April 17, 2019

We all go through interesting times and phases in our life, and fashion is no different. I've always been a follower of fashion (although the Grunge tested my following to the max cause I hated it so much). But these days are remarkably different than anything we've experienced.
 
I know - we hear that a lot these days, but it is true.  The normal spring schedules of fashion shows in Paris, Milan, London, New York and Tokyo have all undergone a tectonic shift in not only how fashion is seen and presented by the public, but also how fashion will be.
 
Since the advent of the fashionista Instagramers, fashion has been a mish-mash of styles and looks that are all clamoring for the most press, the most attention.  As a result, fashion has dulled it's audience, in the outlandish and flamboyantly impracticality of the style it promotes. Men look like women, women look like men, women are half nude or partially nude walking down the runway and clothes that look more like theater than clothes to actually wear, be comfortable in, practical and (heaven forbid) flatter one's figure. 

The consumer is relegated to the likes of such water-downed looks as these:

And you're like - uh no - me wearing this skin-tight juvenile looks is like way TMI (too much information), even if you're figure is that of a 24/7 treadmill runner. No matter what age, this isn't appropriate, professional, or anyone who wants to further herself.

Or this:

The purpose here is to flatter not cover up totally, and if you're wearing white stretch pants - well, we need to talk later!

 

 So there's like a choice of exposing everything or cover up everything - where's the middle - where's the fashion curator, editor, even designer that I can follow. 

 

 Well, take heart. There have been some very interesting happenings because of the virus pandemic. One is that the throngs of fashionista Instagrammers (who know less than nothing about fashion and more about rabid networking into the hundreds of thousands), can't attend the Fall/Winter 2020 fashion shows that have been supposed to be happening the last month or so. That means that the folks who do get the shows, who do have the legitimacy and legs to see these shows, albeit through Zoom live video or photographs, are once again the conduits of fashion through which the rest of us see fashion. Through these professional fashion editors and writers, comes a much more curated view of fashion. 

From this group, you get an edited view of fashion, which is much more organized, easy to digest, and void of the superfluous junk that the Instagramers can't give you. You get designers like (in order above - open photo in another tab to see a larger version) Alexander McQueen (look at the cool color blocking and shape of the garment), Marine Serre (great print mix and again the shape and silhouette), Prada (OK - a little waist accentuated here - we wouldn't do that, but do think about wearing a belt with a jacket - maybe not this cinched-in), Tom Ford (always a classic, think about a little glitz in your fabrics), and Rodarte (there is nothing wrong with this look in the least). 

 

What you see here is a clear picture of a silhouette. You also see a variety of well-designed, well-thought-out looks that are as much practical as they are forward-looking. OK - we're not going to wear glitzy see-thru skirts to work or even outside our home, but it's the silhouette of that Tom Ford look - it's the fullness of the skirt with the classic shell top (great for summer - not sure about winter - but doesn't matter, cause we sewists can do it now and be ahead of the look). But do think about doing something in a pastel with a little glitz to it for summer, not a lot of glitz, but with a little. 

 

Think about matching prints like Serre did in the 2nd from left photo, with a belt and nice lines and proportion to the garment. And the Alexander McQueen merely is stunning - with the classic Geiger jacket vents in the hem of the top and the flow of the skirt, and if you don't want to make a multi-level hem on your skit, that's OK, but the flare of it (even for you Apples and Rectangles) is excellent. 

 

What's happened is that the world (and specifically here cause I'm talking more about fashion than anything else) has had a wake-up call, and it's time to get serious (finally!!!!). Maybe it took a pandemic for fashion to realize that floating designs that might have worked on some asteroid floating around another part of the universe is NOT going to work on this planet! This after all, is a planet that is concerned about paying the bills, looking like someone who can be hired so that he/she can pay the bills and therefore this nude stuff and weird dramatic content that says, "I fell your pain" (puhlease...enough already), isn't going to really work in a world that is suffering some real and serious problems.

 

Fashion needs to have more substance, and I'm not the only one crying for that. Fashion editors, who have through happenstance, garnered back some of their authority and legitimacy and need have grasped the times and responded well. This is a fascinating article on this very subject. Now, I realize this is more of an insider's type article, but simply the fact that this issue is appearing on a significant fashion site is a huge plus. You don't really have to read it, cause the title says everything, but it is a good read. 

 

The "substance" of fashion is already occurring to a very limited extent. Designers like Zac Posen, Jason Wu, Narcisco Rodriguez design only 2 shows a year and usually have them in very low-key shows. There's no drama, no models appearing from the ceiling, no wind machines blowing wistfully through the runway - simply walking through their limited space with the garment and showing the clothing. This is substance with a capital "S"!

 

I'm thrilled. This means that not only will we be getting better and more realistic looks, but it also means that the fashion editors are going to curate what is better looks and fashion. We will have relief from the barrage of fashion information that the public has been exposed to in the last decade or so. This glut has lead to fashion becoming less significant and places like Forever 21, The Gap, Chicos, J. Jill, Old Navy, and other stores becoming the main fashion leader. These stores certainly have their place. But their 

 banal, for-profit-only focus on fashion isn't really fashion - it's merely a product that makes fashion or style way down the list of priorities in the stores' products. 

 


 

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This new year will bring a new look and lots of new things added to the sewingartistry.com to the site.  In the meantime, things will be placed a little different, and if you can't find something that you liked or would like to find, just let me know.  It's easy as pie - you can simply respond to this email and I'll get it.  I get all these emails and I read all of them. so let me know if something seems awry for you or out of place. 

We're working on simplifying it and changing it to a more functional and easier place to get around. 
If there's something you liked from before and don't see, LMK. 
If there's something you've never seen, but would like, LMK. 
And of course if there's something that seems haywire or good, LMK!

You all will be the first to know when it's more settled, but for right now we're still moving the furniture around!
 

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