Interestingly, many niche subcultures still value fashion and standing out in many ways. One only needs to look to hip-hop and street fashion. A friend of mine works for a major sneaker company, and sneakerheads are serious business. There is a pressure to keep your hats crisp and unbent -- often leaving the stickers or tags on to show how fresh they are (in multiple ways)
I would also think that after spending the last couple of years cooped up, many people would want to put on their Sunday best every time they left the house, but, alas, here I am in my sweater and jeans about to head out so maybe I'm not the best to opine on this haha
I was never into fashion, and every time I go to buy new clothes I look for the fastest possible way to get what I want, and get out of the store... still, at some point even I couldn't help but notice that despite the sheer amount of clothing stores and shopping centres, the choices we get are remarkably limited. Don't know if I could self-express this way even if I wanted to.
You reminded me of a scene in Alexander Sokurov magnificent movie 'Russian Ark', set at the height of Tsarist Russia in the 19th century, where the narrator, accompanied by 'The European' on a journey through the Winter Palace (in one, glorious, unedited shot) 'jumps' from the nineteenth century to the 21st century. We emerge briefly into a gallery filled with contemporary, modern day tourists - decked out in the mandatory uniform of 21st century 'individuality': i.e.: t-shirts, jeans and runners. As 'The European' exits the gallery he wonders aloud: 'why is everyone dressed so poorly?' Why indeed?
i'm reading the book "white trash" rn and the puritans had similar taboos about the rich distinguishing themselves from the poor in manners of dress. the point was to legitimize class stratification as a spiritually ordained/moral category because if class is mystified away from power, land ownership and money it is incontestable. i can't help but draw parallels.
Oh my gosh I've been thinking the same thing about the homogeneity of public appearance. I looked at the shrinking color palette of car colors for instance. It seems that all cars, in America anyway, are white, black, gray, or silver. Compare car colors now to earlier times. We're approaching peak drone presentation. Fit for the Bugman lifestyle. Ugh.
Interesting perspective, as for me it was quite the contrary! Being Dutch, I was absolutely blown away by the fashion “risks” many people took in NYC. Of course, it was very much dependent on where you worked/studied and so forth, but coming from The Netherlands, where people take the motto: “doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg” meaning “act normal, then you are already being crazy enough”, I loved this change of perspective.
That said, I absolutely agree with what you said about fast fashion, and our innate drive to be unseen. We are, after all, herd animals (however cliche that sounds) and if we don’t truly know who we are and what we want to be known as, it is best to become one with the crowd.
In my work I need to account for color fashion in architecture, which is gray and white right now. They usually want clear glass.
There is a fear of looking dumb from clashing or mismatched colors.
There is also I think some aversion to saying something or making a decision. Many artists efface or rub over their work to tone down whatever they were trying to say.
Color does show up but it’s often just “colorful”, as in all the colors, and that in itself blocks the force of the individual colors.
I have read this interesting piece a couple of times as you point out connections I didn't see.
I connected with this strong clear image here : My intuitive sense is that it has to do with pessimism and a sense of pointlessness in communication. When a place becomes an airport terminal of totally unconnected individuals with no shared culture or sense of a public, there is no coherent entity to express yourself...
I wonder in this age of stressing personal identity issues ( or framing of it along essentialist lines which I can find divisive and at times draining) I feel, think we are often unconnected individuals without a shared sense of things we have in common, rather than divisiveness. So in fashion our disconnection is apparent despite or the identity politics which can be a bit egocentric. Please feel free to disagree as I am confused by these contradictions.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Surface variety usually goes with uniformity of thought, and surface uniformity goes with variety of thought. Hippies required surface expressiveness and precise orthodoxy in ideology.
The same pattern even applies to products like cars. 1956 was the zenith of superficial variety and the nadir of mechanical variety.
Thanks for writing on this topic. I definitely agree that it has to do with disguising class. I am a working class woman but sometimes feel embarrassment if I wear an outfit I consider beautiful; it does feel like fashion is the domain of a young liberal bourgeoise that is broadly disliked.
And then the pandemic...I remember in spring 2021 I went to Echo Park in LA (a very gentrified neighborhood) for an organized action to try to prevent the police from sweeping a large homeless encampment. The fashion of the protestors in attendance was abysmal...you may think it's shallow of me to think about this but it was impossible to ignore. People seemed to be really trying to flex; I think because they hadn't had many opportunities to get out of the house and took this action as a chance to show their style. It was terrible and when I reflected why, I concluded that a year of quarantine had destroyed street style more than I could have imagined.
The lovely woman who deigns to be seen in public with me is is always fashion conscious. It is like dating Audrey Hepburn, for this old widower. The elegant lady goes over me like a mother chimp, before allowing this schlump to step out in public.
Interestingly, many niche subcultures still value fashion and standing out in many ways. One only needs to look to hip-hop and street fashion. A friend of mine works for a major sneaker company, and sneakerheads are serious business. There is a pressure to keep your hats crisp and unbent -- often leaving the stickers or tags on to show how fresh they are (in multiple ways)
I would also think that after spending the last couple of years cooped up, many people would want to put on their Sunday best every time they left the house, but, alas, here I am in my sweater and jeans about to head out so maybe I'm not the best to opine on this haha
I dunno. I just like being comfortable. Dress clothes are always so stuffy and uncomfortable
I was never into fashion, and every time I go to buy new clothes I look for the fastest possible way to get what I want, and get out of the store... still, at some point even I couldn't help but notice that despite the sheer amount of clothing stores and shopping centres, the choices we get are remarkably limited. Don't know if I could self-express this way even if I wanted to.
You reminded me of a scene in Alexander Sokurov magnificent movie 'Russian Ark', set at the height of Tsarist Russia in the 19th century, where the narrator, accompanied by 'The European' on a journey through the Winter Palace (in one, glorious, unedited shot) 'jumps' from the nineteenth century to the 21st century. We emerge briefly into a gallery filled with contemporary, modern day tourists - decked out in the mandatory uniform of 21st century 'individuality': i.e.: t-shirts, jeans and runners. As 'The European' exits the gallery he wonders aloud: 'why is everyone dressed so poorly?' Why indeed?
i'm reading the book "white trash" rn and the puritans had similar taboos about the rich distinguishing themselves from the poor in manners of dress. the point was to legitimize class stratification as a spiritually ordained/moral category because if class is mystified away from power, land ownership and money it is incontestable. i can't help but draw parallels.
Oh my gosh I've been thinking the same thing about the homogeneity of public appearance. I looked at the shrinking color palette of car colors for instance. It seems that all cars, in America anyway, are white, black, gray, or silver. Compare car colors now to earlier times. We're approaching peak drone presentation. Fit for the Bugman lifestyle. Ugh.
Interesting perspective, as for me it was quite the contrary! Being Dutch, I was absolutely blown away by the fashion “risks” many people took in NYC. Of course, it was very much dependent on where you worked/studied and so forth, but coming from The Netherlands, where people take the motto: “doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg” meaning “act normal, then you are already being crazy enough”, I loved this change of perspective.
That said, I absolutely agree with what you said about fast fashion, and our innate drive to be unseen. We are, after all, herd animals (however cliche that sounds) and if we don’t truly know who we are and what we want to be known as, it is best to become one with the crowd.
Great piece, really informative!
In my work I need to account for color fashion in architecture, which is gray and white right now. They usually want clear glass.
There is a fear of looking dumb from clashing or mismatched colors.
There is also I think some aversion to saying something or making a decision. Many artists efface or rub over their work to tone down whatever they were trying to say.
Color does show up but it’s often just “colorful”, as in all the colors, and that in itself blocks the force of the individual colors.
I have read this interesting piece a couple of times as you point out connections I didn't see.
I connected with this strong clear image here : My intuitive sense is that it has to do with pessimism and a sense of pointlessness in communication. When a place becomes an airport terminal of totally unconnected individuals with no shared culture or sense of a public, there is no coherent entity to express yourself...
I wonder in this age of stressing personal identity issues ( or framing of it along essentialist lines which I can find divisive and at times draining) I feel, think we are often unconnected individuals without a shared sense of things we have in common, rather than divisiveness. So in fashion our disconnection is apparent despite or the identity politics which can be a bit egocentric. Please feel free to disagree as I am confused by these contradictions.
This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Surface variety usually goes with uniformity of thought, and surface uniformity goes with variety of thought. Hippies required surface expressiveness and precise orthodoxy in ideology.
The same pattern even applies to products like cars. 1956 was the zenith of superficial variety and the nadir of mechanical variety.
Thanks for writing on this topic. I definitely agree that it has to do with disguising class. I am a working class woman but sometimes feel embarrassment if I wear an outfit I consider beautiful; it does feel like fashion is the domain of a young liberal bourgeoise that is broadly disliked.
I would also attribute some of this to 2nd wave feminism--despite succeeding waves I see the prerogative to either act like a man or invite brutality everywhere; awesome piece through the lens of slashers here: http://annabillersblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-misogyny-of-modern-slasher-film.html
And then the pandemic...I remember in spring 2021 I went to Echo Park in LA (a very gentrified neighborhood) for an organized action to try to prevent the police from sweeping a large homeless encampment. The fashion of the protestors in attendance was abysmal...you may think it's shallow of me to think about this but it was impossible to ignore. People seemed to be really trying to flex; I think because they hadn't had many opportunities to get out of the house and took this action as a chance to show their style. It was terrible and when I reflected why, I concluded that a year of quarantine had destroyed street style more than I could have imagined.
I believe in patriotism,
Oh, how unfashionable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvlAHUur5eg
The lovely woman who deigns to be seen in public with me is is always fashion conscious. It is like dating Audrey Hepburn, for this old widower. The elegant lady goes over me like a mother chimp, before allowing this schlump to step out in public.