Obviously, the girl walking down the street in the rather drab ensemble has more intellectual thoughts on life, love, and the economy than the woman beside her in Louboutins looking like she just stepped out of Vogue. (*sarcasm*). I am not saying that wearing brand names is the only way to be well dressed, in fact many times I have seen some gaudy Gucci bag prevent just that. The point I am making is that we—and I say we, myself included—have preconceptions, and often negative ones, about a well-dressed woman.
I have heard a million times that I need to invest my time and energy in something less “shallow” and “materialistic” than fashion, and that I should stop “caring so much” about what people think about my outfit. Heaven forbid I dress because I enjoy creating outfits and am genuinely interested in the world of fashion.
My first artistic endeavor was making a card for my parents on the second day of pre-kindergarten, and I have been drawing and painting ever since. No one has ever told me to stop making art because it is superficial, or told me to put my paintbrush down because there are more productive things to do, or to stop being obnoxious by drawing so much. Somewhere along the way, the art of fashion was removed, and it became something that only “silly girls” with no other merits care about.
As someone who tossed away the shapeless corduroy overalls my mother laid out for me on that second day of pre-kindergarten (oh yes, I remember those ghastly things very well) in favor of sparkly jeans and a pink shirt, I’d like to think there is more to me than that my outfit “works;” what I wear is a public expression of myself, an outlet for creative energy, and honestly, it’s just fun.
Ok, I’ll stop talking about myself now, I did not write this article to reminisce about being six; I wrote it to talk about the lost art of fashion. Raise your hand if you have heard someone say something along the lines of “the fashion on the runway looks ridiculous, who would ever wear that?” Honey, I can pretty much promise you Karl Lagerfeld did not wake up after the Chanel Spring/Summer 2014 fashion show expecting to see the streets flooded with rainbow-painted dresses and reimagined bowl cuts. A high-fashion show is an art show.
Just as a sculpture or painting is created from the artist’s inspiration and imagination, the runway is merely a display of a different genre of art. “The worlds of art and fashion have always been very intertwined at Dior…Dior himself was a gallerist before becoming the revolutionary fashion designer we all know,” says Delphine Arnault, former Deputy Chief of designer Christian Dior. Whether you are designing clothing, styling outfits, or determining which shoes to wear with what bag, you are paying attention to lines and colors, looking at textures and patterns, thinking about form and movement, and creating an artistic expression.
It is a shame that in our society fashion has become a status symbol rather than an art form. In fashion you are creating a product (though you might argue the same could be said for traditional art), so materialism is inherent, but that is just one facet. Whether your black stilettos are from Payless or Prada shouldn’t matter. What matters is how you wear them. If your bank account isn’t up for designer brands, you can still put together a killer ensemble from T.J. Maxx or local thrift stores. If you have the money to buy a $1,000 pair of shoes, don’t be ashamed to spend it. You have it, and in buying those shoes you are realizing the dream of their designer. The majority of fashion designers do what they do because it is their passion. The fashion world is grueling and cutthroat; you have to love what you are doing in order to make it through.
I do not own a Dior dress, I will probably never own a Dior dress, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate its beauty, creativity, and originality. It doesn’t matter if you get your clothes at Goodwill or Givenchy, it’s your life, work with what you have and wear it with pride. Stop judging people because they can’t afford to wear “designer labels,” stop criticizing people because they can and do. Just appreciate the art of a well dressed woman strutting her stuff like the confident, creative, and composed individual that she is.
Leave a Reply