Dear Style Diary, It's September 24, 2023.
Today I'm thinking about the Fashion Weeks, my re-discovery of The Fashion Spot forums, and 'thrifting hands'.
The Fashion Weeks are in full swing. Since I’m still off Instagram but I want to keep up with what’s happening, I’ve found my way back to The Fashion Spot forums that I used to browse obsessively years ago. The critical tone of The Fashion Spot is a 180 degree turn from fashion fans of Instagram, where the clothes on the runway are mostly seen through the lens of nice products and styling ideas rather than the advancement (or as it seems to be the case these days, stagnation) of fashion as a whole. There’s nothing wrong with just enjoying the clothes, of course, but I like my fashion with a bit more context at times.
Luckily for me, some of the active members of the Fashion Spot are like walking encyclopedias of recent and not-so-recent fashion history, and they are eager to share their wisdom to lurkers like myself. Investigating and interpreting the collections is a lot more enjoyable when there are added layers of knowledge to lean on. Case in point: Prada’s runway show opened to Bernard Herrmann’s theme for Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and someone at the Fashion Spot immediately pointed out that Galliano did it for Dior couture in spring of 2003. Did you think, like me, that those beautiful cloud-like dresses on the Prada runway were original? The forum members noted that Patrick van Ommeslaeghe designed similar ones for Jil Sander in spring 2008 when Raf Simons was the creative director there. I’m not here to argue that everything needs to be original — there will always be referencing of the past in fashion (one of my favorite threads on The Fashion Spot is The Outfit Look-Alikes) — but I find it captivating how fashion experts bring the layers of the past onto the surface, and how that affects my viewing of the collections.
The fashion that has come out of New York, London and Milan so far hasn’t exactly thrilled me. The mini skirts and the very, very small shorts are everywhere, and I’m not feeling it. I liked MM6 Maison Margiela and I appreciate the craftmanship at Bottega Veneta, but that’s about it. I sometimes wonder if I’ve entered a period of my life where I’m so settled into what I like that it has become challenging to feel drawn to new styles. I’m also aware that fashion weeks are just not what they once were, and the fresh, exciting styles that I would have previously felt intrigued by are simply nowhere to be seen. Most of what comes down the runway these days is extremely commercial, calculated and contrived, and there is simply no room for magic or dreaming. I get that. Fashion these days is more Big Business, less creative playground. I found myself looking up that aforementioned Dior couture show from twenty years ago and getting utterly lost in it, and then going back to this brilliant article from last year that explains so well why fashion feels so awfully sad, repetitive and boring now. I still have hope for Paris though — there’s usually a handful of exciting collections there!
Last Monday my sister and I took a road trip to the countryside to source vintage clothes for our shop. (I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned it here, but I work with my sister, who started as a vintage dealer before I did. We have a joint brick-and-mortar store. Her aesthetic is hippie / prairie / romantic, mine is a mix of more contemporary minimalism and maximalism.) The road trip was very successful, and we found new places for sourcing, which has become increasingly difficult in the Helsinki region. Small towns still have great old stuff, but it’s a lot of work to find it. We spent an entire day combing through flea markets and thrift stores, and if you thrift actively, you might know what ‘thrifting hands’ are: it’s when you’ve touched so many unwashed textiles that your hands are covered in this weird ick and goop, and you feel like washing your hands for an extra five minutes when you get the chance. Well, I had ‘thrifting hands’ on Monday, all day. On our way home late at night our car was packed to the max with gorgeous vintage leather jackets, elegant wool coats, luscious silk blouses, knits and trousers, a 1990s pair of high-waisted canary yellow suede trousers that I would totally wear if they fit me, and some designer gems (Viktor & Rolf, Dior, MaxMara).
I’ve been busy sorting the clothes, doing laundry and figuring out what needs fixing before it hits the shop floor. How this relates to my personal style or this newsletter: well, I’m currently all thrifted out. So much stuff went through my hands on Monday that I seriously need a break from thrifting. As much as I love the hunt, I feel more or less exhausted. With the luck we had, I don’t have to source for the shop for quite some time, and I’m glad to take a bit of a breather from sourcing. On top of that, as you’ll see in my next week’s newsletter, I’m also all shopped out personally for the rest of the year. It feels like a relief to say it: no more thrifting, no more shopping! It’s time to wear what I already have in my closet.
Oh how I wish I could visit your shop! Have you considered showcasing some of the pieces on here?
Thank you so much for reminding me of the fashion spot! I was obsessed with it years ago, and am happy to see it's still going. I've also become bored with Instagram takes on fashion (other than a handful of accounts) and I think I will migrate over there.
I've all but ignored runway shows for many of the same reasons as you. I watch out for a few favorites like Schiaparelli, CDG et al, and Carolina Herrera. But beyond those, I've sort of checked out. I think diving back into fashion history may be where I reignite my interest. Oddly enough, as I've become less critical/intentional with learning about fashion (aka just consuming pretty images) the more I've been compulsively shopping. Hopefully taking your lead and diving back into TFS will help me right that ship a bit.