[susie_bubble]

^I too agree that this 'anti-fashion' is permeating a lot ppl's style and they seem to consciouly think about being 'anti-fashion' - this bothers me slightly since trying too hard in this way can only lead to unnatural style and style not true to themselves.

[tott]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lena i can see a 'i wouldnt care less about what's fashionably hot' attitude rising in the air, as illustrated by the new anti-fashionable trends in Japan.. it's only a justified reaction.. when the majority slaves trends and being fashionable, some 'elit' will just go out and say 'we can't really be bothered with playing the game anymore' i find this a healthy reaction as for quality products, this is almost non existing in mass market.. everything seems a commodity with an expiring date (no durability) so the client will soon go out and burn some more money..

Too true...

And it is a healthy and predictable reaction. But isn't it funny and ironic that the reaction against current trends is also a trend? People jump on the same reactionary train, it's not like they explore totally new avenues. We are still all members of some herd... But that's what makes trend watching fun and interesting.

[ApertureRomance]

Shops target the youth , the majority have some kind of disposable income so buying into a trend isn't a problem.

[Lena]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tott And it is a healthy and predictable reaction. But isn't it funny and ironic that the reaction against current trends is also a trend? .

exactly, somehow everything is a kind of a trend (and this includes anti-trends as well) including elements of 'taste' in food (see starbucks), cars (4weels), vacation destinations.. nothing really escapes the trend frame

part human nature (sociology), part capitalistic reality (economics and greed)..
thats what makes all trends so exciting and fun to analyse, study and work with..

[milkeyedmender]

i completely agree lena, fashion is a reflection of how people feel, which is why i always find it so amazing how people can predict trends seasons(even years) before they happen. fashion is about so much more than just how you look, i really need to read more about the social context of fashion and clothing trends because it just fascinates me so much.

[JFCoelho]

Peace, I was thinking of that Teen Vogue article before you mentioned it! Can anyone scan it? It's really quite interesting. Marc Jacobs discusses the enormous popularity of tabloid magazines like US Weekly and he shows great disdain for US wannabees whose sartorial inspirations are drawn from an over-accessorized Lindsay Lohan shopping on Robertson Blvd.

Oh, this was my first post! I have been checking in on this site from time to time and I just want to say that there have been some really great comments here.

[AniexDaffodil]

since fashions seem to be retrograding, im still waiting for more of a early 90's "anti fashion appeal" to take charge in the U.S.

with everything thats going on politically with the war and the over exposure of fashion at the moment, it seems like the most appropriate next step

[pixiewytch]

I agree with others that I would love to see fashion to go back to a small boutique quality focused fashion house mentality but that is a thing of the past. As long as huge money making corporations can get third world children to make a pair of gap pants for ten cents an hour, nothing is going to change. Mass market fashion seems to no longer be about art, creativity, or quality, but about lining a CEO's pockets with money at the expense of quality and unfair working conditions for others.

As for Marc Jacobs, I'm a huge fan and LV fanatic but I have to say he contradicts himself a bit in that statement. I mean, does he not make the flashiest bags and accessories for the fashion house who is counterfeited a hundred times over anyone else for the sake of trends. I love Marc but talk about calling the kettle black.

[pucci_mama]

I personally think that fashion has started to become un-fashionable, as previous mentioned, trend after trend is being churned out too keep the masses happy, this as been a trend for quite some time to then distance one-self from everything too do with fashion.

Wear what is seem as not 'trendy' clothes, Carpe diem, Yohji, Comme des Garcons etc. but, tbh I think these people are just as 'fashion victim-y' as the rest of the masses.

But yeah- I do see a rise in the 'anti-trend' fashion has became too popular too the masses, so the 'trend-setters' need to find something else, it's all a cycle. And we are all a product of a marketing machine, no matter how much Yohji clais too 'hate fashion' and get followers by that.

I don't know if I make any sence, it's just thoughts, I find this discussion very interesting.

[melt977]

Having read your posts, I am wondering:

Didn't fashion prevail through all the decades up until the mid-90's when individuality became a sought after factor in people's appearance?

All previous decades untli the mid-90's had a very distinct fashion style. We all get an image of a fifties cut dress and heel in our mind, we all know what we are going to see when a magazine cites "Return to the 60's".... the 70's and 80's were very distinctive too...

What I actually mean here is that all the people used to follow the same trend, thus creating a distinct fashion cahracter that now describes the whole era. But is this just an impression of mine derived from the fashion revival of these decades through a very few selected trends? Or is it because back then people did use to dress in a similar way...

Also, back then, fashion was reflecting the socio-economic status of the major fashion cities... Is fashion doing the same now? Is this maddening pace of trend changing reflecting the consumerism of our days? Or is this happening because more and more people have access to fashion shows through the internet and the great amount of fashion magazines around? What is really going on?

And quoting Pucci Mama, I hope I'm making some sense... it's just several co-related questions that occur to me when thinking about fashion and what it represents.... and how we have come to a point that fashion has taken center stage in our daily lives... has this happened before, in a previous decade?

[tott]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melt977 What I actually mean here is that all the people used to follow the same trend, thus creating a distinct fashion cahracter that now describes the whole era. But is this just an impression of mine derived from the fashion revival of these decades through a very few selected trends? Or is it because back then people did use to dress in a similar way...

This is a good question, and I would say that styles and trends were more diverse back in the days than what we see when styles are recreated today. I mean, you can't really cover a whole decade in one collection... People nowadays often look the same, just like they did then. People might even be more "cloned" today, because everyone is obsessing over fashion...

You know, as far back as I can remember, I've been hearing "This fall/winter/spring/summer there are no rules!", "Mix and match!" and things like that... Like we've all suddenly been liberated, like we're no longer slaves to fashion.

[melt977]

I just wish that the outcome of this frustration against clones and false fashion consciousness, will lead to something completely new that will define this decade.

Actually, I sort of expected a whole wave of new things in fashion with this new millenium, since artists and designers have been dreaming of this age for at least 100 years now... and now it's here, designers do nothing more than revive the past.

[Lena]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melt977 Also, back then, fashion was reflecting the socio-economic status of the major fashion cities... Is fashion doing the same now? Is this maddening pace of trend changing reflecting the consumerism of our days? Or is this happening because more and more people have access to fashion shows through the internet and the great amount of fashion magazines around? What is really going on?

excellent points melt, tott and puccimama..

trying to put my 2 cents in, fashion today does still reflect socio-economic situation as it always had..
individuality does play central role since our lifes seem veen more 'oppressed' (work, debts, politics) than ever before, then think 'melting pot'.. big scale imigration, globalisation, frequent travelling , huge nostalgia, uber huge global companies and of course global information has created a much wider spectrum than before.
People are more individual and also much more 'tribal' than they used to be, eg. the vintage 'group', the balenciaga bag 'group', the designer lebels 'group', the urban/juicy 'group'
like tott said, people dont really want to be dictated what's right to wear and what's wrong and i think they are right

this is not the happy 50s when (almost) everyone was 'innocent' and ready to accept the 'new' ideas being offered at that time, this is not the 'revolutionary' 60s with mini & maxi comming up, this is not even the bohemian 70's or the career influenced 80's.. its a mix of all of past decades plus more, and this 'more' is 'rebelion against what i'm supposed to wear'

making 'it' mine >
is one of the strongest mega trends at the moment, this is an 'anti-comformity' attitude and does apply in the most of the population, regardless if they follow fashion or not.. people like to wear what they want and bring trends/labels/fashion in their own life the way they see fit..

anarchy? democracy? melting pot? fine mess?

[Scott]

Well,in terms of "fashion" with all it's idealism,trendiness,hype,rules,hypocrisy,elitism etc. etc....no it's not fashionable as you say.

I think in the last years,alot of talented designers have become alot more concious of fashion as merely a medium. Take away that banal,pretentious,dishonest machine that gets filtered into our souls non-stop,this can very much be a discipline as any other serious creative platform. There's many sides. Sadly,the ones really representing the individualism never really get that much attention.

[JFCoelho]

Can someone scan and post the article in the latest issue of Teen Vogue where Marc Jacobs discusses how society today is influenced by paparazzi pictures of celebrity style?

That would be fantastic!