In the darkest fashion age, when an ugly trend-like some horror movie monster-attempts to take over the world, there have been fashion superheroes. Their weapons? Sophistication, style, and plain old fashion sense.
Fashion Design Frights
From fashion designer to fashion consumer, there seems to be consensus about the 1980’s. Between the shoulder pads, the leg warmers, big hair, and florescent clothing design, the look was often frightening (like Norman Bates, Freddy Kruger, and Hannibal Lecter all teamed up). But does that mean—in terms of fashion—that the entire decade was hopeless?
Defenders of Good Fashion
Even in this decade of most-threatening fashion monsters, there were those who continued fashionably: Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Versace, and Armani (even if they did throw a shoulder pad into a jacket or two). They proved that designers could work a trend into fashion without allowing it to take over. The lesson? You can learn as much about useful design techniques from bad fashion as from good.
In an interview with Vogue/W’s Style.com, award-winning designer DeviKroell stated there was no such thing as a bad fashion faux pas. According to Kroell, every faux pas has led to better fashion designers. (Although she admitted if there had to be one worst fashion faux pas, it would be porn-star breasts.)
Fashion Schoolers’ Tips
For budding fashion designers, these are good lessons to learn. If your fashion design is heavily trend-based, your designs may lack staying power. Whether you’re in a fashion school classroom or on a clothing design floor, the key is to do as Donna Karan and others have done: keep trends in mind, but don’t let them define you. Let your good fashion sense guide you as you continue to learn from the good, the bad, and the ugly alike.