The first time round, high fashion shunned the president’s family. Now industry figures are flocking to them
Mussolini once said that “any power whatsoever is destined to fail before fashion. If fashion says skirts are short, you will not succeed in lengthening them, even with the guillotine.” For that reason, far-right authoritarian movements have long attempted to capture the fashion system. We can argue endlessly about whether the new Trump administration can be compared to fascism. I think that it meets most of the key traits identified by Umberto Eco, but others will disagree. Regardless of your stance, it’s fair to say that the women of the Republican party have deployed fashion in ways that send a political message.
Though men especially like to highlight fashion’s supposed vapidity (tell that to Roland Barthes, I always think) it is an art form and a visual language that has much to tell us about the state of the world, and is as worthy of analysis as any other aspect of culture. The rise of the tradwife – and the modest, floral prairie dresses so beloved by these rightwing influencers, which then trickled down to the high street – has mirrored the shift in the US much further to the right. As this new administration inevitably comes to roll back more women’s rights, I wonder how it will be reflected in fashion. Prairie dresses are on the way out, but there are other styles to replace them.
Continue reading… The first time round, high fashion shunned the president’s family. Now industry figures are flocking to themMussolini once said that “any power whatsoever is destined to fail before fashion. If fashion says skirts are short, you will not succeed in lengthening them, even with the guillotine.” For that reason, far-right authoritarian movements have long attempted to capture the fashion system. We can argue endlessly about whether the new Trump administration can be compared to fascism. I think that it meets most of the key traits identified by Umberto Eco, but others will disagree. Regardless of your stance, it’s fair to say that the women of the Republican party have deployed fashion in ways that send a political message.Though men especially like to highlight fashion’s supposed vapidity (tell that to Roland Barthes, I always think) it is an art form and a visual language that has much to tell us about the state of the world, and is as worthy of analysis as any other aspect of culture. The rise of the tradwife – and the modest, floral prairie dresses so beloved by these rightwing influencers, which then trickled down to the high street – has mirrored the shift in the US much further to the right. As this new administration inevitably comes to roll back more women’s rights, I wonder how it will be reflected in fashion. Prairie dresses are on the way out, but there are other styles to replace them. Continue reading… Donald Trump inauguration, Fashion, Ivanka Trump, Melania Trump, Bernard Arnault, Business, Life and style, Far right (US), US news, World news
