Fashion Forward

I am Top Romine dinners. I am free ketchup packets at McDonald’s. I am “take what you can get from relatives that live nearby.” Above everything, I am a starving college student. Tooth brushes last too long and grocery store coupons litter the face of my refrigerator. Despite living in a house that rejects the heater to save on utility bills, I am high fashion. Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood, Yves Saint Laurent, and Coco Chanel are all dear friends of mine – except for the fact that they do not know me. It is also a little problematic that two of my four “dear friends” no longer walk among us or the iconic celebrity models that they helped to create. What I am really trying to say, is that although I cannot afford high end threads nor fulfill my lifelong dream of spending Parisian nights in Indian silks, I live to learn, consume, and break down all things fashion. One may read this piece or know me personally and think, “She has no real experience in the fashion world” but I ask you, what is the fashion world? Is it defined by solid borders or is it a nebulous heaven-like place somewhere in Milan? And if you happen to find out, could you please take me there?

Jokes and late night wondering aside, I find myself believing that I am an expert on matters of fashion – whether they are critiques of London, New York, or Berlin’s recent fashion shows or analysis of everyday wear on the streets of Seattle. To be engulfed by the world of fashion and to have an authoritative opinion on it, one needn’t be in the epicenter of its madness. I study from afar, but I study well. My day starts and ends with a thorough scanning of fashion blogs; some are created in the cluttered rooms of college students like myself and others are professionally written and hosted by publications like The New York Times. Additionally, my bookshelves are lined and my bedroom floor is stacked high with books on Cold War German fashion, stage make-up by famed artist Kevin Aucoin, and Vogue magazines dating back for years. This love, this passion, this thirst for fashion began, I do not doubt, with my first home sewn dress made in the seventh grade with the help of my aunt Kathy.

Since then, I have been a strong believer that fashion inspires minds both young and old to think critically about design and artistic philosophy, as does it encourage creative everyday habits. When traveling I note and photograph different interpretations of fashion and the means by which people from around the world choose to express themselves. There is absolute beauty in cultural diversity. By being a devout follower of the fashion world, I am not only an outsider looking in, but an integral part of its creation, building process, and influence on others.

One place in the worldwide web that has helped to drive my love for fashion is on Scott Schumann’s blog “The Sartorialist.” Selected as one of Time Magazine’s top 100 design influencers, enlisted by Style.com for six running seasons, and as a permanent New York Times online contributor, Schumann has had an effect both on exclusive runway elites as well as on everyday folks like myself. His blog (http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com) is home to countless photographs of people from around the world that have an interesting and innate taste for fashion. There are plaids mixed with polka dots, five inch heels and trench coats, Parisians in Central Park, and dapper old men on bicycles. Some individual photos live under witty titles and others survive by Schumann’s acute attention to detail. We, as early morning and late night voyeurs, spy on everyday New Yorkers with lattes and social royalty with what else? Lattes. The Sartorialist is divided between the years and their months, but also by categories like “My favorites,” “Scenes of New York,” “Bicycles,” and “Men in Paris.”

Schumann’s blog however, is not focused on the written. In fact, the less words the better. How is this persuasive, then? Isn’t he missing the ticket by depriving his audience of his years of fashion industry know-how? I argue not. The Sartorialist leaves us with straight forward and catchy titles, few and brief pieces of explanations, but most importantly, photographic eye candies that have over time created an influential and persuasive narrative. This blog relies on “the power of the visual.” Its narrative is a series of fantasy themes for which Schumann’s audience aspires for. We see his models on Florence bridges and know that “with those 1930’s vintage shoes and that Lavin couture dress I could live their lives, too!” The scene is set - New York park benches, Parisian alleyways, and that famous Florence bridge. The characters are chosen – the beautiful, the intriguing, the fashion forward. The plotline to Schumann’s narrative screams, “People from around the world! Come forth and witness creative design! Together we can change the face of our day with opaque stockings and trimmed leather jackets!” With these aspects, we actively participate with the designer, photographer, and creator.

First, we look. We are fashion voyeurs looking in on a different world through our computer screens and a camera lens. We are distant and critical, but at the same time we share a common ground of interest. The interest lies in the lives of others and the fantasy world of fashion. We talk amongst our friends, “Did you see the third picture from Wednesday’s submission with the Italian man in the purple coat? Great structure.” We criticize and applaud within our own minds, “The Swedish girl in the simple black dress reflects the country’s dedication to minimalism and simple elegance.” We are inspired and we are persuaded. The effectiveness of his overall message is founded in close to mid-range photographs so that we have a visual on the full person as well as specific pieces of detail. The background is unimportant, yet we are intrigued by the bystanders watching as well as the setting of whichever city he happens to be in. We are given emotions through Schumann and his lens from his subjects. Some people smile, others laugh, while occasionally some do not know that we see them at all. The images connect us to different cultures and to worldly fantasies. How does one man travel from Brussels to London to Hong Kong so quickly? How does he find such beautiful people everywhere?

Questions remain and others are answered, but it does not matter in the persuasive narrative of Scott Schumann because we are always evolving with him as a part of his work, yet separately as we find our own creative ways. His persuasion lives within The Sartorialist’s photographs and as we have all heard said before, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” And this starving college student is glad that it doesn’t cost one thousand dollars.