I’m not even an Eastenders fan, and I think Pat Butcher (RIP) is an icon. Though that word is thrown around freely in fashion, I can prove it actually stand in this situation. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as, ‘a person regarded as worthy of veneration’, which I think is the fairest description of Pat’s character and clothes I’ve ever come across. While everyone is hung up on her weighty ear jewels, there’s much much more to Patricia Louise Butcher (née Wicks, née Evans) than her gaudy lobes. Get comfortable, it's time to appreciate five elements that make Pat a British legend…
1. Her Earrings (Obviously)
Let's get this one out of the way. Of course, Pat has the best earring collection of anyone living or dead on TV. I’d even put money on the fact that she’s catalysed more jewellery trends than any other fictional character. The showstopping lobe-stretchers of summer ’17 look like a dangling celebration of Pat’s pizzazz if you ask me.
2. Her Silk Shirt Addiction
It wasn’t just the accessories that had Pat living and dying by a more is more mantra. For, her love of a lairy eye-watering print (ideally decorating a shoulder-padded silk shirt) should not be forgotten.
3. Her Heavy Handed Eyeshadow
Pat is hardly the only Albert Square resident to have a long-standing relationship with ‘80s make-up. Well after the decade ended and new beauty trends bubbled up, blue eye-shadow (preferably applied thickly) remained Pat’s enduring go-to. Garish yes, but what else were you expecting for a woman with more leopard print blouses that Laurence Llewelyn Bowen?
4. Her Fluoro Lipstick
When you’re tanned to the colour of an old shoe the only way to make your lips show is by going hard on the neon lips. Not one to shy away from any form of sartorial statement, Pat favoured a hot pink shade.
5. Her Limitless Sass
Through her brief stint in sex-work (yes, that happened), the ups and dramatic downs of her friendship with Peggy and her questionable bookkeeping skills, Pat was always defined by her sass. With a nearly finished fag dangling out of her hand and enough side-eye to scare a bear back into is cave, she was, I think we can all agree, iconic.
Images courtesy of the BBC
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.