The Art of Fashion
by Gillian Linman
I, along with many other fashion fanatics, have a love-hate relationship with New York Fashion week. On the one hand, I am bubbling with excitement to see the genius of the new and old designers. The colors, the seams, the patterns - I find it all so enthralling. Then there is the other side of me, the side that basks in my low self-esteem as the 5'11, 100 pound, size 2 models come strutting down the runway. Do I eat that bag of chips sitting on my desk now? How many cookies have I had today? Should I go on a diet? Questions of which I inevitably answer with: yes, too many, and hell no. However, after the trends of Fall 2007 were ushered in last week at Bryant Park, another peculiar question arose in my mind: what exactly is fashion?
To some it is a way of life: the ultimate battle between what's hot and what's not, and in some cases to be wearing what apparently is not hot, so that you indeed are hot. To others, well, namely my roommate, it is "the bastard child of Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs," among other rather bizarre fantasies. Some see it as unnecessary - a vulgar form of commercialization, and yet still to others it is merely the piles of clothes, both clean and dirty, that collect on their bedroom floor. And the truth is: in some sense everyone is right.
Coco Chanel, one of the most influential fashion designers in the early 20th century said, "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening." I could not have put it more aptly myself. Fashion is not just what Betsy Johnson or Marc Jacobs puts down the runway (however fabulous this might be), it's anything and everything that expresses you and your personality. And it is because of this that fashion is a truly unique form of art.
Yes, that's correct, I said art. Because in case you were wondering whether or not the pants you are wearing, you know the ones you haven't washed in days, are indeed art - they are. I know, I know, I sound absurd right? Pants are just pants. Everyone puts them on the same way, one leg at a time; we've all heard the mumbo jumbo. But what about when pants weren't just pants? What about the time when someone sat down and had to think, design, and sew together the first pair of pants? To them, they were a masterpiece. They were an "expression or application of human creative skill and imagination," as the word art is defined in the dictionary.
If you really sit and think about how much work goes into one shirt, or one pair of pants, a dress perhaps - it truly is mind-boggling. To think that someone can take a bolt of fabric, some thread, the occasional button and turn it into a jacket seems almost unfathomable. What is even more incredible about the art of fashion is that it has to be both functional and creative. To have the knowledge of where to sew, at what angle, using what color, and in what design, are all things that no one really notices or even appreciates. To think that someone purposefully placed that color of fabric there, or the zipper in front on a pair of pants instead of on the side or in the back, is truly amazing.
But the art of fashion does not stop there. As individuals who clothe ourselves everyday - or I am hoping at least the majority of us - we have the unique opportunity of creating our own fashion, our own "work of art." Whether this means putting on whatever isn't dirty (or perhaps that which is anyway), or meticulously planning out every detail down to the color of underwear (and by the way, you people are kind of weird), it is all art. It's an expression of who you are; it defines you in a sick, materialistic kind of way. And yes, this is both sad and true. The truth lies in that your fashion, style, masterpiece of an outfit - call it what you will - most definitely sends a statement to others, whether blatant or not. And despite the fact that your appearance (or essentially the fashion you have created), might not even be a true reflection of your personality, when others simply see you, they most likely assume something about your personality. Thus, fashion proves to be an art form that is, on some level, influential.
Regardless of these things, dressing yourself every morning is a means of expressing yourself in an artistic way. You are essentially taking art and creating an extravagant piece of you. How is that for corny? You yourself are becoming a walking piece of art (oh that's even better). No, but really, all jokes aside, fashion truly is a unique and valuable part of art, and not just of art, but of our daily lives.
So what exactly is fashion? Fashion is art. Fashion is malleable, it's changing, and we are all responsible in one way or another for that change. Fashion is your creation, your interpretation of what's "hot." Fashion is a Marc Jacobs bag, and fashion is that Jansport you've carried since elementary school. Fashion is, most simply put, what you want it to be.
So the next time Fashion Week rolls around, or you happen to pass by one of the many fashion magazines that grace the shelves of bookstores, gas stations, and your ordinary newspaper stand, stop, and take a look. There could lie inside an entire world of art entirely foreign to you, the world some know as the art of fashion.
