Spice Girls
Last week the Spice Girl's announced their plans for a reunion tour later this year but can they leave behind their tacky girl power image and show the world they have grown up? Or will they look more mutton dressed as lamb than sexy pop divas?
No one can deny that girl power was fun and it certainly caught on all around the world. However Mel B, Geri, Victoria, Emma and Mel C need to leave Scary, Ginger, Posh, Baby and Sporty in the closet if they want to cut it as modern day style icons.
It was obvious at the press conference they held last week that the girl's looks have changed since the Wannabe days and the most obvious improvement is Victoria.
After marrying David Beckham, Posh ditched the generic little black Gucci dress and became a style icon. Now with her own clothing line and close friendships with designers all over the world, Victoria has already shown she can cut it in today's style stakes.
Her typical style is simple and sophisticated but highly fashionable. This season she has embraced the monochrome look and shown off her toned post-baby body in fitted mini dresses and tiny high waisted shorts. Teamed with her signature huge frame sunglasses, Victoria fits right in with her new LA neighbours.
Another Spice Girl to move stateside is Mel B. She hit the headlines earlier this year when she fell pregnant to move star Eddie Murphy.
Her 90s Spice Girl look certainly was 'Scary' but thankfully she seems to have left that well behind her. After losing her post baby bulge faster than you can say Zig-a-Zig-ahh and investing in some hair straighteners Mel is looking like a truly yummy mummy.
She goes for the sophisticated mature look these days. Gone are the leopard print catsuits and instead Mel opts for bum-flattering pencil skirts with simple vest tops or fitted blouses. Leaving the top few buttons of her blouse open helps give Mel that sexy edge without looking too brazen.
At the press conference last Friday Mel teamed a gorgeous red satin pencil skirt and a simple black top with some sexy high heels for a hot business-like look.
Emma Bunton always lived up to her Baby image with little unflattering girly dresses you would expect to see on a doll. These days she embraces her pregnant curves and makes the most of her womanly figure.
Usually seen in a simple black dress or well cut trouser suit, Emma doesn't seem to have an identifiable style. She appears to dress in a way to avoid attracting attention which reflects her shy and private personality. However she's not afraid to pull out all the stops for a big event so let's hope she shows the world no one puts Baby in the corner in time for December's tour.
Geri was perhaps the most memorable Spice Girl when it comes to dress sense. The union jack dress she wore to the 1997 Brit Awards became an icon of 90s pop culture and raised £41,000 for charity when it was auctioned in 1998.
Reports say that Geri wants to buy the dress back from the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas in time for the reunion tour- let's hope they won't let her.
As much as we all loved the famous dress back in '97 it really is not a good luck for a 34 year old mother. Geri has been through every look in the last decade in an attempt to find her own post-Spice style and she's had many disasters along the way.
Only a few years ago she caused concerns for her health after she appeared at an awards ceremony looking practically skeletal. She later admitted suffering from bulimia and binge eating for several years. "I realised I couldn't control this monster anymore. I needed to find help, she said at the time.
Since then Geri has seen the light and gone back to her naturally curvy frame. Perhaps she took the gypsy girl look a bit to far at Friday's press conference but her usual simple but trendy style is perfect for a new mum on the go.
Last but not least is Mel C. Thankfully she has ditched that awful sporty chav-overload look and finally realised she is in fact a female. These days she is more likely to be seen in trendy high waisted trousers and a crisp white shirt than a tracksuit.
At the reunion announcement Mel gave her boy-like figure a womanly edge by teaming some skinny leg black jeans with a great pair of open toe heels. Favouring long straight hair and a trendy fringe to the gelled back chav face lift pony tail, Mel looks like a stylish sophisticated woman at last.
So it seems it's more a case of Woman Power as the Spice Girls show they have managed to move away from 90s fashion and strut their stuff as stylish naughties stars. All that leaves is for us to wait and see if they can dance as well in stilettos as they could in their platforms.
Caz Moss
my blog
Tagged in The Spice Girls