J ust as the last article indicated, we are in the crossroads moment of shifting sentiments. From one of defense and strength we find ourselves somewhat cornered by events that have grown too bizarre and dangerous to not take seriously. They have also seem to be growing beyond containment, an infection on the human race turning fear into a cancer of aggression where man rises against fellow man when really we all want the same thing: to feel better.

Those who fight for progress forget that not all are as easy about changes, especially when we fail to articulate where they can fit and be part of them. Some of it lies in our arrogance of progress. We allow our successes embolden us to become insensitive and dismissive in the name of evolution, smugly chastising those who fail to subscribe to our views of escalated inclusion that smacks of hypocrisy in the face of those who find their outmoded ways of life leaving them in the cold without time to adjust of feel that they have a place at the table. We justify this through comments about their points of view being behind the times or outmoded, that their way of life is not keeping up with technological and social progress. And consequently, we alienate a significant portion of society and set matter up for what we have today.

It is true that we go through pendulum swings where we pull back for a period before we grow forward, slowly zig-zagging towards an eventual idealistic pinnacle. This may be another one of those times. But the difference is that we have way more tools of communication and destruction that allow contact distance plus immediacy, taking out the opportunity to properly reflect of the face more intimately the ramifications of our actions. As a result, we set ourselves up for greater rebounds. And as we are plugged in so readily and more intimately, we feel these more. Throw in an increase in social isolation on a personal level (we have less people we confide in today than we did a few decades ago and thus have less of a chance to secure comfort or properly process our emotions as handily), this affects us more deeply.

The resignation of the greater forces at play that bombard us in our media, rooted in political shifts and a barrage of information showing the predominantly negative view of world events in detail, are leaving us with a feeling that our efforts are in vain. The will to persist is wearing, and there is only so much before fatigue sets in. When this happens, we tend to go from hard to soft. The eventual acceptance of events in the 50s led to escapism in the 60s, and the shoulders and structure gave way to more flouncy and draped directions in fashion over time in the following decade. Same in the shift from late 80s to early 90s, where the acceptance of our economic situation led to resignation of our circumstances...and the end of those defensive shoulder pads in the process. Eventually we found a new voice and new direction: one of acquiescence. The point this blog tries to make is that these shifts take place symbolically in our fashion, and the Spring Summer 2019 collections saw the move away from the revisit of the shoulder and towards a softening where drape has shown an increased return.

This was noticed from many designers large and small, including looks from Bed J. W. Ford (example here), Chalayan (here), Delpozo (here), J.W. Anderson (here), Kotohayokozawa (here), Monse (here and here), Phoebe English (here), Preen By Thornton Bregazzi (here and here), Pyer Moss (here), Self-portrait (here), Sies Marjan (here), Swedish School of Textiles' graduates Ebba Andersson, Linda Aasaru & Josefine Gennert (here), Tom Ford (here) and Yuhan Wang of Fashion East (here).

Have we lost our fight, or even our will to remain firm of our convictions? That we're not sure, especially given recent political events that indicate hints of resistance; this comes in the face of grim global division and revelatory ugliness betraying our aspirational faith in mankind that seems to be more on the upswing. We may have another round, a second wind, or may find a new approach depending on collective public will (and hopefully a renewed awareness of how history repeats when left unchecked). If so, it will be what is revealed in the successive collections...and in the media...which will communicate that.