Fashion On The Crossroads - The Amalgamation Of The Past & Future For The Present

Text by Nitiz Kaila

L-R: Gucci SS12, Gucci SS12, Ralph Lauren SS12

L-R: Erdem SS13, Mulberry SS13

2012x1920, 2013x1950, 2014x1960. This encrypted code, if you may call it so, has been the modus operandi for the seasonal quests of the scientists in fashion. A much thought out progression or just a product of the experimental streak is what yours truly is introspecting.

 

Fashion off-late has been a result of teleportation it seems. The end product being a cross of: travelling back to the past and linking it with the future. That is precisely what this series represents. 2012 was the year of the 1920’s flapper, 2013 of the understated pastels from the modest 1950s and 2014 was a shout out to the minimalistic chic 1960s.

 

 And from what is conspicuous in the current dialogue in fashion, we can surmise the powerful play of the 70’s for the spring of 2015. And all this while dwelling on and manifesting our futuristic urban aesthetic. Think a not so mutually exclusive existence of flaring pants, shifts, midis & suede joining form with neoprene and mesh induced sports-couture-esque fantasies that are the current zeitgeist.

 

While the more forward and modern aesthetic is a direct consequence of times as they are, the incessant retrospection could be ascribed to a plenty of theories. Some consider it nostalgia while others proclaim it’s a realization of the longing to have lived in a different era altogether.  It could also very well be a means to fuel the mind and get inspired for some, as there is no fixed formula for the mind to stimulate. But the recurring patterns indicate more than a co-incidence.

 

For designers, owing to the exploration of what is far-fetched, unknown & unique, to deep-rooted examination and then finding antithesis to the very concept of exploration- think non-descript fashion concepts as Normcore- the process has come full circle over centuries and decades. There is aplenty designers are exploring through & through and breakthroughs that are excitable and utilitarian. But enough is no longer enough.

 

So this is perhaps the means to flirt with what is familiar and to bring about a sense of much-required security and conformity. It’s probably that common thread the creatives have been using to string themselves together while in full acknowledgement of their wonderfully individualistic creative disparities.  

It’s comfort, a sense of belonging or just a way to move forward as a collective entity whilst retaining your own edge and footing. It’s a matter of what you extract from the past plus predict for the future and how well you bind it together that will shape the current reality; a work in progress for a defining leitmotif of our times.

 

L-R: DSquared FW14, Louis Vuitton  FW14

L-R: Giambattista Valli SS15, Louis Vuitton SS15