Page 12- The Michigan Daily -Fall Fashion -October 22, 1992

I,

What is fashion, and does it
really have a meaning that is strong
enough to be displayed on these
pages? Several acquaintances have
frequently evoked such discussions
of etiquette in my presence, with
most of them placing their attire
into "yes" and "no" categories.
Memories of my mother begin to
haunt me.
"It's cute, c'mon, they're all
wearing it." Who the hell are
"they?" Do I really want to look
"cute" and must I really wear
stockings to an interview?
First, I would like to advise those
anti-fashion addicts, that they too
have been institutionalized. I find it
very ironic for those who dismiss
fashion altogether as a trivial and
pretentious scheme for "stupid"
people to fall into.
Also extremely bothersome is
the notion of hating fashion. What
does that mean? Does someone who
hates fashion actually succeed in
rebelling against fashion, and how is
this done? God forbid it be done
through the use of clothing. I'm
sorry - there is no escape.
When we go to school we dress

for school, just as when we get ready
for a job interview, we dress the part
to play the part. People in America
have been socialized to dress in
conformity to the institution and
the cultural role-playing that has
imbedded itself therein.
Thank god for those who detest
fads so greatly that they have gone
to the extent of revolting against
them. However, the only way to
reject fashion is, ultimately, to use it
as a tool of demonstration. In this
realm, analysis is allowed, going far
beyond the aesthetic and
pretentious stereotypes. Still, there
is no way to avoid fashion.
So, what do we do? For my
purposes, I believe that we should
use fashion as an outlet, in order to
retain our individualism and
identity. Now we are students, but
must we always play the part of the
student during our stay here, only to
proceed to act out our
"professionalism" in our future job
expectations? Oh, how we
unconsciously limit ourselves in our
most simplest choices. Being a
student for four years - possibly
more - is a tedious chore. Let's all

be fashion whores for the day, whi
we still can. Why the hell not?
Fashion is not an institution an
we must not treat it like one. It is
part of our everyday lives, our
different cultures, and it expresses
many of our values. Out there
somewhere, pretensions and
superficiality exist, but how do we
determine what is pretentious?
Pretentious in contrast to what?
Our individual culture? The
conservative mainstream? I find th
to be leaning towards prejudice.
Not everyone who wears a mini-
skirt, or a "boob top" does it in
hopes to gain sexual attention.
Everyone, however, dresses to feel
comfortable in their environment,
and this is the only statement that
should be allowed in the judgment
of fashion.
It does seem as if there are no
more outlets left for the creativity.
fashion. Today I find a new goal it
fashion, which aims toward yankir
the "persona" out of the institution
Take, for example, Madonna (yes,
Madonna, a cliche now, yet still t
best example). Undergarments ha
now "come out" from hiding,


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le suggesting that there is yet more to
the woman wearing them, with a
d "risk-taker" attitude she exudes her
a equality and contains her
femininity.
In this issue we have made it our
goal to explore what fashion can do,
where it comes from and the people
who create it, not what it dictates.
Much of fashion still comes from
the "upper crust", those most
choose to call pretentious because
is once something is accepted by
"them" it is considered to be a
fashion. With great relief, the whole
of the cycle does not work in this
fashion, however.
Would we view the "hip-hop",
urban and rap scene the same if
those considered to be a part of it
t were all to wear double breasted
suits? Women might still never
have been accepted into the
of business world of the male if they
hadn't started donning the "straight V
ng suit." The statements these people
n. are trying to make, and are making,
would have never made it to the
he informative level it was without the
ve channel of fashion.
"
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