90s Fashion: The Era of Celebrity, Glamour and Style

The 80s was very much my era because it was when I discovered wonderful music, TV shows, films and books but when it comes to style and clothes, it was all about 90s baby. I was in my 20s during this time and I came of age by trying out different looks and discovering what suited me. BBC 4's fashion offering, Style on Trial - which is like a chronicle of the fashion decades - had it's penultimate show last night. They covered the 90s and with a panel that consisted of Mica Paris, Pearl Lowe and Ben de Lisi we were taken back to an era that embraced Britannia and celebrity. This was the decade when the country dipped into recession and we spent a good few years rebelling from the 80s and dressing down in t-shirts and jeans. It was also when grunge and acid house ruled the airwaves as well as the catwalk. I didn't like the Seattle born grunge with the matted hair, large over sized jumpers along with DMs. I just couldn't understand why anyone would want to spend all that time looking like a scruff. To me there was nothing chic about it and I was relieved when we moved onto something else.

That something else was high end glamour - ironically the complete opposite of grunge. Up there riding the crest waves was the enigmatic Gianni Versace whose glamorous and sexy dresses lead to the explosion of celebrity endorsed fashion. All the celebs loved Versace and he loved them back and decked them out in his opulent gowns - who can forget Elizabeth Hurley in that black dress held together with safety pins? Genius. This era was also about branding; marketeers reinvented themselves and logos began to symbol a lot more than a slick graphic. However the Labour government took this strategy to a new level and repositioned themselves as the cool party with an ethos that everyone wanted to be part off. Hence the birth of Cool Britannia and all that came with it. Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit on the cover Vanity Fair was just the tip of the iceberg. However, the epitome of the 90s was the trend in pick and mix fashion where fashionistas began to wear luxury labels with high street along with a dash of second hand.

Beautiful Within: Finding Happiness and Confidence in Your Own Skin

I normally don't do 'self-help books' - you know the type that are rammed full of female bravado such as 'c'mon girl, how to get that life that you want and then some.' This is the type of material that Oprah Winfrey endorses and has welcomed into her influential book club with open arms. Personally, I have found them to be very cheesy and a tad bit patronising. Well that was until I read Beautiful Within: Finding Happiness and Confidence in Your Own Skin which is written by soul diva and TV presenter, Mica Paris. Part bio and part self help guide. the title teaches you how to create the life that you really want and how to be truly happy. This book serves as a wake up call for women whose lives have reached a pinnacle and need help to get it back on track. Drawing on experiences from her singing career, past relationships and life, the co-presenter of What Not to Wear tells us how look and feel good in all areas of life. She tackles the issue of eating disorders, images of women in the media, how to maintain a great relationships with family, friends and men and more importantly, how to have a wonderful relationship with yourself.

Beautiful Within is a compact hardback with a white cover that has a picture of Mica sitting zen like. It is organised into nine section with chapters such as: Who Says the Grass is Greener, which gives you strong mantra on how to stay focused and never lose sight of your goals. Loving & Learning is the harsh realities on how you can never change anyone and the only person you can change is yourself. Woman to Woman teaches you how to flush out the toxins in your life and embrace the goodness. Each chapter has a mini summary at the end that reflects on the lessons that have been learned. Beautiful Within also contains gorgeous illustrations of various women looking ethereal while rushing around doing their thang. If you are like millions of women in this country and around the world who are juggling many balls then this book is for you.

Beautiful Within: Finding Happiness and Confidence in Your Own Skin is out now!

What Not to Wear

The BBC's style bible, What Not to Wear (WNTW) made a return last week with it's second generation of presenters, soul diva, Mica Paris and model, Lisa Butcher. With our beloved Trinny and Susannah now defunct to ITV, super mates Mica and Lisa have taken over the mantle of anchoring this very popular series. Over the years WNTW has become a magnet for viewers and it's take on the way women and men see their bodies is compulsive viewing. The award winning series turned hard core fashionistas, Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine into household names. Their no nonsense advice has resulted into a highly lucrative brand with spin off books and videos. When the duo left last year to host a new show, Trinny and Susannah Undress, on rival station ITV many people wondered who would be able to fill their stilettos. Enter Mica and Lisa, best buddies for years yet they are as different as night and day; Mica is voluptuous and exotic while Lisa is thin and blonde(ish). Mica was pretty big in the 80s and 90s and had a platinum album while Lisa won Elle magazine's Face of 87 competition and went on to become the Face of the 90s. The couple's debut last series brought an interesting dynamic to WNTW, what with Lisa practically having grown up around clothes and Mica's knowledge on image and projection. They must have done something right because the show was quickly recommissioned and is now back for another series.

I didn't really catch all of the last series with Lisa and Mica but I do remember watching one of the shows and sniggering at what Mica was wearing. For those of who don't know Mica comes across as a very vibrant character which is reflected in her dress sense. However due to the lack of decent fashion programmes and out of sheer curiosity I decided to tune into the new series. With compliments from the BBC I watched the first three episodes back to back. The first one was about identical twins who were alike in every way, the second one featured teenagers who dressed like they were middle aged and the third one and most interesting was about sports women. All of these women had very little self esteem where their bodies were concerned and in some cases it went deeper than that. For instance a couple of them had been bullied when they were younger and the experience scarred them. This is where Mica and Lisa are in their element, reassuring the women, cajoling them and laughing with them and making them feel good about themselves. This programme really demonstrates how what you wear can affect how you feel and vice versa.

What Not to Wear is on Thursday at 8.00pm on BBC 1