FASHION WEEK: MY TAKE

IT IS SO EASY TO DISMISS FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD AS ALL THE SOCIALITES AND BLOGGERS COME TOGETHER TO TAKE SELFIES AND POSE ENDLESSLY, AS VOGUE AND ELLE START DOCUMENTING 'THE NEW TRENDS' AND AS THE WORD 'PRETENTIOUS' SHINES OUT LIKE A BEACON TO THE REST OF THE WORLD.

Photo taken at London Fashion Week A/W 13 Collections

   I've always been interested in fashion but I think this might be one of the first Fashion Weeks that I've truly appreciated. It is so easy to dismiss from the outside world as all the socialites and bloggers come together to take selfies and pose endlessly, as Vogue and Elle start documenting 'The New Trends' and as the word PRETENTIOUS shines out like a beacon to the rest of the world. However I think we forget that these weeks are a celebration of months of hard work from the world's top creatives and they form an important platform to exhibit their designs. Studying Fashion Design, I understand that the industry is not a glamorous and simple place to float through. These people have sacrificed their entire lives, worked night and day and fought their way to the top in order to showcase their talents. They (hopefully) have a concept or a message that they are trying to publicise through their collections, but often we never get to hear about those because the headlines are geared more to the audience in the front row and the model who tripped on her 7 inch heel.

   I sometimes find it hard to justify my chosen career path to my non-fashionista friends and family. Their preconceptions are based on the media representation of pretentious, vapid, fad fashion with no purpose, celebrity parties where the D-List fall out ready for their next 15 minutes and the unrealistic runway looks which they cannot relate to in the slightest. I know that the industry is not as essential to the world, as say medical research or food production, but it is sometimes forgotten that it holds the talents of incredible artists who have honed their craft and have the power to dictate the next century of fashion. We wear clothes. We wear them every single day. Therefore everyone is involved in the garment industry whether they realise it or not. We can appreciate the incredible gowns of the 18th century and the talented makers and designers who helped realise those creations but the majority of us have forgotten to recognise these talents in modern day society. These collections are works of art and they show a passion and a desire to create beautiful wearable pieces. I often say that fashion is one of the most accessible art-forms in the world because we have the ability to wear and experience its outcomes.

   This Autumn, instead of looking at which celebrity sat where and trawling through the endless 'Street Style Spotting' posts (there will be a little of that too), I am going to try and focus on the work itself and the messages they are trying to convey. I am going to appreciate the technical skill and meticulous details that are so easy to forget in a sea of Instagram posts #nyfw #lfw #pfw #mfw. You get the picture. This time can we all appreciate the content rather than what we see at face value, which I have found to be a swarm of people in sunglasses wearing the most outlandish outfits they can possibly find in order to grab everyone's attention. Whether it is for the right or very wrong reasons.

Or maybe that is what people have been doing all this time and I am just fashionably late to the party?