By Niara Hancock
For about the past two years or so, there has been a new form of comedy on social media, sprouting itself to become a new form of memes . We now see people making fun of the latest high fashion runway collection. Now poking fun at fashion itself is nothing new as with any critique, however many have taken the opportunity to make the claim that fashion designers are running out of ideas. But is that really true? One show that has been getting a lot of heat was Viktor & Rolf’s 2023 Paris Fashion Week Collection. Where at first the dresses were rather beautiful but unassuming, then in the eyes of the public the show took a nosedive as models came out wearing dresses at a 180-degree angle. For the public, it reinforced the sentiment that high fashion society has nothing to give anymore.
There used to be a time when high fashion used to be desirable and unattainable, key points desirable. High fashion emulated the desire to show off your wealth, but still could be achieved by common people. This was mainly due to the fact that most working class people would make their own clothes, while people of higher classes went to a seamstress or tailor. This would make it easy for lower class people to stay in fashion, which is why some of the most recognizable fashion trends are still admired and mimicked today.
Outlandish and impractical fashion is not a new concept which has been very successful, even though we may shudder in embarrassment at our old photos back in college. The 60s had its signature boxy square cut dress, the 80s had shoulder pad, the 2000s had bedazzled jeans. What will be the trendsetter for the 2020s?
