Although the fashion industry produces billions of dollars a year, some people don’t seem to understand the importance of fashion and the implications it has for people all over the world.
As I gear up this fall to serve as a columnist and a source of fashion news and inspiration, I thought I should explain.
I want to defy any notion that fashion is simply a snobby, elitist industry.
Sure, like any industry it has its doozies, but it’s all about what perspective you take and what you choose to pay attention to and absorb from it.
A longtime supporter of the arts, I believe that they have the power to be inspirational, educational and of course, simply enjoyable.
I have heard countless stories of people who were inspired by the arts growing up and claim that the arts made them the person they are today, fashion included.
Fashion long influenced the social statuses and practices of society, serving as a symbol for certain eras.
Coco Chanel’s crisp menswear-inspired tailoring called for women’s empowerment and social change in the 1920s.
Hippies developed a signature style during the 1960s and 1970s to indicate resourcefulness and freedom, opposing the war and vouching more for a nature angle.
Many handcrafted their own clothes.
It matters, people.
This summer I had an experience much like when I saw my first live show on stage. While I didn’t get to see the fall runway shows in person, I did have to review them for an internship this summer.
Flipping through images from the runway, I stopped and looked through every photo from Valentino’s show.
I had some connection to it, weird as that may be. While I will not own designer pieces any time soon, as an unemployed college student, I’ll stick to my frequent trips to H&M, Forever 21 and the occasional Urban Outfitters thank you very much.
I will, however, continue to be inspired by his collection I will always remember the emotional reaction it caused in me.
If any work of art can do that, it did its job.
To me, fashion is all about empowering you to be the best, most true version of yourself.
I believe in fashion and discovering your personal style.
I hope you will too.
Fashion is taking something everyday and highlighting the individual qualities that make it beautiful.
Just like all of you.
Fashion legend Marc Jacobs effortlessly describes what I believe the fashion creed should always be:
“I always find beauty in things that are odd and imperfect — they are much more interesting.”
So as you attempt to expand your fashion horizon, think less of the intimidating, high-strung attitude of Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada” and more of the carefree, confident one of Elle Woods in “Legally Blonde.”
She rocks every look she wears simply because she owns it and stays true to herself. That’s what it’s really all about. Be true to yourself, and your wardrobe will reflect that.
Here’s to a fashion forward fall.
lsaxe@indiana.edu
