Resist Fashion Popcorn

Yohji Yamamoto’s Vampire Fang, Pieter Muller’s Alaia and Some Ladies’ Weapons

Sep 12, 2024

*Image via Vanessa Friedman’s Threads account*

Today's intro is all about imagination—or the lack thereof. As you may have noticed, New York Fashion Week is in full swing, but nothing is happening despite a few collections that feel very much like fashion school graduation projects. Don't get me wrong, there were moments—from the Coach teddy bear bag to Willy Chavarria’s new Americana and the literal fashion popcorn at Tommy Hilfiger.

This led me to the conclusion that current fashion is more like fashion popcorn than the luxury dessert you savor. I’ve also been delving into the magnum opus Suspiria de Profundis (a Latin phrase meaning "sighs from the depths"), a collection of essays in prose poem form by English writer Thomas De Quincey. It explores memory and imagination, which is what’s missing from today’s zeitgeist: clever, knowledge-induced reflections on the past and fiercely passionate, delirious imagination to shape the future.

I'll get back to you with more Fashion Week-related discussions soon. Let’s resist the indulgence of fashion popcorn—it’s hot, nice, and complements a good occasion, but it’s hardly the main course, a fleeting pleasure for its own sake. Let’s bring back fashion as the main course, fashion as the true imaginative luxury it can be.

Obsessions follow:

Pieter Muller's white marvel of a coat for Alaia referencing Charles James’ iconic silk down coat from 1937.