I thought it was highly interesting that in place of Cathy Horyn’s traditional apres – Fashion Week roundup in the Tuesday ‘Fashion’ section of The New York Times, she instead focused on the retail arena. Of course, retailers do seem to be the news these days, what with the recent overly hyped opening of the “behemoth Louis Vuitton flagship” on 5th Avenue.
The article, (“A Store Made for Right Now: You Shop Until It’s Dropped”) which perhaps even more interestingly, was given star status by being placed on page 1 of the first section (rather than being buried in the ‘Style’ pages). In it, Ms. Horyn talks about the new Comme des Garcons Guerilla Store that opened on Saturday in Berlin, which she observes, “flouts conventional wisdom in almost every way”. Why, well, because it will be closing within a year, regardless of whether it makes money or not.
Horyn spoke about the “highly perishable nature of fashion”, the idea that “Fashion changes radically every season, so why shouldn’t the boutiques that sell the clothes?” And as she noted- on the heels of the New York Collections – “Last week, 130 designers presented their fall 2004 collections, with more to follow over the next month in Milan and Paris. Yet by the time their clothes are manufactured, a factory in Malaysia or China will have produced cheaper versions. Stores like H&M and Zara will have them on their racks – and the consumer will be on to the next thing.”
So true; which is why I firmly believe in finding clothes that combine style and substance, clothes that are relevant and appropriate for one’s lifestyle, age, occupation, and personality. And more importantly, clothes whose designs will stand the test of time and transcend ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ and trends. That is also why collections by Ralph Rucci and Narciso Rodriguez really stood out this time.
