becomes a way to communicate, or as Nick Knight explained, his work is a reflection of the way he sees life.
Maybe football isn’t, but fashion still qualifies as a beautiful game.