Style Files | Does fashion have strings attached?

The recently concluded Lakme Fashion Week got a me thinking about a number of things - what I need to stack up on in my closet for the season to come, how can I wear sequins during the day without looking like I just came from my prom and mainly how there is so much more than clothes to fashion.

In India, Bollywood *a culture in itself* is synonymous with fashion. Hence the A-listers in the front row at fashion week and an actress promoting her latest flick, on the ramp. Two worlds that have gotten intertwined in each other and have fared exceptionally well. Captivated onlookers like yours truly sit there in the journalist section, live tweeting away how the showstopper looks ravishing with those textured curls. The hoarde of socially savvy kids are instagramming away to glory making sure their shot is the hottest of the press. The showstopper does a little twirl that a ballerina would be proud and the audience gives her a cheer. Then she stares straight into the cameras that are flashing at 90 miles a minute s and gives them a look that will be on the front page of the tabloids tomorrow. Tweets are being posted as quickly as ever, with the right hashtag of course. Don't forget to get that shot of her striking a pose like that and make sure you get a good angle as well.



Somewhere in between; while checking in at fashion week on your social platforms or making sure you use the right instagram filter; I found myself asking the question - does fashion need the theatrics? Does it need the flashing of cameras, the strut of the showstopper, the endless stream of tweets? Does it have the strings that come attached to it or would it do just fine being clothes draped on mannequins?

We're a part of a generation that is short on both, time and attention spans so we do everything in our power to make sure things run swiftly and don't require too much brain space. Social media runs on that principle and that's one of the reasons it is such a phenomenon. From the store launches shared on Facebook, pre-event tweets that get the buzz going and Instagram shots shared straight off the ramp; social media provides for swift and interesting content and delivers it right to the screen of your phone. The theatrics of celebrity sightings, ribbon cuttings, selfies and ramp walks definitely add the pizzaz to it all. I believe that fashion is multi-dimensional -  there is a lot more than just pretty clothes and it has literally thousands of strings attached to it. The social media aspect, the glamour, the glitz of it add so much more substance to the world of fashion. In fact, the strings only make it more engaging, more interesting and more wonderful for all of us to be a part of.


So guys, what are your thoughts on this?


xo Dayle

Comments

Anonymous said…
Fashion is just so much more than the 15 mins showstopper/show time. I do get that they try to generate a buzz/pay the bloggers/actress to wear/ and give freebies to promote their brand, but what I dont get it, at the end of the day, those who buy the runway fashion are not the 1% who care to be on social media..they are those who will buy it irrespective, probably get it custom made..so the hoopla around social media is something I get and dont get..and yes practical fashion is in many ways not runway fashion, unless one is attending gala dinners/wedding/promotional shoots everydays

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