'there was a time when fashion designers feared the critics who populated the front rows of their fashion shows. a bad review could mean a collection was ignored by the fashion magazines. stores might turn elsewhere for the clothes to fill their racks next season.
newspapers and magazines sent their fashion experts around the world to critique the bi-annual ready-to-wear collections and bring back important news to discerning readers. these journalists were more than arbiters of style. they were tough critics bulldozing their way through an effete world of air kisses and crinolines. they gushed when it was deserved. they were harsh when all was not right.
that world barely exists today, says Robin Givhan, special correspondent for style and culture for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, who dared ask recently, 'Is Chanel Designer Karl Lagerfeld Spread Too Thin?'
Lagerfeld was not amused, saying dismissively that he’d never heard of her, which is strange, given that she had been on the fashion scene for years with the Detroit Free Press and more recently won a Pulitzer Prize for her work as a fashion critic at the Washington Post.
yet it’s not surprising Lagerfeld reacted as he did. designers have become accustomed to fawning coverage from the fashion press, rarely subjected to the scrutiny applied in Givhan’s article.
design houses that receive unflattering reviews can be vindictive, banning the offending journalist from their shows. this is serious. unlike movie and theatre critics, who can pay for a ticket on opening night, a fashion critic has only one chance to see a collection live.
thus, some fashion commentators have found it prudent to curry favour, soften their criticism and continue to receive their invitations to the shows.
fashion magazines, for their part, have always been in passive collusion with the fashion industry. they are notoriously submissive — unwilling to criticise because they are wed inextricably to advertising dollars.
'the rule of thumb at magazines is that if they don’t like something it will be omitted,' says Givhan. 'so it’s up to the savvy reader to see what’s missing — who didn’t get on the cover.'
bloggers are the new critics. often dazzled by celebrity culture, at best they offer snappy if uninformed commentary. mostly it comes down to stating the obvious — short hemlines, bright prints etc.
'it’s got to be more than just ‘i loved it or i hated it,’' says Givhan. 'you’ve got to explain your thinking — how you got there. criticism is not personal opinion. at its best it’s opinion based on a set of facts that are set in context. i’ve seen shows that i’ve loved but i knew that critically they were not great. and vice versa.''
- segments from 'Fashion Week: The Beleaguered Art of Fashion Criticism' by David Graham
newspapers and magazines sent their fashion experts around the world to critique the bi-annual ready-to-wear collections and bring back important news to discerning readers. these journalists were more than arbiters of style. they were tough critics bulldozing their way through an effete world of air kisses and crinolines. they gushed when it was deserved. they were harsh when all was not right.
that world barely exists today, says Robin Givhan, special correspondent for style and culture for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, who dared ask recently, 'Is Chanel Designer Karl Lagerfeld Spread Too Thin?'
Lagerfeld was not amused, saying dismissively that he’d never heard of her, which is strange, given that she had been on the fashion scene for years with the Detroit Free Press and more recently won a Pulitzer Prize for her work as a fashion critic at the Washington Post.
yet it’s not surprising Lagerfeld reacted as he did. designers have become accustomed to fawning coverage from the fashion press, rarely subjected to the scrutiny applied in Givhan’s article.
design houses that receive unflattering reviews can be vindictive, banning the offending journalist from their shows. this is serious. unlike movie and theatre critics, who can pay for a ticket on opening night, a fashion critic has only one chance to see a collection live.
thus, some fashion commentators have found it prudent to curry favour, soften their criticism and continue to receive their invitations to the shows.
fashion magazines, for their part, have always been in passive collusion with the fashion industry. they are notoriously submissive — unwilling to criticise because they are wed inextricably to advertising dollars.
'the rule of thumb at magazines is that if they don’t like something it will be omitted,' says Givhan. 'so it’s up to the savvy reader to see what’s missing — who didn’t get on the cover.'
bloggers are the new critics. often dazzled by celebrity culture, at best they offer snappy if uninformed commentary. mostly it comes down to stating the obvious — short hemlines, bright prints etc.
'it’s got to be more than just ‘i loved it or i hated it,’' says Givhan. 'you’ve got to explain your thinking — how you got there. criticism is not personal opinion. at its best it’s opinion based on a set of facts that are set in context. i’ve seen shows that i’ve loved but i knew that critically they were not great. and vice versa.''
- segments from 'Fashion Week: The Beleaguered Art of Fashion Criticism' by David Graham
No comments:
Post a Comment
your thoughts will be read and appreciated, thanks for taking the time x