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Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

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Priced To Shill

W e can finally relax as the 2016 Resort collections are rolled out and everyone hightails it to their actual resorts, a respite before the preparations for the impending 2016 Spring/Summer collections that are mere months away. For the designers, it's always too soon. For the public and it's conditioned short attention span, it's ages away.

Resort has adopted a dual purpose that aptly reflects our changing times. One aspect is the nod to tradition. After all, the name heralds a collection devoted to getting away from it all. The respite from the dreariness of the start of the year is reflected in clothes to appeal to our escapist bent and provide the wardrobe to our vacation drama. 

The other, newer perspective is with our admitted obsession with sales and finance. We recognize that there is a segment that wants variety beyond what the actual season provides in the stores. This appeal to generate sales has resulted in utilitarian design with a multi-seasonal wardrobe approach. This realistically addresses consumer habits; not everyone goes away but retail therapy is alive and well when you give them what they want.

We know that fashion is a business, even if it seeks to reach us through the fantasy aspect of our egos. But few designers get as literal about how economically obsessed we have become. Cue the creativity of clever design talent to pinpoint this: the collection for Moschino by Jeremy Scott.  

Within the 80s homage of credit cards as prints and Chanel detail imitations & distortions that almost mock the nouveau riche label status embrace, abrasive sale signs are rendered into pattern while shopping bags become inspiration for both accessories and details such as pockets and design twists. The constant focus on anything and everything economic is merely a well-designed mirror on our materialist blatancy, underscored by the reality: the bulk of the consumer audience will buy when on sale and even forsake the authentic for an imitation when it's out of reach.

This isn't the only label to borrow from classic status. In the early 90s, after the cutbacks were entrenched, there were several labels indulging in Chanel's classic jacket details as inspiration. The ongoing 90s resurgence also saw many accessories roll out for this season doing the same thing (not naming names but some were a surprise when they have their own identities well-set), knowing full well who is buying and why.

Our reality shows are about acquisition, elevation and profit through improvement. We literally dance for our supper in the name of entertainment. Can we fault a designer for calling a spade a spade? And when we celebrate the candidness of the execution of concept, what are saying about ourselves? Penny for your thoughts.

 

 

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