Living & Arts

‘Why so serious?’

In print | January 22, 2009

Well, at least the fashion industry isn’t in danger of taking itself too seriously.

Though we’re barely through a long winter, and there are still seemingly endless months yet to come before warmer weather hits, designers’ Spring- Summer 2009 collections have long been gracing the runway. It might seem silly for collections to be out of sync with the current weather, but this is an industry always ahead of the curve and looking to the future. With these tough economic times plaguing not just the United States but most of Europe and Asia, however, designers also seem to be looking inward with a light-hearted eye.

This may be a sweeping generalization, but self-reflection in most forms of art is necessary. Without it, one can become caught up in the madness, and a critical eye keeps one from falling down the contrived and lonesome path. So I was amused when I saw Longchamp, the French maker of minimalist nylon totes, come out with the most whimsical “it bag” of the season. Using their standard bag material and construction, the twist comes in the form of line drawing prints of “it bags” emblazoned with the phrase “Ceci est un IT BAG.” Though the bag-on-bag print drawing look has been used before by Chloé and Marc Jacobs, the ironic French snobbery of such a bold phrase is especially intriguing. What exactly is an “it bag”? Why should we care about them from season to season? At the end of the day, has such a concept become a caricature of itself?

Accessories aside, let’s talk runway. In New York, Marc Jacobs showed a collection vastly different from his subdued and “not very inspired” (said the man himself) Fall-Winter 2008 looks. But Spring-Summer collections in general always seem more high-energy and less austere than Fall-Winter ones, so it’s not surprising that this time around Marc Jacobs focuses his collection on “the joy of dressing up.” Mixing colors, fabrics, embellishments, prints and anything and everything under the sun, the collection is a hodgepodge of looks that holds up well. The vision is there, but the very vision itself seems set on eclecticism, a visual melting pot of all things fashion. No decade seems untouched for inspiration, but smart tailoring prevents the clothes from ever becoming overwhelming. Yes, it’s a lot to take in, but isn’t that the fun of it? When monetary excess seems impossible, with businesses failing left and right and the stock market crashing by the day, isn’t it nice to know that there is at least one outlet left to run wild with?

Miles away in the city of lights, Sonia Rykiel, the female Parisian counterpart of Marc Jacobs, quite literally threw a celebration on the runway. She’s spent forty successful years in the business, and her latest collection does nothing short of encapsulating the sense of fashion fun she has maintained throughout those years. Models come strutting down the runway with exuberance, clothed in outfits with sequins, tiers, ruffles and appliques. Big frizzy hair, oversized sunglasses and variations on the classic French beret maintain continuity throughout the line. About halfway through, the show kicks itself up a notch with unconventional poses, rainbow colors and confetti: lots and lots of confetti. Breaking with the normal one-model-at-a-time pace, models crowd onto the runway, smiling and holding hands, dancing to the music and overall looking like they are having a grand old time. Instead of the usual dead-eyed and sallow no-smiles look, the models actually seem like they feel good in the clothes they were wearing. After all, fashion shouldn’t be about discipline and punishment of the body; it’s a celebration of form and beauty, and an enjoyment of the finer things in life. Without that, where’s the excitement?

Critics of the fashion industry may lambast it for being shallow, but there are two sides to the coin. Yes, the industry can lack depth at times, but so can the perception that fashion is so self-absorbed. At the end of the day, luxury goods are just that — a luxury — and should be treated as such. With Heath Ledger’s recent win as the Joker at the Golden Globes in mind, perhaps his question is the one we should be asking through these times: “why so serious?”

Ming is a sophomore. She can be reached at mcai1@swarthmore.edu