Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Where are the Fashion Critics ?


I have stayed quite a long time in Patience Land, searching for an objective review of a fashion show, something on the lines of how a movie, an album or an art work is critiqued.All that I have spotted so far are adulatory remarks most often bordering on sycophancy.Why do so called "fashion critics" turn a blind eye to a designer's deficiencies and dwell only on his/her high points or create high points if none exist? The relationship between a fashion show reviewer and a designer is symbiotic, mutually beneficial to both parties involved.Firstly fashion shows are invite only events which only few get to attend, so if you "bad mouth" about a designer's work, you might not get the invite next time around.Secondly most of the reviewers are given gift bags from the fashion houses whose collection they review, write good things, get good things in return.

Can we please have some sensible reviewing and stop peppering the review with mindless adjectives endlessly describing how perfect and flawless each creation is, especially phrases like "its very creative(come on its a designer's job to create), avant-garde, pop culture inspired or more often drawing references to obscure points in history or art without really bothering to explain the rhyme or reason behind the same.During a more recently held fashion show, a fashion critic from a reputed magazine had commented that the show was inspired by Dr.Zhivago's.While Dr.Zhivago is a splendid piece of work (both as a book and as a movie) explaining the travails of World War from the Russian aristocrats' point of view, it begs to be explained how exactly Dr.Zhivago fits into the scheme of things, when all one could comprehend was the usual fare of Fall clothes doing the parade.

So unless people stop riding the sycophancy wagon waiting for a fashion invite to drop in to their mailbox and start viewing fashion as an art form and not as a means of obtaining fanciful purses and clothes, that's the day that would see the birth of a true Fashion Critic as well as the emergence of Fashion As Art.Till then, patience my friend!!

Image Source:www.zimbio.com

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