New York Fashion Week and The Fashion Industry

The lights, the music, the moment and the parade of models walking down the runway is a magical start of something new and fresh. Fashion; the wearable artistic interpretation that captures society, moments, feelings, history, eras, generations, etc. The actual shows make all of this come alive. My colleague Renato Armijo and I attended several shows during the February 2010 Fashion Week. We attended Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera and Badgley Mischka to name a few.

Fashion is an intriguing art, and design houses/designers personal sensibility is interpreted through their craft where their artistic talent is everpresent. The designers always showcase a congruent message through the trends shown of which become present in the market. What I feel is more relevant, from a creative point of veiw, is that for each seaons collection the designer gives his audience a window into their world; Who they are, What they believe, When in time they identify this collection. This lends the audience to go deeper and ask their own questions.

 

“What was the designers inspiration for the music, what specific art form inspired them, how were the silhouttes and shapes put together to create the collection?”

 

It is the process and the passion that creates garments we long to wear. The magic and mystery of fashion is most definately alive for me and my business, it is what drives it daily. Thinking of this, what brings me to my point is an ecerpt I read. While having breakfast before a show I was reading my WWD and the “Daily Quote” published on February 15th, 2010, right in the middle of fashion week left me wonder.

 

DAILY
QUOTEI hate going to fashion shows.You have to get your hair and makeup done and, like, sometimes wear an outfit that maybe I’m not that stoked on because it’s by the designer and that’s so not my style to begin with…if it’s a friend, you want to support them and it’s a whole different vibe but really, it’s like oh, I gotta get my picture taken?”

-Kirsten Dunst on the thrill of fashion. Page 4.

 

If those of us who participate in the fashion industry, whether it be personal gain or exposure, fall out of love with fashion then really what will our industry have left? What are we to grasp from this? It truly left me to wonder “is the magic gone?” Has this become all networking, media, staying face and just a commodity? For me fashion is still a way to express your soul and anyone everywhere can enjoy that expression. The ability to find your aesthetic from different designers’ art is a challenge that I embrace, and it makes life a little more fun. Fashion is on the streets, you can live it, feel and breath it in.

The catwalk is used to tell the tale, it is the modern day stage for the designer’s muse, creating the fantasy of fashion in life. A great example of a designers expression through theatre on the catwalk is the great past Alexander McQueen. Known greatly for his innovative approach to the catwalk with garments always exceeded expectations of the audience. He will be a greatly missed icon in the fashion industry.

Those of us who love the art of Fashion much keep falling in love with what it gives back to us or we will no longer have the ability to enjoy what it represents. Maybe I wear rose colored classes, but at least they are Chanel!

Best,

Camille Thiry Russler