Interesting you mention the sense of competition because I think that is all the more prevalent now but in a completely different context. Then it was a technical competition, from the executions of the maison/atelier/petit mains/house etc, the makeup and hair, models, jewellery and other parts. Now it’s like trophy hunting; what celebs sit in the front row, who wears it in the carpet and who has that “iconic moment”.
It accentuates the mediocrity we have now because more than ever, designers at large are looking to past in the worst possible way. Everything feels so fleeting and not memorable or impactful. Or it somewhat does feel like that, but you can see the cogs working by PR and social media to prolong it to make the basic seem so everlasting.
I’ve chatted to a few friends about fashion and it’s something we really don’t need at large. We need clothes, but not things like this. But when it is presented and showcased with such compassion and prowess the fantasy of it all colliding with reality creates a passionate yearning to see how far it can be pushed. Few do that now, and when one tries to it feels as others say extremely contrived.
