If fashion is for everyone, is it fashion? The answer goes far beyond the collections and relates to the speed of fast fashion. There is no longer a time gap between when a small segment of fashion-conscious people pick up a trend and when it is all over the sidewalks.
Interpretation
The quote questions the true nature of fashion in the age of fast fashion and instant trends.
Suzy Menkes' quote explores the implications of fast fashion on the concept of fashion itself. It suggests that if trends are so rapidly adopted by the masses, the essence of what fashion means may be diluted, shifting from a niche, creative expression to a ubiquitous commodity devoid of exclusivity. This reflection prompts a deeper consideration of the value and meaning of fashion in contemporary society.
In practice
Discussing the influence of social media on modern fashion trends.
There are some designers who flash and burn - Courreges is an example of that. But he still marked fashion history. And I don't think that longevity is always a badge of honor. Modern brand management means that we are always celebrating birthdays, when what is exciting about fashion is innovation, not repetition.
I wanted to give a woman comfortable clothes that would flow with her body. A woman is closest to being naked when she is well-dressed.
The great thing about American women is their energy and the way they love to dress. French women don't really dress; they are too conservative, as it's always a question of money. In America, women are powerful and strong, determined. If they want to be an object, they choose to be in control.
I’ve always been about style for people, not ‘You’re going to wear this outfit,’... It was the way you put yourself together and the imagination, not buying this number off the rack, but the way you wear it
Patrick Demarchelier was the one who got me my first Vogue cover. It was French Vogue - I think in ’87 or ’88. I think I was the first black model to be on the cover of French Vogue, which was shocking to me because when I asked them about it, they were like, "Oh, no. We’ve never had that before."
Many faux pas of fashion can be avoided if you curb your instinctive desire to buy things with your heart instead of your head.
When I started, I knew nothing about fashion. I remember, my first day going to my agency, I was wearing these huge bell-bottoms - they were patchwork corduroy and denim, which, at the time, I thought were amazing. My agent told me, 'You have a casting with Prada - you have to burn those jeans.'
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