On Fashion

It’s been a while now since we were in Venice, but this has stuck in my mind since we were there: fashion in Venice (and other parts of Europe).

There seems to be a widespread consensus among Americans that Continental Europe has a certain thing—a certain, how shall we say, Je ne sais quoi—about fashion that Americans lack. In fact, it would seem the rest of the world lacks it, too. Up until our trip to Venice I was an unwitting subscriber to this view of Europeans as having a different and perhaps higher sense of fashion than the rest of the world. Now I am a witting subscriber.

Walking the streets of Venice was in a way like watching a fashion show. Instead of a catwalk there was a series of tight cobblestone streets; instead of a crowd of artsy journalists with flashbulbs there was just the flashy crowd. Like the tall thin strutting human mannequins that pace the model strip, Venetians were walking pieces of carefully crafted, carefully prepared artwork.

Perhaps that is overstating it, if only because “fashion,” by definition, cannot be too unique or individual. Like the fine arts, a composition of clothing that pushes certain boundaries or stretches others too far will be either scorned or ignored. There is only so much boundary-pushing in fashion; to put it another way, the places where boundaries can be broken are quite well defined and limited. So under such rules the Venetians displayed their skills at pushing certain boundaries and keeping well within others in a precise yet highly individualized dance of garment composition.

The rules seemed to be as follows:
1) Everyone must wear a pair of sunglasses. (This seems to make sense on the sunny Adriatic Sea until you’re in the narrow streets where the four-story buildings shade the sun on every side.) The bigger the lenses of the sunglasses the better, and a touch of metal or designer lettering on the sides is all the better. When not worn over the eyes these glasses are to be positioned atop the head.
2) Form-fitting is the order of the day. Not a whole lot of midriffs showing, or short sleeves on men. But even when layers are needed (to protect against the chill sea breeze), the sweater or jacket must fit closely to torso, shoulders, and arms. (Flared cuffs are an allowable exception.)
3) Designer names, logos, or lettering on clothes should be minimal and small. No large “Property of College Athletic Dept” letters here. No blaring Tommy Hilfiger emblems. Subtle, low-key, little indication of walking marketing projects.
4) Shoes should be form-fitting as well, with a minimum of laces or straps. No Chacos in this crowd! Most folks also tended to wear pointed toes whenever possible, to the point of inconvenience (an extra four inches of elfin shoe get stepped on more frequently in the ferry!).
5) Scarves are good.
6) Minimal jewelry—fashion expression should be accomplished in clothes rather than baubles.

Individuality could be found in textures: I saw jackets made of everything from leather to velvet to what could have been drapery material. The fringing of jackets and pants was also an arena for freedom of expression. Fur, leather tassels, and fabric ruffles might all be used to add a touch of flair to an otherwise conformist outfit. Colour was also an area of flexibility, but within bounds. Subtle colours seemed to rule the day rather than extreme or bright hues.

It is worth noting that we were tourists, walking at leisure around the city, gawking at buildings and stopping frequently in shops. As a result I was more likely to see Venetians who were able to do the same thing—in other words, those who could take the day off and wander the narrow streets. A glance at the guys who set up and took down the fish market, for instance, revealed that they wore the same kind of utilitarian garb as farmers, labourers, and fisherfolk all around the world: clothes that are tough, warm, and don’t mind getting dirty.

So matter how different the senses of fashion between the US and Europe might seem to be, one basic thing is the same: a greater concern for fashion arises when you have the wealth and leisure to be choosy.

~emrys