Simon says, be yourself
Everyone loves a good makeover. Right?
Rarely do you hear or read someone who hates to see or give makeovers to women. Simon Doonan, author of five books, columnist for the New York Observer since 1999 and the creative director at New York's Barney's, just wants everyone to be themselves, but with a sense of humour.
Doonan, who is 55 years old, began his career in 1986 as a window dresser. He has made a few appearances on America's Next Top Model to give the potential models a lesson on personal style and has been quoted as saying he built his entire career on what he calls ‘being inappropriate.”
When doing a Christmas scene for Barney's New York window, Doonan replaced baby Jesus in the nativity scene with a Hello Kitty.
Unlike many A-list fashion know-it-alls, Doonan's refreshing opinion stands out; in fact he is “worried about women these days.” He said, “most celebrities are as boring as shit. The way they look, the way they cavort themselves - they look like a bunch of dreary Republican wives going to the country club.'
Instead of traditional conservative when it comes to fashion, Doonan wishes that more women were out there and outrageous, going as far as to suggest that women should be ‘BRUNCH:
- Belligerent,
- Resilient,
- Uninhibited,
- Naughty,
- Creative and
- Hilarious
Doonan has confessed his hatred for today's ‘porno chic' look that seems to be everywhere, claiming, “there is a lot of conformity, a lot of blonde hair... I often wonders if feminism was just a dream. I can't believe how women feel so scrutinized, and they're still so self-critical - I thought they would have let go of that now but they haven't.”
When he was asked if he thought it was terrible when overweight women have ‘muffin tops' over their jeans, he answered, “Not if they're happy. Who cares?”
If Simon Doonan's philosophy appeals to you, he has written five books, including a memoir Confessions of a Window Dresser, Nasty: My Family and Other Glamorous Varmints, along with Wacky Chicks, Beautiful People (which became a show in the UK) and his latest self help book, Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You.
Doonan encourages you not to fall into a category, but rather to take pleasure in standing out from a crowd. Having personal style, weather fashionable or not, is his underlining message. If all women took even just a little bit of his advice the feminine world would be a lot more confident and stylish.
Rarely do you hear or read someone who hates to see or give makeovers to women. Simon Doonan, author of five books, columnist for the New York Observer since 1999 and the creative director at New York's Barney's, just wants everyone to be themselves, but with a sense of humour.
Doonan, who is 55 years old, began his career in 1986 as a window dresser. He has made a few appearances on America's Next Top Model to give the potential models a lesson on personal style and has been quoted as saying he built his entire career on what he calls ‘being inappropriate.”
When doing a Christmas scene for Barney's New York window, Doonan replaced baby Jesus in the nativity scene with a Hello Kitty.
Unlike many A-list fashion know-it-alls, Doonan's refreshing opinion stands out; in fact he is “worried about women these days.” He said, “most celebrities are as boring as shit. The way they look, the way they cavort themselves - they look like a bunch of dreary Republican wives going to the country club.'
Instead of traditional conservative when it comes to fashion, Doonan wishes that more women were out there and outrageous, going as far as to suggest that women should be ‘BRUNCH:
- Belligerent,
- Resilient,
- Uninhibited,
- Naughty,
- Creative and
- Hilarious
Doonan has confessed his hatred for today's ‘porno chic' look that seems to be everywhere, claiming, “there is a lot of conformity, a lot of blonde hair... I often wonders if feminism was just a dream. I can't believe how women feel so scrutinized, and they're still so self-critical - I thought they would have let go of that now but they haven't.”
When he was asked if he thought it was terrible when overweight women have ‘muffin tops' over their jeans, he answered, “Not if they're happy. Who cares?”
If Simon Doonan's philosophy appeals to you, he has written five books, including a memoir Confessions of a Window Dresser, Nasty: My Family and Other Glamorous Varmints, along with Wacky Chicks, Beautiful People (which became a show in the UK) and his latest self help book, Eccentric Glamour: Creating an Insanely More Fabulous You.
Doonan encourages you not to fall into a category, but rather to take pleasure in standing out from a crowd. Having personal style, weather fashionable or not, is his underlining message. If all women took even just a little bit of his advice the feminine world would be a lot more confident and stylish.
