Eric Gaskins Vol.9 Fashion Paradox
I can name the different parts that make up what we know of as fashion. It’s adornment for the body that is considered of this moment or moments that inhabit a space in the past. From hats to shoes and everything that fits a body in between, these elements can be of the richest materials or of the most humble. They are simply objects that when put together in the imagination of a designer add up to that thing we call Fashion. That is the most succinct definition, but still it is nothing more than a definition. After almost 30 years of grappling with this question, I’ve concluded that Fashion is a play and these elements are only props and characters on that stage which is our imagination. Depending on the lighting, sound and plot twists of the moment, we’re either moved, changed or at least mildly entertained. Still it is what we make of it in the end. For each of us, the message is different.
I would go a bit further and say that “Fashion” is the means and “Style“, the ends. For some of us that idea is like astrophysics. Many look at fashion as whatever a hot designer or store says is “IT”. That person whips out their titanium credit card and says, ” I’ll take it… ALL OF IT!” By that action they feel “Fashionable”. That is like the trained seal. I’m sure none of us would want to be compared to that no matter what our tastes in clothing are. Fashion is so changeable and quixotic that it must be only a piece of the puzzle. This journey must lead to a destination and what we choose to wear from the grocery store of choices is in the end the statement we make. That must be our personal style.
A sentence has a subject, a verb and a predicate. To my way of thinking we are the subjects, Fashion is the verb and Style ultimately is the predicate. Fashion can also be a boatload of adjectives describing Style, but in the end it is Style, nonetheless. So why does Fashion matter? I can’t honestly say that it does. For practical reasons it does simply because it is a living industry that keeps many people employed and many more amused. The same can be said for Baseball. I’d venture to say that we could all survive without both but we choose not to.
Fashion matters because we use it as a way to communicate with each other. What we wear is, in many ways, who we are. Life is all about interaction and Fashion is the marker that attracts some and repels others. It helps define camps: the hip, the square, the religious, the provocateurs, the plain, the ethnic, the young, the foolish and the rest. When you consider the importance of identity and Fashion being the simplest way to define that identity, you can see its importance. Fashion is one of the hardest working entertainers in town. It makes James Brown look lazy.
Now that I’ve thoroughly confused myself, I’ll leave these questions for you to answer. The next time you’re getting dressed or out shopping ask yourself “why am I reaching for that dress and those shoes? What am I saying to everyone I meet? Am I just wearing it because a magazine said I should or does it say something clear and concise about WHO I am”?
P.S. The bottom line is that Fashion can make you feel like a million bucks. Even in today’s dicey economy, that still counts for a lot! Just like a poster I saw in Provincetown, Mass. as a teenager that said in psychedelic letters: “ If it feels good, DO IT! “
Eric Gaskins ….. The Emperors Old Clothes
top image – Christian Dior Couture, Geoffrey Beene. Sketch – Jean Paul Gautier by David Downton. Skateboard girl in Versace Atelier and motorcycle boots. bottom image – Iris Apfel, Armani Prive, Anna WIntour, Eric Gaskins
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