Fashion vermin

I’ve never been a Liz Jones fan and tend to avoid her columns. Reading her noisy convictions and unapologetically frank descriptions of her life with now ex-husband Nirpal Dhaliwal made me feel like I was charting the progress of a funeral. I didn’t find it riotously funny (some of my friends did) and all it conjured up was horror and human suffering. Oppressive conversations and snapshots of a turbulent life. I still wonder whether she aimed to demythologise the idea of marriage and relationships or if she derived pleasure in making her obsessions public. Too much personal information can be cruel. I don’t dislike her but I find her cherished confessional style unappealing even if her prose is good.
Anyway, the real story here is her piece published in the Daily Mail yesterday. My friend Laetitia mentioned it this morning and told me to read it. You should too. She’s certainly no Cathy Horyn when it comes to fashion writing but she does attempt to peel away the layers of the industry. She has a point when she ruminates about the legitimacy of hip it kids in the front rows, the quality of some of the clothes and the frequent elitist attitude of the PRs.
I’ve always had mixed feelings about London fashion week and find that I’d rather watch the shows online. It seems more dignified than having to deal with bouncers, crowds, queues etc. It’s a less taxing process! Or maybe I’m just getting too old for this circus. Hahaha.

I took this picture in Montmartre, Paris. It clearly has nothing to do with the subject of this post but I quite like it!


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7 comments:

kittenmasks said...

I've always been confused by the presence of celebrities in fashion show front rows. I understand that some of them are brand ambassadors, but wouldn't it make more sense to have them wearing the designs on the red carpet where they'd have more coverage?

The more recent trend of having children attend fashion shows is even more puzzling. I understand the importance of having your child see and understand how they have food on the table or clothes on their backs, but fashion week isn't the time to take your daughter to work day.

Random Fashion Coolness said...

This post epitomises my ambivalence towards Fashion Week perfectly. At times, I've been made to feel uncomfortable and basically second rate.

I too am not a fan of Liz Jones' work but it is refreshing to see a piece that peels back the layers of pretense at the shows.

Thank you for writing this.

Kit said...

I read it too. Liz Jones has a point and she's clearing showing how frustrated she was by its 'amateur' atmosphere at LFW, the lack of respect, venues being overcrowded by aspired journalists kiddos, fashion wannabees, aggressively-rude bouncers...this was my 20th season at LFW and I've never seen anything this unprofessionlism like this in my 10 year career. I've lost interest to honest with you and being confronted by giant cameras for outfit shots was a little annoying now although my wardrobe has died a little season by season.

P.s we still need to meet up with Laetitia at Bill's!!!!!

Unknown said...

Can i have this pic on my wall?Love it!!!

July Stars said...

@kittenmasks I've yet to see kids at shows in London but I agree with you, I can't possible see how they would enjoy it!

@randomfashioncoolness Thank you so much for your comment! I'm so happy you enjoyed reading this post. I wonder how long the fashion industry will continue to function like this in the UK. I'd like to see a revival of the old shows. Buyers and industry people. Somewhat more civilised and logical!

@kit Let's definitely meet up with Laetitia when she returns from LA... It would be great to see you again!

@natalieborn You can have anything you want, baby!

Kate Gibb said...

This picture reminds me of a Gerhard Richter painting .. blurring in and out of focus. BEAUTIFUL mon ami. More please! xxx

Azimuth Schwitters said...

jolie photo