Editorial Sartorial

Fashion Editor, Nicole Clinton, explores the appeal of the fashion magazine.*

The fashion magazine’s origins can be traced back to the late 1600’s and 1700’s when the French aristocracy began to record what they were wearing and sketches were put together in books that were reproduced and sold. Today, it is almost impossible to enter even the smallest newsagent or corner shop without finding at least four different fashion print publications. And while they are a pleasing form of entertainment, in reality, they are so much more than that. If fashion is an art, then the fashion magazine is the gallery and if fashion is a science, then the magazine is the laboratory in which experiments are carried out.

The purpose of the fashion magazine is obviously mainly rooted in fashion but it also known to employ other elements of pop-culture to increase its appeal. It showcases the latest trends by acting as a souvenir book of the season’s catwalk collections. The photoshoots that are arranged somewhere between the middle and end of the publication bring together the most visionary photographers, the most ravishing models and the most extraordinary styling to produce a sartorial feast for the eyes. The outcome of these spreads can range from outrageously controversial to awe- inspiring glamour to stimulating originality. Although the average reader may never be able to afford the designer items on show, they get a glimpse of a vision that may in turn induce some chic ideas of their own. The main fashion features of each issue provide the dictators of taste that compile them with an opportunity to preach their beliefs to the masses. However, a certain level of insecurity regarding the power of fashion alone could be suggested by the editors need to regularly use a music or movie star to cover their magazine, especially in the American editions. In fact, Vogue has been criticized by fashion industry insiders for supporting celebrity culture over fashion integrity. But perhaps, in a slightly paradoxical way, Vogue is increasing fashion awareness and interest by utilizing pop culture to entice the public into buying their fashion magazine.

 

Perhaps my favourite part of the fashion magazine is the advertisements. Seeping in glamour, these stylised ads are often like otherworldly pieces of art as they portray beautiful, exotic people doing beautiful, exotic things in beautiful, exotic locations. In an enchanting way, the two dimensional photograph exudes a three dimensional quality, as if the ad is a still from the most alluring movie imaginable and we are seduced into dreaming about how the characters’ story will unfold. All in the vicinity of one magazine, the Chanel model perches on a swing, suspended high over the ocean, the Gucci model bends her body backwards over a glass table, clutching her head in despair with a backdrop of a turquoise sea and sky and the Tommy Hilfiger model stretches over a Miami balcony, awaiting her mysterious lover. These commercial spectacles work off a philosophy of curiosity and attraction by being masterpieces of suggestion. They convince you that their product will permit you to enter the world of the ad without actually saying it at all.

With the digital age in full swing, the future of the print publication is obviously in danger. While it has greatly enhanced our lives, the internet is slowly leading to the devaluation of everything, including the fashion magazine. The rise of the blog is swiftly upon us and while a certain proportion of bloggers’ thoughts are actually worth hearing, I’m of the opinion that the internet is currently over-saturated with fashion blogs. The increase in popularity of the fashion blog could perhaps be attributed to the current generation’s obsession with a desire to relate to or to identify with everything. But my question is why opt for a reflection of reality when you could marvel at the otherworldly and unobtainable instead? People today have become fixated with reality rather than the magic of not knowing how and therefore, the glorious possibilities that the imagination can create out of curiosity are obliterated. The aesthetic quality of the fashion magazine, in its artistic spreads and its seductive advertisements, offers an escape from this tedious reality in the same way that a trip to the cinema to see a beautiful star enter an wonderful world does. Perhaps it is an outcome of the recession or maybe it is just proof that society’s valuation of things is going into decline that the attitude of ‘why pay for something when it’s being given away for free?’ is, rather worryingly, becoming the norm. Of course, you can look up pictures of clothes or fashion articles anywhere on the internet, but nothing beats holding a glossy in your hands and watching a vision unfold page by page…..

*This article was originally published in the UCC Express during my time as fashion editor.

Styling Exile

By Fashion Editor, Nicole Clinton*.

“When I’m at war with myself, I just ride”.

The hauntingly poetic ending to Lana Del Rey’s epic, 10 minute music video for Ride intends to justify the singer’s (or perhaps the character’s) obsession with the dedication of her life to the freedom of the open road. She continues, elucidating that it is about “being in touch with your darkest fantasies” and “creating a life for yourself to experience them”. However, when one studies the stunningly stylised feel of the video and the role of clothing in the production of awe-inspiring cinematic visuals, these lines could simultaneously be applied to validate the avid use of fashion in the music video. Both Del Rey and the character she portrays in the music video have crafted a vision of an image for themselves and utilise fashion to visually exude it.

The fashion exhibited in the music video is saturated with style without being overtly glamorous. It is a product of that alluring and curious artistic paradox- the perfectly imperfect. It is ravishingly flawed, just like the girl about whom Del Rey sings. The fashion reveals its dysfunctional essence through its lack of clear direction or focus.

For example, the character’s informal look is California casual; depending on oversize, off-the-shoulder t-shirts, denim cut-off shorts and mini-sundresses. But her dresses when she sings onstage resemble an outdated, 1980s pageant queen. This eerily unnatural transition reflects the ‘damaged soul’ quality that Del Rey is fascinated with representing in her work.

Despair and mental unrest are idealised and romanticised perhaps because despite their negatives, at least they produce strong feelings and overcome the dulling numbness that mundane life exudes. She channels the notion that there is something quite attractive about being “f***ing crazy” because of the freedom and the pardon from society that accompanies it. The glamorisation of instability and “indecisiveness as wavering as the ocean” heavily relies on fashion to exhibit the appeal of these characteristics.

The cool attitude that the girl’s style radiates loans excessive charm to her nomadic way of life. The most significant examples of this arrive in the opening scene when Del Rey’s bleached denim jacket, ornamented with studs and fringes, emanates a tarnished bohemian spirit; and again in a later scene when her eighties, shoulder-padded, fringed, black leather jacket and denim frayed shorts attach a sense of reckless anticipation to her wait for her biker drivers at a gas station.

The video also employs fashion to aesthetically insert the very ‘American’ theories that are delicately woven through the song. There is something perplexingly glamorous about one of these classically ‘American’ ideas: the open road. Perhaps it stems from the almost legendary notion that the open road offers a physical and psychological escape from the soul-destroying routine of everyday life. Or maybe it spirals out of that other mythological concept of the American Dream, that the open road possesses endless possibilities and if you travel far enough, you’ll find what you’re looking for.

The choices of materials or textures in the character’s wardrobe contain close associations to the most well-known periods of American history. The prominence of denim and fringes in Del Rey’s costumes in the video are reminiscent of the popular image of the Wild West. She enters more controversial territory by donning a traditional Native American headdress, bringing up the US government’s horrendous mistreatment of the countries original nomads. Her tendency to align her style preferences with two warring adversaries from her nation’s history visually exemplifies the conflict that lies at both the root of her own identity and of a country that preaches freedom but often asserts an abuse of control.

A more explicit display of American symbolism adorns Del Rey’s body when she wears the nation’s flag as a cape-like garment. The girl’s colour palette generally revolves around the red, white and blue of the star spangled banner reminding the viewer of where her beliefs originated. The distinctive fashion triumphs in making the desolate, monotonous locations of a mid- west town appear captivating and beautifully eerie.

The character’s failure to settle physically, mentally or romantically grants her outsider status, an image that is cemented in the video through her clothes and perhaps more importantly through the attitude with which she carries them. Fashion is the force that asserts her marginalisation from society as her style does not seem to fit into any one particular box, reflecting her reluctance to limit herself to only one life or lover.

She wears the feminine dresses with a child-like yet disenchanted innocence but she bears the leather and denim with reckless liberty. Her indifference to modern trends and subtle changeability would make her an outcast from the cutting edge fashion crowd and her dangerous sensuality would expel her from the old- fashioned traditionalists. She meanders between lovers in an attempt to feed her thirst for passion, acceptance and a feeling of belonging. Her fashion preoccupation alters depending on which one of the men she is accompanying, going from carefree to pretty to tough- as if each man is a style patron enabling her addiction to tasting different roles.

It is not until the end of the video that Del Rey finds her ‘people’ and thus a sense of belonging. This epiphany where she accepts her clan as those who are ‘wild’ and believe in ‘the freedom of the open road’ is represented by a tribal-esque outfit of a white, fringed crop-top and shorts.

Therefore, fashion plays a revitalising and symbolic role in Lana Del Rey’s Ride video. It showcases the image she wishes to embody in the eyes of the viewer as a romantic wanderer who ultimately accepts that predictable life is not her destiny. The clothes energise and glamorise the barren location and the character’s nonchalant state of mind. In fact, the whole 10minute experience is like fashion hypnosis if you equate the tyre on which Del Rey swings at the beginning and end of the video as a pendulum dreamily entrancing us into her surreal state of existence. But I’m warning you, if you go under, you won’t want to come back out…you’ll want to ‘just ride’.

*This article was originally published in The UCC Express in November 2015, during my time as fashion editor.

Acceptable in the Eighties

Fashion Editor, Nicole Clinton explains why the fashion trends of the 1980s were anything but ‘bad taste’.*

In my estimation, everyone has that era that they would have loved to have experienced but were not born early enough to have done so. For me it is the 1980s.  It may have been nicknamed the decade of ‘bad taste’, but I’m going to argue why in terms of fashion, this is an unfair judgement. Unlike today when there is no strict unusual style and one season’s look blends into the next, the eighties produced a series of strikingly different trends that transformed from New Romanticism in the early years of the decade to the latter half’s Power Dressing.

New Romanticism- Perhaps the most creative trend of the eighties, New Romantic fashion rose from the ashes of the seventies punk era and was derived from the images of musical acts such as Adam Ant, Spandau Ballet and Visage. Frilly shirts, waistcoats, velvet suits and short pants were staple pieces of New Romanticism, with brocade designs making everything even more ornate. However, this trend was mainly followed by the ladies and the more experimental males as the average guy found the style of Ant, Visage front-man Steve Strange and Boy George, with the dramatic eye-make-up and pink blusher, a little bit too colourful for them to emulate. The men chose to duplicate the hairstyles of the movement instead donning quiffs and mullets. Maybe it is because I’m a massive Pirates of the Caribbean fan that I find the idea of everybody dressing like elaborate pirates and men with eyeliner magical, but the flamboyance of New Romanticism held a sort of creativity and originality that we don’t find in everyday fashion today. Clothes were like costumes and musical acts’ stage personas were like otherworldly characters from a fantasy story. Adam Ant exuded this quality in particular, with music videos for his songs like ‘Prince Charming’ and ‘Stand and Deliver’ taking inspiration from popular fairy-tales and romanticised representations of the eighteenth century.
Power-dressing- As materialism became America’s new religion, Wall Street’s Gordon Gecko preached “greed is good” to the masses via the big screen and the new creed induced a new style of dress to reflect it. The rise of the Yuppie class and a ‘keeping up with the Jones’’ attitude had everyone donning a suit to either express their power and wealth or at least give the impression that they had it. The power- suit soared in popularity with men using it to create a sharp image and women having the opportunity for the first time to wear a feminine styled suit. Tailored blazers, smart cigarette legged pants, elegant blouses and tight pencil skirts came in a vast array of colours and were even a look opted for by ladies on a night out. Television shows such as Miami Vice inspired men to try lighter coloured suits and to dress dashingly on a nightly basis. Trench coats and Crombies were the outerwear of choice so that everyone could look like a New York lawyer/stockbroker from the television. While the concept that was behind materialism is not exactly the most moral way to live your life, it did stimulate a style of dress that improved the image of the majority of people and caused everybody to take pride in their appearance. In fact, power-dressing’s goal was actually more admirable in the people who were using it as a guise for having no power at all. Instead of being depressed about what they didn’t have (like the grunge era reflected in the nineties), they used clothes to appear important and sharp and therefore attained that state of mind regardless.

These were just two of the trends that occupied the 1980s; there were many more that inhabited the time in between that were just as interesting. But next time you dismiss the 1980s as a decade of embarrassing fashion, just think, do you own anything peplum, a frilly blouse, leggings, bangles, a blazer, skinny jeans or coloured stilettos? Considering the recent resurgence in popularity of these items I’m guessing the answer is yes. So ha! You’re wearing eighties regalia!

*This article was originally published in The UCC Express in 2014 during my time as fashion editor.

What is Fashion?

Fashion Editor, Nicole Clinton, explores her specialised subject.*
The Oxford English Dictionary’s definition of the word ‘fashion’- “a popular trend; producing and marketing styles of clothing etc.”- only barely verges on the true meaning and potential of fashion. While it often finds itself unjustly dismissed as a subject of frivolity, this is a grave misconception. Fashion’s function is in fact so complex that it is rooted in paradox as it operates on the basis of the amalgamation of opposites. Its effects can mirror the cathartic power of any good piece of art, ranging from awe to tragedy to comedy. It performs as a reputable tool for the sociological study of any given era, race or gender and also acts as both a physical manifestation and stimulus of psychological feelings.

Fashion is a soldier of great valour, honoured with the task of executing its duties in opposing territories. It possesses the ability to serve contradictory purposes through its paradoxical functions. For example, fashion is a means through which one may stand out from the crowd by exemplifying a unique sense of style. But it is also method of fitting in if one chooses to dress similarly to others. For individuals who yearn for acceptance and approval, fashion can offer a sense of belonging. For those who do not wish to be seen, fashion can be camouflage from the eyes of the world. However for others, who view style as creative expression, fashion can be a means of transmitting their skill, embodying their personality and attracting coveted attention. Fashion is reality because of its primary role to clothe you. But it is also fantasy due to its capacity to act as an artistic medium for exhibitions of the imagination, just like paint or words. Fashion’s ambidexterity stems either from an elusive, fleeting nature that makes it incapable of deciding where its allegiances lie; from a tyrannical soul that intends to make us slaves to its limitless power; or from a heroic sense of duty to serve divergent realms.

Fashion is an industry of necessity and of luxury. Consumers require clothes for civilised existence and the fashion business meets this need. But it is the industry’s wonderful exploitation of humanity’s tendency to fantasise about and aspire for a life better than its own that makes fashion a business of luxury. Fashion is a trade based on the buying and vending of dreams through its creation and marketing of glamorous goods. The industry is not necessarily embedded in a cynical materialism as the consumer’s interaction with it does not solely revolve around the acquiring of objects.  It is instead related to a more innocent idealism as the industry is simply responding to the consumer’s vision of a certain lifestyle or self-image that they long to saturate themselves with in the hope that it may enhance their mundane life. There are a multitude of positive things that improve our lives which we cannot purchase but rather have to wait for fortune to award us with. But while we wait, fashion offers us the opportunity to mould the life and image that we visualise for ourselves. However, fashion is not just its own industry but also feeds into every other, from the more obviously stylish movie and music businesses, to ordinary clerical work, to the rough armed forces. In the world of professions, it is utilised as a visual representation of status or role. Whether a given business insists on uniform or a more lenient dress code, their choice is based on what they want to communicate about their company through the influential medium of fashion.

Fashion is invested with a host of intellectual properties for which it rarely receives credit. It is an art due to its eminence as an aesthetically dynamic, visual instrument. It is a science because of the specialist skill it takes to successfully experiment with its elements. Fashion carries social and psychological weight. It can be employed as a historical device for the exploration of society’s preoccupations during a particular era. Fashion trends act as a sign of the times and a visual depiction of a period in history. One may recognise the decade or century that an event occurred in by glimpsing the clothes that the people are wearing. Fashion is also a cultural and religious indicator as different corners of the globe and the beliefs of its citizens may be deciphered by observing their dress sense. It plays a vital role in patriotism and national identity arising from tradition and designated colour combinations. Fashion is the decisive marker of gender, whether it is an embodiment of masculinity, femininity or an ambiguous androgyny. Fashion harnesses psychological power in the way that it can personify or induce a certain state of mind through colour or style association.

Fashion is a philosophical phenomenon whose qualities can be utilised by everyone, everywhere, all the time. It is a universal force whose omnipotence should not be ignored as it lurks in even the most unsuspecting places. It is the art of everyday life that we are constantly creating or viewing. It is so much more than “a popular trend”. Fashion is a triumph.

*This article was originally published in The UCC Express in December 2014 during my time as fashion editor.