Suddenly fashion feels so trivial — even among the professionally involved. On September 11, many of us felt downright awkward. For ours is a superficial trade that makes billions of dollars peddling fantasies made of material and the fruit of someone’s imagination. So insignificant in the face of human tragedy...
But life goes on. And, so does the fashion world. Except that last month everything came to a halt. Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Anna Sui, Boss Hugo Boss and DKNY were to present their spring creationss on that fateful day. Instead, the remainder of fashion week was canceled and the tent, situated in Bryant park on Sixth Avenue and 40th street was offered for emergency services. Now, those collections have been rescheduled for October 22-24.
Meanwhile, show organizers in London, Milan and Paris decided to press on, feeling that to cancel their events was to reward the terrorists with another victory. France’s ready-to-wear federation released this statement: “In the light of the current crisis, determination is the attitude we feel is the most reasonable. Therefore, we have decided to go ahead with the Spring 2002 collections, just as our predecessors did in similar circumstances.”
Quite naturally, attendance is expected to be down during the October 4-23 fashion week, while security measures are more than likely to mimic those of terrorist-threatened seasons past.
Some designers are expected to opt for smaller showroom presentations and cancel all social events and parties. Also called off — the fourth annual Fashion Week of the Americas, a showcase for top Latin American and Caribbean designers that should have been held last month in Miami Beach. After September 11’s tragic events, cancellations came flowing in from 60% of the exhibitors, buyers and participants, many from Europe and South America.
On a lighter note... “God Bless America” is the most popular song at the moment, and clothes with stars and stripes inspired by the American flag are two of the hottest trends to rip through America, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.
Americans eager to show their patriotism are wearing flag T-shirts and other gear normally restricted to the Fourth of July. Street vendors in New York are already hawking cheap silk-screened T-shirts with “America Under Attack” logos and bandannas ablaze with Old Glory motifs, while designers with all-American style identities such as Polo, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Old Navy claim to have received stacks of orders for flag-inspired clothing.
