FASHION'S MANIC EPISODE

Admittedly, my take on much of what modern fashion has become is less than positive. I talk a lot about overexposure, and with that, over-production of garments or trends, beating a once-deemed fresh and unique addition to the fashion zeitgeist in a bloody pulp. I also talk a lot about the decline in artistic care present in a lot of today's runways and collections, often veering closer to safe and trendy looks than anything truly inspiring. My criticism does come from a largely bitter place in my soul, stemming from the disparity I see of an over-abundance of those truly passionate young artists doing what they can to be seen, and the nepo-babies attempting to capitalize on their pre-existing trust fund. 

the creative ways we make, say, a skirt, in order to hone in on that weird connection a lot of us have to clothing that's objectively ugly being styled cutely. What I am not talking about are garments made with the idea of being "creative" as the only driving force pushing it towards its physical creation. A latex suit made to look like a man's naked body is a Halloween costume. Words cannot describe how much I hated that piece. Pieces made with a gimmick, ie, color changing fabric originally found in Barbie, not creative, a spray-on dress (an excuse to have Bella Hadid walk down the runway naked) using tech from the 70s, not creative. What I am talking about and want to address is the creativity seen from a lot of mostly small designers and labels that are putting out pieces you can tell the trend forecasted for, while still being original. 

and green, yellow and purple, blue and orange, color combos we've seen a lot of recently in very non-avant-garde garments, but with the additions of certain elements placed purposely to elevate the piece, the plain orange and blue T-Shirt goes from a T-Shirt to a statement piece. (fg. 7) My favorite addition, however, is the way we've seen some designers toying with line, draping, cutting, distorting, and shaping the wearer, as well as the garment, and once again elevating the physical appearance of the garment. (fg. 8)

Making artistically inclined garments is not a difficult feat; however, I think the disparity occurs in the fashion world due to people's miscommunication of what they want. No designer doesn't trend-forecast before releasing a collection. I struggle to believe that any misses in a collection were not a result of misunderstanding the trend, and not a designer simply choosing to make something bad. However, I believe the misunderstanding is a result of the multiple ways fashion enthusiasts buy clothing now. There's no longer such a strong emphasis on labels and brands, and in my experience, most excitement toward owning a name brand stems from the garment being vintage or customized, and less on purchasing an item fresh off the runway. As a result, I think a lot of what the fashion industry has been struggling with is how to replicate vintage clothing. When everyone you're marketing towards begins consuming clothing that has already been made for years instead of your new collection, the next attempts are going to be trying to figure out how to recapture that aesthetic, while still making it new, while trying to gain attention, while trying to make it wearable, etc. The constant rush of trying to make it perfect has put the industry in a position of pure mania, pushing out more collections, more collaborations, and more colorways, all trying to appease the masses without blending in.