Style Bites: Fashionistas -- move over for the truly creative designers

Sun, 10/05/2008 10:41 AM  |  Arts & Design

Attending a fashion show is always the embodiment of an adrenalin pumping experience, where beautiful people surround you dressed for no less and euphoria is always in the air.

It's a modern form of circus delivered with more elegance. The series of events chronologically illustrate the stages of *beautification'of people , like make-over episodes of a TV reality show. It's sometimes like a world of illusions, the polishing technique in fashion implicitly *promises' most people to think and hope that by being part of it, they'll eventually reach their dream, to be the fashion triple F: fierce, famous, and fabulous.

Looking at the designers' creative presentations today, we see a whole package of glam experiences that mesmerize you from the moment you set foot onto their red carpet.

In the reception area you are introduced to the mood of the show with art installation, special d*cor set up, room color coordination, or some performances to impress you -- like ballet, pantomime, or modern dance.

Let's not forget the musical ambiance and even the fragrance treatment. All come in the name of style.

Fashion designers, fashion stylists, fashion editors, fashion journalists, fashion photographers, fashion PRs, fashion choreographers, fashion models, fashion students, fashion related organizations and fashion victims are the most noticeable guests in this type of event. And being in the middle of a trendicious crowd is definitely every young designer's dream.

Who wouldn't be dazzled with such fashion presentation today, when the d*cor is especially created by an international event designer?

Who wouldn't be amazed by the fresco of faces of foreign models, even the celebrities now walking the designer's catwalk for the finale of the show? And who wouldn't be proud to be part of the same crowd as those jet-setters, who can potentially scatter their money generously to order designs from you in the future?

Among these fabulous crowds, I have often witnessed people 'metamorph' through various events from one time to another. Like this old friend of mine, a rich socialite girl who'd been spending her life the past five years doing nothing but being the wife of a mega rich man, staying pretty and always attending every social gathering, now frantically declaring herself as a fashion designer!

She never took fashion school, but now she handed her business card to me, showing the brand name of her collection.

Darn, her instant start-up made me so jealous.

Then I met a former model friend of mine from my party heydays. She also turned to be a fashion designer and admits she was there to spread her network wider.

What a fierce smart bloodsucker she was, she realized that modeling competition could get so catty and change generations so fast, so she stepped it up and reinvented herself to stay on top and in front of her game. I saw her constantly kissing the cheeks of everyone she saw as a potential client.

I was always aware of my friends' good taste in style. But I started to wonder, is it enough to simply have good taste to become a fashion designer, without the proper education? Is this really a wide open glam business, in which opportunity knocks for everybody with money and an eye for style?

Each day more and more fashionistas claimed themselves as designers. Will there be space for younger full spirited and talented designers who are still striving for their goals by studying, while the market now seems dominated only by those who have money and power?

I believe being a fashion designer is not just about knowing good style, but the ability to create and modify style itself, into new creations.

And there'll be never ending discussions here if I have to spell out the training and development process for designers starting from researching into new concepts, to methods of application of these concepts to their market, to selection of materials and coordination of accessories, to planning promotional activities and most importantly to dealing with the paperwork and numbers when it comes to their sales.

Picture this. A top local designer here starts with at least 5 million rupiah on the price tag of their most basic piece. With additional embellishments and extra complicated bits and pieces, their design price will not be doubled, but tripled!

And if you're not familiar with high fashion at all, don't even think about the price of their wedding gowns and couture design.

For some famous and naturally rich designers who have built strong networks and connections, their cash flow will constantly flow. Whereas, of course some upcoming and junior designers will have to stride out on the runway of a long struggle to success.

Their cash flow might not come from serving glamour yet, but rather the mass production of corporate uniform design.

But I guess it's the razzle dazzle itsy bitsy glitzy world of fashion that sometimes can be the trigger for people to join this race to fabulousity. Not only fashionistas can turn designer, it is also a life changing or social status upgrading experience for others as well.

Take the example of this one boy who was an usher at a show 6 months ago and has now became a sinetron actor.

This fashion tragic twink now turned gorgeously stylo-milo, by a leading fashion designer.

This fashion wannabe got lucky being picked to work for a lifestyle magazine, now glorifying himself as a top stylist. Another used-to-be voluptuous socialite now proudly flaunts herself as a super skinny modelesque figure.

And what happened to the wrinkles of that rich entrepreneur lady that are suddenly all gone and smoothened away while her face now looks like a permanent expression of surprise?

I guess the world of fashion, as superficial as it might seem, always talking about exteriors, has successfully provided all these style-hopers and fame-dreamers instant opportunities to be seen, inspired, invented and labeled as real-deal fashionistas.

Why bother with a long conventional career path if you can take the express way to better results with more styles to catch up on your fabulousity? Trust in fashion magic, now everyone can follow the same path as Evita Peron. Care to join?

-- Diaz

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