48 HARPER’S BAZAAR JULY 2018
e
IT’S A CLICHÉto say that fashion is shifting—fashion always
shifts.It is,by its very nature,malleable and mutable,each season transforming
itself,and hopefully you,into something new.It is an industry predicated
on a perpetual dynamic of change, of constant renewal, of fresh blood.
These changes can be invigorating.They can reset the eye. Really great
fashion can shift not just the what but the why, altering not only the
physical form of the clothes on your back but the psychological ramiications
of wearing them. Fashion can shift perceptions of the self.
But at the moment fashion seems to be preoccupied with its shifting
perceptions of itself.The current landscape—as with so many landscapes—
is in peril.Long-held“rules”are being questioned,rewritten,or scrapped
entirely.The biannual fashion calendar has been tossed out,with designers
showing their clothes between seasons,on men and women simultaneously,
and in weeks traditionally reserved for one or the other. Designers are
selling their wares straight of the runway— “see now, buy now,” in the
industry parlance—or hoarding imagery altogether until their clothes hit
the rack.Houses are staging shows in more intimate settings,like private
garages (Ralph Lauren) or their own ateliers (Maison Margiela), while
others thirstily live-stream every stitch.AlexanderWang staged his spring/
summer 2018 show on the streets of NewYork,to the delight of passing
tourists.The rules are,there are no rules,as Aristotle Onassis once said.It’s
a free-for-all in free fall.
The signs have been there for years—the dominance of social platforms,
the ever-growing number of collections,the ascendance of the consumer
as arbiter of contemporary taste, and the general need for speed. But the
repercussions of these gradual changes in the fashion climate are being
felt only now, and with seismic force.
This has been, understandably, discombobulating for anyone caught
up in the maelstrom.Which explains the prevailing attitude of today—
looking back rather than forward.Revivals are rife,and have been for the
past decade at least; the latest favourite is fashion houses hurrahing
anniversaries,or installing new designers at moribund labels to give them
fresh life (again, that’s been going on for a while, albeit with increasing
alacrity).Why? Because history speaks of stability,of perpetuity.If a brand
has survived, successfully, for 50 years, 70 years, even a century, there’s no
reason to believe that it won’t survive that long again.Anniversaries areAlexander Fury on the designers leading a
revolution in the way we dress, think and live
Gucci fall/winter 2018