Isn't everything popular ?

[Alexandra8715]

This may seem contradictory but I feel frustrated at this 'anything goes' mood that's happening in fashion/art/etc
yes, as mentioned before, this is a symptom of living in post modernist times. However, I can't help but feel as though all we are doing is ramming our heads repeatedly at a brick wall, trying unsuccessfully to break into something new. (apologoes for the crude and kind of violent analogy!) I feel like we are constantly recycling and not moving forwards. From a creative point of view, I find this extremely frustrating. I don't feel like we are part of anything new and undiscovered. From a general point of view not even thinking about fashion, I wonder where we are all going? It's like we are all just existing not, as mentioned before living. We have no agenda.

 

[SwanDiamondRose]

This may seem contradictory but I feel frustrated at this 'anything goes' mood that's happening in fashion/art/etc
yes, as mentioned before, this is a symptom of living in post modernist times. However, I can't help but feel as though all we are doing is ramming our heads repeatedly at a brick wall, trying unsuccessfully to break into something new. (apologoes for the crude and kind of violent analogy!) I feel like we are constantly recycling and not moving forwards. From a creative point of view, I find this extremely frustrating. I don't feel like we are part of anything new and undiscovered. From a general point of view not even thinking about fashion, I wonder where we are all going? It's like we are all just existing not, as mentioned before living. We have no agenda.

i agree with a lot of this too. i guess the "undiscovered" is that we can see all these elements in combination and juxtaposition. hopefully this side-by-side of ideas will be suggesting some new idea. hopefully. or maybe the new terrain is a more fully explored idea of populism.

but there always is a lull between interesting trends. maybe we are in an extended lull. or maybe there is a limit to how many ideas and visual manifestations of these ideas there can be. which would be really weird.

 

[joiedemode]

I think you are right but when I think of trends I think of trends on the runway...so those are limited...

 

[rollagasper]

A lot of interesting points have been made here.

I'd have to disagree with SwanDiamondRose, because to me, "popular" means something that is very mainstream. Popular at the moment would be Rayban Wayfarers, skinny jeans, vests. I actually got asked by a friend yesterday whether skinny jeans were "in", and i couldn't believe my ears. It has been in for over 3 seasons now, and people in my town are just catching on? So the way i view it, even though select hipsters in New York are wearing fedoras doesn't make it popular.

As with innovation, I think the younger designers are the ones who bring new ideas to fashion. Older designers don't really appeal to me, because they produce beautiful clothes, but it's all been done before. For example, Valentino, Cavalli, Carolina Herrera etc, make beautiful gowns that I'd wear, but their pieces never really differ that much from season to season, year to year.

 

[SwanDiamondRose]

I think you are right but when I think of trends I think of trends on the runway...so those are limited...

but aren't the runway trends at their most diverse now? i think you could also pick up on almost anything within them [clothing item/symbol/style reference] and find a pocket of interest around it that would qualify it as popular.

 

[DuTTyRoCK112]

This very personality-driven era we're going through in fashion now seems to echo the lack of defining trends in music... and doesn't that stem from the internet epidemic? Music and fashion today are extremely difficult to define. The internet and it's democratization on art in general is part to blame (napster destroyed the economic value of music, fashion sites deteriorated the exclusive nature of fashion).

A simpler way of explaining this would be with cycles. The late 90's, early 2000's was very ostentatious... It was like the 80's all over again, where tv shows and music (Sex & The City, teen pop) really defined the way we dressed. Celebrities like Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, David Beckham really dictated on an even larger scale what people wore. Well, Sex & The City ended, popular music weakened (IMO), and the celebrity phenomenon is pretty much over. There really isn't any major media influences on fashion right now, and I think we're seeing a huge backlash to that whole copy-cat approach.

What interests me, however, is where this will take us. Will the cycle continue or will we evolve from this? It's easy to say everything has been done already before something new comes along. The seventies were a similiar time in that people were free to dress as they wished and experiment right up until the 80's when fashion became very singular, ostentatious and media-supported.

 

[Scyene]

Well am I the only one to notice that wedges have been the NEW thing for about I dunno....FIVE years? Pointy toe, round toe, kitten heel, high heel...my goodness. Now Dior just went back to the NEW LOOK, but more like even before that time and a bit after...I'm dizzy and sick of trend experts on TV pretending this stuff is MUST HAVE. Too bad, I still fall for it.

 

[thefunkykitten]

This very personality-driven era we're going through in fashion now seems to echo the lack of defining trends in music... and doesn't that stem from the internet epidemic? Music and fashion today are extremely difficult to define. The internet and it's democratization on art in general is part to blame (napster destroyed the economic value of music, fashion sites deteriorated the exclusive nature of fashion).

A simpler way of explaining this would be with cycles. The late 90's, early 2000's was very ostentatious... It was like the 80's all over again, where tv shows and music (Sex & The City, teen pop) really defined the way we dressed. Celebrities like Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, David Beckham really dictated on an even larger scale what people wore. Well, Sex & The City ended, popular music weakened (IMO), and the celebrity phenomenon is pretty much over. There really isn't any major media influences on fashion right now, and I think we're seeing a huge backlash to that whole copy-cat approach.

What interests me, however, is where this will take us. Will the cycle continue or will we evolve from this? It's easy to say everything has been done already before something new comes along. The seventies were a similiar time in that people were free to dress as they wished and experiment right up until the 80's when fashion became very singular, ostentatious and media-supported.

very interesting points. i think the whole celebrity influence/worship has not ended yet though... i reckon in a few years it will majorly peak then the backlash will begin, and it will be seen as extremely trashy to wear what the celebs do. there are already a huge number of people looking for an individual look and don't wish to follow trends seen in the media - in fact, this was made clearer in my mind when i read the article on "couture sales higher than ever" in the designers thread - people want things that no one else has.

it's quite an exciting time ahead - i reckon wee boutiques will become hugely popular, but not in a way that will make them expand - it will result in more and more little boutiques opening up and doing well.

bring it on!