Buffalo Jeans, a "proud" Canadian clothing company
[Photo by KPA]
About David Bitton:
David Bitton is the fashion designer behind fashion-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
label Buffalo Jeans. The label from the designer
was first launched in 1985 as a womenswear
and menswear label but has since focused on
providing jeans and denimwear.
There was a time when sexy was used as an innocent compliment. It didn't really denote the sexual act, and was more about the confidence and femininity a woman (and less often, the masculinity a man) exudes.
I don't hear that word much these days. "She's hot" is the new "she's sexy." Who wants to be called (or even look) hot?
So, it is no surprise that when "sexy" is used in a contemporary context, it comes out all wrong.
The poster below is hanging in a jeans store called Buffalo Jeans ("It's a Canadian company, from Montreal," tells me the Hispanic sales attendant). What happened to the stylish French?
This ugly store has taken over an attractive building, which is designated as heritage property according to a 2009 report "Bright Lights - Big City: A Signage Vision for the Downtown Yonge Strip" [p. 45 - pdf file].
Despite its attractive structure, both inside and outside, the store displays a sorry collection of goods. "Distressed" jeans, graffiti t-shirts, and plaid shirts, never worn tucked in, is what passes for fashion and sexiness these days.
Close-up of the store's poster
And the poster says it all. The girl is in short shorts (where have I seen this before? - see quote and reference at the end of this post), and some kind of man's (or I should call it "gender neutral") blazer. She has some long, silver chain which looks like a key chain rather than jewelry. And her shoes look like flat runners. Her hair is pretty though, which shows that she (or her stylist) understands that women do want to look pretty and feminine.
The Buffalo Jeans website has a black and white, cropped, version of the poster. The girl is actually waring some kind of bikini top/bra, which I didn't notice as a took the photo. She is also wearing heavy makeup. This further supports my theory that young women these days want to "embrace their inner sluttiness".
Black and white version of poster from the store's website
The guy looks arrogantly confident. In this world of gender equality, there is still a male swagger, and a female demureness (the woman is acting very demure). His uniform is skinny jeans and a long, disheveled shirt, untucked, and over some t-shirt. But he looks a little too aggressive, and possessive. Who would want that kind of a guy around? (That's the funny thing about this "girl power" era of ours, young women actually seem to find this obnoxious-looking male attractive).
The couple is standing in front of a jet plane (and the poster is stamped with an "air mail" stamp cleverly using the store's logo). At one time, traveling in a jet plane was exotic, and getting postcards and letters from overseas was exciting. One dressed up to travel in a plane, from the smart suitcases to the attractive carry-on bags with fashionable sweaters and magazines. Now, one takes the plane for a cheap and quick flight, where even "sexy escapes" are just prepaid holiday packages in a Caribbean resort that is as bland and similar as any other, with Buffalo Jeans stores, MacDonalds and Starbucks coffee. One may as well go to Niagara Falls. And dressing up means dressing down.
But where would this couple go? What would it do? What would it put in its photo album as memories of this youthful escapade?
The "all the way" slutty look with
long hair and power stilettos.
From the Buffalo Jeans website:
Spring/Summer 2012
Women's Denim Lookbook
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I wrote my take on last spring's slut walks phenomenon (and ensuing short shorts) in my post "Proud to be a Slut":
One thing I've noticed here is that young women are wearing extremely short skirts, and now in spring, they're donning very short cut-out shorts, often (as though this will help) with dark tights. These skirts are dark, dreary, and ugly. At least the sixties brought color and pizazz with mini-skirt fashion.
My assessment of this depressingly ugly trend (many of the girls are over-weight, so we are forced to look at bulging body parts as well) is that it's that schizophrenic attempt at reconciling femininity with autonomy: I will dress how I want, but I will also look like a girl. It is the "sex positive" (to use Richardson's coinage) compensation of reconciling femininity with autonomy. But all they end up looking is like prostitutes, which is the last thing - consciously, at least - they're after.