Aphorism 1:
“Fashion can be about confirmation, of self and others. But it is also about anxiety, ambiguity, and worry. As an aid to understanding psychological complexities it is unsurpassed.”
I chose my this as my first aphorism because I thought it made an interesting point that many people don’t read into. What a person chooses to wear is what they wish to show the rest of the world. Some people may say that you dress to gain the respect, or at least confirmation, of others. In this way fashion can be seen as a facade or a mask that covers the person’s “true” personality. In my opinion this is a cynical way of analyzing fashion and I would ask anyone who subscribes to this belief: isn’t everything a facade? From the way you speak and carry yourself to the way you decorate your apartment to the career you choose, wouldn’t that all be a plea for confirmation just the same as the clothes you choose to present on your body?
Most people would generally agree that what we wear is a reflection of ourself. In opposition to the first interpretation of this aphorism, what some people may say is that what we wear not only reflects a mask to show to the world, but also reflects deeper psychological and even subconscious themes. In this interpretation one could read the “aid to understanding psychological complexities” sentence as stating that what we wear isn’t really consciously picked to show the world, but is rather a reflection of our subconscious desires, fears, and state of mind.
Aphorism 2:
“Fashion is gossip. Never underestimate the power of gossip. Semiologists are driven into ecstasies of supposition by it’s whispers.”
I chose this as my second aphorism because I read it as standing in contrast to the first in that the first aphorism speaks about fashion on a personal (interior, psychological) level while this one seems to speak about fashion on a communal (exterior, sociological) level. Many people would categorize trends and cycles as being definitive aspects of fashion. In looking at the cycles of fashion one can glimpse sociological trends through history. For example Christian Dior practically said fuck you to wartime conditions (specifically fabric rationing) with the New Look and held this silhouette as a testament to France’s determination to bounce back in postwar society. One can see the movement of information through all people who adhere to various trends. All of this is gossip.
