What to wear for a court appearance? Did Imogen Thomas get it right for her superinjunction appeal? Jess Cartner-Morley passes judgment. Plus, below, get the courtroom chic look on the high street
In the battle against the superinjunction, Twitter is so last week. The latest weapon in the arsenal of the injuncted is a Roland Mouret Galaxy dress, as worn by Imogen Thomas for her high-court appeal. A superinjunction can prevent Thomas from speaking freely, but it has no control over what she wears. And by power dressing for court in a curvaceous but formal dress that has become closely associated with first ladies and the Hollywood A-list, Thomas sent a clear message. The dress, combined with simple stud earrings and ponytail, was a deliberate contrast to the cliched, bikini-and-bouffant image of the kiss and tell. It was a statement of intent.
Whatever the moral issues involved ? and what with allegations of blackmail being thrown against those of infidelity and hypocrisy, there are quite a few ? Thomas's courtroom look was a smart bid to change the rules of engagement from a skewed situation in which one side represents dignified, expensive anonymity and the other is all coin-operated sexuality. The hearing may have failed but the dress was arguably successful, in bringing principles of the courtroom ? the notion that both sides should have an unprejudiced hearing ? to this whole sleazy business.
The specifics of a superinjunction amplify a phenomenon that had already become part of the landscape of modern life. In terms of public image, the impression made to the photographers can be as significant as that made on the judge. This is all the more true, of course, when much of what is being discussed in court is subject to gagging orders, but it comes into play even in regular court cases. Once upon a time, dressing for court simply meant turning up looking sober and respectable. But the dynamic of the law has always been about power, as well as about guilt or innocence, and that is increasingly reflected in our image-aware culture.
Courtroom chic is a visual matrix that seeks to combine power, innocence and sex. Covered-up flesh and sturdy fabrics assert power, putting the wearer on an equal footing with suited men. In this, Thomas's look echoes the Ala�a outfit worn by Naomi Campbell for her now-famous court appearance in the Hague last year. Large, grown-up but deliberately expensive-looking diamond or pearl stud earrings are key, because they say ? quietly ? "I have means. Therefore, you will not easily intimidate me." (Which is exactly what a Rolex glimpsed at a shirt cuff says on a man, when you think about it.)
It is interesting that the impulse to assert power most often seems to take precedence over a desire to claim innocence. You don't see many celebrities arriving at court in a white muslin smock. Nonetheless, it is important to balance the power dressing with a mood of innocence: witness the scorn piled on Heather Mills when she arrived at court in a pinstriped three-piece suit, which fulfilled the power brief but neglected to temper it with the essential note of innocence. Nostalgic, retro-influenced womenswear is excellent for bringing the right note of guilelessness: see the 1940s silhouette of Thomas's dress, the 1960s beehive sported by Naomi Campbell, and the nursery-years-Lady-Diana-Spencer hair bands worn by Paris Hilton and Winona Ryder. Harking back to a more innocent age works wonders. Lindsay Lohan's all-white dress and schoolgirlish ponytail was a particularly bold attempt at cleaning up a besmirched image.
And then there's sex. The genius of the Galaxy dress is that it takes the base appeal of an hourglass figure and, by encasing it in tailoring and edging it with origami-sharp angles and folds, realigns it for the boardroom or the courtroom. Some might feel that such an overt flexing of sex appeal is inappropriate for a court of law, but it would be hard to argue that sex wasn't already on the agenda in this particular scenario. And they do say all's fair in love and war.
Courtroom chic on the high street
Dress, �90, by French Connection, frenchconnection.com
Shoes, �65, by Asos, asos.com
Sunglasses, �16, by Topshop, topshop.com
Earrings, �11.99, from Tesco, tesco.com
Sanaa Lathan Ana Beatriz Barros Maria Menounos Shakira Leslie Bibb
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