It doesn't take a fashionista to conclude that certain trends are just downright fugly and should never be seen or worn in public EVER again. Dungarees and bomber jackets, the sock and sandal phenomenon, Uggs with pretty much anything. The oddity of misguided mismatching is everywhere you look, from FTV and gossip columns to music collaborations and even, relationships. While opposites attract may have been popularized by Paula and MC Skat Kat back in the 80's, I couldn't help but wonder whether modern day couples had taken two steps forward instead of two steps back?
As I judged through the latest "What were they thinking?" pages of my favorite tabloid magazine, I thought about relationships and the trends we follow in order to keep up with the times. Compatibility has always been a recipe for success, and while most of us prefer our relationships like a pair of Mary Jane slingbacks (identical, well-balanced counterparts that compliment and harmonise each other), some us prefer something a little edgier. Of course innovation and originality comes with certain judgement, but why should liking someone for their oppositeness become a major relationship faux pas?
"Trying to find a compatible partner is like trying to accessorise a brand new outfit. No matter how simple, chic or daring, the matching accompaniments should always compliment one’s overall attire. Style, like so many other artistic forms of creative expression, is both subjective and experimental, and while most of us end up choosing comfort for no other reason than its sheer practicality, there are certain instances where the avant-garde relationship can work, no matter what the critics say."
Pendra was an up-and-comer in the local fashion scene whose latest collection had been inspired by the newest man her life. Being the artist she was, she dabbled with a number of dating styles including preppy guys, jocks, coloured Asians, gangsta men with tattoo's that you can only get in jail as well as brainless pretty boys, all of which had transcended through her work. She'd been introduced to Ahmed a few months ago at an industry function, and although his religious background didn't seem to fit at first, they were a perfect match in so many other ways. Emotionally, financially, physically. From the outside they must have looked like the oddest couple but to Pendra, all she could see were clear lines, fun use of colour and loads of symmetry.
"This is fashion. People get paid to judge us all the time. Why should my personal life be any different!" she said as she gave me a sneak peek at her latest headline design. "They probably think we have nothing in common because he is Muslim and that it'll never last. He knows that I'm not going to convert and he's fine with that. I'm an English rose who drinks like a fish and smokes like a chimney but he still thinks I'm a lady. He loves me exactly the way I am and does not expect me to change or compromise anything about myself." Was Pendra's relationship reinvention so stylishly advanced that it was one step ahead of the rest or was this just a passing fad that would eventually fizzle out?
On this ever-changing runway called life, love is undoubtedly the ultimate accessory. It's a classic and never goes out of fashion no matter how you wear it, as long as you wear it with your head held high. As the autumn line comes and vogues, so do our tastes and preferences, and while most of us prefer an outfit with perfect symmetry, some of us like to think outside the box. Shape, form, colour. Who cares what the vultures think. A little bit of pride and a fabric roll of confidence can make any outfit work.
When it comes to relationships, does a perfect match always fit?
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