Fashion & Balance, in the Time Of
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Fashion & Balance, In the Time of COVID_19 FBS C19 Issue 8: 26.06.20 As ever, fashion is about trying to create a balance, and also to perfect the art of balancing. It’s never all black or all white, even in the trend reports. How we approach the future at any time is either optimistic or pessimistic, it’s that simple. The “don’t knows” in any poll simply don’t count. Looking behind us is interesting, but may not always be relevant, and looking forward, right now, is looking into the unknown. Since this is the first time, we have encountered COVID 19, how do we know what will happen as we deal with it, live with it and possibly cure it? 1 Predicting what fashion trends, from designer luxury through to high street retail, is crystal ball gazing. Having ideas is key, but are they just ideas or have they a foundation in reality, and experience? We can see that, even thinking about what will happen next in fashion, has to be a balance between past knowledge and future guesswork. During the months, weeks, days and hours of living during COVID19, clothing remains an essential component of everybody’s lives. We start the day and get dressed, but is this merely clothing as utility or is it clothing as fashion? The theory is we make a statement, both to ourselves and the world, by our choice of clothes. Zoom and other meeting methods have encouraged us to think only about the top half of our wardrobe. Professionals working from home have tried to strike the balance between pre lockdown full on work mode, and joggers and a t shirt. The details are blurred in online meetings, some apps allow filters. and some people have resorted to clever lighting, pre-recorded segments and controlled backgrounds. So, in the same way, what do we believe that in the coming months we will see on the other side of fashion, as we return to meeting people in real situations, in real meetings? As we exit online meetings, we are asking which way will the majority of people jump? Will it be an extended smarter version of lockdown leisure? The ‘buy better buy less’ attitude, would result in this group buying well priced or budget, sustainable, practical and updated classics and basic. The other side would be dress up, only escapist, inventiveness and glamour in designer fashion. The “let’s make a huge fashion statement, money is no object’, style of statement dressing. We can but watch and see if these two options will perhaps be the balance and even out as the two key fashion stories? No one can answer truthfully yet, but we can look at the facts as they seem to be progressing day by day in the world around us. Fashion is not unique or separate in how it balances, at the most basic level, between the creative and the business, between those in it for love, and those in it for money Imagination, desire, creativity, skills, drive, dreams, passion, inspiration and invention push the top level of creativity, be it a DJ or an architect. Money, power, status, greed, avarice, exploitation, lack of empathy, and self-obsession drive the bottom level of products and mass production. In everything from a vase to a shirt it’s as simple as, originality versus copying. In this issue we look at contrasts, opposites, disparity and how current events in our world may point to an ever-deeper chasm between the views of optimism and pessimism. More flash, more ostentatious flaunting of money or a new quiet gentle luxury? Make it, push it out there, don’t care; or ethical and sustainable? Perhaps, most of all, this is a time to think about where your beliefs are positioned and ask some serious questions. Tony Glenville Fashion Commentator 2 Contrasts: Rome-based label Bulgari which resides under the LVMH umbrella and is typically known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances and leather goods is now cranking out hand sanitizer. The high-end brand just pledged to make hundreds of thousands of recyclable bottles of hand-sanitizing gel, to be distributed to medical facilities in Italy. Sir Philip Green Under Fire for Pursuing UK Taxpayer Cash to Furlough Arcadia Staff. Philip Green in Monaco last week; he has lived in the tax haven since 1998 3 The criticisms came after Green was spotted in Monaco this week browsing multimillion-pound luxury yachts! Strolling around Monaco harbour on Friday, Sir Philip Green did not seem to have a care in the world. The Arcadia tycoon stopped to look at Khalilah, a 157ft gold five-bedroom superyacht currently on the market for €28.5m (£25.8m). Back home, the situation is less rosy. Green is claiming British taxpayers’ cash to keep thousands of his staff furloughed, leaving their livelihoods in the balance. He is also withholding rent payments from landlords, even though most of his high-street empire reopened 631 stores last week. The Arcadia Group furloughed 14,500 staff in April under Rishi Sunak’s job- retention scheme. A source close to Arcadia, whose brands include Burton | Dorothy Perkins | Evans | Miss Selfridge | Topman | Topshop | Wallis and Outfit - out-of-town stores carrying the groups various brands, not a clothing brand in its own right. Topshop and Topman represent Arcadia’s flagship brands. https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/2020/06/sir-philip-green-criticised-for-using-taxpayer- cash-to-furlough-arcadia-staff/ Arcadia Stores at Risk as Discussions with Landlord’s Progress: Arcadia Group is reportedly in discussion with landlords over leases with rolling break clauses, allowing the Sir Philip Green-owned retail empire to terminate a lease at any time during a term. The news, as reported by PA news agency, raises concerns that some of the fashion giant’s stores could shut down permanently as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and in the wake of a string of closures in the past year. While landlords may be served with three months’ notice, it does not necessarily mean Arcadia’s stores will close as new arrangements could be made to keep them open. It has not been confirmed how many stores or which of Arcadia’s fashion chains which include Topshop, Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge and Wallis could be affected. 4 Expensive & Cheap | Luxury Pieces Versus Mass Produced: It’s always been the same, and COVID19 hasn’t changed that, luxury, truly special, fashion is expensive, and mass produced is middle to low price. However, Reiss, some of Cos, Ted Baker and many others are not cheap, whereas ASOS is truly budget, alongside Primark. The fact that one is online and the other a physical retailer may well account for the Primark customer queues as soon as they opened. The customer who shops for cheap pieces all the time, isn’t looking to change their consumer habits. This has always been true at all levels. Many years ago, I was told about the Yves Saint Lauren Haute Couture customer who when entering an Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Pret a Porter boutique commented that if she had to buy something it wouldn’t be the standard of quality they were used to. Vintage demonstrates the value of the top level. There are many arguments around fast fashion, but it’s never a simple good and bad question. We are all entitled to buy what we like with our own money. Whatever level you shop at, it’s where you feel comfortable. So, here are some examples of both ends of the scale. https://youtu.be/z3Hx6Ca8JXc https://youtu.be/9VhvV7jJIfA https://youtu.be/P2xo1e5WDJk https://youtu.be/v2l6UC5Gjts https://www.christies.com/features/hand-painted-silk-dress-Zhang-Daqian-10545-1.aspx https://hindmanauctions.com/departments/luxury-accessories-and-couture 5 Hindman’s Couture and Luxury Accessories Department specializes in vintage clothing, textiles, and luxury accessories dating from the 18th century to the present. Its auctions offer a compelling range of contemporary and vintage fashion, haute couture, luxury accessories, and museum. quality artefacts. They present a carefully curated selection of property from the United States and Europe and often include important and rare items from museums, collectors, and estates. https://hindmanauctions.com/departments/luxury-accessories-and-couture https://hindmanauctions.com/departments/luxury-accessories-and-couture Timothy Long is the director and senior specialist of the Couture and Luxury Accessories Department at Hindman. Mr. Long joined the firm in 2018, after nearly 20 years as a curator of fashion and decorative arts in museums in the United States and United Kingdom, including the Museum of London, Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and Chicago History Museum. At Hindman, he works closely with individual clients, collectors, dealers, and museums throughout the United States to identify, authenticate, and bring to auction an exciting collection of couture and luxury accessories. Mr. Long’s recent publications include Charles James: Designer in Detail and a chapter on the same designer in London Couture: British Luxury 1923–1975, both published by V&A Publishing Fortuny: From Invention to Eternity: An exhibition in Paris of the pioneering designer revealed a standard today’s ‘luxury’ fashion industry would struggle to follow. ‘Delphos’ 1930 Fortuny 6 ‘Yes, you could wear every single outfit today without looking dressed for a costume party. This is because the shape is made by the body, rather than by stuffing the human form into a pre- ordained silhouette.’ Fortuny: From Invention to Eternity by Suzy Menkes Spanish-born artist and designer Mariano Fortuny was active in Italy, where he established a textile workshop and a commercial silk printing factory--a version of which is still in operation today.