By Rick Owens certainly has his finger on the pulse of this dystopian pallor that has fallen across the globe
I read one review that described the collection as celebratory. Hmm not sure if celebratory is the word I would use exactly. Beautifully stark and the last vestiges of romance seem a bit more accurate. You would have to be living under a rock not to know what is happening in France right now.
And I must say Rick Owens certainly has his finger on the pulse of this dystopian pallor that has fallen across the globe. The clothes with their Road Warrior appeal both attract and repel the viewer. Flowing graceful silhouettes contrast with futuristic military-esque ensembles with their war-torn weaves and frayed suggestions of disintegrating garments.
Some see fashion as frivolous and indulgent and sometimes maybe it is. But not always.
The models parading like vigilante soldiers in a barren world wore black masks over their eyes and carried burning torches, one can not help but see the reference to the torch light parade. About half way through the show the Rick Owens icon was set ablaze. As the flames roared, a quiet wind blew against my face and the heat coming from the pyre was startling. Thick black smoke unfurled into the air above and I could only think of what the past was like with Europe on fire and fascism reigning, and then simultaneously also of the future, and what kind of future we could be facing. And it is even more startling now as we look at Paris burning for real.
Some see fashion as frivolous and indulgent and sometimes maybe it is. But not always. As I sat on my perch above the entrance to the show I watched the attendees check in, some where ushered to the right and others ushered to the left. After a bit I realized that one side was for traditional media: the magazines and networks, and one side was for new media: influencers and Instagram stars otherwise known as disrupters.
But as I watched her walk slowly to her seat I felt like I was watching the past. A past that is being disrupted much too quickly
I recognized some famous faces and one of them was Susie Bubble a well known fashion blogger who was clad in a cheerful red jacket worn over a filmy gold dress, her hair pulled up in the proverbial blogger bun. Shortly after this I recognized Suzy Menkes the infamous news and features editor of British Vogue. She arrived alone and walked very slow. I was surprised, I had had the impression she was younger then she actually is. But as I watched her walk slowly to her seat I felt like I was watching the past. A past that is being disrupted much too quickly. And the fashion and publishing industries are only two industries that are being up-ended by disrupters. Where exactly are we going as we hurtle towards the future and it’s technological dominance? When we can do more with less? What will be left?
Where is all this headed? Are the millennials and their off-spring prepared? Is this the last dance of humanity? Yep, this everything I took away from the Rick Owens show. So yes sometimes Fashion runs deeper then the latest fad and who is sitting front row.
Elizabeth
September 11, 2015There may be others champing at the bit, but Ralph Lauren’s spring collection proves that he remains the master of all-American fashion. From the blue-and-white striped top paired with a navy floral skirt and accented with a neck scarf, to the matching twinset—its cardigan tied at the waist of a pair of periwinkle pants—the effort was a welcome departure from the decadence we so often expect from a fashion show. (Well, at least most fashion shows.) Lauren also made a great case for the brown leather belt. It will certainly be at the top of many spring shopping lists