Did You Hear the One About Kanye?

If the headlines are all you read, you'd think planet fashion had lost its grip on the reality of the job at hand - or that it never had one in the first place. Which is a shame because the reality is very much what's important to me.

Did you hear the one about Kanye and his Adidas collaboration? Or the Beckham crew's front row selfie? Or North West's fashion week tantrums, or (I could go on). Anyway, you get the picture. If the headlines are all you read, you'd think planet fashion had lost its grip on the reality of the job at hand - or that it never had one in the first place. Which is a shame because the reality is very much what's important to me.

I run a fashion business but I'm only ever on the fringe of Fashion Month - I'm less runway, more real-life, so I watch the runways with just as much anticipation as the next person. I like to see what trends are coming through and which direction designers decide to take, but I'm still very much a spectator. That's because my job is about everyday dressing. Open the doors of your wardrobe and do you know what you want to wear? Are you excited by what you see? Is it easy to make a decision? These are the questions I answer when I get dressed every morning and I know they're the same questions my friends, colleagues and ultimately my customers ask too. It's what we all ask. So I set myself the challenge of making them easy to answer with great denim, easy tees, chic sweaters, sharp tailoring, forever leather and beautiful dresses - all the styling elements you need to help build a great everyday modern wardrobe. That's what I mean by designing for the everyday. It's a really creative process, but it's not at all sensational.

But here's what's interesting. If you look past the headlines, a lot more people are getting on board with this school of thinking. Somehow my role and the role of the runway is converging - just think of the collections that are stealing the spotlight. They're also the ones about real clothes for real women.

Still not convinced? I'll give you a couple of examples from said runway. Look at Victoria Beckham. Her show is a hot ticket, and not just because you're likely to glimpse Mr Beckham but because her collection is actually good. It's real (though admittedly pricey). She has become a reputable designer who counts Anna Wintour as a fan and her style has become a byword for understated but luxury chic. In fact, when was the last time you thought about her as a Spice Girl (without being prompted by an article like this that is) - sharp dresses, great coats and wide leg trousers, that's what I now associate with her.

And then there's Chanel. Chanel and the rise of the fashion trainer. Yes, the price tags are still expensive, but could you have imagined Karl Lagerfeld putting trainers on the runway even 18 months ago. Now Karl and his cat are avid social networkers and we're all wearing trainers to work. My team are regularly spotted in Nike Air Max and Supergas - they style them with midi skirts and tailored trousers, not sportswear - and they look great.

Which brings me back to Kanye. He responded to his critics by saying the collection might not have been what everyone expected, but that's only because it wasn't elitist. Logo-free and easy to wear, it was about everyone being able to dress well. And his dream job? Creative Director of Gap. Who'd have thought it? He doesn't want the glitz. He wants to feel relevant to everyone, not just a few, which makes absolute sense from where I'm sitting. I never thought I'd have something in common with Kanye. A sign of the times I think. Bottom line? Fashion just got serious and it makes me really excited.

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