The resort collections are upon us for the mid-decade of the teens. The streamlined modernity is revealed as the new norm, with its clean hard cuts reminding of the masculine edge we embrace as the new culturally accepted undertone. It reflects our defensive stance and what we value in society as the feminine flounce and delicacy take a back seat. The feminine aspects are not eradicated, for we see dresses and skirts aplenty and florals still with us. However, the architectural and abstract artistic elements collude together working with the cuts that dominate to interpretation. But there are other aspects that have become recurring themes.

Within past collections, we have seen some deconstructed elements at play, although not as prominent. While many designers chose to focus on other expressions in the dialogue as interpretation, a few had let us know they weren’t denying the unravelling that our media is willing to discuss. Really, what better way to interpret this unravelling than to incorporate it literally in design elements such as fraying threads, cracked surfaces and burnt-out textiles? Fashion includes this decay if only to reflect that our media does as well.

Bad news sells because it captures more attention. Advertising knows to play up our fears and insecurities by default. Unfortunately the negatives tend to motivate us more than the positives, and any politician who creates a negative ad campaign with confirm just that.  Stories of environmental and societal decay abound. Our willingness to have frank discussions in the face of volumes of easily accessible information means this will always be part of the dialogue. However, this decay is now glossed up in its presentation as part of the marketing machine to sell us the news. So, in fashion the decay is also glossed up.

In particular, the batik-like bleached out corrosion as print in Bottega Veneta came amidst faded and worn prints, all suggesting a balance of natural expression of decay within controlled execution that aptly mirrors how our larger problems are revealed and presented to us. It is as if to appreciate the beauty in this decay due to context. Perhaps this is larger commentary on how we are maturely processing our issues, both external an internal, where it’s not the nature of the item as much as how it’s presented and framed. P

As art communicates to us a translation of sentiments by evoking the core of emotion via imagery that is more universally communicated, so to is the message that we have reached a level of maturity that allows us to see beauty in what were once considered flaws when reframed. This shift gives hope of where we are in society when applying the message beyond the material and that may give clues about the platform of where we are as a whole. All that from a skirt…not bad.