The Spirit of the Times

In one of Professor Housefield's blog posts, he discusses the term "zeitgeist" and proposes the question, "Will we see cultural responses to echo the rise of disco and punk in that earlier decade (in reference to current designers' work reflecting the 1970s and its economic hardships)?"

This question prompted me to think of trends in fashion design. As mentioned in Professor Housefield’s blog, “Fashion perpetually resurrects ghosts from the past.” A known fact among fashion aficionados, fashion trends tend to “recycle” every twenty or so years. However, what does this mean and why does it happen?

One explanation I have come up with is that with each trend that recycles comes a new generation. So, the “zeitgeist” of one era can be resurrected and reproduced via the next generation. Designers of each generation draw inspiration from the last, changing and modifying their designs to modernize what has already been done. Take disco for example. The design of the platform shoe grew popularity during the 1970s. Concurrent with this trend and the trends seen at New York Fashion Week Spring Summer 2011, platform shoes are making a comeback.

[A red, glittered platform shoe from the '70s vs. A pair of gold, glittered shoes from Steve Madden]

We are constantly on a search for the new, but we are reliant on the past. However, as Walter Benjamin puts it, fashion is a "now time," and "eternal present." Thus, fashion defines time itself.

Yet, this poses another question. What really is the “spirit of the times” if fashion is always recycling? Fashion designs have always acted as physical evidence to trace part of a society’s past and culture. Yet, if fashion is always recycling, does that mean what we value in our society and what defines our generation is recycling, as well? A complicated question, with no right answer, I can only point out the intersectionalities design has with the rest of our life and why I think design is important. Design is everywhere and takes part in everything we do. It is connected with what we represent, who we try to be, what we value, and what we want to express.

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening. " - Coco Chanel