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Fashion has been part of our daily lives for generation and is used as a form of self-expression, or just simply a norm in society. Whatever fashion is to an individual, can it be considered as art, or is it an everyday tool? To answer this, I explored the definition of art through the theories of R.G. Collingwood who argued that art is an expression and an imaginative creation. In addition, Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson’s idea of semiotics to define fashion as art through its symbols. Fashion can be a form of expression and symbolism through both the artist and the model; however, it is limited. To define whether one’s work is art or not, it has to be identified by the artist as art. With this being said, the work has to be closely related to the artist before it can be defined as an art. In fashion, there are 3 different categories. These are set set according to how they are made and manufactured. I will use Baudrillard’s idea of simulation and Marx’s theory of materialism to further look into the different categories of fashion to determine whether fashion being considered as art can be limited. There are different aspects of fashion that needs to be investigated to determine if it can considered as a form of art, and if there are limits as to when art meets fashion.
Many are critical of fashion being considered as a form of art, or being displayed in a gallery. For example, a renowned fashion designer, Marc Jacobs said in an interview in the LA Times that “Fashion to me is not art because it is only valid if it is lived in and worn. […] I think clothes in a museum are complete death. […] I am not interested in her wardrobe. I am interested in the life and the women who wore those clothes.”. However, I would argue, there are things about fashion that Jacob’s did not consider when he said his statement. He mentioned that he is more interested in the life of the people who wore the clothes rather than their wardrobe; however he has to take into consideration that fashion is influenced by both the person’s identity and their story. Fashion can be a way to express one’s self, and this makes it a form of art. According to R.G. Collingwood, art is a form of expression. He argues that when a person expresses an emotion, he is conscious of his feelings; however, according to Collingwood, there are times when you asked all you can say about your emotion is: “I feel… I don’t know what I feel”. Collingwood added that “from this helpless and oppressed condition he extricates himself by doing something which we call expressing himself” (Collingwood 25). This means that an individual uses different ways to express their emotions when one can’t describe how they feel through words. This is true in fashion especially in expression through the color of our clothes. An example would be wearing black for funerals, and wearing white for weddings. We use colors such as Black to represent death, and White as a representation of unity or peace. Expression through color can also be used in themes in fashions shows such as warm colors like red, orange, yellow, for the fall; while, cool colors such as blue, green, white, for the winter.
Many are critical of fashion being considered as a form of art, or being displayed in a gallery. For example, a renowned fashion designer, Marc Jacobs said in an interview in the LA Times that “Fashion to me is not art because it is only valid if it is lived in and worn. […] I think clothes in a museum are complete death. […] I am not interested in her wardrobe. I am interested in the life and the women who wore those clothes.”. However, I would argue, there are things about fashion that Jacob’s did not consider when he said his statement. He mentioned that he is more interested in the life of the people who wore the clothes rather than their wardrobe; however he has to take into consideration that fashion is influenced by both the person’s identity and their story. Fashion can be a way to express one’s self, and this makes it a form of art. According to R.G. Collingwood, art is a form of expression. He argues that when a person expresses an emotion, he is conscious of his feelings; however, according to Collingwood, there are times when you asked all you can say about your emotion is: “I feel… I don’t know what I feel”. Collingwood added that “from this helpless and oppressed condition he extricates himself by doing something which we call expressing himself” (Collingwood 25). This means that an individual uses different ways to express their emotions when one can’t describe how they feel through words. This is true in fashion especially in expression through the color of our clothes. An example would be wearing black for funerals, and wearing white for weddings. We use colors such as Black to represent death, and White as a representation of unity or peace. Expression through color can also be used in themes in fashions shows such as warm colors like red, orange, yellow, for the fall; while, cool colors such as blue, green, white, for the winter.
