COURTESY: H&M
I remember crinkling the brilliant violet chiffon in my small fingers as my friends whispered around me about the “million dollar dress.” When my mom told me to try it on, I was elated — almost as much as I was when she took it to the counter to buy it.
Clearly, this dress did not cost one million dollars, but as children, the hype around new clothes has gotten blown out of proportion. This dress would become my favorite dress as a child, not only because it was pretty and my favorite color, but also because, even if it was a false belief, my dress was exclusive.
Alexander Wang’s recent collection for H&M was released just over a week ago. I was aware of how these designer collections tend to sell out within minutes, so I braced myself by setting my alarm an hour earlier than when the collection went live. I felt that the skull-cap with the solitary word “Wang” would be a hundred times cooler than just a basic black skull-cap.
All of my selections (which would have been perfect for my spring ski trip) had sold out within minutes. At H&M on 558 Broadway in New York City, bracelets were given out to the first 420 people in line for a 15-minute spot in the store.
While Alexander Wang’s clothing is remarkable, it was a smart move for him to make it a bit more affordable by doing a line for fast-fashion retailer H&M. I must stress the “bit” here. The funny thing is that this line was really not much cheaper than his diffusion line “T” by Alexander Wang, which you do not see people lining up to buy or crashing sites.
For me, it was the feeling of having to race to, maybe, be one of the lucky few who would get to have these items for a – slightly – smaller amount than I would have normally.
I think a lot of what makes fashion something interesting to observe and study is its element of exclusivity that inevitably comes with it. People, by nature, are always going to want what they don’t have.
We come by it honestly. We are constantly surrounded with images of everyday things that we simply cannot obtain.
Maybe the market has us all figured out after all. People love to dream. We love to fantasize and envision how our lives would be with these things that would, perhaps in our minds, help us come a little bit closer to the person that we want to be.
Nothing can match the feeling of walking into Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus or Harrods and being surrounded with an atmosphere that cannot even be fully explained. I suddenly get in a better mood, and I find myself in my usual habit of making friends with every single salesperson I come in contact with. Even the water they give you tastes better and more pure.
The question that I always end up asking myself, after I come home with a $35 bar of soap and begin examining my sanity, is if it is really worth it.
Is it all a trick being played on us? If the beautiful displays and sense of luxury are all a ruse, then what?
I think back to when I had an epiphany in one of these stores a couple of years ago.
I saw a woman who was surrounded with many full bags, but the expression on her face said it all. That’s when I realized that what was in those bags was fine and great; however, if one does not have a happy, full life to live them in, perhaps they are meaningless.
Clothing is something that gives life color. Dressing is a brilliant form of expression. No matter where you shop or what you wear, if it is from the heart, it is beautiful.
