Ah, the fashion industry. Rivalries! Spats! Slapping! It’s almost as violent and sensational as the Middle Ages (or, you know, Game of Thrones).
Every Fashion Week certain issues are harped on, certain trends are over done, and certain designers are criticized or heralded. But now the most recent round of Fashion Weeks has taken a bizarre turn; it seems that the Open Letter is now the latest “haute” topic.
Forget the street style or runway looks — the Open Letter has most definitely been the most talked about item.
First, there was Oscar de la Renta to Cathy Horyn,
- then Lady Gaga to Cathy Horyn,
- then Cathy Horyn’s boyfriend to Lady Gaga and Oscar de la Renta,
- then Cathy Horyn to Oscar de la Renta,
- then Hedi Slimane to Cathy Horyn,
- then Iman Ahmed to Hedi Slimane,
- then Cathy Horyn to Hedi Slimane,
- then Laura Craik to Hedi Slimane,
- then Hedi Slimane to Cathy Horyn, again,
- then Hedi Slimane wrote a letter to Santa Claus,
- then Santa tweeted to the Tooth Fairy, then — wait, what? Is your head spinning yet?
While the fashion industry has been know for their uptight conventions, it seems like lately it’s especially on trend to have your panties in a bunch.
So in celebration (?), we’ve prepared you with all the rules of formulating a fashion industry Open Letter, in case, ya know, you piss off a designer or something. Lo and behold, the art of writing the Open Letter:
1. Taunt. Taunt. Taunt.
Hot dogs? Hamburgers? Schoolyard bullies? And, heaven’s forbid, unfashionable fashion writers!? It doesn’t have to be vilifying — trivial is actually preferred. But go ahead, get your taunt on.
2. Be highbrow, but not really.
Take out a full page ad in WWD! Photoshop the New York Times header to make your own! Whatever you need to get your slot in “highbrow” media, just go ahead and do it.
3. Be convincing.
Really drive it home. I mean, really. Attack their career, attack their personality, attack their colleagues — lock, load, and fire those verbal canons!
4. Sound stuck up.
You know you’re better than everyone else, so why not show that off in your Open Letter?
5. Go ahead, get on your high horse, and ride it on home.
Tell others how they should act, how they should do their jobs, and how they should change. Sound embittered and experienced, and like you know much more about the industry.
What’s up with all of this catty behavior? Or is this “open letter trend” and the internet in general just shedding light to an ugliness that fashion industry outsiders don’t usually see?
[Image credit: Filippo Fior/GoRunway.com]
haha… i just included blogs critique as part of my regular material… at the end of the day, it is about conversation… conversations between designers, fabric, vision, critics, the masses and the list continues… and the louder the conversation, the more attention it will draw. the only form of bad publicity is no publicity… =)