Blogging about blogging about Fashion

Featured Fashion content tag on Tumblr

In all honesty I haven't been genuinely interested in fashion for a long time. I mean I have always loved fashion and appreciated it's beauty from afar however, it's only been recent (probably since the start of this blog) that I have started to genuinely appreciate fashion. But I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about how I became interested in fashion and how I have sustained it.

As many of you will know, I do have a Tumblr. It's not particularly anything special and I don't consider myself famous on Tumblr. Nevertheless, my beginnings on Tumblr began as a film photo blog which then slowly transcended towards being a nature blog and finally a fashion editorial blog. I have always had a passion and interest in fashion and this has been encouraged and influenced by my mother who is undoubtedly one of the most fashion forward and fashion-smart people I know. I guess it sort of subconscious, I say that in the sense that I really wasn't truly aware of how much I truly loved and was fascinated by fashion, I thought it perhaps it was just another one of the phases that every teenager goes through and that I would quickly move on. But as my blog shifted from being a "nature" blog to being a fashion editorial blog, I discovered both my coveted interest in fashion as well as the fashion community on Tumblr.

My experience with the fashion community has mostly been wonderful however, there is sort of an assumption that all fashion bloggers are pretentious, snobby, with massive ego and while that may be true to some extent, I don't think the problem lies with these bloggers however the way in which they are manipulating the fashion genre as an excuse to act high and mighty. I've experienced it and I'm sure others have too when you accidentally spell a name wrong or label a season from and someone decides that's a justification for them to throw a completely unnecessary insult at you.

When I decided to create this blog I was extremely hesitant because I was afraid of being judged by those very people.

My knowledge about the fashion industry is nowhere near as where I would like it to be. And perhaps on occasion I may misspell or mispronounce a name of a designer or model but, is this what fashion is really about? Pointing out the mistakes of others and shaming them because of it?

Yesterday, Hung (aka Antwerp Sex/Katemess) wrote a post about the fashion community and dare I say the somewhat abusive and exploitative nature of the community. If this is what the fashion community on Tumblr has been reduced to then it really is quite sad.

Knowledge of fashion or any topic comes from the willingness to both learn and share. And while some may have genuine interest in fashion, I'm honestly quite sure that most are just there to reblog photos and gain some sort of validation. And yes I am aware that as someone who is on Tumblr and reblogging photos that writing this post is in fact ironic in many ways.

I started writing about fashion on this blog because fashion is something which I am genuinely fascinated and passionate about.

Introduction to Fashion Part 2: Collections to Diffusion Lines and Collaborations

As mentioned in my first post of the series Introduction to Fashion the schedule of the fashion industry is dependent on the different season and collections in the industry of high-end fashion however, within those collections there are further differences between a fashion houses' main line and diffusion lines.

Diffusion lines are effectively the more upscale and high-end version of the fast-fashion concept of couture for the masses. There is no limit to how many lines a fashion house can produce although, while they may all carry essentially the same brand name as in the case of Emporio Armani and Armani Exchange (they both carry the Armani name), the difference in price between the two brands and the rate of consumption as well as production and design process of the two both differ immensely.

Photo by Sarah De Wee

Main lines
A fashion houses' main core collection is usually pret-a-porter (though some designers have opted to be remain as purely couture designers). Compared to haute couture, pret a porter collections are more economic sense, they are presented and targeted to a larger client base with larger availability while couture collections are specifically marketed to the fabulously wealthy who can afford to drop large amounts on dresses and fly to Paris for fittings. While pret a porter collections may not be sewn in ateliers by artisans, they are still of extremely high quality, often manufactured in Europe (as in the case of most of the big names in high-end fashion).

Diffusion lines
Diffusion lines are more economically sustainable collections as opposed to pret-a-porter. They are cheaper options of the main line for the consumer, you're essentially still buying into the luxury and namesake of the label but at a more reasonable and affordable price point. However, it is important to note that while the diffusion line may still carry the same brand name, they are often produced in a different country than the main line and overseen by a different designer. In that way as the consumer you're really only paying for the brand name. They are essentially another source of income for the fashion house to ensure the survival of it's main line. There are countless designers and labels with diffusion lines such as Marc by Marc Jacobs, MM6 by Maison Martin Margiela, See by Chloe, T by Alexander Wang and Burberry Brit just to name a few.

Collaboration Collections
The second type of diffusion lines are collaboration collections. In this way, it makes somewhat still high-end fashion available to all. We've seen from the past few H&M collaboration collections with Versace, Karl Lagerfeld, Lanvin, Maison Martin Margiela and more that the success of a collaboration collection really does depend on the namesake of the brand and the worth it holds not to the fashion elite, but to the public. This was one of the problems of the Maison Martin Margiela x H&M collaboration collection. While H&M was able to generate interest through the silent protests and launch parties, Maison Martin Margiela still remains a relatively unknown brand to the public. I also stated before that collaboration collections are only somewhat high-end fashion, the reason for this is that high-end fashion placed a lot of it's worth on both the design and production process. Collaboration collections while still contain the essence of a label, the pieces must be commercial in order for the collection to earn a profit as they are targeting a much more commercially aware audience rather than avant garde in the case of Maison Martin Margiela x H&M. The pieces themselves are also usually reproduced pieces from past collections, adapted to become more commercial.

It is also important to note that collaboration collections aren't just limited to collaborations between a high-end fashion house or label and a fast fashion company such as H&M or Target. Most recently there was J.W. Anderson for Versus Versace as well as Christian Lacroix for Schiaparelli. Both designers whilst not the official designers of the brands Versus and Schiaparelli, designed one off collections for the respective brands.

Fashion is a "Waste of Money"

Illustration by Ella Gibson

On the way to school a few weeks ago they were discussing the reasons as to why fashion is a waste of money on the radio and obviously being me, I was offended by this statement. I don't believe fashion is a waste of money and here's why - 

The obvious is that fashion is ultimately an industry which provides jobs for people and is a million if not billion dollar industry which is part of the economy of many countries. But, the fashion industry as a whole is much more than simply clothing or accessories, it extends far beyond that.

I don't think people understand that fashion is so much more than simply a piece of clothing, it’s a medium in which a creative force can be expressed, it's a platform with endless boundaries which are meant to be broken, it serves to shock, surprise and evoke so many different emotions.

 People often put down the idea of fashion or those who have any interest in the fashion industry and label them as being "superficial" simply because fashion is represented by pieces of material which are worn on the exterior of someone and it is true that fashion serves as a world in which judgement is so highly valued. The sense of superficiality is one which is more than often used to ridicule or tarnish the namesake of the industry. Yes, high fashion is extremely highly priced and may even sometimes be unfairly priced but the justification for these prices is one which is far from the notion of superficiality. Some may argue that the justification behind these lavish prices is because of the design or production process, or perhaps even to entertain the affluent. So yes, fashion is an extremely materialistic world but is society not just as materialistic or even worse?

The whole notion of valuing the interior and not exterior after all is used to combat the idea that judgment of the exterior can often lead to misconceptions. While this is all well and good, is there not a link between the exterior and interior, so much so that they may be mirrors of one another? Humans market themselves in a way to the public just as companies market products to the consumers. I use the term 'market' because the principles applied to the jargon used on television for an advertisement are the same as the principles applied when representing our external selves; it is the way in which we objectify ourselves through our clothing and accessories which defines not only our exterior but our interior as well. In the end it's about creating a sense of 'identity' for ourselves and this identity is meant to guide our exterior and interior selves and the way in which we portray ourselves. I'm not saying here that we surrender ourselves completely to objectify ourselves for the gratification of society and our peers, as realistically it is much of a libertarian approach, however, the way in which we portray ourselves is often to market ourselves to our target demographic.

In regards to this, fashion has helped to shape identities and create self expression. By buying pieces of clothing from design houses we are effectively using fashion to create our exterior identity and also identity as a whole, in this way fashion is not a waste of money and especially not superficial.

Another notion which is hugely popularised outside of the fashion industry and in the mainstream public is this idea of fashion creating “trends” or that fashion is defined by “trends”. While the Peplum may be popular in commercial fashion these days, it is not an accurate representation of the trickle-down system, Peplum is not a trend as it has been marketed to the general public, rather, it's a part of an aesthetic and it’s important to understand that fashion does not dictate these “trends” of the season but rather the aesthetics. It’s more accurate to represent these as aesthetics rather than trends because trends often disappear after a year or so, however aesthetics generally live on and while may be changed slightly, they are still true to its origin. I mean remember last year or was it the year before that “colour blocking” was the “new” trend? Colour-blocking has always been around as an aesthetic and it was only that year that the fashion media decided to pull this particular aesthetic out as a “trend”. To take a quote from Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, “Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.” I think this quote accurately sums up my attitude towards the so called “trends” in fashion.

Illustration by Ella Gibson, Screencap taken from The Devil Wears Prada

You don’t have to follow these “trends” and spend lavishly on the latest design phenomenon. Trends were created to be used as a marketing tool, to be able to commercially market fashion to the masses and following these trends is a waste of money. Don’t follow trends, trends are authoritarian and contradicts the ideology that fashion is liberal.

Aesthetics on the other hand, are vastly more liberal in the same way which fashion is.

Aesthetics work better for one reason, aesthetics are defined by yourself, and you are able to pick and choose them depending on your personal preferences. One’s aesthetics are compounded by a vast number of social influences - it’s extremely true that you are a product of the environment in which you live. In the words of Rei Kawakubo, "fashion design is not about revealing or accentuating the shape of a woman's body; its purpose is to allow a person to be who they are. Fashion is interesting because it's always moving. It relates to social movement, politics and the current financial situation."*

Unfortunately aesthetics and the action of using aesthetics to compile an identity of the exterior aren’t pushed to the masses as much as trends are and this is one of the reasons why people may push against fashion or claim that is a waste of money.


*  Rei Kawakubo, i-D Magazine 1992

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