It really has happened, women are criticising men in the workplace, stating that men have no place in the world of…fashion. Well it’s not exactly politics, or economics, or law courts (where women do of course have an equal right to be as men), but the ironies of the world where a man and woman can never truly be equal. Surveys are now arguing that men just don’t impress within the designer-dress making world as women do. How can we forget the classic male designers and what they brought to fashion? Christian Dior, Jacques Fath and Pierre Balmain bringing the world the magic of French Haute couture, the tucked-in waist and close-fitted bust, or date back earlier to the “Michelangelo of Shoe Designers”, Salvatore Ferragamo and Charles James’ exquisite ball gowns. Of course it will always be more difficult for a man to flourish in fashion, after all how can he design perfectly for women when he is not one. A female designer has the added benefit of knowing exactly how she wants her bust to look, how tight she can stand the waist to be, how the perfect dress can make her feel. Women designers are fabulous, without a doubt some of the crème-de-la-crème of fashion have been female, but is it really true that in the present day male designers are not ‘hot conversation’?
Sure female designers are worth mentioning right now. There was Isobel Marant’s much-talked about show in Paris, and Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte achieved the prestigious name of Womenswear Designers of the Year. The argument is female designers are adjusting to the recession, understanding women worldwide being unable to spend lavishly on designer pieces. So instead these females are honing their collections to be more long-lasting and assembled in wonderful quality so they are effectively better value for money.
Perhaps just as fashion and style is a reflection of our time, it’s politics and society, this argument is a reflection of our time shouting out once and for all that women are better at men – and not just at a stereotypical housewife chore, but they are more crucial to one of world’s most influential industries.
As fashion has always been labelled as feminine and something that women are more interested than men, surely we should make more effort to acknowledge male involvement, and support men that have a passion for fashion. After all, a stylish man is always appealing to the female eye.
Is fashion really a feminine thing? Should we really write men off as unimportant in one of the most talked about industries?
Mikey M
3 months, 1 week ago
I’m not sure where you get your information but if I do a search on the internet these are the names of the most famous designers in spring 2009 Paris
(Lanvin, Galliano, Vuitton, MiuMiu spring,
Mc Cartney, Valli, Lacroix, Yamamoto) these are the best and only 2 of the designers are female and with another search the results were the same the female designers are the minority even if the probably outnumber men so unless your research was bias why would you pretend the female designers are so much better when all experts say differently just to say your points are not valid and this could be considered poor journalism