Is Fashion an Art?
One of the biggest questions that both designers and fashionistas have is wether it can be considered an Art or not. What are the arguments that support both positions?
YES
NO
-
Tells the history of a country/society: Through Fashion we can understand the difference of societies through time and the changes through the different eras. Fashion has always been a way of telling the story of the person wearing a certain piece. It reflects cultural changes.
-
All Arts are somehow functional: Even though some people may not consider Fashion an Art because of its functional side, the truth is that every Art has a practical function. Zandra Rhodes says “You could say a painting is designed to go on the wall, but if it were made as a fresco, where it was part of the wall, would you say it was not art because it was practical?”
-
It really is about beauty: Fashion is always about a concept of beauty. That makes it very artistic.
-
It is very influenced by artistic movements: Whenever we talk about an artistic movement of a certain period of time, Fashion has always ha relevance. It is very difficult to find an artistic movement that has not had some kind of effect on Fashion. Furthermore, Fashion is crucial in many artistic movements.
-
Fashion reflects cultural changes up to a point: Although it can represent some changes in society is hardly shows he whole image and only expresses the headlines of the stories.
-
It has a practical purpose: It is not just that Fashion can be practical, the thing is that it is made to be practical. Although the result can be a beautiful or wonderful piece, it is always meant to be worn, not seen as a piece of art.
-
Art is about beauty, but not in the way Fashion is about beauty: For artists beauty is about “exploring the complex, messy, ambiguities of modern life. Beautifully composed they may be, but with a forlorn beauty too subtle to be replicated in fashion” (Alice Rawsthorn).
-
It shares some attributes with Art, but it is not an Art: Although some types of Fashion pieces can be suitable for a museum, Fashion itself it’s not an Art, because Art is not just about looking good, about that obvious beauty.
NO
YES
Karl Lagerfeld
John Varvatos
"I don't think of myself as an artist, but if you’re creating and you’re new, and you’re pushing the envelope – I definitely think it’s a form of art".
"I am against museums and exhibitions in fashion. One woman said to me — ‘In my world, the world of art’ — so I said: ‘Oh, don’t you make dresses anymore?’ A thin smile and then: ‘If you call yourself an artist, then you are second-rate.’”.
martialvivot.com
whatstrendy.net