Operation Self-Help, Book Four

Title: Eccentric Glamour
Author: Simon Doonan
Copyright 2008
Simon and Schuster, New York, NT
Dedication: "This book is dedicated to all of the crazy broads and blokes who have flung themselves off the ramparts of eccentric glamour, [either] metaphorically or literally..."
Target Audience: just all around fabulous people
Author's Credentials: honestly, if you don't know who Simon Doonan is, you might want to give up
Verdict: Read it for a giggle and empowerment

“Knowing who you really are and dressing the part -- with an air of amused recklessness -- is life affirming for you and life enhancing for other people.”

I picked this up in my Bridget Jones frenzy for two reasons. The first is that Doonan is an amazing fellow and I love pretty much anything he has ever said and probably will ever say. The second is that the cover is pretty fabulous. True story.

Doonan offers women the chance to join the ranks of Vivienne Westwood, Mae West, Lucy Liu, Iman, and the like by blossoming into a glamourous eccentric. This involves breaking fashion norms and wearing your unique look with abrasive confidence. Being a fashion leader involves making some extreme choices. There are three broad categories: Gypsy, Socialite, and Existentialist. Pick one and stick with it.

Then of course there are two kinds of men that tolerate eccentrically glamourous women: regular guys or "big screaming poofters." Deciding to be an eccentric is forcibly grabbing a spotlight and forever making it shine on your fabulous self and no one else. Your man cannot and will not outshine you, for you're the superstar. Constantly be in the pursuit of fun with him, to the point of delightful wackiness.

Also, try wearing peacock feathers in your hair outside, even if it's to check the mail. People might stare and point, but any press is good press. I know that I have never worn those horrid rain boots that every single female seems to posses, and I don't plan on it. Why? Rain is much more enjoyable when I wear my tall, black leather boots and clear plastic umbrella.

To be eccentric is to have fun with yourself and with life. Take the words from Andy Warhol: "If you can convince yourself that you look fabulous, you can save yourself the trouble of primping." Thanks, Andy!

Living in a state of perpetual wallflowering and following the trends is wholly disheartening. It's much more fun to be enigmatically timeless. Life really is too short to waste on wondering whether how you appear is acceptable. Make it acceptable for yourself. I don't think I've ever had more fun than when I wore stark white jeans in December. Rules were made to be broken, so revel in being ballsy.

XOXO
~M