Was is it a case of great minds thinking alike or a rather embarrassing fashion faux pas?
WE’VE all experienced it: walking into a room to see someone else wearing the same dress or 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 at a screening of The Great Gatsby in New York recently, 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 behemoths 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.
But if this was a first for Wintour, it would seem that it is not that uncommon for Jacobs. Late last year he and his former fiance Lorenzo Martone were photographed together in St Barts wearing matching Louis Vuitton towels. But we can forgive him for that as it obviously was no accident!
Others, however, have not been so lucky. 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. Turns out that the fabulous Valentino gown Nicole Kidman wore at Cannes last month was the dress Anne Hathaway was supposed to wear to the Oscars earlier this year. 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 forced to find another dress – the Prada satin column sheath – and we all know how that story ended. Hathaway’s nipples! And as if that wasn’t enough! Because of her last-minute change of heart, Hathaway also issued a very public apology to the couture house for failing to wear the dress. Ouch! How embarrassment!
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Nicole Kidman (left) in the Valentino gown that Anne Hathaway (centre, in Prada) was supposed to wear;
and Amanda Seyfried in the dress she wore to the Oscars. Pictures: Pinterest |
A few years back, I witnessed a similar scenario. As part of an international media contingent, I was invited to the inaugural launch of Montblanc’s signature
toile de Montblanc haute joaillerie diamond collection in Chamonix, France. The luxury German brand also invited celebrated lumaries such as Dita Von Teese, Jerry Hall, Bryan Ferry, Naomi Campbell 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, ahead of her on the red carpet, was in the exact same dress. Watts’ minders, clearly wanting to avoid any potential negative publicity fall-out, promptly
exited her stage left. She returned later in another equally stunning gown.
Even yours truly can’t escape the law of averages! At a small and intimate Chanel event not that long ago, I spied another woman in the exact same Scanlan Theodore printed silk georgette dress I was wearing! Cue desperate, flailing attempts to make mine look “more unique” – not sure what I thought I was going to achieve – as I made a slow retreat to the rear of the very small room, before making a dignified but polite exit. 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
to the same event in the same outfit as you? Any other tales of embarrassment?
Would love to hear from you.
Labels: Amanda Seyfried, Anna Hathaway, Anna Wintour, Chanel, fashion faux pas, Marc Jacobs, Montblanc, Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, Prada, Valentino, who wore it best
