And by lost I mean forgotten and by forgotten I mean marginalized. But I guess I should be a bit clearer. When I say fashion is a lost art, I’m not referring to the mega-successful fashion industry. I’m talking about an individual’s sense of fashion. The way I see it, everyone’s distinct sense of style attests to a certain artsiness (yes, that is actually a word) inherent in every human being. I know that’s a broad statement, but fear not – I shall expound.
Fashion bloggers/photographers like The Sartorialist immortalize the most ubiquitous form of creative expression through taking pictures of original ensembles they spy on the streets
There are many definitions one can give to the word “art.” The one that the dictionary offers, and that I myself happen to espouse, is “the expression or application of human creative skill or imagination.” If that is the case, then, isn’t the way someone dresses him/herself a form of art in its own right? Even if someone doesn’t put much thought into his/her daily ensemble, the piecing together of certain articles of clothing, however well or poorly pieced together they may be, is a legitimate act of creative expression in the literal sense of the word “art.” In that way, isn’t everyone an “artist” to some extent?
To be sure, as in every artistic genre, there are artists who excel and artists who fall short. (I’m not quite sure where the objectivity lies in such a form of artistic expression, though. As in, what determines if someone is dressed “better” than someone else? Skill is not really a factor, as I think we’re all more or less equally adroit and experienced. I would love to press further into the issue, but it would constitute an annoying digression that, frankly, I haven’t the time for at present.) My point is that fashion is an art form available to everyone. Obviously, consumerism plays a role in fashion but it is pretty much free from most of the fetters typically imposed on other forms of art. Think about this way: With clothing, for a relatively small sum, you can turn yourself into a walking form of creative expression. And you do. Everyday. There’s no need for museums either. Just walk outside and the streets become the exhibit.
Of course, I’ve only scratched the surface. There is more to be said about the issue, but I think the main thing about it is that it warrants a fresh perspective on the otherwise exclusive art world. The common folk are allowed in, it seems, if only for a moment, through the wide world of fashion. So don’t lose sight of that the next time you bemoan your creative deficiencies. You’re more creative than you think. The proof? Well, you’re wearing it.
I love that you went “outside of the box” for this post. As a former aspiring model, long story, I too value fashion and think of it as a form of expression. There are many different statements to be made dependent upon what you choose to wear a particular day. For example, if you’re feeling down you may choose to wear darker clothes to represent your mood. Another example can be representative of your beliefs, lifestyle, or job such as police uniforms. It’s kind of funny to think that we can infer a person’s personality or life from their outfit. But then again, that’s why I love fashion so much. Interesting post Leah!
I have to agree that fashion and the choices we make everyday are a form of creative expression. A lot of people make conscious fashion choices in the morning to make certain statements while others claim that they don’t care about trends and being fashionable, but unconsciously there are still displaying a message to the world.
To take this idea to a larger scale, fashion also plays an important role in theater and more specifically, opera. What I have in mind is “Don Giovanni”. The most obvious and important elements of theater and opera are dialogue, plot, choreography, staging, and costume design. Costumes, like the fashion choices we make everyday, tell us things about characters that cannot be explicitly said, but are implicitly implied and assumed. However, costume design and choice is very deliberate. For example, in “Don Giovanni”, Donna Anna and Donna Elvira are always lavishly dressed in puffy dresses with unnecessary amounts of tulle and taffeta whether they were setting out for a masquerade or fleeing from their rape. However, Zerlina was always dressed in cheaper and more gaudy material. What can be implied from these costumes is the status of each character and what social role they occupy. These small yet crucial details are things that cannot be outrightly said because that would take away from the validity of the story, but must be implied.
It is very interesting that one may consider one’s self to be an artist just by the one dresses. The way we dress, and present ourselves can greatly represent ourselves as artists. The way we see which colors match, and what one may consider fashionable or good looking may be you inner artist expressing him or herself. There has even been studies’ showing that the color a person chooses to wear can greatly be affected by the mood the person is in. For instance, if someone is wearing a light green, it can be interpreted to be relaxing. Even based on one owns experience, if you were to meet someone wearing a brighter arrangement of clothing you might find the person to be warmer and more full of life.
The question that Leah posed so beautifully was, what is fashionable? It seems that everyone is following some trend decided by some people in an office who will produce the clothing for the next season. There is a very fine line between being fashionable and just a follower. It seems like everyone claims to be an individual. I find it hard to believe that a person is an individual when he is trying to be an individual. If you are trying to be someone, then you are everyone but yourself. It is sort of like how lots of people claim to only like underground music so much so that underground is now mainstream. It’s very tough for a person to independently express him or herself when there are the influences of magazine models and television actors. The fact is people follow what is “in”. I don’t remember getting the memo, but at sometime over the past year, the nerd look became fashionable. I was (and still am) hesitant about this look. Why is it that all of a sudden, the look that was mocked for years to be losers is all of a sudden cool? Are the nerds now cool? I don’t think so. The fact is, fashion is very much controlled by some sort of mysterious panel that decides what will be “in” next season. The people that do go against the grain are usually mocked for their bad sense of style until this mysterious board decided that bohemian (or another “underground” style) is “in”.
We see this “in” and “out” patterns even in the arts world. When we saw the Picasso pieces in the Cone sister exhibit, several of the works were from before Picasso was well know in the art world. Then at some point people started realizing the great art that this man was producing, and he thus became the Picasso that every first grader knows. The Cone sisters were then being the true art appreciators, as they liked Picasso before Picasso was “cool”. For some reason, political, social, or other possible influences, can cause a certain type of art to be “out”. At one moment Romanticism could be the most popular art and the next day everyone could be raving about cubism. It is outside influences that alter the way we dress and express our inner artist. Sometimes staying true to ourself can be the hardest part when expressing who we are.
Yes, I agree completely. Every person is capable of forming their own perspective and concepts about art. Once again, the reason why this topic is even debated leads back into a previous comment I made, referencing John Berger and the link between power and art. In order to judge art, one does not need power, they just need to be open minded. However, I do not want to delve into that topic again, as I already did that on another post. Instead, I just found it interesting that visual art (such as computer images, paintings, etc) and audio art has undergone the same movement as fashion. Everyone is an artist. If I go on Microsoft paint and make a picture, I am an artist. Whether I am good or not, that is debatable, but I am an artist. If I throw on the first thing that I find in my closet (like I normally do), I am fashionable. Whether I am the fashionable that most people would say is good or not, is debatable, but I have my own distinct fashion. This “quasi-socialist” movement can be seen across all types and style of art, and even just society in general. Burger King says: “Have it your way”. Not, “Do what the rich do” or “do what everyone else does”, but “Have it YOUR way”. If you analyze the advertising strategies of most companies, this holds true. People want to be recognized as individuals in American–regardless of whether they are or not. I mean, how different can “YOUR way” be at a Burger King, when most of the meals are practically pre-made. As we discussed art from different times in this class, and we talked about art in my English 110H class, I began to realize that society is attempting to accommodate the desire to be unique (even if it’s not actually doing that). This is probably because people will buy something if they can be persuaded to believe that it was made “just for them”, but as we pointed out different artists from different time periods, I could not help but notice this fundamental difference between modern society and older societies.