Why do you put your self esteem in the hands of complete strangers?
Helena Bonham CarterRead
Wear what you feel comfortable with. People say nasty things about what I wear in the street. I'm always in worst dressed lists, but you just have to dress for yourself and nobody else.
Interpretation
This quote encourages individuals to wear what makes them feel comfortable, regardless of others' opinions.
Helena Bonham Carter's quote emphasizes the importance of self-expression through clothing choices. Despite facing criticism and being labeled poorly in fashion circles, she advocates for personal comfort and authenticity over conforming to societal standards. The underlying message is to prioritize one's own feelings about fashion rather than succumb to external judgments.
In practice
During a fashion seminar, I shared this quote to inspire young designers to focus on comfort in their designs.
Why do you put your self esteem in the hands of complete strangers?
Sometimes I get it right and I sometimes I get it wrong. But fashion is all about having fun. I think fashion has been hijacked by the fashion industry creating rules on what one should wear and I feel like breaking the mold and seeing that the world won’t crumble.
I just went and got an agent because I thought I can create my own world - you can't right your own life, but you can escape to a world where you can have control.
Sometimes I go, “What am I doing with my life?” But then I get letters from young women, or people come up to me, and they say, “You’ve made such a difference to my confidence.” And that is a good thing. I should read more fan mail though. I’m crap at responding.
My life had been very work-orientated, and all in close-up. Once I had the family, it went into sudden widescreen.
Very early on, you figure out that you put your self-esteem in the hands of strangers. There's a different commodity. There's the Helena Bonham Carter that everyone thinks they know, who really has nothing to do with me. But you just have to let that go.
Clothes are status signifiers, and no matter how restrained, they always give you subtle symbols of what your values are.
As women, we all have certain weaknesses. I know one who can't resist pretty shoes but has nothing suitable to wear with them. Others adore frilly lingerie but never have any money to buy outer clothing.
When I started Giorgio Armani in the mid-'70s, I realized that women needed a way to dress that was equivalent to that of men - something that would give them dignity, an attitude that would help them handle their work life.
I want my clothes, my stores, everything I design to have that feeling of being natural and easy. And that takes effort, but you try not to have it show.
It's not true that clothes look better on skinny girls; what counts is the attitude.
We're dealing with sophisticated customers. What's most important to these women is individuality. I have to create things she'll want to wear, no matter who she is.
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