Fashion Weak

A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, that allows fashion designers or "houses" to display their latest collections. Catwalks/Runway shows are typically the highlight of fashion week. The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals of Milan, Paris, London and New York. In the early and mid 2000s, fashion weeks sprang up around the globe to draw attention to designers elsewhere.
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In a few select cities across the globe, beautiful thin (and apparently not so diverse, at least this year) men and women are parading the latest ideas from fashion designers for the fabulous folks who will write about them or wear them. The rest of us watch the two minute YouTube films and buy the magazines to peruse what we should be wearing. Fascinating how we get drawn into fashion (and we all do - as pointed out by 'The Devil Wears Prada,' what happens in designerland on those catwalks for Fall08 trickles down H&M and UniQlo and Target by 2010). Eventually we will buy something created because of the work and effects of a well known fashion designer.

If we're going to be affected, then should we spend some time thinking about our purchases?

My sister tells me all the analysis and overthinking takes the fun out of shopping - she likes to look at things and window shop, even though she rarely buys anything. When she needs something, she says that she buys what she needs in the correct size, color and style for a reasonable price and well made so that she doesn't have to replace it for a while. I'm a bit suspicious. As I've said in a previous entry, I know her penchant for knock-off designer handbags and I know that she's loved a couple of Rafe for Target handbags.

At the other end of the spectrum is my friend S who isn't shopping and who encourages people to think about their shopping and make better choices based on the environment and social causes. For her, thinking will make shopping more enjoyable! And our well-intentioned purchases will make us feel better about ourselves, right? Again I'm suspicious. If we don't look good, we won't feel too much better.

I don't pretend to have the answer to this question, but as I examine and write about my own emotional shopping and now lack of shopping (9.27 months to go!), I can't ignore the emotions driving others who don't shop (like both my sister and S). Like most women, beneath our very different wraps of deprivation are buried emotions about how we feel about ourselves and our bodies. And like pieces of silky Agent Provocateur underwear hiding under the old ripped jeans and t-shirt - we all have to do a little undressing to find the interesting bits.