THE eternal debate of style versus fashion could not be more pertinent to what is going to ensue.
While I may not hold my breath over such area of contention, I assume such debate may fillip a few reactions from staunch supporters of the fashion industry.
But as a precaution, it’s fitting that I should add fashion is a juggernaut of secular and commercial culture.
The British fashion industry is worth £21bn a year, and in other words, is worth 1.7% of UK GDP.
This translates into 816, 000 jobs, so of course while fashion shows its “sunny-side up”, it does not mean that that the creative output is going to be a slam-dunk finger-licking end-product.
With tight deadlines and a pressurizing atmosphere where next season must be a seller, consumers always expect something new and exciting to make them look trendy and part of the movement.
After all, fashion is a marketing machine that uses Style as a blueprint and adds its idiosyncratic touch to it.
Whether its idiosyncratic touch conveys artistry and brilliance, I think it varies with designers and seasons.
As Jean Cocteau said: “Art produces ugly thing which frequently become more beautiful with time. Fashion, on the other hand, produces beautiful things which always become ugly with time.
Without further ado, while the tailored suit is a beautiful thing and we won’t see the back of it anytime soon [sigh], there was a tendency this AW12 to produce oversized garments.
Loose-leg pants and oversized chunky knits can be seen from the likes of Dries Van Noten and Lavin.
I am a proponent of the tailored British cut, a style more flattering and elegant, in my opinion.
Of course, not every gentleman can fit into the carapace of fashion.
With an objective eye, some men may get away with a variegated sense of style.
They can push the sartorial envelope and get respect for that.
While others, their audacity will make them stand out as buffoons.
There’s always been a fine line in fashion where designers should respect the aesthetic pleasures of the wearer and the art of creating a garment that is going to flatter the individual.
Parading exaggerated silhouettes on a catwalk may seem a bread and circuses policy to some.
A form of distraction used as a palliative to appease market volatilities.
Or perhaps is it a way for fashion designers to inject some controversy in their own advertising?
