As we see those red MSCHF cartoon boots all over NYFW, Julia Fox wearing some random frock made of metal, or a fashion show literally trudging through mud (Balenciaga pre-scandal), how can we determine what is true “camp” or just ugly?
I am a fan of Julia Fox, who screams authenticity. Although I frequently like her Instagram posts and keep up with podcast appearances, I can recognize that some of her outfits have been just straight-up weird. Fashion brands have been consistently competing to produce viral moments to grab the attention of the consumer. We can see this in the viral Coperni “spray-on” dress that Bella Hadid wore, which dominated the Tiktok for you page for weeks. After they grab the attention, the viral moments seem to trickle through social media and disintegrate, leaving consumers and social media audiences waiting for the next big thing. When everyone is looking for a new fashion moment after each ends so quickly, fast fashion can satisfy the desire to participate in the trend that dominates the media.
As fast fashion continues to rage, personal style has disintegrated all while “weird” styles have dominated the fashion world. This juxtaposition between the same criss-cross crop top being made 10,000 times a day for Shien and socialites/models wearing a literal string wrapped around and those red Mschf cartoon boots is fascinating. Trend cycles are now faster than ever, and each of these “weird” trends that spark public discourse seems to only dominate the press/keep the public’s attention for a few months if even that. The attention-grabbing “odd” collections or pieces fit right into this month-to-month attention span.
It seems like every runway look is meant to dominate the press to give buzz to the brand. Branding and PR are interesting today, especially in the fashion world. Many emerging stars create pieces and movements to catch the eye of the consumer or press to sell more clothes.
TikTok, fast fashion, and attention spans can connect this gap between style and popularity. When Tik Tok, an app with up to 60-second videos, is the most popular app
in the app store, attention spans follow suit. Getting bored with clothes and requiring a never-ending cycle of Shein packages can be likened to the never-ending cycle of new videos and content to satisfy your brain. To curb the detrimental effects of fast fashion and rapid trend cycles, we must recognize the small fashion moments that enable this system.
It doesn’t matter if something is avant-garde or just weird, we should recognize the intent behind fashion through context clues and critical thinking in order to point out when it is just quick trend cycles or fast fashion fuel. Let’s see if these boots will still be buzzing in one month, maybe one week. Think about what you consume, and how you consume.
Be weird, stay weird always, especially when getting dressed in the morning.
Images: Page Six Style and Mschf Instagram
WTF, Alexander Wang?
It is disappointing to see models and influencers wear Alexander Wang, attend his shows, or even walk his runways.
In 2021, Alexander Wang faced 11 misconduct allegations. After the initial press, Wang laid low and did not have a show at NYFW that year. This month, he had his first appearance since 2021, a show in NYFW with Amelia Gray and Julia Fox on the runway.
Diet Prada, a fashion Instagram account with 3.3 million followers, posted a lengthy post calling out the models and audience members of his show. After the lack of responsibility from Wang and the increasing public response regarding the sexual assault allegations, many individuals in the fashion industry called out the designer. Notoriously problematic singer, Azealia Banks, even called out the designer for “targeting trans women” (The Cut) in 2019. Wang’s problematic past goes even earlier than his countless misconduct accusations. In 2017, Wang cast R. Kelly (yes, you read that right) in his fashion campaign.
The continued support of Amelia Gray (1.4 million Instagram followers), ( Julia Fox (1.5 million Instagram followers), Kylie Jenner (380 million followers), Gabriette (335k followers), and more is extremely disappointing and gives Wang an even bigger platform. When the fashion industry continues to enable abusers, it is on us to hold influencers accountable for working with and promoting abusers.
Image: The Cut
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