The mother of a teen asked me the other day what her daughter should study to become a fashion designer. She was relieved when I said, without hesitation, "history, literature, biology, English and whatever languages she feels she can grasp". My friend was relieved because her daughter believed she only needed to study sketching and sewing. Motherly advice was not convincing. Hearing it from me might make a difference. We left it that I'd be happy to speak with or email the daughter. I haven't heard from her yet, but I'm hopeful.
I'm not a fashion designer myself but have been surrounded by fashion my entire working life (even now). Before that I gravitated to fashion and fashion history out of pure love and curiosity.
We are in an alphabet soup mix of style today. There are reasons, including nostalgia and a wish to return to a "better" (simpler) time. Back in the day young working women like me did not dress as hippies (though I admired the look from afar). Counter-culture kids were not wearing preppy in the commune. We wore what we were. Though we surely would not admit it, they were uniforms as much as anything. Today, not so much. It's all fashion, that starts with "Who do I want to be today?"
> So history is really important. Dior's New Look of 1947 was in direct contrast to the restrictions of fashion during WWII.
> Literature is history written with heart. Reading Jane Austen you can almost hear the rustle of silk or feel a less than cozy rough tweed overcoat.
> Biology because you have to know what we are made of—humans, plants, animals, the earth itself.
> English because you have to to express yourself. Sometimes a picture (or fashion sketch) alone is not worth 1,000 words.
> Languages because we are a very small world that still speaks many of them.
I left out math and science because there are only 24 hours in a day, but the more you know the more you have to digest and turn into Creativity—uniquely your own.
I worry that today's designers only skim the frosting off the cake. And it's pre-made frosting at that.
Yes! So many people think that fashion is only a shallow pastime, but it's so much more than that! It's a reflection of who we are at a moment in history, and our clothes reflect the events around us.
ReplyDeleteI love that we now have the freedom to wear pretty much whatever we want, and yet how sad that that very freedom is expressed in such boring, bland ways by so many people. Fashion is art, and can reflect who we are (or who we want the world to think we are!). At its best, it challenges us to think about how it fits in our history.
I gravitate towards designers who understand fashion in a deep way - Dries Van Noten is my current favourite. I do agree that many modern designers create in a much more superficial way.
Sheila, once again you have so perfectly said what I was attempting to. By cherry-picking the past hundred years of fashion, as we are now, we risk losing its relevance, and fashion becomes costume. But then again, this too may pass. BTW I love Dries Van Noten too.
DeleteYou found me, Michelle! Thanks for dropping by!
DeleteI've been delving into more about the history of fashion lately, very much inspired by your blog, which is one of my favourites.
Yes, fashion is history writ large. And you'll never run out of material. (forgive the pun)
DeleteAny artist needs to know about more than the art form itself. Creativity needs fuel -- and that fuel is knowledge and experience and the realization that each of us occupies a very small place in a very big world, where each of us has a viewpoint to share. Is fashion a trivial art form? Not necessarily.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and not only consider fashion an art form but a viable form of creative self-expression. Thanks for your comment.
Deleteexcellent
ReplyDeleteExcellent advice. I have a daughter who works in fashion and she studied History and other subjects at A level and English and Italian literature at university, all of which has stood her in good stead and enabled her to see the larger picture.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt she loved them all, too. Bravo!
DeleteI really loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and easy to understand. Unlike additional blogs I have read which are really not that good. I also found your posts very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show it to my friend and he enjoyed it as well!
ReplyDeleteSympli Tunics