Reflections on Fashion

"There's never a new fashion but it's old. "
Geoffrey Chaucer

Recently I have been thinking a bit about fashion. How odd, given that I am definitely a fashion-non-isto. That is not to say I don't care about it,; just that, living a quasi-hermetic life here in the tropics, it is simply a non-issue. Were I back in Canada and gainfully employed I might actually be something of a metrosexual - if for no other reason than to make it publicly clear that I am in no way related to or envious of the grubbily "hip" North American youth of today and their slovenly elders.

I suppose my current musings have been sparked by two things. The first is the fact that every time I turn on my television it seems they are re-running "The Devil Wears Prada", and I simply can't stop myself from watching. Silly. It is so not me, yet I love that film. Meaningless fluff it may well seem at first blush, but in fact, I find it an interesting and entertaining examination of identity, purpose and character. And, of course, I love Stanley Tucci who has never once disappointed me.

The second thing is that my longest-term and dearest Yahoo chatmate and endlessly patient confidant has been operating (with partners) a blog/website on the subject and it has become wonderfully successful - to the point that she is leaving her relatively lucrative full-time marketing position with a major cosmetics company to pursue her net activities (as well as to spend more time with her darling one-year old daughter).

So, what on earth could an uniformed layabout, taken with politics, religion, science and metaphysics, possibly have to say about fashion. Not much, really, except to ramble a bit about how I see the subect of how we dress and accessorize and what it says about us.

Leaving aside "couture" - a planet unto itself that we hoi polloi have no hope of ever landing on or understanding - it seems to me that style can be viewed as a 4 tier world.

I see those tiers as follows:

1. The Faddish:

This should not require much defining. Now and then something comes along and it suddenly seems so ubiquitous that one wonders if there might be a genetic basis for it. The example that always comes to my mind when thinking of fads is from the 80's. For a very brief period (naturally, since brevity is the gist of fad), it seemed that one could not walk down the street of any major city without seeing otherwise intelligent people wearing, of all things, dancers' leg warmers. Wha!!!! I mean really!

The common thread among fads, it seems to me, is that, like leg warmers, they are always utterly useless. To my jaundiced eye, people who adopt fads always carry a certain sad air about them - a longing for acceptance or, if not acceptance, at least apparency. A Quentin Crisp quote about fashion is more accurately about the faddish, than the fashionable: "Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are."

2. The Trendy:

I suppose the line between a fad and a trend could be a very fine one, but I do think it exists. Firstly, trends are always longer term than fads, sometimes lasting decades, and secondly, trends do usually have an element of value or usefulness.

Examples to me of the trendy would be iPods and iPhones, and Benneton. They share something, I think. They are useful. They are reasonably good quality. They work and are safe "fashion" choices. Their essence is safety. Why has Benneton been such a global success? Simple. Any fool can walk into a Benneton shop and know that if they simply pick one item from shelf A, another from B and a third from C and put them together they will look pretty good. They will be current. They will "fit" and be safe from criticism.

Likewise iProduct. One doesn't have to think or understand mp3 players or telephony and one doesn't have to consider what may or may not be "cool". The homework has been done by the arbiters of high tech taste; the decision has already been made.

So if these and like products are good quality and safe - unlike faddish products in which quality is not even a factor - why would I consider them trends? Because they are not generally chosen because of their quality but because of their safety. People will not only line up for hours to purchase an iPhone, they will pay a premium for it. Why? Because they lack the self-confidence (or, to be fair, maybe just the time) to make an informed decision and must opt for the "proven". Forget that Nokia or Creative Labs or whoever might make a better product at a cheaper price; iStuff is safe. (A) It will work. (B) Nobody will laugh at me. (C) Some might even envy me.

Lastly, trends turn out to be trends for the simple reason that sooner or later the public gets wise and looks a little deeper or something better, with better marketing, comes along. The item is no longer 'safe" and becomes eschewed, despite it qualities. The trend-aware, it seems, are often, though not always, more concerned with appearing securely current (and therefore acceptable) than with staying well-dressed or equipped.

3. The Stylish:

To my mind, Yves St Laurent sums up the subject of "style" perfectly:
"Fashions fade. Style is eternal."

Style, I believe, is based on certain underlying, long-term, widely accepted aesthetic principles. In gentlemen's fashion, lapels may be wider or narrower this season than last, pants may be cuffed or not, jackets may be single or double breasted and single or double vented, but a suit is a suit. A well tailored, properly fitting suit of quality material may not be of precisely the cut that this season's latest is, but it doesn't matter. Quality is quality and is relatively timeless. One would no more laugh at a man in a regimental or paisley tie simply because this year one favors pastels than one would at a man driving an aging, but well maintained and cared for, BMW, Mercedes, or Bentley. On the contrary, it will speak of awareness, real knowledge and confidence to those who know or matter.

Likewise, the little black cocktail dress. Hemlines a little higher this year and bustlines a little lower? So what? It is the Mozart of women's wear. It was the essence of understated, sensual class when it was invented and remains so today regardless of minor seasonal adjustments.

The truly stylish person is one who knows how to look good because they have taken the time to learn. He or she is person who, all other qualifications being equal, you hire immediately for that job over some other applicant.

To be regarded as "stylish" - or more accurately, a person with "style" - I think is a great compliment. It is someone indicating that your self awareness, discipline and confidence are apparent not just to yourself but to others.

Appropriate "style" quote:
"Fashion is a tool… to compete in life outside the home. People like you better, without knowing why, because people always react well to a person they like the looks of."
Mary Quant

4. The Hip:

"Hip" is one of those words that everyone thinks they know the meaning of but would be hard-pressed to define. With respect to style I define it simply:

The "hip" is the person who creates his or her own style.

I recall back in the early 80's, when working at Sony Music, being visited in the office by a photographer who I knew but only peripherally. The environment he entered was amusing - a mixture of aging record execs in polyester suits and young, with-it, people wearing either the latest trends or the standby rock'n'roll blue jeans and sneakers.

So, in comes our photographer: totally bald (at about 25 years old it was clearly intentional), cargo pants (a decade and a half before they became fashionable), light creamy cashmere long sleeved sweater, sleeves rolled up revealing some strange, yet elegant, antique watch, and - the coup de grace - stuffed into the waistband of his pants, a huge silver safety pin, serving as a key-ring.

He was wonderful. Seeing him that day gave me my definition of "hip". Nothing about him fit any pattern or accepted norm - yet he looked fantastic and exuded confidence and sexuality (as the long sideways glances from female employees attested).

The hip define themselves - and screw you if you don't like it. But you probably will like it. The "hip" are those who, when you see them make you think: "Shit! Why didn't I think of that?"

So does that mean throwing together anything makes you hip? Of course not. Defining yourself if you have no taste or creativity is simply going to exagerate the fact that you are a tasteless, uncreative wannabe dork.

"I base my fashion taste on what doesn't itch." hahaha. Gilda Radner

There is one other fashion category with a long  history that I won't go into here because I know little about it - beyond its delightful weirdness - and because it is almost, though not quite, dead. That is: Dandyism. We just don't seem to see many fops and dandies prancing about these days. Pity.

C'est tout.