(Yes, that's Plato and Aristotle)
"Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste. Scholars in the field define aesthetics as "critical reflection on art, culture and nature." Aesthetics studies new ways of seeing and of perceiving the world."
I start this post with that definition, because today I found myself having to justify (and to reflect on) my interest in style and fashion. You see I work in an environment where most of the people view the idea of fashion as frivolous. But is it frivolous? Their belief was that it is ridiculous to spend money on designer cloths. That most people by doing so are trying to be perceived as being upper class. But during the conversation I got the sense that there was also an underlying sentiment, that well, there are more important things to worry about than how you look.
Yes, that is true, there are other things to concern yourself with in life, but just because you care about style and fashion it does not mean that you do not care about those other things. I have to wonder where this notion even came from? That by caring about how you look, and having an interest in fashion that it somehow means you are inherently shallow.
I truly believe that dressing is an art. It is a means of expression- and I believe that individual style as a whole, (and personal style blogs/sites) are art. I know that it is a cliche that the body is a canvas. But, I'm going with that cliche, because you are projecting something about yourself with what you wear. Street style is art.
As for style sites and blogs, they are a platform for communicating ideas - combining design, photography, individual perspectives, and aesthetics. It is a piece of you, the blogger. They have cultural relevance. We can take ideas/concepts from the realm of art and the industry of fashion and reinterpret them as our own. We are a movement that is creating cultural change.
No, I do not regard my little blog as a work of art - maybe it's in the realm of folk art... but there are some amazing blogs and sites out there with very talented women that have an amazing sense of style - and they are creating something of beauty and worth.
I do not believe that caring about beauty and style is frivolous. Astehics are important- expression is important. Enjoying things that you find beautiful is part of human nature. It is not frivolous to enjoy fashion - (and fashion blogs) just as it is not frivolous to enjoy music, paintings, comic books, sculpture, literature, film, graphic art. architecture,or photography.
I found this definition of Art:
"Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music,literature, film, sculpture, and paintings."
As, you can see even here they left out, dressing and fashion. But really, "deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions." - don't we all do this everyday before heading out the door?
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Hi La Fille D'Or! I'm new to your blog today and will be a follower now! I love this post. I understand you completely. In fact my lil blog is pretty much a secret among even my good friends and co-workers. I find it's often so much effort to even defend my purchases and being called a shopaholic and how much did I spend for this or that, I can't bear being judged for yet another "frivolous" thing. And the sad thing is that I work in fashion - in a high-end, luxury fashion brand - yet I still get called out for my style and things I have (like they are too expensive or I shop a lot or I dress fancy, etc).
ReplyDeleteI love your well-thought out post and I'll link it on my blog.
xx Vivian @ http://diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com
I had something long written. Then I accidentally clicked something and it went away and I can't figure out how to get it back.
ReplyDeleteBut, my belief is that fashion is just as much art as everything else, and so is blogging - you aren't just banging on keyboard typing nonsense - you are thinking, you are creating, you are making layouts and choosing colors and that is just as much art as a sketch or a painting is.
Those who see fashion as frivolous are forgetting the most important part of it -- we are a visual society willing to base a lifetime of interaction with a person by what we see when we meet them for the first time.
Chic on the Cheap