Faux Pas or Some Fashion Fun?

by Jené Luciani

How did you feel about being named “Worse Dressed” even if it was a bit tongue & cheek?  We all have fashion faux pas, any suggestion for dealing with them on the spot or avoiding them all together?

As an on-air fashion expert/correspondent, commentator, critic and contributor, and of course author of THE BRA BOOK, usually, I’m seen in magazines making fun of some of the horrible fashion choices celebrities make.  But recently I found myself on the other side of things when I wore a dress MADE OUT OF 200 BRAS for the Bravo TV show MAD FASHION!

Chris March is known for his outrageous designs for people like Lady GaGa and Madonna, and I wanted to make a splash for my Manhattan book launch party. Needless to say, I was photographed in his creation and poked fun of for weeks after when I ended up in STAR Magazine’s worst dressed pages as well as Cosmo’s, and Cosmo even named me one of the worst dressed celebs of the year because of the bra dress! I think a big part of the problem is that people didn’t ‘understand’ the dress. They compared it to an artichoke (which believe it or not, shape-wise, was actually Chris’ inspiration!) and a marshmallow peep!!! When my episode finally aired, people actually got to see the “story” behind the bra dress and the creation of it come to life!

As far as avoiding any faux pas like this, let me just say that fashion is all about expressing your individuality and taking risks. If you don’t take risks, you don’t get to experience the power that fashion has. It’s such a subjective matter – one person’s cup of tea is not another person’s cup of tea, therefore you can’t expect everyone to agree with your wardrobe choices or love them as much as you do. When you’re someone who’s in the public eye, you are putting yourself out there for millions to critique you, not just a few dozen or hundred at an event or party.

While it may have been a faux pas to some for me to wear a dress made out of hundreds of bras, I always say though, the biggest faux pas that’s the easiest to avoid – on the red carpet or off – is one involving foundations. How many see-through bras, so-called nipple slips and slippery straps do we have to be subjected to? Invest in the right bra for EVERY outfit and some double stick tape to carry with you – just in case!! And please check the rearview before you head out the door – visible panty lines are a deal-breaker for me, no matter how well tailored or expensive the clothes!!!