It’s probably one of the most iconic photographs in British culture: a pouting Geri Halliwell, at the 1997 Brit Awards in that now-infamous Union Jack dress.
It was the thigh-skimming, square-necked garment, made from a tea towel that had been hastily stitched on Ginger Spice’s Gucci frock at the last minute, that cemented the Spice Girls as defining figures at the heart of the ‘Cool Britannia’ movement. The racy ensemble defied typical British sensibilities of a stuffy, stiff-upper-lip, and flaunted a notion of a bold, brassy new Britain to the world: a self-assured place poised to rock the zeitgeist and leave girl power stamped on the nineties.
The iconic Union Jack dress, long before the flag was hijacked by Vote Leave for their Brexit battleground, stands in stark contrast to Geri Horner’s style we see nowadays. The former Spice Girl’s most recent Instagram snap sees the 49-year-old mum-of-two stand in her perfectly pristine kitchen in an immaculate all-white outfit, flipping pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. Long gone are the days that Ginger Spice pushed style boundaries and made bold sartorial statements – now, Geri opts to wear only white and neutral tones, having eschewed any colour from her wardrobe in 2019.
So why has Geri decided to wave ‘Goodbye, my friend’ to her more eclectic fashions of yesteryear? Well, it may simply because wearing white is the style du jour.
After the bold, eclectic prints and patterns that defined the so-called hot girl summer of 2021 19, designers are now opting for more elegant and stripped-back, blank canvas looks for 2022.
Personal styling service Stitch Fix has reported an 179% increase in requests for white garments from women since the start of the year, likely thanks to white being prominent on the runways at Fashion Week.
‘This blank-canvas fashion trend has surged in popularity in recent years; testament to its ability to inject aesthetically-pleasing sophistication into any outfit,’ Stitch Fix UK’s style ambassador, Katie Eastwood, explains.
‘The likes of Fendi, Givenchy and YSL featured top-to-toe white outfits in their SS22 collections, whilst popular male fashion icons Harry Styles and Justin Bieber have led the staple style movement in the menswear department.’
But an all-white wardrobe doesn’t just mean you regularly flick through Vogue. Wearing white can be symbolic of your wealth, according to psychotherapist Sally Baker.
‘White clothing is the uniform for the wealthy,’ she says. ‘White shows you’re not doing manual labour or that you’re going to get mucky.
‘While black is known as a flattering colour that hides a multitude of sins, white is projective, and makes the wearer stand out.
‘In the age of the influencer, white is the new black. It is the colour of attainment and success. It’s ostentatious in a simple, subtle way.’
Celebrity style expert Miranda Holder agrees that white now has a new appeal, particularly among the affluent.
‘White or cream oozes luxury,’ Holder explains. ‘The lighter the colour, the less you can get away with cheap fabrics so well cut separates in cotton, silk, linen or cashmere drape more beautifully and add instant elegance.
‘It’s also harder to keep clean, so on a practical level alludes to a premium lifestyle which all adds the appeal. Black used to be the neutral go-to of choice for many a fashionista, but these days the palette of choice has softened as we celebrate our femininity more.’
Geri herself has spoken out about the simple yet effective all-white wardrobe has had when it comes to making sartorial decisions. As someone with an intense schedule, a simple colour palette has aided her in making outfit choices quickly.
‘Everything becomes really simple,’ Geri told The Sun. ‘It’s like wearing a school uniform as an adult.
‘It matches with everything and I literally don’t have to think in the mornings. It kind of looks like you’ve made an effort when you haven’t.’
The former Spice Girl would not be the first famous face to become so intrinsically associated with an outfit or style to the point that it’s fundamentally their uniform; the late Apple visionary Steve Jobs was often seen in his black turtlenecks, while Simon Cowell was regularly parodied for his high-waisted trousers.
Geri’s strict style rules may be in part due to the star hoping to cultivate her own recognisable brand; a new sort of sartorial shorthand that’s intended to send a message in a not too dissimilar way to her Union Jack dress of yesteryear.
‘Clothes are an extension of a celebs brand and personality that does the talking even when they aren’t,’ celebrity agent Brenda Gabriel explains.
‘With an increasing number of celebs and influencers competing for column inches, those who have the most distinctive styles stand out more than their peers.
‘Some of the biggest stars of all time have worn a fashion uniform – Michael Jackson and his white socks with black shoes is so iconic we could tell it’s him just from a silhouette. Madonna, in her leather and fishnet phase, even Kim Kardashian has a very distinct look about her wardrobe which Kanye played a role in developing.’
So what sort of brand is Geri hoping to foster with her sleek new look? Anabel Maldonado, fashion psychologist and founder of PSYKHE, argues it’s a shift away from that of Ginger Spice; the ostentatious singer who flirted with royalty and shouted ‘girl power’ at braying audiences.
‘Having a uniform is simply a way to brand yourself. Making yourself a brand, something instantly recognisable and remembered, requires repetition, and wearing the same thing repeatedly contributes to that,’ she says.
‘With Geri, her repeat all-white and cream outfits are very distinctive to her Spice Girls-era looks, which is precisely what she is likely trying to disassociate from. Her new personal brand has a much quieter confidence and sense of balance.’
It’s little wonder that Geri, who was around 25 years old since that now-legendary Brits appearance, is wanting to move away from her Spice Girls caricature. While the theatrical and flamboyant looks were ideal for a group of young women, eager to make a name for themselves on a circuit dominated by guitar-playing indie boys, Geri is now well-established as a performer that she may no longer feel the need for her outfits to make such an obvious, punchy statement.
However, Madonado argues that Geri’s white ensembles have a similarly strong message – one that is conscientious, and calmly confident as opposed to aggressively eye-catching and anarchic.
‘Completely changing up one’s style usually reflects an entire new set of values, a new life direction, and a new personality that they want to cultivate,’ she Madonado concludes.
‘Fashion items have qualities that they reflect much like people do and choosing a change in aesthetic means that you want to trigger different qualities in yourself.
‘If you’ve gone from wearing lots of colour to white and pale neutrals, it likely means that you’re entering a more grounded, reflective, conscientious, and introverted phase. Most colours incite energy and provoke outward while neutrals calm and trigger an inward focus.’
MORE : Geri Horner channels Marilyn Monroe in vintage dress as she supports husband Christian at racing ceremony in Paris
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