Advantages of being the worst-dressed

"With the number of people I ignore, I'm lucky I work at all in this town."-HBC 

Helena Bonham Carter is my fashion idol.  I admit that I will never have enough courage and confidence to dress myself like she does.  When glamour is not your thing, she is a great a example  of how you can still have fun with fashion in  a way that makes you original, strong, and independent. If you can make "bad fashion" your signature style, you've got it made! I'd award you the "courageous one" award for overcoming the fear of being different.




HBC  loves the way she appears in the public eye;  she enjoys being on the worst dress list time and time again.  It's what's expected at every award show,  and she has no problem keeping up with an image that she had created out of the need to prove something.  Do you find perfection and glamour boring sometimes? Is life too short to not experiment?

Without the ying the yang doesn't really exist.  To keep things in balance, why not bring attention to badly dressed people too? Whether or not they're guilty or innocent in regards to committing fashion crimes, I think they learned something from their experience.  Even if BHC doesn't  grace the covers of the best dressed, she still appears interesting enough to be on the worst dressed.  So, what are some of the advantages of being on the worst dressed list that made HBC ditch glamour?

1. THE HAIR:  Frizzy big messy hair? No problem! You just need to let it be in its natural state. No one would notice if it gets a bit more out of control.  You've got your style that's not like anybody else on the red carpet and you got extra 8 hours of sleep.

"I hate this image of me as a prim Edwardian. I want to shock everyone. "-HBC

2.  THE SHOES:  You can pretend like you lost your mind and one of your shoes!  This is the most fun any girl can have when she can't make up her mind which color she wants to wear. Why not wear both??

"I also get fed up with the fact that casting agents and directors have this impression of me as being frail and petite. I find it very patronizing. I'm quite beefy and strong. I was a gymnast in school and I have lots of muscles."- HBC

3. THE DRESS:  It appears as though she had secretly  borrowed a costume from one of her movies!  You could do the same--wear your mom's or grandma's or a Halloween costume you once had and it costs you nothing. Who needs ironing?  Looking wrinkled and rough around the edges couldn't be easier.

"All the ancient classic fairy tales have always been scary and dark. " - HBC

4.  THE HANDBAG:  Move over designer handbags!  If you want to carry your heart in your bag and not in your chest...that's fine too!  All you need is to match it with something red even if  the holiday season is over. Why not celebrate X-mas and Valentine's together?

"Multitasking? I can't even do two things at once. I can't even do one thing at once. "-HBC

5. THE SUNGLASSES:  Not only do they protect your eyes against the sun, they also shield you from uncomfortable and unwanted eye-contacts.  So multi-purpose that they can even hide bad eye-makeup, dark eye-circles, or a bad eye-infection.  Even if you have none of the aforementioned,  why let Johnny Depp and Jack Nicholson have all the fun in the shades.

"I think I've still got a bit of a sado-masochistic streak in me, because if I'm not going to be restricted by corsets and covered in lace, then I still wind up wearing an ape-mask over my face. I do wonder how I get myself in these situations! "- HBC

6. THE ACCESSORIES:  When diamonds are not your best friend, you make friends with yourself.  Wear your attitude, your smile, your kindness, your confidence, and they shall be your best accessories!

" I love changing what I look like because I always feel super strange whenever I do watch something that I'm in. " - HBC

It might be a thing that comes with age--the getting wiser part is becoming more apparent for me.  If I saw these photos of BHC a decade ago, I would be quick to judge her and think she's crazy.  I think I have risen from the depths of darkness and I am now enlightened.  I just became more curious and asked why a lot, especially about things in regards to nonconforming acts.  I now understand that HBC uses her style as a way to change people's perception of her--that she is not "frail and pettite" nor shy or aristocratic. She is "not physically repressed".  At first we may not understand why someone like her would dress the way she does on red carpets. So, I hope this little post sheds some light on the strange fashion choices of Helena Bonham Carter. I have much respect for her style and her work.  

There's no need to dress badly on purpose, but finding a purpose to dress badly is a whole-nother thing.  Do you dare to be different? In today's world, different matters. I hope she inspires you to find your true style and be a model of genuineness.