Fashion is Dead

Fashion is dead. How can I say that? We still have our big fashion houses. There are still fashion funds for discovering new talent. So what has happened that fashion has gone by the wayside?

The leaders are gone.

Alexander McQueen is dead and all that is left is a bitter aftertaste that is Sarah Burton. People praised her in the beginning for being true to the McQueen aesthetic: workmanship, attention to detail, romanticism. What seems to be missing is her fearlessness and creativity. Her clothes should not merely reflect when McQueen previously expressed; they should be innovative and make you think like his did. He wanted to tell a story, make you love something as much as he did, in every collection. 

Alexander McQueen SS08 by Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen AW09 by Alexander McQueen

Alexander McQueen AW13 by Sarah Burton

Like McQueen, John Galliano often didn’t think about consequences. You could argue that this both helped and hurt his career. Regardless, either people liked his clothes or they didn’t. They were exotic, flamboyant, and clever. He mixed patterns and materials and made a statement with every garment. Now Dior has been replaced by a team of people (briefly interluded by Raf Simmons) who are afraid to offend others with ideas. Since when has fashion become so conservative?

Christian Dior AW10 by John Galliano

Christian Dior Resort10 by John Galliano

Christian Dior Resort16 by Raf Simmons

Even the fashion media is as a pause. How long has it been since Style.com has fully updated their page? Ever since they have changed from being a free flying branch of Vogue to being tied down to Vogue’s website, they have been at stagnation. Fashion used to change so rapidly that the big fashion houses would have to pump out wildly different styles every season so by the time they were copied, they trend was over.  If the fashion media wanted to keep current, they would have to move just as quickly to cover these new trends and shows.
Who do we have left?
When Pierre Balmain died, Erik Mortensen took the brand in a sophisticated direction, letting the collection stand on staples of dresses and skirts, and Oscar de la Renta followed, helping pave the way for ready to wear. Christophe Decarnin changed everything with his distressed looks and embellishments.  Now Olivier Rousteing, with his vision of refined maximilism and unabashed expression, is the only designer worth watching anymore. 

Balmain SS09 by Christophe Decarnin

Balmain Resort12 by Olivier Rousteing

Balmain AW13 by Olivier Rousteing