Dolly Does Things Differently

People often ask me what the special occasion is when they clock my clobber. Life is the occasion! There is no guarantee there will be a tomorrow, so I try to make the most of every day. That doesn’t mean I wander the streets of London full time, dressed to the nines like Liberace! But it does mean I try to make the most of what I have.

Money is not something I have been blessed/burdened with. Unique style I have in abundance. As a result, I have used my brains, creativity and keen eye to curate a wardrobe that contains knock-out, versatile pieces.

​Mainly shopping in vintage and charity shops means that while I can access incredible pieces, they are often not in my size and can be damaged. The accompanying photograph to this blog is a tribute Róisín Murphy: the sequinned dress has a wonderfully deep V in the front, making maintaining your dignity one mighty challenge. The solution: I wear it back to front and spare any passers-by the sight of my raspberries. The headdress was found in a vintage shop years ago by my mama: I am wearing that back to front too (purely because I preferred this direction of travel!)

Try beautiful bras worn outside your clothes – why hide them underneath?

DOLLY

Equally I have a number of (mostly tulle) skirts that I wear a) pulled up as dresses b) around my neck as capes c) over my head as a headdresses. A couple of children’s tulle skirts double up, worn at the top of my arms as, well I don’t know what they are worn as!!!! Tulle epaulettes maybe? Try beautiful bras worn outside your clothes – why hide them underneath? Men’s ties worn as ties or belts. Belts worn on bare skin. Men’s suit jackets can look incredibly flattering paired with boyfriend jeans (or indeed, nothing worn underneath). Swimsuits worn as bodies, a sequin boob tube as a snood, beloved sequin trousers that no longer fit have been cut through the crotch and the two legs go over my arms now, fashioned as a bolero jacket.

​Make your wardrobe work hard for you: look for items that can be reworked and reworn in different ways. I have always done this purely because I cannot afford to buy new pieces. That coupled with the fact that I have a recurring fever dream where I arrive at an event and I’m wearing the same outfit as everyone else (oh and to make matters worse, I also have no make up on!) I can guarantee that no-one else at the party will be wearing old trousers, cut through the crotch with billowing sequins cascading down their arms. “Oh this old thing?” And that is just how I like it!!!!