July 20 - August 2, 2000
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Volume 2, Issue 16
July 20 - August 2, 2000 |
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GO EAST
Liza Kindred |
Whether it be obvious or in the detalis, Asian inspiration has taken hold. There are many different ways to diversify your wardrobe through the influences of Eastern culture.
There are so many ways in which we are being influenced, from Mandarin-style (also called nehru) collars to cheongsam dresses to kimono-type dresses and shirts. Silk dresses are always popular, and feel terrific to wear.
And what better way to conjure up images of the past while looking stunnignly in the now than to guild yourself to the max with gold gold jewelry, gold embroidery, golden tinged sking. If however, you want your skin to stay naturally pale, it can only compliment your Asian inspired outfit. Jade of all shades has been making a comeback in jewelry. Accessories have taken off in a definitely eastern direction, and one can find so many subtle and outrageous examples of this. What trendy girl hasn't been spotted lately with chopsticks adorning her hair? From chopine-style wedge heels to satin printed house slippers, shoes are experiencing an Oriental-influenced resurgence of their own. Handbags are getting their own twist through the use of silk fabrics and Asian influenced prints.
Men can also get into this trend with prints. Many men's bowler shirts are making themselves more worldly by sporting dragons, bamboo, and Chinese-type characters. Clothing can also be found with big fat happy Buddhas providing the decorative edge. The silhouette and shape of the Taj Mahal is repeated throughout many prints and patterns.
If you are culturally knowledgable enough to understand the influence that the Japanese have had on high fashion (through such designers as the Rei Kawakubo, Issey Miyake, and Yohji Yamamoto), you will find a wealth of wonderful details that can be found in our everyday clothing that was innovated by Japanese ingenuity and designers. Body-transforming shapes have been slowly creeping their way into the mainstream, as well as the apparent influences of origami and furoshiki, which can be found in such details as envelope necklines and hidden pockets. For the Anime-inspired, the Japanese school-girl look is always something to aspire to.
Asian influenced clothing and accessories can be a way to introduce culture into your wardrobe, whether it be through subtle accessorizing or blatantly assimilating yourself into another culture's style. This in one trend that can work for both the I'm just starting to dress myself young thing to the experienced and educated fashionista.
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The Melted Pot Do you know what your multicultural clothes say? Liza Kindred |
Although the United States has often been called a cultural melting pot, the apparent effects on fashion have never been so obvious or incongruous. A look through any magazine, store, or on any street reveals influences from so many diversified cultures: Asian, African, Latin, European, Middle Eastern, Native American, and so many more. While this is definitely good (it signifies, hopefully, that we are all beginning to understand and appreciate other cultures more), it is not without inherent problems.
The biggest problem that I see is when we misinterpret, or even slaughter, cultural nuances. A top fashion magazine recently featured an article glamourizing Geisha Chic. A geisha, roughly interpreted, is a prostitute enslaved by tradition. Why this is chic is far beyond me.
A different fashion magazine featured an article about finding the perfect pedicure in which the author, Gully Wells, declared about the ancient practice of foot binding, They had sacrificed their freedom and allowed themselves to be subjugated by men. And yet. And yet. For a thousand years, Chinese men were driven wild by the touch, sight, and yes, smell of the bound foot. So who, in the end, has the real power? No, this was not a joke. Someone has become so far removed from the everyday world that they seem to be jealous of women with bound feet, something that Chinese women have fought for centuries to break free from.
Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin have led what has been inappropriately termed The Latin Invasion. This has manifested itself through fashion in a variety of different ways, the worst of which has to be the pink sequined 10-gallon hats for sale in the malls next to cowskin print pants. I was just in Texas, near the border of Mexico even, and saw nary a pink hat nor sequined spur, although I did see many funky, colorful alternatives.
Indian culture has inspired quite a few trends lately. Sari-style dresses and bindhis are common. Unfortunately, so are jeans with Middle Eastern style ribbon around the cuffs. Talk about ripping a culture off! People that wear these wear them with crappy t-shirts and no sense of irony or respect.
If you allow me to stray from clothing for a moment, I would like to touch on the recent influx of breakdancers and DJs in television commercials. Hip-hop culture has been around for 20 some years. Apparently it has just become profitable, as Burger King features an ad with a DJ telling you why Whoppers are cool, while Dr. Pepper is trying to convince us that drinking soda will enable us to do headspins and freezes. If only.
In the interest of encouraging you to educate yourself on the influences of your own style, I would like to leave you with a personal anecdote. Some years back, I got a funky little shirt with some Asian-looking characters on the front. I thought I was pretty cute sporting it. When I went to my parent's house for a visit, my dad pulled out his Mandarin dictionary and translated it for me. Turns out, my ignorant little self had been running around town with a t-shirt that read, quite simply, Rice Head.