Victims of Circumstance

Last week, I nearly became a fashion victim. Cue gasps of horror. Did you wear tights as pants? Blue with green? Polar fleece? No, none of the above (and for the record, they’re all looks I don’t mind – except polar fleece). I was driving along with my BFF, and we got so distracted outfit-perving on an innocent pedestrian that I failed to give way and nearly ran into another car. Oops. We almost became literal fashion victims.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this anecdote, however, is the setting: I was outfit perving... in Canberra. Yes, I am from Canberra. Yes, we do have a reputation for public servants with a black-is-the-new-black mentality and kinda being stuck in the 90s. But there are a lot of great, stylish, exciting things going on in Australia’s nat cap that nobody ever talks about. There are well-dressed people everywhere – not just in Sydney and Melbourne.

Even worse than being a fashion victim (is there anything worse? I hear some of you ask) is being a victim of circumstance. Canberra is certainly not (yet) the fashion capital of Australia - a lot of foreigners don’t even know that it’s the actual capital of Australia! But that is no excuse not to be stylish. There is never an excuse not to be stylish.

My friend James once said to me that everyone has the capacity to possess great style, but some people “don’t try”. I believe there is truth in this. Style isn’t about how expensive your clothes are, what city you live in, what brand names you wear, or whether you’re clad in up-to-the-minute trends. Personally I can’t afford to always wear the latest trends – I’m a uni student and most weeks I can barely afford to pay rent, let alone the latest shoulder-padded blazer from Cue (although I do have one on lay-by). Sometimes style is wearing your mum’s old stonewash jeans, or false eyelashes, or customising an ugly jacket into a fabulous one. Style is something that is much more complicated, and much more personal, than fashion.

Writer Quentin Crisp said “fashion is what you adopt when you don’t know who you are”. Style is the exact opposite. Everyone says it, but your clothes are the ultimate expression of your personality. Anyone can nip down to Forever New and buy a faux Marni knit dress , but not everyone can successfully clash patterns, pull off a boater or a bowler, or wear vintage without looking like they’ve fallen out of a Vinnie’s bin. When you meet someone, you have approximately three seconds to make an impression – why not make it a good one, and tell them something about yourself at the same time?

So, Kings and Quinns is not about fashion, it is about style – a literary outfit-perve, if you will. Fun photos, reports and updates, guest posts, and anything else you might need to live an ever-so-stylish existence, whether it be in Canberra or anywhere else in the world. If this blog means you have the courage to hit the town showing a punch of boob, or buy a red dress when you always wear black, or wear a pink shirt even if your mates rib you about it, my job is done. Dress without apology.

“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.”
- Gore Vidal