It wasn't too long ago that Women's Fashion Week and Couture Week occurred in Singapore. Hosted by Marina Bay Sands, FIDE brought in a handful of exclusive designers to showcase their masterpieces. We saw the kinky flutters of Julian, the decadent gold of Alexis and of course, Italian couture-inspired gowns of Bernard. So they got me thinking, do we humans turn to such high fashion because we have no sense of distinguished taste, no minds of our own or simply having insufficient creativity to coin a trend? After a long hiatus, it is my view, that those nasty allegations, might actually be true.
It has been said that a person who follows trends does not have a mind of his own. This statement ultimately seeks to posit that people in general have natural tendencies to observe the popular practices of apparel and presentation around them and as a result adopt similar styles among themselves, and due to the fact that they were not the individuals who were observed - the trendsetters - they are said to have no sense of identity, character, taste and culture. This apparent assertion is made more apt in our modern world, where first impressions and image may have significant impacts on our livelihoods. We follow the latest trends in the sartorial world to avoid social stigma and 'losing out' via active discriminatory practices, forgoing out cultural roots and more importantly, personal identity. Though there are the avidly passionate fashionistas who argue that it is fashion itself that guides society into knowing who they are, we cannot deny that humans' vanity and insecurity, and want of personal standing, have led them to rely substantially on fashion, perhaps for their mere livelihoods.
Today, where the image of an individual is paramount, people have paid extra attention to how they dress and present themselves. More women - and even men - are looking to newer and sometimes unusual methods of preening themselves to attain more 'appealing' features. For instance, the ubiquitous practice of botox injections serves to improve the contours of the face and mask the effects of aging. While the surfacial results prove to be effective, it should be understood that botox also has adverse health implications on those who use it. Aside from this, more people are seen at fashion shows, checking out the latest trends that the hailed designers have established on the runways. After which they flock to the nearest boutique to purchase the apparel, thinking that it instills security into them because they now share a sartorial commonality with a majority of the others. The main issue about such people is that they fail to comprehend the contrary and rationally opposing vistas that if we are to always follow this practice of following, does this not mean that we have no firm cultural and personal root that reminds us of who we are and where we come from? The rampant black business suits in almost all formal conventions and meetings show that we perceive the west's idea of fashion and presentation to be the most appropriate and superior. The fact that we make extreme efforts to go through plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures to enhance overall appearance effectively also means that we perceive higher cheek bones, slimmer bodies and bigger eyes to be the sole features that define us, and nothing comparable to that or anything that falls short of that would mean we have no place on this earth. These clearly show that we are letting Hollywood and the modeling industry dictate what we should wear and what bodily structures ought to be possessed to achieve the maximum potential. Our cultural traditions and natural in-born features, which constitute natural beauty, are denigrated and diminished. Thus, in a world where we have allowed the runway to be Heaven, models be angels and fashion designers as gods, fashion is the entity that we resort to when we have no personal standing.
In the context where family values are being redefined hence causing one's own culture to lose its value, the aforementioned viewpoint is strengthened. If we perceive designer brands to be the best of the best, we would more than gladly only follow them and their trends and not bother to consider the suitable alternatives. So should the case be that we do not have strong roots to our cultural heritage or personal background, then only the expensive panoply of Italian and French couture from the eponymous Louis Vuitton or Prada outlets have a space in our wardrobes.
The common conflict of interests usually occurs when people debate what fashion is exactly and what determines who we are as individuals. Is sartorial presentation the overriding determining factor of our characters and beliefs? Is it even permissible to say that all kinds of fashion will thrive in its time? Critics like najor figues in the fashion industry - Anna Wintour and Franca Sozzani - have said that fashion is but a guiding principle to which people should and not have to present themselves. When posed with questions about consumerist attitudes, they deftly rebutted their opponents by saying that fashion is not just about utility, rather it is a piece of iconography used to express individual identity (sounds familiar? The Devil Wears Prada?) Hence this argument - that fashion allows us to make statements about ourselves and it is only in fact when we know who we are and what we believe in, that we can fully utilise fashion as a means of self-expression. Is this not apt when there are increasing numbers of stringent laws that restrict one's freedom of speech and expression? There are numerous examples of designers making pertinent statements in their annual collections. Tom Ford, former creative director of major Italian fashion house Gucci, showed military-inspired collections back in the 90s when the Gulf War was causing a somewhat international conflict. He then stated that she wanted to - especially in the mens' collections - elicit the strength and bravery of the soldiers who fought the war. Hence this shows that fashion provides us with an avenue to show our characters and who we are in essence, and such is only possible when we do in fact know who we are.
Though lofty and idealistic, this view is also fallacious in the sense that it does not tell us of all ways that people express themselves in their choice of clothing. Madonna, our beloved Queen of Pop, once donned a cone-shaped bra designed by Jean Paul Gaultier during her 1989 Blond Ambition Tour and that sparked and ignited a firestorm of controversy with the Catholic church, after a performance in Rome. If she knew who she truly was - a once dainty and elegant singer who portrayed the image of female empowerment - would she have resorted to such infantile and attention-seeking methods of dressing? It would be of course, unfair to criticise this fully, since she was an icon and pop star (and still is), and pop stars need to do what is most popular to sustain their fame (more like their bank accounts). But it certainly shows and exposes the inconvenient truth that we are conceding to fashion and popular culture, when we are clearly not strongly rooted to our values, culture and beliefs.
The problem with fashion today is that there are simply too many vistas and perceptions to what fashion truly is. A pair of denim jeans from K-Mart could be as fashionable as an Oscar de la Renta ball gown. The key issue is that one's style is distinct - quoting from late french designer Yves Saint Laurent. The sad part, however, is that vanity and the fear of not being part of the 'cool group' has caused much uncertainty in people and as a result a salient failure to engage with our heritage. That has inevitably led to the blind following of widespread practices - fashion. It seems like the statement, that not having a mind in following trends is most true today...
