Fashion statements

I have to confess, and may I not get lynched for this: I do not understand fashion. I probably will never understand fashion. I do not know and have never heard of anyone who can understand fashion. Maybe Andre Leon Talley or Hillary Alexander have a clue. Maybe Coco Chanel and Madame Gres understood it. Maybe even John Galliano and Tom Ford know what it’s all about – or at least what they are doing with it. But the general horde of people who call themselves ‘designers’, ‘fashion critics’ or ‘fashion pundits’ haven’t the slightest clue what the whimsical beast called ‘fashion’ is all about.

How can I say what I just did? After all, I also write on fashion and I also purport to know good from…well…not so good! But, ah, there lies the root of this issue – I believe in style, not in fashion. My tastes are eclectic, developed over years of reading style bibles like Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and looking at cuts, fabrics and the way they are used, traditionally in India and by international name designers on the catwalks of Milan, Paris, New York and London. And what I learned was that you cannot, beyond a point, predict, prophecy and otherwise foretell what tomorrow will bring. Yes, up to that aforementioned point you can tell how long a skirt will be or what kind of sleeve is a la mode and what the next (sigh, that horrid cliche again) 'black' will be. But the guiding force of fashion is style, which is a very personal, very esoteric, very adaptable facet of individual life. It is, in other words, driven by personality rather than what can sell in the couture market.

In India, much of fashion is imitation rather than application. As a very wise critic of the fashion weeks that happened last month said, if you want to know what designers will create for the next season, just look at the international magazines for last year! True? To an extent, yes. Take the bubble frocks that reputed designers with almost God-like images sent out on models. Or the bias-cut or umbrella skirts, sort of like a banjara ghagra cut to varying lengths - from mid-thigh to ankle – that sashayed down the catwalk showing off the wearers’ legs so beautifully. Or the oversized belts, the flat-flat sandals, the sleek ponytails, the smoky eyes….seems familiar?

Using these myriad inspirations, a clothes-fan should create a special look that is personal, all his or her own, not duplicate-able. Which is not easy. First, before trying to understand fashion or even style, understand the self. Which could be more difficult than you ever imagined!