There is a lot to be said about our species and how it relates to nature. No matter how sophisticated and apart we might think we are from other species we have the same essential primal mechanisms that connect us more than we realize. In particular is our drive for survival and the simplistic choices we afford ourselves, much like any other living organism we know: the choice to flee or to fight back.
Our clothing also can reflect this primal component of our psyche, although we have other choices as well to broaden our palette of expression. But this one in particular comes through the collections because the environment largely supports this in the concerns we have cultivated.
Fashion as an industry largely is a first world mechanism where the basics are not so much a concern as a given. The volume of effort and resources our society devotes to it is testament of our priorities, and so culturally it takes more prominence within general society as compared to years ago when it held a more aspirational place, given that fashion was really the domain of those in the upper classes. Our democratic climate and industrial/technological progress has impacted our surroundings immensely so that these things are now choices that any working person can partake in. Of course the importance is places do lean to more cosmopolitan environments such as cities versus rural areas. A McQueen suit or Comme de Garcons gown just doesn’t match the practicalities a rural environment i.e. no place suitable for the level of sophistication garments radiate).
General themes, auras, and/or vibes (whatever you wish to call it) do transmit through the population, with the more refined expressions distilled into more utilitarian forms. Right now, the fight-or-flight response is very present. As expressed in prior articles and unless you have been living under a rock, we have had some real concerns combines with fabrication based on years of doomsday expectations put forth by belief systems and our penchant for attributing these to numeric time patterns, especially every time there is a crisis of sizeable magnitude that impacts our livelihood beyond our control.
Fashion takes the cues from past events that match our present emotions though association with cultural triggers that mirror our point of view. So with an impending sense of dread over political climates in places like North Korea and The Middle East where nuclear concerns have resurfaced and as these come on the heels of economic nightmares that have impacted the world our mind can’t help but refer to the “fight “ portion of our response. This comes out in military associations. Both World Wars have come on the heels of tremendous economic hardship, so it make sense that there would be military influence as seen in collections from BLK DNMN, Aquascutum, Bill Blass, Custo Barcelona, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Temperley London, Victoria Beckham, Belstaff, Bottega Veneta (the strictness in coats), Burberry Prorsum, Fendi, Moschino, No. 21, Joseph, MaxMara, and McQ. This get expressed in military colours, strict uniform cuts, double-breasted buttoning, epaulettes and military structured wools. More obvious references to the war decade of the 40s was seen in collections from Bebe, Lela Rose (in a more vague wartime sensibility), Norma Kamali, and Zac Posen.
But not everyone wants to fight and thus our other half of the response has manifested itself as well. Faced with helplessness over something as daunting as being victim to a nuclear attack or of economic ruin, we tend to seek comfort or to hide. So volume comes into play acting like a shell. In the 20s coats were cocoon-like. The 50s and the 80s also saw large volume to swaddle and incubate a population gripped with perpetual anxiety. The propensity of volume returning to much of the collections is already evident and too numerous to list. But there was cocooning expressed in cuts at Daks, Mara Hoffman, Miguel Androver, Ohne Titel, Threeasfour, Y-3, Zero + Maria Cornejo, Emilio De La Morena, and Marques’Almeida for Fashion East. The encapsulating defensiveness of capes came from 3.1 Phillip Lim, Alice + Olivia, Anna Sui, Band of Outsiders, Bebe, Bill Blass, Carolina Herrera (capelet), Chado Ralph Rucci, Dennis Basso (this one in fur), ICB by Prabal Garung, Imitation of Christ, Issa, J. Mendel (monkey fur capelet), L’Wren Scott, Marc by Marc Jacobs as well as Marc Jacobs, Prabal Gurung, Red Valentino, Temperley London, Vera Wang (capelet), Y-3, Zero + Maria Cornejo (not really a cape as much as a cape-like detail on one dress), Etro (capelets), Moschino, and Gucci. And comforting ponchos were seen at Carlos Miele, Christian Cota, Custo Barcelona, Michael Kors, Y-3, Marques’Almeida for Fashion East, and Joseph while quilting was incorporated into design at Acne, Peter Pilotto, MaxMara, and Sportmax.
Of course these are but a few of a slew of various aspects of expression found within the collections There are others that are just as important that were integrated into these prominent themes that, as they are explored and examined more closely, demonstrate the complexity of our consciousness of the events of the world that is ours. And just as we can choose to face fear or run, we also exercise these options with our attention on the many various facets of our humanity and daily life and the collections, as usual, express that just as well.