Raquel Zimmerman and Freja Beha Erichsen styled by Alex White and photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin for the October 2009 issue of W magazine.
Throws up the whole is fashion art question and questions what one has to do with the other.
Now, in my super enthusiastic OMG mood I would have said that fashion is art and designers artists, but having become a bit uninspired lately (I don't know why but it is bugging the hell out of me, I just feel over-saturated with images of fashion and fashion itself), I see it rather as craftsmanship and designers as conceptualists.
Don't get me wrong, what they do is amazing, it's just that I think the hardworking seamstresses as houses like Chanel are often overlooked for all that they do (they do create the dress you know) while Karl Lagerfeld is hailed as the next Jesus by some.
I don't know, it's a difficult subject: clothes are technically something materialistic/everyday (and for immediate consumption) , so the chance for them to be art is very minimal. But yet they can be so much more than that. Call it what you will: self-identification, rebellion or just looking pretty.
I guess what truly bothers me is that the fashion cycle is just getting faster and faster in order to squeeze the last penny out of us "consumers".
How can you truly appreciate something when the next collection is already around the corner, bombarding you with new images and "this is in! buy it now! be uber-trendy and ahead!" phrases?
How can something be original when it's ripped off by other designers (Jeffrey Campbell, anyone)?
Maybe it's just my older self starting to think more critical of fashion as an industry and not with the super giddy excitement and passion that used to be my main focus when looking at it.
All images via theglossy.com
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