STYLE
From Issue #19
A Big Night Out With Jeanne Beker
Sage Advice Prepping For Those Special Occasions
by Suryatapa Bhattacharya
Fashion guru, Jeanne Beker hardly needs an introduction. She is the pioneer
of Fashion Television Channel and editor-in-chief of FQ magazine. In her first
book for teens, THE BIG NIGHT OUT, Jeanne tells you how it’s done.
FAZE: What's the driving philosophy behind writing this book?
Jeanne: I really wanted to encourage girls to be original, to be
creative when it comes to style — and to have a sense of selfesteem.
Fashion can be really great for that, if you regard it in
the proper light. It's meant to be fun above all — an opportunity
to be creative, and express yourself. I think it's really sad when
girls get stressed about fashion, or feel pressured to “follow
the crowd.” I also wanted to excite girls about the whole ritual
of dressing up, and make them realize that often, the “journey”
is even more fun than the “destination.”
In your book you mention your first brush with fashion, which
was certainly due to a stylish mom and artistic tailors. How do
you think that experience for teens changed with time?
Obviously, most mothers today don’t have the time or patience
to sew for their daughters, and certainly, having a dress
custom-made has become quite a luxurious extravagance. But I
think because fashion has become so much more accessible
and affordable (with fun stores like H&M, for example), it’s not
longer necessary to have “originals” made. Also, these days
fashion is all about “mixing it up,” so it’s much easier to put an
original look together for yourself by just using a little
imagination, and putting unexpected pieces together in fresh
new ways. We all have so many options open to us in fashion —
teens today need to be encouraged to be adventurous, and
express themselves. I think some of the great, stylish music
videos that are around today certainly help to encourage teens
to "strut their stuff," and as long as they do it tastefully, that
really is a positive thing.
What are some of the upcoming trends you see that will make
it big with teens who are dressing up for their first big night
out this year?
As I state in my book, vintage dressing continues to be hot with
women of all ages. This spring and summer, femininity and
romance reigns supreme: Look for full skirts, pretty blouses,
and retro-looking dresses. Nostalgia is definitely in the air.
Flat shoes are also very in this coming season... and there
certainly are some beautiful ones out there. Vibrant colours are
also huge for summer and spring. But come September, black
will be back, bigger than ever. The sixties are also coming back
in a big way, especially for fall. Many of the makeup trends I
saw at the recent collections in Paris were indicative of that.
So bring out the eyeliner and pale pink lipstick! But remember
that practice makes perfect: It can take a while to get a look
down pat.
Fashion now seems like ‘everything goes’. Would you agree?
Yes, I do think that just about anything goes — as long as you
feel comfortable in it. Of course, one does have to have a sense
of propriety. It can be rather tasteless to wear clothes that are
totally inappropriate for certain occasions. For example, you
wouldn't wear a party dress to a funeral, or scruffy clothes to a
formal event. But I do think individuality is being encouraged in
fashion more than ever before, and the most interesting and
often stylish people around are the ones that don't merely
follow the trends but perhaps start new ones, and are
original thinkers.
Also in your book, your accounts of dressing up are often
hilarious due to your minute attention to detail and an exact
idea of what you wanted to wear. Did you know back then
that fashion was what you wanted to work with in the future?
Not at all! I really wanted to be a great actress when I was in
my early teens. I regarded clothes as “costumes” in a way —
something that would help me “feel” the part I felt I was about
to play. I never dreamed I'd become any sort of fashion
journalist. I just wanted to entertain and communicate. I guess
I ultimately did end up doing that in the end... Fashion has just
become my platform for reaching out to people.
Win one of five exclusively autographed copies of THE BIG NIGHT OUT (Tundra Books)
by Jeanne Beker by logging onto www.faze.ca/contests
(Sorry, this contest is now closed but there are always new ones to enter!)
Photo courtesy of FashionTelevision
