The Girl became enamoured with this brand: Coach. For the fashionably challenged among you, which includes myself, Coach makes handbags. Really, really expensive handbags. Why are they so expensive? Is it because they are hand-stitched by Chinese midgets under a full moon? Nope. Is it because they are made of exotic substrates, like artic foxfur, or manatee testicle leather? Nope. It's because the good people at Coach jacked the price up until ordinary people couldn't afford them, and now everyone who can thinks they're worth what they cost. This is how the fashion ball keeps rolling.
Since I occasionally refer to myself as a graphic designer (and have a couple of friends in the clothing design business) the creative aspects of fashion intrigue me. But the motivations that drive it leave me completely bewildered. Ever watched a runway show on the fashion channel? A bunch of designers with Italian-sounding names attempt to out-do each other creating the most bizarre, 'original' outfits, most of which will never be worn off of the runway - unless going out in public with your flat breastless chest exposed suddenly comes into vogue. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing.
So I guess it's fair to assume that the point of fashion is to be as unique as possible. But on the other hand, when something is in fashion, people are driven to spend vast amounts of money to get one, just like everyone else. Other people, complete strangers mind you, might see you carrying your Gucci (or Coach) bag and gauge your fashion sense thus.
None of this makes any sense to me. I thought I knew what fashion was once, but I was probably misguided. Or, as Grampa once said, "I used to be with it. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what's it is weird and scary to me." These days, apparently, being fashionable means being rich enough to look like the other people in your tax bracket.
Oh well. I don't begrudge The Girl having nice things - it is, after all, part of what being a Girl is about. I don't even mind paying for them. As long as no one minds that I stick with my $45 AE jeans and a faded tee. 'Slob' is the only kind of fashion I understand.
All rights reserved. Watch yourself.
Backend by Movable Type v3.15.