In early 2001, a media storm erupted around Sophie Wessex (formerly Sophie Rees-Jones), the wife to Edward, one of the sons of the Queen of England, Elizabeth Windsor. Sophie Wessex had been taped making disparaging comments about various prominent politicians and member of her own royal family by a reporter working under-cover as part of a 'sting' operation by one of the British tabloids. The reporter had posed as an Arab businessman interested in becoming a client of Sophie's PR company. The British tabloids were henceforth ruthless in their pursuit of Sophie who became 'fair-game', so to speak, for extensive criticism and even ridicule. Below you will find a media text which was published in this period. Here, Sophie's dress sense is called into question after she was spotted wearing a somewhat striking outfit at the annual Ascot race meeting. The text is interesting for our current purposes because it takes the form of a debate between two 'fashion experts'. Both debaters deal with the same outfit and yet come up with diametrically opposed assessments - one praises, the other condemns. It is interesting, therefore, to explore just what differences in evaluative stance enable the same object - an outfit - to be represented, thus, in such different evaluative terms.
I invite you to work through the text identifying any instances of Affect, Judgement and Attitude? What at the key attitudinal differences between the two debaters' contribtion. I provide an analysis following.
[Daily Mail (London) June 20, 2001: p. 3] Main Head: Was Sophie's choice the day 's fashion faux pas? Small Head: Bold and bright, the Countess's rainbow display at Royal Ascot THE start of Royal Ascot yesterday ensured a rainbow of fashionable colours on the racecourse. And most, it seemed, beamed out from the Countess of Wessex's striking outfit. Sophie arrived at the Berkshire course in a striped confection that ensured fashion rather than racing was the main talking point in the enclosures. While the Queen settled for restrained coffee and cream, and the Queen Mother her favourite lilac, Sophie's choice ensured maximum attention. Below, two writers give their verdict on the suitability of the suit designed to stand out in a crowd. YES Says D'Argy Smith. NO ONE ever accused Sophie Wessex of being a class fashion act. At her sartorial best, she was a pallid imitation of Princess Di. She's never had the body, the legs or the style imagination to look as stunning as Diana. But she usually passed muster well, at least, didn't offend. Yesterday at Ascot, however, she appeared to have taken leave of her fashion senses. Her suit of large horizontal bands of green, orange, pink and blue interspersed with bands of raffia was topped off with an English country wedding cream high hat, complete with wide brim and flower. You had to sigh at the awfulness of it all. What on earth was she thinking when she decided 'This suit is for me'? And what sort of person would let her walk out of a store looking like that? Perhaps it's an act of rebellion that she is not prepared to lie low after her recent PR indiscretion. Who knows? But the colours certainly gave me a headache. Marcelle D'Argy Smith is a former editor of Cosmopolitan magazine NO Says Brenda Polan. SOPHIE'S Ascot outfit is quite the most light-hearted, cheerful twinning of skirt and jacket one can imagine. The four colours sugar pink, tangerine, lime and blue are exactly those that fashion loves this summer and the Neapolitan ice- cream effect ensured the suit was eye-catching enough for a royal who clearly wanted to attract some attention. What is even more remarkable is that, thanks to very clever cutting, Sophie's little suit makes her look curvily sexy, something she's never quite pulled off before. That's because it was made to measure by a rather clever couturiere. The suit bears all the hallmarks of Laura B, the Knightsbridge-based dressmaker. The resulting outfit is certainly more risque than usual for Sophie who has always demonstrated impeccably restrained, even subdued, good taste in her public persona. But judging by the pearl hat, the gloves and little bag, the Countess lost a little of her nerve at the last minute and decided on neutral accessories to tone down this most extraordinary outfit. Brenda Polan is the Mail's fashion commentator P.S. ZARA Phillips also turned heads yesterday in a lacy hat designed especially for her. She arrived with her boyfriend, National Hunt jockey Richard Johnson. Zara, 20, teamed her hat by designer Tara O'Callaghan with a sleek floral satin dress. Her confident smile said the girl who lives in jeans and riding boots enjoyed the chance for a little dressing up.
