Trends That Never Die

In David Wolfe's speech, he mentioned four fashion trends that never die. Unfortunately I only remembered 3 of them: romantic, sporty, and futuristic. I've pulled some of my personal collection of everyday images that reflect these trends.

Notice the strand of pearls in the first picture, and the razor cut in the third. How popular is that?

Fashion in Society

This week I had the privilege of hearing David Wolfe, a leading fashion authority, talk about fashion and its relevance to everyday life. While I support fashion as art, I also definitely believe fashion should be accessible. One particularly noteworthy quote of Mr. Wolfe was the following:

“Fashion is always a reflection of the society that wears it.”

That said, I decided to go through my personal archive of photos and pull those images I thought showed diverse fashion from all around the globe. Some of my peers come from India, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and the good old U-S of A among other countries.

Racism in Fashion: Minorities Speak Out [Part 2]

Who better to ask about minority representation in fashion than minorities themselves? I interviewed several individuals and their responses were all along the same lines. All in all they agreed diverse representation in the fashion world is significantly lacking.

“Overall, racism [in the fashion industry] does exist in the fashion world, but it isn't know as such,” Darlene, age 23 comments. “Unfortunately, the ideology of racism is pampered. Most Americans call diversity one Black woman and one Asian male in a group of whites. I am no expert, but by watching shows like "Project Runway" most of the women that compete in the show are the "brown paper bag" color or lighter, but at the same time many clothing designers prefer a darker complexion for particular outfits they design. .. I have also noticed that most of the diverse runways are in Europe (which isn't a surprise).”

As far as dissatisfaction in fashion was concerned, complexion and body-weight were the most frequent complaints. Tenille, age 20 says, “Racism in fashion is like racism with band-aids and pantyhose. The "norm" or "nude" colored products don't match dark-skinned complexions... that's racism.”

“In the U.S. fashion world, heavy isn't in, short hair isn't in, [and] being short isn't in either,” Darlene argues. “A sprinkle of Black, Asian and Mexican does not constitute diversity, although many Americans feel that it does.”

When asked if they thought depictions of fashion on runways, print ads, and elsewhere accurately reflect cultural diversity, “No!” was the unanimous answer.

“Ads are getting better at promoting racial diversity,” Tenille argues. “For example, more and more ads show interracial couples together, but their mostly brown and white skinned couples. Asians, Filipinos [and] Native Americans… are left out of the mix.”

I don’t think so because all the women are skinny and fit. Where are…the ones who need plus sizes? April, age 17, rightly questioned. Sure, the Dove Campaign was a good attempt at countering the fashion culture, but so many more companies need to step up.


Today’s young people have the same qualms that our parents had with fashion. Although things have gotten a lot better over the years, the fashion industry still has lots to improve upon. Sophia, age 21, bets sums up the sentiments of many: “All women or color are beautiful and our features are amazing, but for some reason the industry doesn't flaunt it.”

Racism in Fashion: A deliberate lack of representation [Part 1]

Several years ago I ran a “Beauty, Fashion, and Style” segment for the girls in my dormitory. Although it was a lot of fun, and the girls seemed to like it—people kept stealing the images I posted— it was a challenge to find images of ethnically diverse models. It would frustrate me because I would go out of my way to find sources that I knew carried diversity. For instance, my residential library would throw out magazines after so many weeks so I would come by and pick up copies of Vibe, Bride, or magazines I might not normally read just to find some variety.

It’s a disgrace that in this day and age men and women of color still don’t have a significant presence in mainstream fashion, be it on the runway or in print ads. Now, that’s not to say that minorities aren’t prevalent in the fashion background. They just don’t get the exposure that white’s get and all too often it seems that the one’s who care the most about diversity are the one’s who are overlooked—not the one’s who aren’t.

Back in September 2007 issue, Ebony magazine dedicated its issue to Blacks in the fashion industry. I was pleasantly surprised to find there were so many influential Blacks style gurus in the business. Had I been missing something all along or was it simply because a minority-focused magazine like Ebony had the desire to give these men and women exposure that I discovered these people even existed? I am sure it’s the latter. I’d love to see more of this kind of exposure from other ethnic minority groups.

But of course, it’s just not outsiders like me who notice the lack of representation. Minorities within the industry are not immune to it either. When interviewed by Kenyan journalists, supermodel Naomi Campbell stated, “Black models are being sidelined by major modeling agencies…” While this statement raises the question if the modeling agencies are more at fault, or rather the clients who only want certain “types,” the fact of the matter is there is discrimination without a doubt.

As a member of an under-represented ethnic group, I certainly want to see more ethnic diversity in fashion, not just of my race, but of other groups as well. It’s not enough to throw in one or two ethnic minorities just because it’s the polite thing to do, but as much as clothing reflects culture, people should do the same.

Let's Talk Vintage

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I came across this remarkably unique website for antiques: J.Peterman. They not only have old-fashioned, hard-to-find items like vintage French posters and zinc bathtubs, but they also carry men and women’s clothing and accessories styled from decades upon centuries ago. The writing descriptions tell a unique story about the each item’s history, taking you into a world of long-ago. Although I have no idea how popular or how big of a following J. Peterman has (the items are niche and very expensive), I do know that it has previously received recognition by the New York Times. Clearly, there’s something out there for everyone, so if you’re a fan of anything vintage, this website is certainly a must see.

Something Old, Something New

We’ve all heard the old saying: One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. Well, here in central New York, that’s what Marissa is a treasure seeker who finds gems in what many people consider to be worthless garbage. What do you call it when an artist takes a piece of old, abandoned furniture, and reinvents the vintage piece as a funky usable item? I call it pretty creative. In her quest for the perfect vintage furniture, Marissa will drive around town in her station wagon, picking up disowned pieces lying on a street corner, or she’ll find a deal at the local flea market. She’s a savvy shopper who can find high-quality items at a low cost. From there she becomes the magician who uses her skills to turn a previously unattractive, unwanted item into a hot commodity. So while she doesn’t design the furniture itself, Marissa is certainly a designer in her own right. Although she admits that she doesn’t know where her inspiration comes from, she undoubtedly has a remarkable talent. Her vision of what could be has allowed her to turn ugly furnishings into beautiful unique gems.

A Branded Look [Part 2]

In my previous post I discussed how stores themselves can brand their look, but another consideration is the look of the entire edifice or plaza. So, for instance, if stores are in an indoor mall does the look of the mall draw shoppers or repel them? This question also applies to the look of an outdoor plaza. Architecture, color, and theme are but a few of the considerations that a designer must consider. Is the brand placed in a place that draws shoppers? If not, is there a place that draws consumers that would enhance the brand’s image? Could you image selling Chanel out of a rundown shack of a mall? Never!

I have yet to see a plaza that can compare with Milan’s Galleria di Vittorio Emanuele II. The architecture is absolutely spectacular and the most brands in the plaza, ( eg. Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton), fit appropriately. The plaza exudes magnificence, style, grandeur and these high end brands took notice and decided it was a place they wanted their brand to be sold. Even consumer who may not be able to afford such items still like being in the atmosphere, and will no doubt recommend the plaza to others, if not for the items themselves, certainly for the aesthetic experience alone.

Whether they are high-end brands or not, fashion designers should always consider where their brands will be sold and how it affects their image. For instance, what does it mean for a brand to be sold at K-Mart versus Bloomingdales? Being in the right environment is crucial to the brand image and popularity so in order to be a successful brand designers must make the right choice.

A Branded Look [Part 1]

When we think of going shopping, we don’t think so much about the outer look of the stores as we do what inside them. However, the outer look can be as important, if not more important, than the clothes inside it. If it’s attractive, people will be curious. If it’s shabby, people will be apprehensive. One particular store that does a great job of branding its outer image is Hollister Company. No matter where I go, what state I’m in, I can recognize a Hollister store because of the blue shutters, shingled roof, pillars, and steps. It looks like a cool hut you might find on beachfront property. But despite its well-branded image, I have always been apprehensive to enter because I know I’m clearly not the target audience. With loud rocker music blasting from inside and larger than life pictures of blond-haired, blue-eyed shirtless surfer guys, and thin attractive Malibu Barbie lookalike employees, I would surely stand out like a sore thumb. So perhaps being branded on the outside can be both a good and bad thing; it automatically gives potential consumers an idea of what the brand is like, but on the other hand it can discourage people from trying out the brand because, they automatically assume it won’t fit them.