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Fashion Week
Viola Davis wore a Vera Wang emerald green dress to the Oscars, which left me unimpressed. I explain what I thought were some of the flaws in this blog entry.
Davis was interviewed this past February gushing about attending her first fashion show, which happened to be a Vera Wang show:
"This was my first fashion show so it was so exciting," Davis, who got an enviable front row seat next to Wintour, told ET. "But I love Vera Wang -- I find her so feminine, so classic and chic."She sat entranced during the show, with a seat next to Vogue's famous editor Anna Wintour, which is quite a seat of honor for a newcomer to the fashion scene. But, I suppose being in the presence of an actress, who is possibly a rising Hollywood star, is something that even the formidable Wintour needs once in a while. And especially if that actress is a black woman.
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Wintour has had some negative reactions to her perfectly justifiable treatment of pop star Rihanna, whom she temporarily banned from appearing in her magazine, so she may be trying harder to please her black critics, especially since there is a "fashionable" black First Lady in the White House.
I wonder what Wintour really thinks about Wang's ugly creations, since Wintour has high standards for fashion and beauty. She of course has no choice but to attend many of these events as editor of Vogue.
Wang has written in her fashion blog on dressing Michelle Obama in an odd, off the shoulder dress for the 2011 APEC meetings, which I wrote about here.
What an honor and privilege to have dressed our beloved First Lady, Michelle Obama!It looks like Wang is trying to tap into black celebrities for her fashion ventures, and Davis came just in time for another Vera Wang experiment. Below is Wang (in her usual drab outfit, which is inexcusable for a fashion designer) with Davis at NYFW.
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As I look at close-up photos of Davis in her Oscar dress, I can't help noticing that the broad shoulders and muscular upper arm make her look like a body builder, which is how Michelle Obama looks when she bares her arms and neckline in some of her dress choices. A sympathetic designer would cover up these ungainly areas, rather than showcase them.
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Right: Michelle Obama's dress for the 2010 State Dinner
honoring the Mexican President (designed by Peter Soronen)
Below are some of the Wang designs that Davis got so excited about. I suppose we can excuse her enthusiasm. She was probably star struck by a room full of fashion connoisseurs, and at being part of that "scene" as a new Hollywood celebrity.
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Wang arrogantly leaves behind what she calls""notes"" on her designs for fashion experts. Below are some excerpts from her February 2012 New York Fashion Week "notes":
"A sensual silhouette — long, narrow, leggy — extending from a high neckline, caught at peplumed hips," Wang said in her notes left for the editors, stylists and retailers who, after six days of previews, are starting to see this strong, sultry muse emerge for next season.More Wang "notes":
"Clothing as sanctuary: The body protectively enveloped in the soft armor of a fitted sheath, the sharp discipline of fencing-inspired jackets, the structured carapace of a coat," the designer explained. "The female form revealed by smoky transparencies that allow a glimpse of skin and of delicate lingerie not meant to be hidden, but seen.These are lofty notes for a show that hardly lives up to the level of her confidence. It is such clever marketing strategies that have propelled Wang into the fashion world. Also, her work is not original, and she copies from many other designers (and does not just get inspiration from their ideas). When she is left to her own devices, her dresses are oddly out of shape, with bizarrely matched pieces, like her Oscar dress for Davis.
Here is what I wrote in a recent post on the culture of ugliness that Wang is a part of, and which she promotes through her designs, whether it is out of her own mediocrity or through her acceptance of and belief in that culture (I tend to think it is the latter):
To her advantage (does she know this and is exploiting it to the fullest?), the contemporary public that she caters to has lower standards of beauty and craftsmanship. Since ugliness is one of the elements that our modern world advocates (along with shock factor, a constant need for new things, and a disdain for traditionally crafted objects), Wang probably won't have a difficult time convincing women that indeed wrapping grey, crinkled chiffon around ones shoulders is a very modern (i.e. a very good) fashion statement.
