An Afternoon with Natasha Lipman
“I’d love for adaptive fashion to move away from very capsule collections that are very specific to one style, and overall clothing just being more accessible for everyone.”
Natasha is a 30-year-old writer and disabled blogger from London. We were lucky enough to have the pleasure of spending one sunny March afternoon with her to discuss all things fashion. The Instagrammer and blogger has a distinct personal style, we took to exploring how her disability impacts her dressing, among other things.
You can find Natasha’s website by clicking here.
Tell us about yourself!
Hi! I’m Natasha Lipman, I’m 30 years old from London. I’m a part-time journalist for the BBC with a focus on disability and women’s health, and an ‘Instagrammer’ focussing on chronic illness. It’s hard to really think about hobbies too much anymore, as I spend most of my time trying to work (I love writing but that’s less of a hobby now) and exist! But I do love to sing and I’m trying to re-learn how to do that again which has been really lovely but extremely difficult.
What is your disability and how does it affect your life?
I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, Histamine Intolerance, PMDD, Hypothyroidism, anxiety and ME. Gotta collect ‘em all! The main ways my disabilities impact my life comes from chronic pain and chronic fatigue. I spend the vast majority of my time in bed, and even walking to my bathroom causes a lot of pain. My joints have a horrid habit of slipping out all the time, and I often wake up with my shoulder hanging out. I also deal with autonomic dysfunction, meaning the basic things my body should do to regulate itself…don’t.
I’ve had health issues since I was about 9, but in my 20s things really went downhill. I spent many years unable to work, thinking my life was over. I feel extremely fortunate to have the support I have had to build a life that I never thought I’d have, but one that I’m extremely proud of.
What is your personal style and how does your disability affect this?
My personal style very much developed after I became a wheelchair user. I always loved a very feminine, vintage aesthetic (also because it suited my shape), but never really went for it because I was overweight when I was younger and very uncomfortable with my body. In my mid-20’s I became extremely unwell, lost a lot of weight, and switched to almost-exclusively wearing comfortable clothes - pyjamas, leggings, jeans and kinda basic tops. I never really felt like ‘me’, but fashion wasn’t really something that I paid attention to because I had other things on my mind.
When I became a wheelchair user, I noticed that whenever I went out, people would stare at me. And a switch kinda flipped. I’d been watching The Good Place and was so in love with Tahani’s fashion, and started realising that if people were going to stare at me, I’d give them something to stare at. Something that made me feel confident in myself, especially because choosing to make my invisible disability visible wasn’t an easy choice.
The first dress I bought was from Glamour Bunny and I literally put it on and felt more like myself than I had in years. There’s just something about those dresses that makes me feel SO good. Because I spend the vast majority of your time greasy and unwashed living in pyjamas, putting on makeup and clothes feels quite special anyway. So being always knowingly overdressed just feels like a reflection of who I am when I’m not forced away from the world.
Of course, this is a double edged sword - people still feel confused when they see someone as fabbbbulousssss as me using a wheelchair - and specifically in a medical context, it can be detrimental showing up trying to explain how awful you feel when you’re ‘put together’. It’s extremely frustrating because one thing doesn’t negate the other.
What clothing do you feel most comfortable in and why?
I think comfortable can be used in two ways here! If I’m really going for comfort, super soft, elasticated pyjamas are my go-to! When it comes to comfort for aesthetics? I love swing dresses and red lipstick!
How would you describe your experience with style and being a wheelchair user? Do you personalise your aids?
Growing up, my mobility aids consisted of grey crutches (although I did get funkier ones from France in my late teens) and hideous thick cotton knee supports. I used to not wear the supports because I couldn’t hide them under my clothes. I never really thought about the crutches in terms of fashion just because they were a necessity.
Getting a wheelchair that made me feel confident was really important to me. I have one that I adore, but it’t not great to use out and about, sadly. I haven’t customised either of my chairs but one day I will own a matte millennial pink power chair with Izzy Wheels because they’re amazing (I currently have teeny wheels!). So I’m less about adoring the chair, and more about adorning myself right now!
From a fashion perspective I have trouble with long skirts since I’m really short getting stuck in my wheels, some of my favourite coats not sitting well or comfortably, and bloody back zips are the bane of my poor back skin!
What would improve your experience with dressing? What clothing, fastenings, adaptions do you wish you had?
My biggest issues are fabric hurting my skin, not being able to do up buttons, not being able to reach zips without popping out a joint/spasming something, or even being able to get clothes over my head without hurting my shoulders. I honestly don’t really know what the solution is. I generally find it easier to step into clothes, but then getting them done up is more difficult.
What are your favourite brands to turn to for easy dressing, as well as to express your own personal style?
My favourite brands for my own personal style are Glamour Bunny, Miss Candyfloss & British Retro. They’re on the pricier end of the scale (which is why I save up for them!) but their dresses are so beautifully made, the materials are lovely, and they just make me feel so good. Some cheaper brands (which I sometimes have an issue with the materials so have to be really picky) are Lindy Bop and Joanie. Honestly, I’ve yet to find clothes in my style that I can easily put on myself, so this is purely aesthetic rather than functional.
Three photos of Natasha sitting in a velvet red chair. She wears a navy dress with a red chevron stripe. She wears red lipstick and red nails. She smiles, She glances up and she glances cross.
Do you hope to change misconceptions with style and disability, if so how do you do this?
I only really started pictures of myself on Instagram after I got my wheelchair, and it was actually a really important thing to do to help me develop confidence, especially because seeing someone visible with a platform like I have, has encouraged other people to feel confidence, comfortable, and deserving when it comes to getting their own mobility aids. And that’s the best feeling ever.
It’s also often a good entry point to talking to strangers - people will often compliment my dress or my lipstick before just blurting out ‘what happened to you’.
As I said above, one of the biggest issues is people not understanding that being a wheelchair user and being stylish are not mutually exclusive things. Honestly, people have asked me if it scares me sharing pictures of myself looking like that online And it does. Because what people don’t see is that those pictures come from one shoot every few months that I rest up for and recover from. My feed is a place to make me feel good so that’s where I put those rare glimpses. That’s what I want there because whether we like it or not, Instagram is an aesthetic platform. My feed would look like shit if I just shared the constant stream of ‘feeling awful in bed’ selfies that litter my stories.
What do you think the future of adaptive fashion holds?
I’d love for adaptive fashion to move away from very capsule collections that are very specific to one style, and overall clothing just being more accessible for everyone. There hasn’t been a single thing in any of the big launches that have been in the media that I’d personally buy. That’s not to say that my style is the most important thing, but I think it still shows the limits of this.
What do you want designers to know about disability x fashion?
Just like making a workplace more accessible can bring benefits to all members of staff, disabled or not, I think accessible fashion can do the same. In a way, I’d like accessible fashion to not be newsworthy. For it not to get a huge PR spread. I’d just like there to be a bit more thought and some more options available. AND A BLOODY SWING DRESS I CAN PUT ON MYSELF WITHOUT SUBLUXING A RIB OR SHOULDER. THANKS
