(See what we did there? Like the love child of ‘Got milk’ and ‘You’ve been tangoed’)
Laura Reynolds looks at the hype surrounding the collaboration.
Just a week to go until the man in red arrives...
It was the dress that divided the nation...
As the lights came up on the X Factor judges, all eyes were drawn towards one petite geordie beauty, establishing her fashionista credentials in that David Koma fan style mini dress. ‘Team Cheryl’ (approximately the entire British population) was thrown into a sartorial chaos of admiration, confusion and complete disbelief in its collective response to the futuristic design. ‘How could she get it so wrong?’ headlines dominated fashion blogs, prompting a vitriolic backlash against ‘The Nation’s Sweetheart’ and her entire X Factor wardrobe. They condemned her as ‘over styled’ and at the mercy of her fashion ‘advisors'.
It is a fine example of the changeable nature of public opinion, just a few months previously Cole had been voted the UK’s No. 1 Style Icon in a nationwide magazine poll, and to fall from grace so spectacularly due to an unusual dress is an unprecedented event for any celebrity. Cole has never claimed the status of Style Icon, it was a role thrust upon her by the public during her triumphant inaugural year as the new judge on X Factor, and thanks to the media hype now surrounding her every move, it’s a role that she has been obliged to maintain.
If indeed Cole is the ‘product of over production’, we cannot necessarily blame or dislike her for it. The ever consuming viewing public expects polished perfection with her every appearance, and consequently she must be dressed continually with this angle in mind. By allotting Cole ‘Icon’ status in the fashion world, it prompts immediate comparisons with the plethora of past beauties, all lauded for their timeless fashionable appeal. At this point the eponymous Audrey Hepburn must be mentioned, possibly the single most cited celebrity as a fashion inspiration. There is no denying she looked breathtaking in the seminal ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ dress, but as with Cole, she was personally styled by Hubert de Givenchy for the role. She had no hand in the creation of that fashion moment other than to wear it.
To this extent, is there any difference between Cheryl Cole being styled for her role in X Factor and Audrey Hepburn for her role as Holly Golightly? To be blunt, there isn’t. Audrey Hepburn looked fabulous in her every screen role because she was dressed by the pre-eminent designers of her time, and as with Cole, her status as fashion ‘Icon’ is the result of her astonishing beauty and other people’s hard work and creativity.
With this in mind, there is no reason that Cheryl Cole cannot be an entirely credible fashion ‘Icon’. She is dressed by some of the greatest and most innovative names in fashion, she dutifully maintains her role as ‘Icon’ whether on camera or off duty, and she always looks fabulous. Why then is she not allowed to flex her sartorial muscles in David Koma without incurring the damnation of the British population? Sadly Cheryl Cole’s status as fashion ‘Icon’ is, in fact, based entirely on her relationship with the public. As long as she wears pretty clothes, bares enough skin and smiles frequently she could swing an election should she wish. The moment she dons an outfit deemed ‘unusual’ she has lost her supporting team.
By wearing David Koma, Cole suggested an inclination to forge a new stylistic direction and her wearing of it produced the required effect. ‘Browns’ of London were wiped clean of Koma’s entire range and thanks to the ‘Cole Factor’ he is fast becoming a recognised name. However, Cole cannot afford to lose her public’s support and from now on, this house believes her X Factor outfits will be a political array of pretty dresses, expensive, but only pretty, keeping herself and her X Factor finalists at No.1.
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