I even had a bit of banter with him about his flamboyant attire when we met recently at the BBC production of I'd do anything. Well, how things come back to nip you in the bum! No not Graham, but a leading Irish broadsheet! They did a huge article on Irish celebrities and fashion last week and guess who their 'experts' choose as the worst dressed man in Ireland? Yep, go ahead, have your wee laugh, but that wasn't even the most insulting thing about it..... I came in joint place with Graham Norton!
I was fuming!! Ok, ill admit, I did have some fashion disasters whilst in the Big Brother house and I know that shell-suits, home-made jewellery and sweat-bands might not have been to everyone's tastes, but I felt I pulled the look off quite well, even down to the 80's hair-do which I insist was not intentional!
I learnt to evolve with current trends and to mix different styles to help build my unique look. I went on to win best dressed housemate of the series but obviously this went unnoticed with these so-called experts! To make things worse, my old buddy James Nesbitt went on to win best dressed!! Now all Jimmy has to do is wear a suit, which ranges from navy blue to light grey every time he makes an appearance and that qualifies for a winning formula of top style. The man has about 5 hairs on his head as were I have a lovely bunch of golden locks, each one curled (naturally) to perfection! Doesn't that count for something?
As a Derry man, I feel that my fashion sense is just light-years ahead and I am very aware that I am part of a city that boasts of style innovators. We had men in this town wearing black shoes, black trousers and white socks showing, long before Michael Jackson Moonwalked the trend to the catwalk world of Rock 'n' Roll.
I remember my granny used to tie a scarf around her head back in the day because she said it helped lower her blood pressure. Ok, she could have just used flora on her toast, but that's not the point. Obviously Sylvester Stallone picked up on the trends of the Ardmore folk and took the look to the big screen in Rambo. My Granbo (the nick-name she earned after she became a victim of fashion-theft) was not one bit pleased and received no royalties in return, which was for the best as she'd probably have blown it all on sweat-vests and AK47's just to prove a point.
In the piece one leading female personal dresser quoted 'Seány O' Kane is beyond the point of help when it comes to his dress sense.' It came complete with a smug shot of the lady and I am not saying that she was burley in build, I am just saying that she was massively boned and I detected an once of jealously and rage purely because I can look good in a pair of skinny jeans. I'll admit that there are days when it seems as though it can look as though Rainbow has thrown up all over me, but you know what, who cares, I am a child of the 80's and I embrace my nostalgic taste in clothing. So Jimmy my lad, you can hold on to your bland coloured suits. I'd rather be remembered for my daring approach in experimenting with style and the colourful impression I leave on people long after I've gone.
Seány.