“You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back ... (But) that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs, and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of ‘stuff’” – Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada
Fashion is trolling the masses. Of course it is.
In recent seasons, against all the rules of contemporary taste, fashion has asserted that once-derided styles such as bum bags, Crocs, prairie dresses and chunky orthopaedic sneakers are desirable.
This is an aesthetic provocation. A poke. The point is to agitate casual observers and leave them scratching their heads.
But it’s not exactly a joke. Designers are not making these products for their amusement. Not completely. The ultimate goal is to make a sale.
And here’s the thing: all this dowdy, arguably ugly fashion? Consumers are going to buy it – because it’s comfortable, familiar and, occasionally, practical. Aesthetics be damned. Discerning eyes will adjust to the aesthetics; they always do. It takes time and patience, but now shredded jeans look normal and so do oversize silhouettes. A high-necked, ruffled dress fit for Laura Ingalls Wilder? Just wait. Soon enough, soon enough.
The gateway to ugly – an adjective used here with affection – was the Birkenstock. Known for its inelegantly moulded footbed and its crunchy-granola history, the classic German sandal was reimagined in a hyper-luxurious way for spring 2013 by the influential designer Phoebe Philo. For her Céline runway show, she lined her version of Arizona sandals in mink. She bedazzled them. They retailed for about $900 (£684).
“This one model comes clomping down the runway in Birkenstocks and all the fashion insiders are licking their chops because they’re seeing something different,” says Susie Sheffman, a Toronto-based fashion consultant and stylist. “It’s almost like a reverse snobbism.”
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