Whatever happened to the rigorous criteria of fashion and hard-earned credentials of its designers?
Or for that matter artists, writers, chefs, political commentators, spiritual guides and so on and so forth; if the lyrics of Cole Porter’s song, ‘Anything Goes’ are to be taken into account, and I quote….
“In olden days, a glimpse of stocking
Was looked on as something shocking
But now, God knows, anything goes
Good authors too who once knew better words
Now only use four-letter words,
Writing prose
Anything goes’
… then it would be fair to say that the demise of specialization in favor of sensationalism began as far back as the early 20th century, a recent acceleration, by way of domino effect, in the erosion of subtlety, grace and style, compounded by the mighty rise of social media platforms, which not only facilitate, but also somewhat deceptively invite both instant and indiscriminate exposure with the promise of catapulting the most agile of their users to the kind of ‘discount’ popularity that permits them to become self-appointed authorities on anything and everything under the sun!
‘Call me regressive, or even somewhat bitter, if you will’ says a veteran Indian fashion designer, his signature tone of superciliousness seamlessly woven into a shrug of insouciance, testament to the sheer illegitimacy of his choice of adjectives, ‘but I studied and worked very hard to merit both my place and reputation as an accomplished designer, keeping within a fastidious framework that not only assured professional integrity but also served to clearly define my vision, without quashing either flair or originality; there used to be an unspoken but agreed upon vocabulary that helped preserve a certain coherence in the design process, unlike the sheer illiteracy one sees today, which has effectively paved the way for those that call themselves designers to go rogue, their creations no longer inspired by the art of seduction but by sensory shock treatment instead.’
He went on to concede that he was perhaps suffering from the same pompous lament of the glorious past that is characteristic of those who fear becoming obsolete, but was nonetheless insistent that fashion, defined by the English dictionary as “a popular, or the latest style of clothing, hair, decoration or behavior” has, in the last century, gone from the sublime to the ridiculous, so much so that poor old Coco Chanel must be continuously turning over in her grave!
Indeed, in a country like India, to speak of the vagaries of fashion as a matter of serious concern, especially those pertaining to clothing and food, is not only incongruous but also somewhat distasteful, for in each of these two instances, the creative process is but a gross exploitation of basic necessities that are scarcely available to the majority of the population.
After all, if there was in fact any integrity left, then the primal impulse of a chef would be to produce food to feed the hungry and that of a designer to create clothing for the destitute, rather than to titillate the palates of the rich and privileged with microscopic portions of molecular gastronomy, and attire them in startlingly minimalist garments that expose their bodies to the cruel effects of climate change.
Whereas the blinding lure of profit was once upon a time not only the most sinister corruptor of ethical standards but also anarchist of all manner of restraint, the easy access to immediate and cheap popularity has become the most powerful weapon of all, and is being consistently and dangerously misused …
… It should hardly come as a surprise that the world of design has effectively turned into the wild west, while we move almost unawares into an era of images and technologically enhanced imagery at the cost of sense, sensation, and sensibility.
‘In the end’, says the designer, ‘each one of us is both victim and perpetrator of the same injustice,’ driven by an ineluctable narcissism that is the greatest weakness of the human being … as 18th century American polymath and founding father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, once said …
“He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals.”