Wearing The Past

In the past years, the fashion industry has hit society, HARD. With TV shows like Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model, What Not to Wear, and many more, the fashion industry is flourishing. The industry moves so quickly, that something similar in design to what is seen on the runway today can be bought the next day at multiple boutiques, shops, and locations. Under the influence of the fashion industry, we now must have the new and latest trends before they zip by and become history. Quoting Heidi Klum, “in fashion, one day you’re in, and the next day you’re out.” However, observing the latest trends, nothing is ever really new. Nothing we design is new, because being “new” would infer that society as a whole knew nothing of this object/design/idea and this object or idea would have had been only presented to us now; because being new, it should have just been discovered. Instead, what we consider new, is in fact, old; just restructured. The only difference is that the designs that have been used before has been, at the moment, modernized to fit into our time. Observing recent collections that fashion designers have debuted during fashion week, we can see elements of the old; elements that has already been used before. 

The runway at Lanvin was brilliant. It was sexy, yet simple with low and narrow cuts of the necklines and waving skirts that seem to billow as though floating against the air. The pleating and the use of sheer material, all of it was exquisite. However, after recovering from admiration, we may come to realize that some of his garments contain Grecian and Roman expressions: the one shoulder construction, the drape of the chiffon on some of the dresses, and especially the flats that seems to have transpired from gladiator sandals.

The use of modernized history in design exists throughout the people acclaimed as designers.

LINK: Lanvin 2011 RTW