‘‘Fashion is the most powerful art there is. Its movement, design and architecture all in one’’
These are the famous words of fashion weaponiser, Blair Waldorf from CW’s hit teen drama series Gossip Girl. But what does she actually mean? Is it possible for pieces of fabric to be art and construction all in one?
Traditional art creates an intimacy between viewers and creators. Just as Basil, from Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, confesses he cannot display his latest painting because he has put too much of himself into it. Art has never been purely aesthetic but an open door into the creator’s mind. Hence, how can gazing upon a person’s painting or reading their book, be anything other than intimate. But let's take it one step further; what can be more intimate than taking a designers’ work and allowing it direct access to your body? Imagine yourself at a gallery, the physical distance between you and the painting preserves your autonomy, keeps you from becoming one with another person’s work. Now take a look at what you’re wearing. Where did the distance go? Whether we intend it or not; fashion is loud. The lines between you and the fabric blur, think of it like a physical social media bio. Fashion tells the world who you are; what you are and who you want to be, even before you utter a single word. Is that not power?
The answer lies in the question. When has fashion ever been just ‘pieces of fabric’ ? Of course, a lone piece of cloth is hardly comparable to the world’s collection of paintings and architecture but when combined with vision and imagination, fashion becomes a living, moving expression of art. Unlike traditional art, fashion is not contained to a stationary existence. We, the living canvas, breathe life into the fabric. It moves with us, speaks with us, transforms to the contours of our bodies. No piece looks the same, just as no humans look the same.
Throughout centuries of human history, leaders have understood this. Let’s look at Ancient Egypt, where Pharaoh Cleopatra used men’s clothing and accessories to take back the power her biology denied her. Misha Pinkhasov’s Vogue Arabia article, How Clothes Make a Statement, explores the relationship between women and the power of fashion perfectly. Did you know Queen Elizabeth I used exaggerated silhouettes, broad shoulders and rigid bodices to communicate she was a ruler ready for war? As a female monarch, she had a point to prove, a crown to hold onto and fashion was her weapon of choice. But fashion and identity aren’t limited to reality, even fictional worlds can’t escape the influence of fashion. Let’s take a look at Disney Princesses for example. Picture Sleeping Beauty or Belle. Are they wearing their iconic dresses? Is that not what came to mind? Disney princesses have become so synonymous with their iconic dresses that it has become irrevocably intertwined with their identities. Even through, both Belle and Aurora wear other dresses for the majority of the films, their signature dresses are what they are known for.
Fashion is more than fabric for the sake of dressing yourself. As Miranda Priestly points out in David Frankel’s iconic film, The Devil Wears Prada, the influence of fashion is universal. No one is exempt from it. Upon rewatching the film, I was inspired to conduct a little experiment of my own. What is fashion to non-enthusiasts? I asked a friend of mine:
‘‘What does fashion mean to you?’’
‘‘Practicality I guess’’
‘‘But what made you put those specific items together?’’
‘‘ Well the colours matched’’
So on the surface non-fashion enthusiasts assume their interactions with fashion are purely out of necessity rather than creativity but a choice is a choice. With a little prodding, you discover that everyone puts creative intention behind their outfits. You realise the influence of fashion operates on a spectrum rather than the interested vs the uninterested. On further inquiry, I asked my friend if he would trade wardrobes with another friend of ours, considering they were the same size. He declined and upon inquiry admitted it was because those clothes didn’t look good on him. He preferred neutrals over ‘‘loud’’ primary colours. Whether he had known it or not, he had just confessed that fashion certainly meant more to him than ‘‘practicality’’. Fashion is a daily choice. The hand that crafts your image and self-perception.
So I ask again. What is fashion?
If you mean literally, it's fabric of all shapes, colours and materials. However if you don’t mean literally, it's the closest invention humans will get to living art. How? Because it moves, speaks and influences, just like us.
Written by, Aurora-Evangeline Kadir