Discussion ~ how relevant is high end fashion to you? - YouLookFab Forum

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Discussion ~ how relevant is high end fashion to you?

RoseandJoan

Veteran

YLF is amazingly diverse, with readers shopping the gamut from Chanel to Chico but I have noticed comments about designer fashion or runway shows not translating to real life or having to relevance to some readers, so I thought I would ask the question, how relevant is high end fashion to you?

For me personally I take a great deal of inspiration from a designer look I simply do not have the means to afford. For example, the picture below is by Gucci, what I see when I look at this image is how to mix colour, how matching your belt and shoes can bookend a look and how simple hair compliments the complex colour palette. I make these images relevant to me BUT I would love to hear your alternative opinions.

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16 replies

Latest reply was from Scarlet

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I guess I could liken it to fine art. I may enjoy it in a museum, but it's not coming home to rest on the walls of my house so I don't give it too much thought beyond the passing appreciation of its aesthetic.

Beth

Veteran

Mo pretty much sums up my thoughts:) High end fashion is relevant to me in the sense that it affects high street fashions, but other than that, I take little notice of it.

Maya

Veteran

I think a large part of the YLF membership is comprised of people who just want to look nice and put together before leaving the house every day (a perfectly worthwhile goal, to be sure). For their purposes, high fashion isn't really relevant. Out of all of the fashion outlets I pay attention to, YLF is definitely by far the most down to earth and I can completely see why the majority of the readership doesn't care for "fashion" as opposed to clothes.

I also think, at the risk of sounding condescending, that a lot of people really understand the fashion industry and how it operates, and take it as a personal affront when they are "left out." You see this any time a "why are ramp models so skinny?" or "why don't they design clothes I can wear?" discussion comes up. I don't think the fashion industry alienates people nearly as much as it gets accused of doing. I think people choose to alienate themselves.

For someone like me, who has goals beyond just looking pulled together, I find high fashion and trend forecasting very valuable and inspiring. These pictures are just that: inspiration. It is YOUR job to translate these looks into something that works for you. Many women don't want to be bothered taking the time to do that, which is fine. That is why magazines, image consultants, and style editors exist.

Anonymous

What Mo said. Merely inspirational. Also, I don't really have the occupation or lifestyle required to match the more " editorial" fashion choices. It would be really out of context for me to dress in such a manner.

greenglove

(website)

Veteran

I get much inspiration from all kinds of fashion: high end, movies and TV, vintage, street,
classic, music and just about anything with color, texture, proportion etc. I love looking at runway show photos and like you, Julie can find many ways to translate looks without the actual garments. Designers get inspiration from all kinds of sources. Those sources get made into fashion which then gets reinvented by those who choose to either buy or create similar looks. High fashion can be like fine art but can also be similar to decorative or graphic art. I hope to make it relevant when I am able and if it is a look that works for me. I wish I could afford to have it be more relevant. I am around art all the time and do not ever think of fashion as anything other than another form of art, therefore always relevant to me.

Jonesy

Veteran

I avidly follow all of the shows on style.com, and return again and again to certain designers' shows (e.g., Dries van Noten's fall 2010 RTW show). Do I buy any of these clothes? No. But I am inspired by what I take in, and it's fun too. I love seeing how looks/themes trickle down to retail, at all points on the price spectrum, and I am sometimes moved by the beauty and the artistry, such as with Alexander McQueen's successor's recent show.

Lena

I definitely enjoy following them, however I've been slipping lately (I still have many unread bookmarks from last year's shows).

I look at the pictures for fun and for inspiration. Not necessarily fashion inspirations, if I could I would translate what I see into home decor. And sometimes I'm simply floored by the fabrics, detailing, structure, color combos. Recently there was one American designer who had some amazing color blocking with bright saturated colors; it's a pity I can't remember the name. And many years ago I became a obsessed with some floral gowns that reminded me of iris flowers. I badly wanted to find separates or a dress that approximated that effect.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I derive great inspiration from high-end fashion. I also derive great inspiration from street fashion, and retailers of all price points - from H&M to Chanel. I absorb it all like a sponge. LOVE!

taylor

Veteran

I enjoy high end...but relate to street interpretation of runway..once it has been broken down and shaken up the way the average person wears it and the way the lower end designers re-make it.

Marley

Veteran

I pay a lot of attention to high-end fashion - it is a form of art to me, and I love it! I am amazed by the use of different fabrics, textures, colors, etc. - I get all kinds of ideas of how to combine my clothing, what to look for when I am shopping or how to wear my hair or makeup. I love abstract art and I think of high-end fashion as a form of abstract art. But then, I am an art junky - I honestly feel as though I couldn't live without it!

LeahJanes

I love high end fashion. The shapes, colours, details, drapes and fits.

What I don't like is the brand worship and inflated sense of value that these luxury brands command. I don't enjoy logos - there is nothing that appealing in a Chanel logo for me.

elpgal

Veteran

I do not intrinsically understand fashion and as Maya points out, I am happy if I can look reasonably put together when I leave the house. I am happy to wait for Angie and YLF to do the heavy lifting and break down style/fashion/fit into nuggets I can process easily.

I do love looking at pics of Indian fashion shows. All that color and glitz feels intimately familiar to me.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I love the art analogy, if I go to the museum I often come home with a postcard or calender as a reminder. I guess I like to pilfer from those I find inspiring

I also completely understand those who have no interest in high fashion as there is so much fashion inspiration on all levels.

catgirl

Veteran

I enjoy it but rarely have time to peruse through collections and magazines the way I would like to do. I do not necessarily look at it as shopping, but interesting inspiration for ideas - much the way I look at jewelry catalogs to get inspiration for what I make on my own.

Cilleena

Veteran

I find high end fashion interesting, but not something that I try to incorporate into my lifestyle. I like to leave that to the Angie and the other fashionistas on here. I don't want to look totally out of style, but it's more important for me to dress in a flattering, conservative, functional way. As a SAHM living in a cold climate, most high, I would look very out of place in high end fashion, unless extremely watered down.

Scarlet

Veteran

I really enjoyed reading your take on this look because I am seriously not that advanced yet. I enjoy browsing images from "high-fashion", reacting to them, and figuring out my taste, but I haven't really developed the ability to analyze it.