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- by Bernadine Morris, contributing editor (YVES SAINT LAURENT has admitted that his decision to retire from fashion was based on his disgust with an industry ruled more by commercial gain than art. "I have nothing in common with this new world of fashion, which has been reduced to mere window-dressing," And John B. Fairchild wrote in an article that appeared in Monday's WWD on Yves Saint Laurent retirement: "Yves Saint Laurent represents what fashion should be about - and isn't today. Saint Laurent understands that fashion is partly technique and partly concept. Today, designers have concepts that get attention on the runways, while Saint Laurent believes that what truly matters is how women are going to wear the clothes on the streets." Read Bernadine's recent editorial on why fashion is not flourishing - it seems that all three agree on the reasons why.) Certainly there's no dearth of designers, some with much talent, who are showing their wares on runways all over the world. They are not going unsung. Newspapers, magazines and television are bringing their thoughts to the attention of women everywhere. Of course there has been trouble recently. Serious trouble. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon as well as the anthrax letters have certainly turned thoughts away from shopping. But let's face it. Even before these catastrophes, women were not consumed with clothes. The economy was shaky. Newspapers were filled with reports of workers being fired. Even those whose jobs were secure knew people who were let go -- and worried about their own positions. Still, that isn't the whole story. During other troubled economic times, women have found the money, and the desire, to buy new clothes. It gives them a lift. It makes them feel better. They are still finding the money for lipsticks, nail polish, skin care products, even cellphones and palm pilots. These seem to have a place in their lives. They will even find the resources for a party dress, perhaps inspired by one worn by a starlet or socialite in one of the magazines, not necessarily fashion magazines, who fill their pages with these recognizable faces at awards functions and other events. They have been convinced they need not worry any more about hem lengths or whether it's alright to wear pants, but they are not much concerned about other parts of the fashion story. They simply do not care. It's not that designers do not have enough ideas. They may have too many. And the clothes the women see have little to do with the lives they lead. Designers bring out amazing displays of clothes for the runway. Crisp tailored jackets accompany slithery draped dresses. Vast areas of the midriff are bared. Besides widely bared necklines in front, there are styles that show cleavage in back. Entertaining? Very much so. These are clothes that look ravishing in color photographs, but have little to do with women who have not-so-glamorous jobs, who take the kids to school and soccer games and need clothes that are easy to care for, but still have a certain dash. They may have learned they can wear their hemlines short or long or even cut on a slant. But they do not know how to pick from the welter of things available to them styles that look different but not bizarre. In their need to make an impact on world fashion, designers have tried to attract the attention of conglomerates who will help them deal with business problems like purchasing, distribution and running a factory. Few seem concerned about offering the kind of clothes that will make a woman look and feel attractive and maybe a little bit different. They are offering too many ideas and not enough good ones. Reviving the l970's may make an attractive fashion layout, but this is another century. Today's needs are different. Karl Lagerfeld, who not too long ago had women clamoring for his Chanel tweed suits, now divides his attention among leather biker' s suits, filmy evening cages and jackets that double as dresses. There's no dearth of ideas, but how to choose the right one? Fashion as entertainment is fine, but if clothes were more reality-based they would have a better chance. This doesn't mean plain white shirts and chinos. It does mean clothes designed with some imagination and geared to today's world. There isn't too much of that going on. Designing for the runway is one thing,
and many designers have found the knack. But designing clothes that women can
wear comfortably is something else. Attention should be paid. Maybe that will
make fashion relevant once again. Comments? E-mail: Bernadine Morris was for over 30 years the senior fashion writer of The New York Times. She is a contributing editor to lookonline.com. |
