“This season there’s little willingness on the part of casual observers or passionate fans to forgive designers who get lost in their own imagination. There’s no patience for trussed or hobbling clothes. No patience for shows that send a homogeneous parade of wasted-youth models down the runway. To hell with the muses, the “it” girls and wannabe influencers.
What have designers got for a woman who takes her style seriously but also has work to do and a life to live?”
With her provocative title, authoritative remarks, and plentiful runway photographs, Givhan highlights exactly how the over-the-top ridiculousness in traditional runway fashion shows doesn’t help women. By deriding the obnoxiously unpractical clothing that previously dominated the industry as “hobbling” and “homogeneous,” she reveals a detachment between runway fashion and women who have “a life to live” outside of fashion. While I know pretty much nothing about high fashion, I still found the article compelling because she characterized the industry in ways I could understand. I particularly liked her comparison between the industry’s “wannabe influencers” and women who actually have “work to do.” By emphasizing this disconnect, she underscores why fashion designers should address it.
Questions:
- Should fashion be relevant to the majority of Americans?
- Does good clothing design need to be well-liked since its purpose is to support the person wearing it?
I also loved this article – Givhan’s bold argument was especially clear here. I think she did a pretty good job making it accessible to those not familiar with high fashion, but I still found myself a bit lost at times.