Internet and Fashion
Like they have on most things, the interwebs have had a marked impact on fashion. While the fashion show had already evolved from its more humble beginnings before the information super-highway came along, the access to these shows provided by sites like style.com has added legions of spectators, followers, and armchair critics such as myself. Project Runway has further fueled this trend, bringing fashion argot into the regular discourse of anyone with a DVR. I now regularly hear the most unexpected people say things like "ruching" or "That outfit was just a little too costume-y". It is no surprise, then, that enrollment at fashion schools is up, or if you want to go super-meta, that you can even get your fashion design degree online.
This level of access is a mixed bag for some designers. While the exposure certainly helps move some more bags, the inability to control who gets to see what means that knock-offs can be produced and on racks at the same time as the source collection, at much cheaper prices. It has also diminished the impact of banning a journalist from one's show.
But can the computer monitor replace seeing the clothes in person? Not having been to any big fashion shows, I can't say for sure. But with such a tactile product, it's easy to argue that something might be lost. Point in case: last week, at my own urging, I went to Target to check out what remained of the McQueen capsule collection. While I did come dangerously close to buying a pair of pink and black leggings for myself (don't judge!), my main impression of the collection was a bunch of cheap cotton. As commenter Connie points out, the appeal of Alexander McQueen's clothes is in the tailoring, and in the fabric. That the Target collection is based on his more affordable diffusion line, McQ, seems to have removed the collection one step too far from its designer's origins.
On the flip side, some designers, fashion insiders, and fashion portals are using media to create innovative ways to attract customers and to attract page views. For the Fall 2009 collections, Style.com unveiled a new format for its runway photos, not only offering them in a larger format, but giving the user a Flickr-like navigation tool that allows for easier, quicker access to the slides. In addition, they've added a ton of runway videos to their site, which help to highlight the movement of the clothes that is missing from the static photos.
Nick Knight and his colleagues have been putting the content together on his site, SHOWstudio, since 2000. The videos range from conceptual art pieces to documentaries, often bringing interesting people together like in this collaboration between Hussein Chalayan and Antony Hegarty. It is an easy place to lose an hour or four.
With the production costs of runway shows reaching into the millions, it is no surprise that some designers are beginning to turn to video to show off their collections. Gareth Pugh is a newer designer, originally out of London but now showing in Paris. His collections are typically dark and angular, often described as "dominatrix meets the alien from Predator". In the recent Fall 2009 RTW season, he worked with one of SHOWstudio's filmmakers, Ruth Hogben, to create a video of his collection. Opting out of a typical runway format, he showed the video instead.
Gareth Pugh, A/W 2009, courtesy of style.com
For their Spring 2009 collection, Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf created a clever video starring a bazillion beautiful Shalom Harlows. (At this rate, I'm going to have to rename this website "mcqueenshalomfanboixoxo.com". My apologies. Next post shall have nothing to do with either of them, no matter how hard it might be for me!) It's a gimmick, but it appears to have worked, given that I've watched the thing like five or six times now. I go back and forth on Viktor & Rolf, but I love this collection. I love the subversion of coating black paint over embroidered crystals. I love the Tron light cycle prints on the leggings. And I love the wine-colored shorts they send out about three-quarters of the way through the show -- the best pair of women's shorts I've seen since they came back into fashion three years ago. And importantly, the video allows for a closer look at the construction of the garments, their movement, and their fit. (Access the video by clicking here, then pointing towards the room at the top of the staircase of a runway.)
The shorts
Viktor and Rolk, S/S 2009 courtesy of style.com
Given the uncertainty in the economy, and the need it is creating for designers to find new, cheaper ways to market their visions, I think we'll see more of these types of videos in seasons to come. And until I start getting asked to sit ringside at the live shows, I'm not complaining in the slightest.
Like they have on most things, the interwebs have had a marked impact on fashion. While the fashion show had already evolved from its more humble beginnings before the information super-highway came along, the access to these shows provided by sites like style.com has added legions of spectators, followers, and armchair critics such as myself. Project Runway has further fueled this trend, bringing fashion argot into the regular discourse of anyone with a DVR. I now regularly hear the most unexpected people say things like "ruching" or "That outfit was just a little too costume-y". It is no surprise, then, that enrollment at fashion schools is up, or if you want to go super-meta, that you can even get your fashion design degree online.
This level of access is a mixed bag for some designers. While the exposure certainly helps move some more bags, the inability to control who gets to see what means that knock-offs can be produced and on racks at the same time as the source collection, at much cheaper prices. It has also diminished the impact of banning a journalist from one's show.
But can the computer monitor replace seeing the clothes in person? Not having been to any big fashion shows, I can't say for sure. But with such a tactile product, it's easy to argue that something might be lost. Point in case: last week, at my own urging, I went to Target to check out what remained of the McQueen capsule collection. While I did come dangerously close to buying a pair of pink and black leggings for myself (don't judge!), my main impression of the collection was a bunch of cheap cotton. As commenter Connie points out, the appeal of Alexander McQueen's clothes is in the tailoring, and in the fabric. That the Target collection is based on his more affordable diffusion line, McQ, seems to have removed the collection one step too far from its designer's origins.
On the flip side, some designers, fashion insiders, and fashion portals are using media to create innovative ways to attract customers and to attract page views. For the Fall 2009 collections, Style.com unveiled a new format for its runway photos, not only offering them in a larger format, but giving the user a Flickr-like navigation tool that allows for easier, quicker access to the slides. In addition, they've added a ton of runway videos to their site, which help to highlight the movement of the clothes that is missing from the static photos.
Nick Knight and his colleagues have been putting the content together on his site, SHOWstudio, since 2000. The videos range from conceptual art pieces to documentaries, often bringing interesting people together like in this collaboration between Hussein Chalayan and Antony Hegarty. It is an easy place to lose an hour or four.
With the production costs of runway shows reaching into the millions, it is no surprise that some designers are beginning to turn to video to show off their collections. Gareth Pugh is a newer designer, originally out of London but now showing in Paris. His collections are typically dark and angular, often described as "dominatrix meets the alien from Predator". In the recent Fall 2009 RTW season, he worked with one of SHOWstudio's filmmakers, Ruth Hogben, to create a video of his collection. Opting out of a typical runway format, he showed the video instead.
Gareth Pugh, A/W 2009, courtesy of style.com
For their Spring 2009 collection, Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf created a clever video starring a bazillion beautiful Shalom Harlows. (At this rate, I'm going to have to rename this website "mcqueenshalomfanboixoxo.com". My apologies. Next post shall have nothing to do with either of them, no matter how hard it might be for me!) It's a gimmick, but it appears to have worked, given that I've watched the thing like five or six times now. I go back and forth on Viktor & Rolf, but I love this collection. I love the subversion of coating black paint over embroidered crystals. I love the Tron light cycle prints on the leggings. And I love the wine-colored shorts they send out about three-quarters of the way through the show -- the best pair of women's shorts I've seen since they came back into fashion three years ago. And importantly, the video allows for a closer look at the construction of the garments, their movement, and their fit. (Access the video by clicking here, then pointing towards the room at the top of the staircase of a runway.)
The shorts
Viktor and Rolk, S/S 2009 courtesy of style.com
Given the uncertainty in the economy, and the need it is creating for designers to find new, cheaper ways to market their visions, I think we'll see more of these types of videos in seasons to come. And until I start getting asked to sit ringside at the live shows, I'm not complaining in the slightest.
posted by Chris at 7:20 PM
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