I shared some inspirational hairstyles with my stylist last week so that we could figure out how to refresh my ‘do for 2020. The look I liked best worked with my fine hair, but not for my often wet, cold and windy urban walking lifestyle. It required long front flat ironed sections that would blow out of place and into my face, and lose their sharp appearance in the rain, or under a beanie. The style would have worked if I commuted in a car, from our home directly to the destination. But the reality is that I’m often on foot, exposed to the elements, AND I wear specs. That meant I had to adjust the cut and look to suit my needs. The result is not quite as dramatic and trendy as the original inspirational cut, but I’m very happy with it. It will allow me to get on with work and play with hair that looks polished and professional.

This got me thinking about how regularly I have to blend fashionable fabness and practical necessity. I refuse to call it a compromise, because that implies sacrificing something. Instead it’s about finding the right balance between aspiration and reality by customizing a look to suit personal needs. That’s a gigantic nod to the most important trend of our fashion era – Do Your Own Thing (DYOT).

Another example: I wear practical fashion sneakers or classic flat loafers and ballet flats with my fashionable dresses and skirts instead of fabulous heels or strappy sandals because I have zero tolerance for foot discomfort. I walk 13,000 to 20,000 steps a day and need happy feet. Luckily, wearing fashion sneakers with anything these days is actually trendy!

Also, I’ve chosen to wear specs daily instead of contact lenses because my eyes can’t bare the discomfort of contacts. Although fashion is more accepting of specs than it used to be, contacts are still more fashionable in some, especially dressy, occasions. But I always wear my specs because I’m nearsighted. Rather that seeing a blurred world, I’ve made eyewear a signature and dramatic part of my style, and my most important accessory.

Over to you. How do you blend fashionable fabness and practical needs with your style?