Fashion Is Boring ... Have they Run Out of Ideas?

[Whitelinen]

For weeks I have been thinking about what to do with 6 metres of silk that my mother got me. I browsed style.com and NAP over and over again. And then I realized that it just doesn't work. When I had a closer look I found that everything was the same done again and again. And then I was confused. I actually had to think about what I like instead of what some random editor likes or what some trend agency claims we'll be wearing next season. It's surprisingly hard to figure out what works for me. I need to keep away from magazines and high street stores and everything trendified for a long time. I don't want others to dictate what I should think of a certain garnment.

Honestly, I think the trendification (is that a word? ) of fashion is the problem. It's not hard for a designer to come up with something new, but everything needs to fit in to some kind of trend to get noticed at all.

I think that is a good point, I haven't thought of it that way before.

Hmm... I'm envious of your six metres of silk, my favourite fabric! Is it fine silk or raw silk? Which colour? I know, I am terribly off-topic

 

[The_Ida]

Hmm... I'm envious of your six metres of silk, my favourite fabric! Is it fine silk or raw silk? Which colour? I know, I am terribly off-topic

It's thai silk, so it's pretty raw. It's not very fluid, more stiff...but not too stiff. Hard to explain The colour is navy/vibrant blue, depends on the lighting which makes it wearable for day as well. I hope. Oh, and I really need a good tailor who will do exactly as I say.

It's very much like this (from Donna Karan FW07), only less fluid and more vibrant.

 

[The_Ida]

^pic from style.com

 

[Multitudes]

Every Painter recapitulates the history of art in his or her own way ...

And to quote some from our own lines(she's gonna kill me!) ...

T.S. Eliot springs to mind, "art never improves, but that the material of art is never quite the same." I think sometimes the art establishment forgets that to do the same thing again with every part of you, is not the same thing at all.

- Siennainlondon

Both these thoughts were expressed in the context of art, but I think they work within fashion(or any creative field) to ...

 

[jpolla]

I know this may sound like such a cliche but i genuinely feel that life is what you make it. I mean designers such as Lagerfeld, Slimane, Bailey etc are just selling an idea. The fun bit is taking parts you like from various collections and blending them to give you your own look. Copying a whole show, and full outfits isnt cool or fashionable. Anyone with the financial backing can do that. Originality imo isnt necessarily being too outrageous, it is just making clothes work for you. With each new season and collections there is a constant need to reinvent yourself. That is interesting.

 

[Multitudes]

With each new season and collections there is a constant need to reinvent yourself. That is interesting.

Exactomundo !

Reinvention in every aspect of creative and expressive spaces! ...

 

[gius]

is it a good thing to reinvent yourself often? i mean, when i see someone like that, i think maybe they don't know themselves at all... have you met people like this... you ask them if they have interests, what things they like, and it's like you get an insincere answer or maybe no answer at all. am i making any sense

i think it can be the trouble that the_ida is talking about with all these magazines and things coming from strangers. it's almost like a lot of people find it really hard to break through from being a clone in a pack... and the ones who do, they are probably not doing in on purpose and maybe don't want to be even noticed at all. ///i'm getting off-topic

 

[gius]

anywya, actually, i was just talking about this with my colleagues earlier. i love the marketing and business side of design... i love this whole thing about image building and promotion and it's all pretty interesting
it's when you don't have your own values set in place, when you don't really know yourself, that you start to go downwind (or if you just give up and sell yourself out)

 

[couturex]

When you see those "Who Wore It Better?" pictures on celebrities wearing the same thing, you can really see how fashion goes as far as you let it. You can see a fabulous Marc Jacobs dress on Cameron Diaz look beautiful with pearls and heels, but look trashy on Courtney Love with birkenstocks and messy hair.

When I see a look from the runway, I usually see what I would put it with, then decide if I truly don't like it.

 

[stilettogirl84]

is it a good thing to reinvent yourself often? i mean, when i see someone like that, i think maybe they don't know themselves at all... have you met people like this... you ask them if they have interests, what things they like, and it's like you get an insincere answer or maybe no answer at all. am i making any sense

i think it can be the trouble that the_ida is talking about with all these magazines and things coming from strangers. it's almost like a lot of people find it really hard to break through from being a clone in a pack... and the ones who do, they are probably not doing in on purpose and maybe don't want to be even noticed at all. ///i'm getting off-topic

I totally agree with you!

If someoen changes the way they dress with the changing seasons and styles each year- then they really have no inherent sense of "self" or acertain look that is "them"

I think being stylish means adapting "your" look to the changing poverall mood of fashion, rather than having no inherent look that is yours adn simply doinf whatever is considered "in"

 

[couturex]

I think it can be the trouble that the_ida is talking about with all these magazines and things coming from strangers. it's almost like a lot of people find it really hard to break through from being a clone in a pack... and the ones who do, they are probably not doing in on purpose and maybe don't want to be even noticed at all. ///i'm getting off-topic

Another thing is in these magazines, they will usually use designer jewlery, not vintage finds. So there's another way to change up a rather dull outfit and make it unique.

Acessories really do make the outfit!

 

[Salvatore]

now i think
Tom Ford is missing?? even if not everyone likes him, but he used to shock the fashion scene from time to time.

I agree, Tom is missing! That's part of the reason why it's boring for me as I love what he brought to fashion that no one is doing. Open void.

 

[DuTTyRoCK112]

I know this may sound like such a cliche but i genuinely feel that life is what you make it. I mean designers such as Lagerfeld, Slimane, Bailey etc are just selling an idea. The fun bit is taking parts you like from various collections and blending them to give you your own look.

Yes, but I don't think the "idea" or "lifestyle" designers are even doing what they do best anymore. Everyone seems to be integrating everything that every one else is doing so that their items can make Vogue's spread on a certain trend. It's like Donatella doing futurism... while it was an okay collectiona had some decent looks, I long for the days of Donatella doing this "wife of a rockstar", dark, moody, lace and sexy goth idea. I felt that THAT was Donatella... And this is the case with so many other designers. Tom Ford never designed for trends, he created his own unique looks and dresses. A Tom Ford look was always certainly, undoubtedly a Tom Ford look. Some may find them tacky but there were so many subtle details and aesthetic choices in that dress that made it Tom Fords. Today, the same dresses could also be on seven other runways and it works so well for magazines and companies that profit on selling the trends displayed in these magazines but it is soo boring for the fashion lover.

 

[gius]

i guess it goes with whitelinen's thread about giving more promotion for unknown designers because there IS talent out there

in a way though, from how the situation looks, 'fashion' is really quite different to 'design'. you don't see a lot of these magazines going on about design than you do w/ 'must-have items... definitely all about commercialism and economy. all these people writing about 'it' bags and so on, they gotta be getting paid to promote it

 

[jpolla]

is it a good thing to reinvent yourself often? i mean, when i see someone like that, i think maybe they don't know themselves at all... have you met people like this... you ask them if they have interests, what things they like, and it's like you get an insincere answer or maybe no answer at all. am i making any sense

i think it can be the trouble that the_ida is talking about with all these magazines and things coming from strangers. it's almost like a lot of people find it really hard to break through from being a clone in a pack... and the ones who do, they are probably not doing in on purpose and maybe don't want to be even noticed at all. ///i'm getting off-topic

I think i see what you're geting at.When i was younger i had loads of different ways of dressing and they just lacked direction whereas now I seem to have found my own direction and its nice to have some stability. Maybe what i meant was with each new collection, most people feel the desire to find new pieces to add to their collection etc. This represents a constant need. Hence making 'being fashionable' interesting if not somewhat relentless.

 

[taz]

I guess fashion might get more exciting with the launche of Hedi Slimane own brand? the new blood at DH? & the launch of TOM FORD 1st boutiques two weeks from now???
who knows?
pray

 

[OlgaH]

there are plenty of great designers out there that can really do some change to the clothes/fashion. but i think it also has a alot to do with the mass market and how most average joes and janes think. well..most of them dont want to wear anything too 'out there' or 'in there'. not enough people are taking risks

_______________________________________________

I think this is a huge factor.. Outside of the "fashion circle", people (in my area anyway) hardly ever seem to "dress".. Whether they are going to a nice restaurant, a show, a play, whatever.. it's generally either the same old, same old OR even worse, they look like they just rolled out of bed... I'm constantly amazed at how some people go out in public.

So..having to sustain a viable business, the design houses get faced with a dilemna.. Do they design for the select few who really appreciate artistic expression and will truly enjoy wearing their garments?... or do they design for "Jane Doe" who prefers to buy a basic top because she can't otherwise be bothered?

There is a lot of creative fashion talent out there... But the buying public has to support that.

As a "market", I believe, to some extent, we have reaped what we have sown.

Olga

 

[stilettogirl84]

.... i think it also has a alot to do with the mass market and how most average joes and janes think. well..most of them dont want to wear anything too 'out there' or 'in there'. not enough people are taking risks

... or do they design for "Jane Doe" who prefers to buy a basic top because she can't otherwise be bothered?

I take issue with that-

I think a person CAN be styilsh without wearing things that are "out there". Not everyone is an attention wh*re... THere is something to be said for dressing in a stylish yet non-confrontational way. people take you more seriously when they notice YOU before they notice your clothes

at the same time, I agree with you about the following

... Outside of the "fashion circle", people (in my area anyway) hardly ever seem to "dress".. Whether they are going to a nice restaurant, a show, a play, whatever.. it's generally either the same old, same old OR even worse, they look like they just rolled out of bed... I'm constantly amazed at how some people go out in public.

I think it's important to always try to look your best- there's no excuse for being all sloppy and not pulled together- it's just laziness

(unless you're doing it in some kind of intentional- cool way which makes it more OK in my book)

 

[ilaughead]

Yes, but I don't think the "idea" or "lifestyle" designers are even doing what they do best anymore. Everyone seems to be integrating everything that every one else is doing so that their items can make Vogue's spread on a certain trend. It's like Donatella doing futurism... while it was an okay collectiona had some decent looks, I long for the days of Donatella doing this "wife of a rockstar", dark, moody, lace and sexy goth idea. I felt that THAT was Donatella... And this is the case with so many other designers. Tom Ford never designed for trends, he created his own unique looks and dresses. A Tom Ford look was always certainly, undoubtedly a Tom Ford look. Some may find them tacky but there were so many subtle details and aesthetic choices in that dress that made it Tom Fords. Today, the same dresses could also be on seven other runways and it works so well for magazines and companies that profit on selling the trends displayed in these magazines but it is soo boring for the fashion lover.

I completely agree! I would love so much for designers to be more independant and rely a little less on trends.

 

[OlgaH]

There is a difference between being an attention-***** and being stylish.

(btw.. the first part of my reply above the line was a quote from another poster.. I just couldn't figure out know how to indicate that in my post)

This is what I see in my area:
1- some people have no idea what the difference is between being inappropriately "out there" and just adding some flair by, for example, adding an interesting vintage brooch to an otherwise boring business suit.
2- some people just don't care.. they can't be bothered...and it shows when they go out in public.
3- some people prefer to shop at a department store where the fashions are very mainstream but they can get deals with one-day sales, coupons, etc.

Olga