Simon Says: 'The Youth You Want Is Inside You'

Here at OC, we are struck by how often we end up in everyday conundrums. The ones that land you in the thick of semi (or full-blown) awkwardness, or maybe, the doghouse. 

So, we turned to Simon Collins, the dean of the School of Fashion at Parsons. Collins recently penned a TOME that explores how and why people get to be so dang successful. To glean a bit of that for ourselves, we're launching the weekly series Simon Says, in which Collins lends tongue-in-cheek, Brit-bloke advice to our pain-point questions and social entanglements.

 

Oh my goodness—never ever grow old! Never. It's all in the mind. I recommend you look in the mirror every morning and remind yourself of what a compete idiot you are. Then, have a proper giggle about it, play some boy-band pop music a little too loud (I recommend Take That or One Direction) and decide how today's outfit is going to make you look young and pretty. Go out into the day and make friends, ask questions, and consume knowledge with the passionate curiosity that kids are born with—and we adults try to suppress. In the evening, have one glass too much of wine, a bite of something you truly fancy, and go to sleep an hour late. The youth you want is inside you. Cherish it and celebrate it. And above all, don't ever mistake being "grown-up" for "boring."

 

Frankly speaking, you're fucked. You could claim you're going into anger-management rehab and you've discovered God, etc. Or, you could pack up your Post-Its and push off to Peterborough, England (or somewhere else you can't point to on a map). On the other hand, you could man (or woman) up and be honest with your boss, face-to-face. When I was a kid, I made a smart-arse remark when the teacher walked into the classroom. "Was that you, Collins?" he roared. "No, Sir!" I roared back, and added, "If I had something to say, I'd say it. Sir." Took him right off his guard and I got away with it. All this to say, never underestimate the power of polite confrontation.