7.

In Defense of Fashion


I find myself defending fashion all the time. As an Ecology student, well-versed in the crises of consumer culture, and as an teenager exposed to many intelligent people who believe that fashion is a hollow, superficial and materialistic industry, I am constantly attempting to rationalize my love of dress. 


I'm so sick of feeling guilty!


I have to admit, I was unsettled by Mary Wollstonecraft's repeated criticisms of dress in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. In one passage on fashion, she remarks, "...calling attention continually to the body, cramps the activity of the mind" (81). 


I've been raised to think the opposite. My mother was a professional buyer for nine years. Working for both Macy's and Cost Plus, she traveled throughout Europe and Asia in search of goods (clothing, furniture, textiles) to sell in the States.  She continually brought Elie and me costumes, embedding in both of us a fervent love of dress. In our attic in the States, we've kept a stash of Indian saris, Scottish kilts, Russian skirts, Thai jackets,  and Chinese silk suits among other items. 


Recently shaken by dramatic documentaries about the perils of consumer-culture in my Ecology class, I asked my mother what she would say if someone were to tell her that her profession depended upon the evils of selfish materialism.  She responded by saying that, as seen throughout history, humans have adorned themselves with material objects for centuries, and that if produced ethically and sustainably, these objects can provide incredibly valuable commentary about what it means to be an individual in this world. Luxury items can be expressive and creative. They are a narrative of the individual human condition as well as a reflection of vast societal trends.


When considered in this light, fashion is unbelievably powerful. Take Yves Saint Laurent for instance, whose work, for me, visually narrates our era's trend towards worldly awareness, a positive effect of globalization. Throughout his career, YSL traveled the world and created collections inspired by African(1967), Russian (1976), and Moroccan (1968) dress. In a world quickly westernizing in every other way, fashion provides an outlet where cultural differences/diversities are celebrated and sustained. What some may consider a superfluous, luxury industry, may be the only place where this kind of cultural celebration is ensured to continue!

1.   2 3. 

1. Africa, http://deyoung.famsf.org/

2. Russia, http://picasaweb.google.com/FAMSF1/YvesSaintLaurent

3. Morocco, http://deyoung.famsf.org/

Fashion can also be scientific, in reference to the natural world. Alexander Mcqueen's Spring/Summer 2011 Plato’s Atlantis collection was the product of an intense study of the environment. Inspired by ecology and the theory of evolution, Mcqueen studied insects, reptiles, and sea creatures, arranging them in mathematical tesselation-like patterns across shift dresses. His unbelievable work no doubt inspires an appreciation of the natural world and its beauty - a crucial message in a time where humans are struggling to empathize with the environment.

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1. http://igossip.com/gossip/alexander_mcqueen_spring_summer_2010_show/980228


Also significant to me, is the revived 1950s femininity of Louis Vuitton's recent fall 2010 collection. This "lady-like" trend has caught hold across the board. Even lower-end retailers are selling stock with defined high waist lines, synching belts, silk scarfs and the like. It is fascinating to me that something like this has come out of the belly-bearing-spice-girls-inspired 90s era.  Our trends are retrospective and I think this says something about our social values. Perhaps we are nostalgic for an era of respectful, dignified womanhood. 

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1. http://www.fashionfame.com/2010/06/louis-vuitton-fall-winter-2010-ad-campaign/

Fashion is not a foolish enterprise, but an art form with the ability to embody crucial themes.  Wollstonecraft believes a concern for dress is a frivolous employment, used solely out of a "savage desire for attention," to occupy one's self "When the mind is not sufficiently opened to take pleasure in reflection" (80 & 120). In contrast, I think that fashion (as seen in the preceding examples) is highly reflective, inquisitive, and intellectual. It is a visual exercise to the greatest extent - visual art, architecture and design all rolled into one. It is not always a means of entrapment for women as Wollstonecraft says, but a critical mode of communication and expression.