Unfashionable blogger Scarlett London shares her style tips

Originally from St Albans, she attended the opening of the new Debenhams at intu Watford last month. Ahead of the big day I had the chance to speak to her about fashion and her own personal style. Here’s what she told me...

I’ll be completely honest with you here - despite being a full-time fashion and lifestyle blogger, I know very little about fashion. I wouldn’t consider myself trendy, nor particularly stylish and I truly believe I’ve made so many faux pas that I should win some kind of award.

I will never let myself forget the time I turned up to a family outing at a garden centre in a black leather skirt, knee high fluffy boots, a feathered jumper with a sequin rabbit emblazoned on the front and an equally flamboyant headband. I thought I looked like Blair Waldorf from the TV show Gossip Girl.

The pictures from that day prove otherwise.

In fact, it was upon seeing that particular set of pictures that I finally decided to stop following trends, because not everything suited me. To develop my style, I needed to discover what suited me, my personality and my shape rather than reaching for everything in the ‘New In’ section.

And so to this day, I’ve stuck to this mantra and it’s largely served me well. Minus a few interesting combinations (but we won’t talk about those).

You see personal style and totally transcends trends…

The girl next door

On a couple of occasions I’ve heard myself described as the ‘girl-next-door’. I’m largely quite ordinary. I tend to favour more classic styles and shapes over anything too ‘un-me’. I’m not very adventurous and I am completely aware of that.

I could take this as a criticism, but then again, I suppose the ‘girl-next-door’ tag is quite complimentary. A quick Google search defines this as ‘a person or type of person perceived as familiar. approachable, and dependable’.

Some people might question whether someone so ordinary should have a platform in the ‘fashion’ world at all. Sometimes I question it myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love experimenting with style – but my go-to looks are pretty samey and while I used to worry about what others might think about this, I now embrace that my style is what it is. Ordinary doesn’t have to be boring – and it’s what makes me feel good.

There have been so many occasions where I’ve bought a dress or playsuit that has been a little out of my comfort zone. And the intention to wear it was there, but it’s then sat collecting dust at the back of my wardrobe. So back comes the black jeans, white top and camel coat. Style isn’t necessarily the same as ‘fashion’. Fashion for me means something that’s ‘in Vogue’, something fashion-able, style is what, when and how you wear it.

Body shape

I am a big believer that you should dress for your body shape, not with regards to limitations but in terms of what you feel happy, comfortable and sassy in. When I was in my teens, I used to blindly follow what my friends were wearing as I thought I’d look out of place if I didn’t.

I was a curvy size 12 to 14 and my friends were tiny at size six or eight, yet I couldn’t understand why I didn’t look like them in the crop tops and mini skirts. They made me feel fat and frumpy, but I wasn’t – I had a great figure, I just needed to learn how to dress it to enhance and compliment it.

I’m not saying a size 12 to 14 person shouldn’t wear crop tops and mini skirts, but for me, at that time, it made me feel uncomfortable and I was stuck in a constant spiral of comparison.

Now, nearly ten years on, I have a totally different body shape and I’ve had to learn all over again what works for me and what doesn’t.

What I’ve learned most is not to be critical of what you can’t wear or things that you don’t feel suits you best. Don’t feel pressured to go for a certain silhouette just because it’s trendy. Stick to what you know and what makes you feel fabulous. By all means experiment with different fashion items but don’t critique your body shape, it’s the dress, not you.

Key Pieces

One of my favourite quotes is “I’ve never seen elegance go out of style“, because it’s oh so true.

Those classic trenches, LBD’s and classic black stilettos have transcended decades of fluctuating trends and I truly believe that there are some key pieces that every woman ought to treat herself too, because they’ll remain staples forever more.

Every girl needs a LBD that makes her feel fabulous (who cares if you wear it again and again, you can accessorise it to make it something new) and a red lipstick that makes her feel like she can conquer the world. I know I have. Key pieces are totally underestimated and overlooked when it comes to fashion, but there’s so much to benefit from having four to five classic favourites that you can mix and match if you’re having an ‘I have NOTHING to wear‘ day.

Let’s face it, we should never underestimate the power of a good outfit on a bad day.