has fashion lost it's funk?
or is it just harder to find?
I have a confession. Fashion has not been as *exhilarating* to me as it used to be. Initially, I thought this was due to the major lifestyle shift I experienced two years ago when I gave birth to my daughter. A lot of my old clothes simply didn’t make sense for my day to day activities (bottles, walks, laundry, bottles, another walk, pediatrician appt, etc.). Then, I slowly morphed back into myself. Mostly mentally (shoutout, therapy), somewhat physically (iykyk). I was ready to treat myself to something fun!
Except where was the fun?
I simply could not find it.
Don’t get me wrong, there was beauty. Lots of it. There was practicality. Maybe too much of it. But there wasn’t that WOW! Heart pounding out of chest thing I had experienced so many times before. It felt like innovation was at a standstill. And, it still kind of does?
It is hard to pinpoint exactly what I’m missing- I would say it’s a feeling. The one I got when I saw the Stephen Sprouse x Louis Vuitton collection. Or the 2013 Prada show. Or the 2018 Prada show (pictured above, via Vogue). A lot of Carrie Bradshaw looks (specifically the newspaper dress). Even the excitement I got about early aughts street style photos of the Olsens because their outfits are just.that.cool. (that still happens, just not as often as I think they have wisely outsmarted paparazzi).
Maybe the lack of funk can be attributed to the wonky place the fashion world is in right now. The top design houses are in flux, the department stores are, too and buyers are scrambling to figure out what will sell. Runways, even of my beloved Prada, are devoid of color.
You may be thinking ‘This is insane! Doesn’t she run a fashion newsletter? Does she not think any of the things she shares are fun?'. Of course I do. There are some really great, innovation collections out there, like pretty much everything made by Dries Van Noten or Christopher John Rogers. There are also some really bad ones (I’m not going to name names, use your imagination).
Christopher John Rogers dress.
I have quit a lot of things (grad school, every sport I’ve ever tried, etc). But not this- my mission to have fun with fashion again. And what is fun to me? A lot of things… texture! dimension! vivid color combinations!. Not all at once, of course. I love to see and wear these things in an artful way. Like this really beautiful macrame Dries 'third piece’ I bought at the Current Affair show this year. (I believe my friend
introduced me to that term).
ignore the state of this room, this was only two weeks after moving in!
My funk has been found in random places lately. Some secondhand finds, this spiral necklace that I wear constantly, the sneakers I just bought. I’ve also found some great non-funk pieces (aka basics) that I use as building blocks in my everyday looks- like these tanks, white jeans, a thin layering sweater, even this tote.
Are runways still fun? Sometimes. I think Jonathan Anderson cleverly nails a wearable (but sometimes wild, in a good way!) version, especially with the Loewe x Paula’s Ibiza collections. And if a pigeon (or, most recently, puffin) clutch isn’t funky, then what is?
JW Anderson pigeon clutch.
I’m also a huge fan of the insanely cool and talented Grace Wales Bonner. She plays with color, pattern and texture beautifully and her designs leave me feeling inspired and happy. She made Adidas sneakers lively but also kept them classic. I would love to see her as the head of a top design house soon.
Obviously, relying on my online mainstays and big design houses is a limited POV. I used to run a vintage clothing business and still absolutely love to attend vintage shows (Current Affair I am looking at you). I have found a considerable amount of inspiration there.
I also moved from Venice to the Valley a few years ago and I dearly miss seeing what my weird and wonderful westside neighbors are wearing (from Erewhon to the boardwalk, it never disappoints).
The TL;DR of this is- there’s still funk out there (good and bad), but I think the really great stuff is harder to find. Having fun with fashion is underrated and I think we have too many brands focused on providing us with the best “basics” and not enough design houses taking risks. Big design houses are pushing out more neutrals, and therefore so are a lot of other brands (think: the cerulean scene in Devil Wears Prada). Taste is subjective, too. Red pants might be a basic for me and the right amount of funk for you. Please drop your thoughts and/or recs below!
xx, Liz
If your wardrobe is in need of some funk:
I've definitely fallen victim to building a wardrobe full of basics/classics but def need more fun AND funk, so thank you for your picks!!
Funk is apt -- the best cheese is the funky unpasteurized french stuff. One of ***many*** things I love about you is that you always bring the funk. Every time I look at you in any iteration I see something unexpected. I love "loveliness," don't get me wrong, but I totally agree, we need shots to the senses! I am grateful to you for providing them!