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Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

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A  s we ease into December, the Pre-Fall 2017 season collections start to come forth and, along with them, many observations to note that speak about realities, both ours and the creators.

The overall tone is one of pagmaticism. Collections are largely very wearable the way collections aimed for self-preservation in the 90s. In one recent review, Vogue Runway had noted how it was getting harder to discern one collection for another and that is not good news for any designer; that was also a similar sentiment in the 90s when economic constraints bled out the individualism that was taken to the extreme in collections in the name of survival. During that period many designers opted for practical items. The problem it creates, as explained multiple times in this blog, is that such a quest for wearable and practical can dilute the identity that made the design label unique and sought after in the first place. This results in weeding out weaker designers that failed to have a distinct voice or a confirmed following. You can guess what this might mean in the coming year if this continues.

Meanwhile, the predominant adherence to the 70s continues. Yes, that period resonates with those who lived through it the first time and during the 90s and 2000s when it saw resurgence. The common thread in  these has to do with references to the initial nuances of the 70s. Here, it carried many associations that again this blog has referred to that match current social circumstances. On the lighter notes, the carefree yet more politically aware youth culture, sexual liberation and the experimentation and relaxed attitudes on soft drugs contrasts with the expression of dissent via protest and the demand of full equality for women, LGBT and non-white communities.

The politically charged environment that runs globally is not something that can be ignored, and the continued expression through organized and sustained protest harks back to earlier times where educated centres inspired reasonable demands for change. Politics has found its way into designers laps, with many forced to reconcile their business approach with conscience, seeking to strike a balance on many levels ranging for defining clientele to how far to tie in personal views to marketing initiatives in a social media landscape. All are very heady issues, and those familiar with the 70s know that the intellectual bent was very strong for most of that decade, especially the first half.

The 90s saw a revisit to both the political awareness and the resurgence of equality issues, and this plus the fetishing of 70s television pop culture inspired creatives and the public to relive their version of this decade. And when 911 struck fear in the public, retro was the only comforting reference that pushed through, sustaining all those aspects of the 70s further as we held onto the continued political will supported by the growth of the internet and our technology.

And that is what is cropping up in pre-fall collections so far. Bottega Veneta, Erdem, Red Valentino, Roberto Cavalli (and the bridge line Just Cavalli), Sally LaPointe, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, Tanya Taylor and Tory Burch so far have featured elements of the 70s, and Bottega Veneta, Diesel Black Gold, Just Cavalli, Narciso Rodriguez, Norma Kamali, Sally LaPointe, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel, Tory Burch and Zac Posen had elements recalling the 90s. Yes, there is the more sophisticated blending of other period elements tempered by high tech textiles and new colours in all collections, each telling their own stories about where we are in greater detail. But once again we seem to find a period of choice that the public...or at least their customer base as they see it...feels comfort in revisiting something that represents what they feel in a vocabulary they don't have to try hard to express. 

​It will be interesting to see just how other designers measure up. The general sentiment so far is one of fear as motivation; fear of survival and fear of being to unique to placate a larger public showing signs of regression as very real components that will affect our larger life experience come into play.

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