Is It Unfair Treatment or Calling Out the Posers?
Akin to my small addiction to trash tv and my huge love for all things Entertainment Weekly, I do have the habit of visiting websites like Yahoo!'s OMG!. For the most part, it's fuck awful. Fuck awful in a delicious kind of way, like a Hostess cake. That's a compliment! They know their business and their audience. They suck me in with blend of gossip, fashion, and entertainment. But once in awhile, they put up something that provokes greater thought besides whether Anne Hathaway or Emily Blunt wore a dress better.
I was reading Fashion Designers Slamming Celebrities by Breanne L. Heldman. Oh, why was I reading this when I should have been making comments on a CP's manuscript, answering emails, or, you know, writing? I don't know. Yes, I do. I'm procrastinating. Anyway, the story begins with this:
It’s one thing when websites like us call out frightening outfits in galleries like our weekly installment of “What Were They Thinking?!” It’s quite another when the designers themselves publicly diss the stars who might just be wearing their costly clothes.
This can be especially shocking because most of the digs are coming from older, well-respected, A-list designers and they’re picking on celebrities many view as style icons.
These days I'm not sure if there are any celebrity style icons. Between being paid to wear the clothes or having their outfits chosen for them by professionals, it seems that these so-called 'style icons' are more like blank canvases. Actors and actresses are in the business of, well, acting. I'm sure there are those that put their own thoughts into their style, but for the most part it appears that style is a full time job that is outsourced to the nearest Rachel Zoe. They might have an interest, but that doesn't mean they know how to create a unique style that will make them stand out on the red carpet. And standing out on the red carpet is pretty damn important, just like an amazing cover is to a book among hundreds and thousands in a store.
Fashion, like publishing, is a group effort. Sure, it's headed up by the big brain running the show, but behind the name is a whole team making their vision a reality. Books wouldn't be possible without the teams at the writer's agent's agency, the writer's editor and publishing house.
She goes on to quote two well known designers, both in the fashion world and in the public eye:
“Today, if you play tennis, you can be a really good designer,” Oscar de la Renta said while accepting an award from the Couture Council. “Or, if you’re an actress, you can be a designer. I’ve been at it for 45 years and I’m still learning my craft on a daily basis.”
When asked what he thought of celebrity clothing lines such as Adam Levine for Kmart and Katie Holmes for Holmes & Yang, youngster Christian Siriano told omg!, “The hardest thing is when people have no place in the industry. It’s a tough thing because there’s a lot of people that just don’t understand the business.”
When I read these remarks, they do not come off as 'dissing' to me. The article does go on to list fashion cattiness, designers criticizing the celebrities wearing their clothes. Whatever. I'm sure it hurts when a designer says you're forgettable, but I hope that they'd react by throwing up a big 'W' into the air.
I'm more interested in the beginning of the article, addressing designers vs. celebrities with their own clothing lines.
And they definitely don’t care for celebrity clothing lines.
In every creative industry, I think there is a certain amount of eye rolling when it comes to those leap frogging from one to another, using their fame in one area to jump right to the top.
There is a general understanding that even the right to go for a chance at success has to be earned. It's about proving yourself and paying dues. These days there are lots of ways to square away that bill, from going through the nail biting process of a contest to starting out as the coffee person in a big company. Hard work is a universal sign that you want something badly enough.
If an actor does cross over into fashion, they have to work hard to prove they deserve to be there. That it isn't just their name earning them a fat paycheck. If it appears that they are only "endorsing" a line with very little real design commitment, then of course this would be repugnant to artists. Duh.
All in all, I think they are trying to say, in their own darling way, is that it takes hard work to succeed... and that posers need to GTFO of our industry. And doesn't everyone feel that way?
