Why I love Amal Alamuddin more than George Clooney

Why I love Amal Alamuddin more than George Clooney
The quirky, imperfect fashion style of the human rights lawyer is compelling by Hannah Marriott. The Guardian. Friday, September 5
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It started with a pair of shoes. The dainty kitten heels looked sensible at first, until closer inspection revealed that they were odd. Literally. One was pink, the other purple. Amal Alamuddin, human rights lawyer and now George Clooney's fiancee, had only been famous a couple of weeks and she already had the gumption to break one of fashion's most entrenched rules. That was the moment I became fascinated.
Becoming interested in Alamuddin's style has been an odd experience. Usually, I enjoy fashion when it is unpredictable - give me Cher in a nylon bodystocking or Jared Leto in a tie-dye vest over perfection any day. Yet somehow I found myself scrolling down the Daily Mail's sidebar of shame, looking for just one more picture of Alamuddin in a pastel-coloured shift dress.

Clearly, she differs from other so-called style icons by possessing a feature most of them lack: a staggering CV. As thousands of bloggers and columnists who have written about her style point out, she is an Oxford graduate, fluent in English, French and Arabic, and a human rights barrister. One dedicated blog features highlights from her resumé and pictures of her representing Julian Assange and her appearance on Channel 4 news, alongside pieces urging readers to "get the look".

Perhaps Alamuddin's intelligence makes grown-up women feel a bit better about admitting she is their style crush. Certainly, I found myself considering her key motifs, from Prada sunglasses worn on the top of the head to huge handbags by Balenciaga and Miu Miu. She wears the big designers - including Oscar de la Renta and Stella McCartney - but she also likes sensible, affordable shift dresses by Paule Ka. Off duty, she has a penchant for slightly comedic shoes – black and white spats-style flats, or metallic brogues by Prada Linea Rossa, and she often looks surprisingly quirky. Once she paired an eccentric Frida Kahlo-style necklace by Tatty Devine with a floral jumpsuit and silver shoes.

Alamuddin wears tights as the temperature dictates and won't suffer goosebumps in the name of high fashion. She breaks rules by pairing summery outfits with a big black handbag, and looks wonderful doing so, because she's a successful person who can't be bothered to transfer her keys and wallet to another bag as she is too busy preparing for a landmark trial or going on a date with Clooney. This is not stylist-approved dressing, and all the better for it.
Though Vanity Fair and US Vogue have no doubt pursued her, Alamuddin has chosen not to do any interviews yet. The only clues we have to her character are embedded in how she dresses, and those take us only so far. What seems clear is that, unlike so many other personalities, she has not rallied a team of personal assistants, stylists and seamstresses to face the challenge of becoming famous overnight. Her wardrobe is compelling because it is, on occasion, imperfect; expensive but genuine, put together by a human being, not a princess.

Her achievements were in place long before Clooney; her CV makes her the anti-Kardashian. She cares about style, but has a brain, suggesting those qualities are not mutually exclusive. For all my shame about visiting that sidebar, that feels like a tiny bit of progress.

What a great assessment of Amal's style. Vive la difference!

I hope she remains true to herself, all these people hiring stylist don't seem to know what style is. It is individual and makes us all different.

Indeed : vive la différence!

Just for the record: I like George more.

I like George more, too - MUCH more!

That's a fascinating article with a twist of humour.
It sums up how I've been thinking about Amal's very individual style in dressing and appearance.
She carries it off well IMO. Even if I haven't been keen on something she wore, I still thought she looked 
good in it.

I too hope she never changes.....but have a feeling that she's a strong woman who knows herself well enough and likes herself enough not to.

A lesson for all of us women I think....like yourself a lot
and be your own friend.