The Disconnect Between Fashion and Reality

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Fashion has always been, to some degree, disconnected from reality. Micro bags, outrageously overpriced dad sneakers—many of the most sought-after fashion items in recent history are not at all sensible, but they are small tokens of status, self-expression, and for many, aspiration. Beyond the tangibility of fashion lies its ability to transform us into who we want to be and, amidst disarray, transport us where we are not.

So, why is fashion so detached from reality? From an individual point of view, it allows one to assume an otherwise untapped identity, provides an outlet for self-expression, and offers a sense of escapism from the monotony of daily life, although the temporary joys found in high fashion are often limited to an elite few. Nonetheless, the purveyors of luxury fashion have long fueled this desire, deliberately constructing universes that provide fulfillment and fantasy.

Historically, fashion has never been held to the standard of sculpture, architecture, or painting—although couture requires an immense level of craftsmanship—however it is a similar realization of creative vision, one that allows designers to materialize their dreams and wearers to live them. Some of the most innovative and unexpected clothing is fabricated from the imagination. Much of the magic in fashion lies in a designer’s ability to channel an abstract thought, outward inspiration, and subliminal meaning into wearable work.

A commonly referenced disconnect from reality, the 20th century movement of surrealism has long been interpreted by designers seeking to make tangible the capabilities of the subconscious mind. In the 1930s, Elsa Schiaparelli overshadowed artists of the revolutionary creative approach through her designs, which offered unnatural representations of ordinary objects. Often a trompe l’oeil, some of Schiaparelli’s notable absurd and graphic works include her ‘Tear’ dress, which was intended to resemble torn flesh and a hat that mimicked an upturned shoe. Blurring the lines between imaginative art and the everyday has been, and continues to be, a common fashion philosophy. Among an ordinary living room scene, Hussein Chalayan famously converted a wooden coffee table into a tiered skirt for his Fall/Winter 2000 collection.

Known to conjure up visionary designs, Rei Kawakubo has explored several themes throughout her career that disregard convention and confined definitions of fashion. Positioning itself almost as sculpture, the designer’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection for Comme des Garçons read more as an art exhibition than a fashion show. The abstract expression, characterized by vessel-like silhouettes, was informed by the theoretical idea of not making clothes. Kawakubo’s illusory approach was unprecedented, proving fashion’s capacity to transcend ordinary modes of existence.

Another means of fashion’s shrugging off of the real world, apart from garments themselves, is by evoking feelings of escapism through superfluous experiences. After all, the materialization of the imagination is not made complete without positioning dreamt-up designs within an idealistic environment, one which amplifies the often subconscious spiritual or emotional essence. This lavish and ethereal practice of the fashion exhibition has been continually reformulated throughout fashion history.

Particularly in the late ’90s and early 2000s, fashion shows were a highly anticipated and joyous affair. Dior, for one, was celebrated for its ethereal presentations. For the heritage house’s Spring/Summer 1998 collection debut, the marble steps of Paris’ Opera Garnier were the centerpiece of a dreamlike scene filled with cascading paper butterflies. It was during this era that the performative approach to fashion was popularized, being adopted by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Thierry Mugler, Yohji Yamamoto, and others. In 2004, Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer collection, Deliverance, unfurled on a choreographed catwalk of models and professional dancers.

Chanel is also a master of over-the-top and simulated experiences, which have continued to awe in years past. The luxury house’s recreations of beach, rooftop, and supermarket scenes, among others, have reinforced its commitment to generating an alternate universe that any high fashion fan would never want to leave. In 2010, Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld went so far as to import an iceberg from Scandinavia for the Maison’s Fall/Winter collection, with the hand-carved ice block serving as the runway’s anchoring attraction.

Cut to today, and this escapism and imaginative design appears to be on a downward slope. Fashion has grown to be more practical than playful. The spirit of the fashion show has become somber, in addition to acting as an assertion of dominance. Abstract construction, too, has been traded for pared down apparel with still exorbitant price tags. Even in established Maison’s like Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri has positioned the house in stark contrast to the whimsical and radical overtures of John Galliano who held creative agency just a short time before from 1996 to 2001. Contemporary brands like Vetements and heritage houses like Balenciaga repackage everyday wear like cotton hoodies, graphic tees, and sneakers as status symbols. While luxury fashion remains in many ways impractical, as it always has been, it seems that modernity has influenced a turn toward realism.

The landscape of fashion is certainly changing. Whether it is merely a symptom of the state of the world or a permanent shift, the mode of expression, solace, and escape appears to be favoring a more pragmatic approach.

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