There is an individual in fashion

I have recently been cruising popular fashion blogsites. I finally realize that I have missed the whole point of the countless images I’ve been seeing. Yes, the fashion and style is superb. But fashion is more than that. Looking past the clothing and accessories I realized that there is so much more to style. The very foundation needed for any style to work is so much more interesting that the dress-up.

The Individual.

The whole concept of the individual is somewhat out of place in our world of popular culture. Popular culture is, after all, mass produced and easily accessible, meaning that everyone knows it when they see it, whether they believe they partake in the pop or not. And yet it takes individuals for the pop to flourish.

I wont lie, I am a fashion magazine/reality show junky. I will treat myself to overly expensive fashion magazines just because I find the picture interesting. I love shows like America’s Next Top Model simply because of the fashion photographs that are produced from that drama infested show. I have always appreciated the distant glamour found in these types of images. This is pop culture. This is what is in high demand. This is what we all buy into.

The Sartorialist (one of the most popular blogsites for fashion) however, took fashion past its popular culture home of glossy magazine pages and pixeled TV images and offers the viewer are more day-to-day friendly picture. This site provides a daily photograph or two of regular everyday people with “good taste” in apparel. The man behind the blog, an ex-high-end-fashion photographer outlined his intentions for his site saying "I thought I could shoot people on the street the way designers looked at people, and get and give inspiration to lots of people in the process”. I am sure he achieved his goal. But what I find most interesting is how well his photographs portray the person in the clothes, rather than the clothes on the person.

I could make the false claim that none of the people in the photographs are models but there is no way I could know that for certain. What I do know, however, is that the photos are not staged, other than getting the model to look (and maybe smile) at the camera. It seems obvious that the photographs were not planned ahead of time but rather, are little gems found during the day. That is what makes this fashion refreshing. That is what shows the individual.

These are photos of individuals, all living in the same world as us, and all creating a style that can throw them into the “stylish” category but yet keeps them separate from the crowd. Here is some evidence of people trying to make some room for themselves in our world of mass production and easy accessibility. Here is evidence of popular culture and the individual working together to create some gems. Here is something real.

Weheartit

Do you ever find yourself wondering where society’s artistic energy has gone? I have spent the last few years analyzing the art in advertising, and I will agree there is a tremendous input of artistic talents that has settled into that field. But. At the same time. Everything is so mechanic, so crisp, so airbrushed.

This is the art that I am exposed to. This is the art that I expose myself to. This is the art to which I focus my attention. It is true; I do appreciate a well thought out advertisement, you know, the ones with the skinny models painted in their elite make-up, presenting the desired image. I appreciate the ideals that these advertisements seek to create and maintain. And yet, I have felt that I’ve been missing out on what I call real art.

I once believed that all art was the same. I once believed that “art” meant “to create something” and although this is true, it is also a very limited definition. To make a brief distinction (and this is purely in my opinion), the art of advertisements is art for profit. Real art, on the other hand, is art made for art’s sake and for little reason (or at least less obvious reasons) beyond that.

My current lifestyle (as a waitress working at what I like to call the “Starbucks of restaurants”) has unfortunately limited my intake of real art and surpassed my recommended dose of profit art. And this is where the good old Internet has come in handy. I feel I have put my “creeping skills” to good use this time and I have stumbled upon a digital wonderland of real art. It’s like I have walked into my own personal gallery, and the topic of the art show is whatever suits me best.

The concept behind this website is quite genius actually. You can browse images to your hearts content (no pun intended) and then if you find something you like you simply “heart it”. This then links that particular picture to your page, allowing yourself to create your own album of artistic admiration.

http://weheartit.com/populararoundus

Seriously, check it out. This site is going to be my newest pastime for a long while. The above link is my “hearts”. Take a peek, agree or disagree with my hearts and please, create your own gallery and send me the link.

The Beginning

“It’s the culture that everybody talks about.”

That’s how Hal Niedzviecki, the founder of Broken Pencil magazine, describes popular culture. In that sense, it is what draws peoples attention. It is what keeps the buzz going. I have spent the greater part of my last three years at University studying this so called “popular culture” and it is perhaps it’s ability to be everything and everywhere and yet be defined by specific guidelines that has lead to my interests. As a result, I have decided to put my world into blog format.

About a year ago, I stumbled into one of Hal Niedzviecki’s venues at Word Fest, which is an annual festival for authors and those interested in the published word. Although I had missed the majority of his discussion on what he calls “Peep Culture” I was speechless by the end of it. I bought his book and stood in line to get his signature. He wrote the simple phrase “Are you a watcher?” and I realize now, without a doubt in my mind, that yes, I am a watcher.

Technology and it’s constant evolution has not only made our lives “easier” (the internet, for example, allows us instant access to almost any knowledge) but it has also had a severe consequence that many are not aware of. What I find most disturbing yet entertaining is that the evolution of technology has eliminated people’s sense of privacy and/or a desire for privacy.

Before you think of disagreeing with me, just think for a moment. Think of such things as reality TV shows, facebook and youtube videos. Does reality TV offer any positive enhancements to the viewer’s life? No, but it is entertaining to watch someone do crazy things. I find that the number one word associated with facebook is “creep”, which for those who are unfamiliar with the term (if that is even possible) suggests an unlimited amount of freedom to browse any individual’s information at your own will. I myself am guilty for wasting my precious time “creeping” through people’s photos, peering into their lives without them knowing.

Now, perhaps my creeping habits are… well… just plain creepy, but I also feel like I am justified. I am justified in a sense because these images and status updates are available to the public. Few steps have been taken to insure that the evidence of these personal lives are kept from public view, and so I now posses the knowledge that my boss likes going out to the clubs, my younger brothers, though they don’t speak much of it, like to party, and that my elementary school “boyfriend” is soon to become a father.

Is my life made any better because of my investigations? I would say probably not. But I do find that it keeps things interesting. Sort of like visual gossiping. And so, I will continue to creep, to surf the internet, and to find things that interest me.

Are you a watcher? If so, hop aboard and watch me.