Friday 20th February

The lady I spoke to in Solomon Grundy (a bar in Withington, Manchester) was of the opinion that most people who go out do have style. She's 22 years old and I realised that many people in their early 20's have grown up in a different era. They believe dressing up in their smartest clothes for shopping and dressing down when on a night out is the way to do things.

I was brought up in an era where going out at the weekend was the place to wear the latest fashions, it's where fun happened. Now it's swapped around as society has changed – the shopping centre is where people feel is the main thing in their life and going out is a chill out. The reason people like me don't class casual or smart casual as style is because it doesn't have the impact. Smart clothes is to feel good and the style works for you by making people more open to meeting you. Being smart on one level gets respect and on another level shows energy and creativity.

Or is it because of the celebrity culture. Do people nowadays buy clothes imagining they'll be wearing them to perform on stage – is that the usage occasion clothes are sold for. Although it's a usage occasion that doesn't happen. We aren't all singers and dancers, a lot of people enjoy being a teacher or working in marketing.
A usage occasion is what you buy the clothes for – do you walk around the shop thinking how these products will be on a night out at your favourite venue, or do you think about how these products would be good for a TV show Russell Brand presents and imagine you're Russell Brand?

It's good to be inspired by entertainment, but is this another case of people following the media too much.



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