Well, isn't this fabulous?! I enjoyed the show: loved that it showed un-matchy-matchy outfits that shouldn't work but do, loved that Miucca can pull off the granny look more elegantly than nobody's business and watched Suzy Menkes' little hair bubble run out of the front row (probably to the next show). I felt like I was there watching from the nose-bleed section.
But (and there's always a but) is it all getting too public? Will the riff raff wreck the Ball? Should everyone be able to see this THIS quickly?
Just last week, NY Mag had an article entitled "Shop the Runway: 20 Fashion Week Looks for $200 or less". It took looks from NY Fashion Week and matched them up with pieces available in stores now. This isn't necessarily new- the fashion crowd have been influenced by the runway as soon as we saw the photos in WWD the next day, but this is now reaching out to those not in the industry- those who's money makes up the business of fashion in the big dollar way- in the derivative market (we all remember the blue sweater scene from Devil Wears Prada).
Back in February, Donna Karan said that we need to return to in-season deliveries as well as stating that we are killing our own industry with making it all too public. Recently, Imran Amed from BoF interviewed Natalie Massenet, founder of Net-a-Porter and he posed the question regarding the speed of seasons. Her response? We should take a season off and let everyone catch up. (Click to see interview here)
The new buzz surrounds an article in the IHT where Suzy Menkes questions whether shows are needed at all as designers increasingly rely on short movies for showing their collections (and advertising campaigns). Leader of the fashion show-movie genre, Nick Knight says in the article- “Firstly, it is a true artistic expression that the designers can control,” he said. “Secondly they can get so many more people, from 300 to three million. And because — although it hasn’t happened yet — designers will want to sell their clothes.” By this he is referring to instant ordering online that would take place while still watching or shortly after the show has finished.
We know that the internet is going to change the fashion industry- it already has. We can see things faster, more closely, and have more accessibility for purchasing across countries and currencies. But will it be affected by letting the "behind the scenes" parts not be so "behind"?
So this leads me to ask the following:
- are designers letting too many cats out of the bag and will there be no surprises when that season comes around?
- are we already sick of the clothes before they go into the stores? or, on the opposite side of the coin- have the consumers been salivating so long that they rush the stores the moment the collection hits?
- will we still need people to "translate" the runway trends when we can see them, sit on them and work it out ourselves?
What are your thoughts?
PS- all images are from the Prada S'11 show- check it out!
4 comments:
Great point, Britt. Whenever something becomes too accessible, its value becomes diluted - whether it be fashion or underground culture or high art. Does this mean that democracy ultimately means devaluing? Must things remain out of touch to maintain their special qualities? It's a dilemma...
Really great post. I think that it's fun for consumers to be able to see fashion shows; first they were being shown on TV and now on the internet and that designers are letting 'real people' in--mainly because 'real people' never really get to see the entire collection. They see and can only shop their favorite store or stores or website or website's edits. And, we in the business, know that what winds up in the store are not those distinctive runway pieces that define the trends but more wearable and what the retailers think will be most salable. I don't think by showing the public the shows and by doing them letting them in on the "show', it's going to devalue anything or make it less special, it might help them to understand where the trends that are being reported are coming from and what's wrong with that. And, ultimately I think it will help sell more--one of my friends not in the business watched the Prada show as well and started thinking about what she wanted to wear/buy next season. I do agree with what DK said about buying closer to season--which the industry has been talking about for a long time--I think this will help with seasonal sales-- this summer which was our hottest in as long as I can remember--as a consumer,did I want to see chunky sweaters when I went into Barneys? no--but I was happy for the 60% off on the lightweight, sleeveless dresses. This is more of a problem for the industry. Giving the public a preview by allowing them to view the shows is is helpa them get familiar with a brand or brands--identify the brands they prefer. I don't think it will affect anyone sector of the industry in a negative way. Allowing the public a behind the scenes view is not translating into direct sales as of yet...and I'm not sure that it will--even if it was offered that way--except for the very high, women that can afford to buy during season and ahead. But wasn't that always the case--stores, personal shoppers and even designers having their key customers who they show look books and videos of shows and sell to way ahead of the season?
I say "yes" to runway shows being available to the public on video or TV. The more transparent the industry becomes narrows the gap between what is fashion and what is simply clothing, which is a good thing for everyone. I love that Lanvin is in H&M! Check out the video which has a "grandma" wearing the clothes ha ha ha.
As for the brands shipping closer to season, that is definitely happening more now. I saw plenty of "wear now" clothing all over New York, London and Paris in August/September. Finally!!
I've been meaning to add this....Tom Ford, with his new women's collection has said that he will only allow "long-lead press" which means no internet, no bloggers. He really wants to try and keep some sense of control as a designer as to who sees the collection and when. Good Luck Tom!
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