Menu

Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

Follow  on Twitter:         @FashionObserved
              on Instagram:   @fashion_observed_ 
              on Facebook:      /FashionObserved
              on Pinterest:      /FashionObserved

To Have And To Hold

Fashion is busy these days, with the 2017 Resort collections continuing while the men's collections are also competing for attention. This blog recognizes that menswear is showing more range and creativity than in past years, similar to during the 80s when boundaries were tested the first time around. But ultimately, innovation lies where the most allowance is, and as much as menswear pushes past its limitations, the real play with form, cut and silhouette is found where the most range is offered. Until change really takes hold, women's wear offers the most latitude to experiment, and still leads when looking at trend creation. 

Lately, the fixation of retro has become almost a perennial mainstay. The connections between past and present as it plays with familiarity are ever-present references the public can relate to. But it's not just the draw to the familiar that is driving this creative direction. 

The rise of vintage clothing purchases these days can be seen as thrift, but this is not exclusive as motivation. Vintage clothing offers something that our trend-fixated world cannot: the offer of something special and unique that cannot be easily coveted by others. The rise of DIY supported the quest for individuality; vintage satiates this desire without taxing the wearer to work in having it...or by breaking the budget to acquire often-costly bespoke items. And when fashion supports creative expression while blending innovation with retro, such as in the latter portion of the last century, vintage gains popularity. That we have such hybridization aided by freeform styling and heavy retro influence in fashion further invites incorporating past fashion finds into the wardrobe. These things become special, not just in that they are one-of-a-kind, but that they have a story, a history. They carry a piece of the past and in doing so, bring greater meaning to a world where technology and speed compete. 

During a recent review of the 2017 Resort collections, M. Patmos was explaining to WWD her source for inspiration on the "modern-day heirloom". She wanted to create items that had the specialness that comes with something personal for the past, albeit with modern tweaks so they can fit with today's sensibilities, referencing the kind of quirky and unique things one would find in one's grandmother's closet. Such specialness is felt in items that have the craft edge, much in the way the mid 90s embraced this during there art-and-crafts phase as people grew tired of the sameness surrounding the return to minimalism and the subsequent initial incarnation of what we now call normcore. Back then we wanted something unique and of the hand versus something mass-produced from an efficient factory.

From time to time, we tend to do that, to swing between embrace of the new versus appreciation of the old, such as when Maison Margiela embraced and reworked heirloom materials in the inception of 2012 Fall/Winter, 2013 Fall/Winter or 2014 Spring/Summer couture shows. Now, we have this return of appreciation of handcraft alongside the upswing of technical execution and clean modernity all at once in this season, and while it's not as prevalent, designers such as Antonio Marras, Cinq a Sept, Delpozo, Gucci, Missoni, Moschino, M. Patmos, See by Chloe and Ulla Johnson have embraced the spirit of this aspect of the 70s/ 90s, bringing the specialness and quality of craft to the fore while approaching it with current modernity that we expect as membership of the new millennium.

This approach should not be exactly seen as revisiting familiar territory; each incarnation of creative expression carries the awareness that comes with the level of sophistication that we are at merged with sensibilities our technical prowess affords. They show new appreciation that, as time passes, will become appreciated as hallmarks of personal expression evolved as we have become, honouring the past and making a distinction of our new present. And this will add to the complex equation that will shape our century's creative path...one stitch at a time. 

Go Back

Post a Comment
Created using the new Bravenet Siteblocks builder. (Report Abuse)