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Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

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When looking at fashion and the recent seasons, there are certain patterns that become apparent. Some are more fleeting and are merely a fad while others last longer and can become even a characteristic that defines a decade. Shoulder pads were a hallmark of the 40s, the 50s and the 80s, and tend to reflect the defensiveness and call to overt displays of strength, manifest in behaviours relative to the events of the times. Short skirts, such as in the 20s, 60s, 70s and 80s, go hand-in-hand with overt displays of sexual empowerment. look deeply enough, and fashion will let you know what we are thinking and doing.

The Fall Winter 2016/17 collections reflected a longer lasting theme: excess. It takes form of the overabundance of patterns and layers. Details are piled on and crammed together. Even cleaner minimalist items are styled to bring more to the seasonal story.

One would think it reflects our abundance, but a better indication is how it reflects the growing accumulation that sometimes manifests itself unhealthily in our society. Reality television capitalized on the phenomenon of clutter and hoarding, combining our fascination with public behaviour while educating us on what qualifies it as a problem and, more importantly, how to tackle the material byproduct. But as for the root cause, the messages of our society today hold the key.

We have created a culture that depends on consumption for survival. our typical activities on even our cultural celebrations seem to rely on mandatory levels of consumption to qualify as successful social participation. Visual entertainment such as film and television often features endless wardrobes that set up viewers as to what would be the norm for personal acquisition. The constant bombardment of messages push qualifiers of self-esteem, centering on having the newest of new as the solution. And even though there is a slowly growing voice for less consumption, it's more often than not falling on deaf ears by our choice.

The connection of happiness and social acceptance is deeply tied to this elevated level of material acquisition; too many industries have carefully crafted their messages and marketing strategies to ensure this through manipulation of emotions, more recently via strategic approaches such as storytelling, emotional connectivity and authenticity. And when we create powerful connection between people and things, it becomes harder to separate them. Since the late 50s, we have created an whole new industry devoted to self-storage that is growing tremendously, despite the trend of personal downsizing.

When looking at hoarding, we find the emotional connection between people and their things is powerful. The disposal of things is rendered difficult due to the magnified connection between things and their history. We fail to throw out things due to sentiment  or "just in case". Either way, the emotional self has overtaken common sense, fuel by our consumption culture. We find comfort on over-accumulation. It is soothing to surround ourselves with overabundance, and so the Fall Winter 2016/17 collections reflect where we are; we carry as much as we can to the point of overflow.

Those who have long read the blog can see the cumulative them that fashion is conveying. We are stressed and exploring ways to cope, and we literally wear our hearts on our sleeves...and lapels...and waistbands...and inseams...and pockets...and in layers...in vain. But take heart: fashion, like everything else, is like the waves on the high seas with peaks and valleys. For every action and reaction, we oscillate and switch as we grow forward. We just have a lot going on right now, both in our wardrobes and in our lives.

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