Wardrobe Stories: Ben Pechey
Purple and green should ALWAYS be seen
Ben Pechey
“Fashion does 50% of the talking for me,” says Ben Pechey. “It tells the world who I am and what I believe in.”
Which is helpful, because there’s lots to say. As an activist, writer, podcaster and educator, 26-year-old Pechey is a font of wisdom and thoughtful, accessible insight on many vital topics – from trans rights and life as a non-binary person (Ben’s pronouns are they/them), to allyship and inclusivity, mental wellbeing and plenty more, all communicated via some of the most infectiously joyful outfit photos on the internet. In a world of po-faced Instapreneurs, I defy anyone to scroll through Ben’s feed without grinning.
“My mum says I dress like a children’s TV presenter, and I love that.”
In fact, that unapologetically cheerful attitude recently scored Ben a book deal to write a book about non-binary joy. “It’s for mid-teens, because at that age I had nobody to inspire me,” they say. But us not-teenagers can also find plenty to be inspired by in Ben’s content, not least their trademark style.
From Princess Diana to choice cuts from Dynasty and Dallas via TikTok (“the outfits are vile and the people are trash but I love it so much”), Ben’s sartorial happy place is smack bang in the decade of excess: the 1980s. Colour-blocking, power-suiting, sky-high heels and maximalist accessories abound, with a love of witty prints and even a reclamation of fashion’s most divisive shoe: the croc. “My mum says I dress like a children’s TV presenter, and I love that. Some of my clothes are really stupid.”
“I never feel better than I do in this dress”
But they’re smart, too. For Pechey, who lives in a small village in East Yorkshire, clothes represent “a kind of political armour” and outfits can be outrageous in more ways than one.
“I love playing with the way people think about stuff. In heels I’m six foot three. I’m going to put a dress on, I’m probably going to scare you, and I love that I can do that,” they say. “We want cisgender people to feel uncomfortable, because when people are uncomfortable, change happens.”
As a former fashion editor who used to spend two weeks a year serving looks on the front row, Ben is banging the drum for change in the industry too. Plus-size customers are still bafflingly under-catered for, while gender-free dressers don’t want yet another line of bland utilitarian t-shirts – they just want existing brands to extend their shoe sizes. “You don’t need to make loads of different types of clothes for different people, just make the same nice things available to everybody. What is stopping brands from doing that?”
Meanwhile Ben’s own shopping habits have had an overhaul in recent years, after they realised they were… well, over the haul. “It was this constant merry-go-round of new, new, new – and I got really burned out,” they say. “In the end I was like, ‘what am I doing this for?’ I started to educate myself, not just for me but also out of responsibility to my followers. They don’t need to see new things every single week.”
These days Pechey is a proud outfit-repeater, having discovered that there’s a different kind of joy to be found in old faithful garms. “In that constant pursuit of new, you sometimes lose who you really are. Whereas if you put something on that’s familiar and comfortable, that you’ve worn a lot, you access who you are again.”
“We all have those comfort clothes that we wouldn’t go on Instagram in, but we still need them in our lives don’t we?”
But that doesn’t mean Ben is swearing off shopping for good – rather, they’re supporting small brands and swerving labels that claim to be ‘sustainable’ but drop endless new products. It’s not about preaching saintly perfection, but resisting the lure of ‘must-have’ trends (“This season, it was those Birkenstock clogs”) and reclaiming the positive power of fashion.
“When people are like ‘ugh, fashion, it’s a bit naff…’ I think: ‘you’re completely wrong sweetheart’,” they say. “Fashion is soul food. I wouldn’t feel myself if I didn’t dress how I dress – which sounds really clichéd, but I love clichés! I love that for me.”
Ben with their luxurious Louis Vuitton bag - “The colour doesn’t go with anything, so I just put it with everything”
I love it for me too, so here’s another cliché: when it comes to delving into Ben’s wardrobe, you could say I’m Pechey-keen.
Ben’s Wardrobe Stories
What's the oldest thing in your wardrobe?
It’s my Louis Vuitton Speedy bag in bright green epi leather. She was made in France in 1992, so she’s older than I am, but she’s in such good condition. I bought her on eBay Japan, which is my best tip – the luxury market over there is huge, so people get rid of things often, and they really look after their stuff. I bought it at a time when I thought I needed a designer bag to say something about me. But I still really treasure it now. The colour doesn’t go with anything, so I just put it with everything. I love to wear her with a Cadbury’s purple coat I have, just to nip out for some milk. The sea parts in the Co-op and everyone just stops and stares.
What's the item of clothing closest to your heart?
It’s from ASOS, don’t hate me. It’s a dress in a chintzy floral print, with sequins on the cuffs and hem. It has a tie back, but I wear it back to front because I don’t have a chest – and it fits me like a glove. It was the first super-femme piece I bought myself. It was only £9 in the sale, and at the time I didn’t want to spend much money because I was being told that dressing like this was ‘just a massive phase’. So I bought this, and three and a half years later, I’ve worn it to fashion week, to parties, to photo shoots, to interviews. I wear it any time I feel a bit out of my depth, and I never feel better than I do in this dress. Plus it sheds sequins, so I leave a little piece of me behind everywhere I go...
What's your most recent acquisition?
When I signed my book deal, I wanted to mark it with something special. And that something special was a pair of Vivienne Westwood’s iconic rocking horse ballerinas, with straps that tie up the leg. They’re originally from the 90s, around the same time that Naomi Campbell fell over in those infamous platforms. Westwood has a long history of making her shoes unisex, but the last few years she’s sadly stopped at a 9. Then, just after I’d signed my book deal, I went on the website and there they were in a size 10, my size. I’d wanted them for so long, it felt like a sign. Full disclosure: they are more uncomfortable than you can know, they pinch the top of my feet – but I can walk in them and I love them SO much. I haven’t worn them yet; they’re still in their delivery box because I’m still in shock. But they’ll be my book promotion shoes.
The black faux fur coat, haggled from the market in Notting Hill the first time Ben was away from home
What’s the best origin story in your wardrobe?
A full-length faux fur coat, bought after haggling with two old ladies in Notting Hill market one rainy Saturday afternoon in my first year of uni. I found it right at the end of the day, and it was really dusty, it smelled horrible, but it fitted me perfectly and it felt like it was made for me. The tag said £80, but I held up a £50 note (who did I think I was?) and said: ‘This is all I have. But I want this, and you want this.’ They said: ‘deal.’ I spent more money having it cleaned than I paid for it in the first place, but it was worth it because it means a lot to me. It was the first time I’d been away from home, and it felt so freeing to own a full-length faux fur coat. At the time I could never have worn it back home or around my parents, so it was very much an, ‘I’m in London, nobody can tell me anything now’ kind of coat. Quite an obnoxious purchase really, but I stand by it.
“it sheds sequins, so I leave a little piece of me behind everywhere I go... “
Which piece have you worn again and again and again?
A really crap emerald green cotton jumper from Marks and Spencer, which I wear every single week. It’s eight years old, it’s really faded, and this is my third one – I originally bought it in 2012, then I went to an outlet store and bought two more because I loved it so much. This is the last one standing. It’s not the most stylish but I wear it all the time, it’s so comfortable, and it looks just about passable over a dress. We all have those comfort clothes that we wouldn’t go on Instagram in, but we still need them in our lives don’t we?
Be honest – which garment do you wish you wore more?
A green (green again! I have a thing about green) faux-leather trench coat from Topshop. I saw it a couple of years ago and just thought: “I need it.” The thing is, Topshop only goes up to a size 18, and I’m a 26. So I knew it wouldn’t fit me, even as I was buying it. I’ve only worn it one and a half times in two years – once to shoot photos in it (that’s the half), and once on my shoulders. Last month I finally decided I was ready to say goodbye, so I donated it to Nuw’s Stop and Swap sessions with Love Not Landfill and the North London Waste Authority. I’m sad, but it was never meant to be mine. I think I held onto it for so long because I thought it would unlock somebody new, but I’m hoping that giving it away will unlock the next chapter of being my own person instead. I’m actually really happy to see the back of it.
Let’s imagine Madame Tussauds is making a waxwork of you. What would they be wearing?
Probably a suit, I’ve got a lot of really colourful suits that I love. Or if not a suit, definitely head-to-toe in one colour. I think it was Eva Chen who once said that if you wear all one colour, you look really expensive? I live by that. But honestly I’m struggling with this question, because I have different clothes for different moods – so maybe my waxwork would have different outfits for every single day of the week? YES, it would have its own rotating wardrobe, because I can’t choose. I’m greedy and that’s just the way I am.
Follow Ben @benpechey, listen to their podcast The Happy Place and read their blog at benpechey.com.