PARIS — Joy. Is it so hard to come by?
Not contentment, which implies something more enduring, something that comes from within (although perhaps with the help of a therapist). Joy comes in a jolt, a sudden flush of pleasure. It may be momentary, but it’s real. This is the business of fashion. It should be able to put a smile on your face.
Lately, though, it has been a struggle. So as Fashion Week came to a close here on Wednesday, applause goes to designers such as Dries Van Noten, Stella McCartney, Chitose Abe of Sacai, Miu Miu’s Miuccia Prada and Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquiere. They made folks smile.
They sent out great clothes that were easy to wear, but interesting and distinctive. There was sharp tailoring and breathtaking colors and prints. Breezy caftans, ruffled dresses, men’s shirting, shades of yellow and pink. And sparkles.
Fashion let down its guard, at least in some quarters. It stopped trying to be fierce, bad-ass and cool. At the finale of McCartney’s show, the models danced. They clapped and howled as they ran down the runway in a dance that was choreographed but not awkward, and their delight in actually being able to take a deep breath and laugh was evident.
Like other industries, fashion has its difficult times. Lately it has struggled to balance creativity with pragmatism. Sales are flat in the luxury business or sliding downward. Designers are grappling with diversity on multiple fronts — both race and body shape. They have seen the aesthetics of fine collections buried under public outrage because they cast too homogeneous a group of models in their show or gave them the wrong hairstyle. Yes, yes, the models are too thin, too young, too white. But it’s getting better. Last season, Balenciaga was taken to task for not featuring women of color on the runway. For spring 2017, it was a far more diverse group of models.
Things are improving. Too slowly, but fashion is moving forward.
Worth the interest
Yes, yes, the clothes on the runway are too expensive for the average person. But fashion lovers will save up for that one perfect indulgence. And rich folks are still eagerly handing over their credit cards. Everyone else will benefit from the trickle-down, the spiraling outward of ideas and trends. They will find beautiful floral prints, breezy caftan-style dresses and broad-shoulder blazers at the mall. Just remember to give a shout-out of thanks to Ghesqui?re, Van Noten, Phoebe Philo at C?line and Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci, among others.
But fashion still can’t get a break. Cynics still take aim at the pure bliss it may conjure. One more time: Buying an expensive frock is no better or worse than the four-figure foodie meal you just had, the fancy car you keep in your garage or the exotic vacation you can’t stop talking about.
Fashion has pressed on, commenting on street culture and our state of being and attempting to show us a good time.
