Monday, August 31, 2009
Some say the 90s killed fashion, and understandably so. To think that the must-have item of the decade — replacing the spandex and fringe of the 80s — was the Gap T-shirt is almost beyond comprehension. When looking at the transition of styles at each turn of the century, the change in fashion doesn’t get any more drastic than this. However, instead of seeing the 90s as the apocalypse of creative design, I see it as more of a rebirth
People began to choose clothes based on style rather than function in the early 1900s, and 90 years later designers had dreamed up every wearable silhouette possible. Avant-garde fashion will forever invent silhouettes, but I’m talking about things you can actually walk around in.
By 1990 it was back to basics: jeans, T-shirts and solids, everyone the same. But instead of fashion ending, it turned into a blank canvas again. This was a chance for the world to take a break from the whirl wind of fashion’s evolution — from hoop skirts to shoulder pads — and come up with something amazing.
Now, designers can adapt the silhouettes and styles from the last hundred years into something that’s wearable today, enabling us to pick the ones we ourselves like. A basic collection of clothes was developed in the 1990s, giving us the opportunity to create the most inspired pieces possible.
This is why vintage is so popular. The world of fashion is no longer trend driven. Fashion has become an art.
The fashion advertising world is starting to pick up on this as well. Instead of turning to renowned fashion photographers, clothing companies are starting to use fashion illustrators to draw or paint their ads. Why? A picture shows what the garment is, how it looks on the body and often incorporates an interesting set and a gorgeous model, but an illustration shows what a garment could become.
A fashion illustration expresses the creative process that went into designing the clothes we wear. It also allows wearers to consider the garment as a piece of art, not just a T-shirt in a Gap catalogue. Today’s fashion is all about being inspired and we needed the blank canvas that was the 90s to lead us here.
Remnants still remain of the trend-driven fashion industry of the 90s. It’s easy to just put on a v-neck T-shirt and Nike running shorts. It’s comfortable, and you know you’ll look cool because everyone else wears the same. I’ll admit, this is definitely my safe outfit, but to wear this look every day is ridiculous. Art-inspired fashion gives us the opportunity to dress as creatively and beautifully as we choose. To be a slave to one look is a waste.
So when you get dressed this year, think art. Don’t look at fashion as what everyone else is wearing, but how your look can inspire others. Designers have the ability to draw inspiration from the unthinkable, and now we can do the same.
— — Esposito is an Overland Park sophomore in journalism and film.
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