WE’VE probably all experienced it: when great minds dress alike. What I mean is when you walk into a room and see someone else in the same outfit as you.
But when Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and celebrity designer Marc Jacobs were both snapped wearing identical Prada women’s coats, the international fashion Twittersphere went in to overdrive.
When you’re moving in the same stylish circles as the likes of Ms Wintour and Mr Jacobs, you would assume that the aforementioned scenario would not be an issue. Being seen in the same outfit is one thing; but it’s another thing entirely when the outfit is seen on the opposite sex!
Unfortunately, these rather awkward moments are a hazard of modern day life. As global fashion brands flood the market with their sartorial wares, the laws of probability suggest that you’ll be in close proximity to your style twin at least on one occasion.
Walking the red carpet is a virtual minefield; fashion’s danger zone where stars walk at their peril and stylists stand ready to take flight or fall into sartorial oblivion. It’s Louboutins and double-sided tape at 10 paces!
A minor hiccup – 0r major catastrophe depending on what side of the carpet you stand on – was narrowly averted at the Oscars this year.
GREAT MINDS DRESSING ALIKE OR FASHION FAUX PAS?
Turns out that the fabulous Valentino gown Nicole Kidman wore to Cannes was the dress Anne Hathaway was supposed to wear to the Oscars. That was until her Les Miserables co-star Amanda Seyfried decided to wear a similar gown.
So similar in fact that, with only hours to go, Hathaway’s stylist Rachel Zoe was force to find another dress – the Prada column satin sheath – and we all know how that story ended. Hathaway’s nipples! And as if that wasn’t enough! Due to her last-minute change of heart, Hathaway also issued a very public apology to Valentino for failing to wear the dress. Ouch! How embarrassment!
A few years back, at the launch of Montblanc’s haute couture and joaillerie diamond collection in Chamonix, France, I witnessed a similar scenario. Invited guests included celebrities Dita Von Teese, Jerry Hall, Bryan Ferry and Naomi Watts among others, to the rather swank black-tie event.
However, when Naomi Watts arrived wearing the latest Gucci creation, a lesser-known European celebrity was in the same dress. Watts’ minders, clearly wanting to avoid any negative publicity fall-out, exited her stage left. She returned later in another equally stunning gown.
WHO WORE IT BEST?
Even yours truly can’t escape the law of averages! I was at a small gathering when another guest in the same Scanlan Theodore dress as I appeared!
Cue desperate, flailing attempts to make mine look “more unique”. Not sure what I was going to achieve, but I made a slow retreat to the rear of the room. The next day, in a bid to avoid any further such embarrassment, I dyed my dress black. Now it’s totally unique! Well in a Little Black Dress kinda way!
Which brings me back to Anna Wintour and Marc Jacobs and their Devil-Wears-Prada moment. Who did wear the coat best? And what sweet nothings passed between them? But does it really matter? Maybe it’s the ultimate compliment to a designer that their garment can be worn by both sexes?
Ah, to have been a fly on the wall! Ever stylishly yours…
Do you have a similar story? What would you do if another woman – or man – turned up in the same outfit as you? Any other tales of embarrassment? Would love to hear from you. Ever stylishly yours …
