The other day I saw a post from a Croatian celebrity comparing Zendaya’s SAG Valentino dress with one of her skirts. The skirt was designed a few years ago by a Croatian designer and was not even remotely similar to Zendaya’s dress. The only thing they had in common were roses made of textiles and applied on the fabric. “Always ahead of her time,” she wrote about the designer. I had to read that twice. Is she suggesting that the said designer invented the application of textile roses onto clothing? Also, is she comparing what seems to be an industrially embroidered fabric sold by the meter to Valentino’s hand-stitched Italian silk roses? There were 190 roses, each hand folded and stitched onto the silk. It took 5 hours to make each rose and 1230 hours to make the whole dress.
The lack of knowledge about fashion from celebrities and influencers who post about it the most saddens me so much. Other users see them as an authority and are likely to believe everything they read. And it’s not just celebrities. Vogue’s fashion journalist, whom I honestly admire, posted about Christopher Kane’s latest collection, jokingly begging him to stop making peplums. Kane, however, did not make peplums at all. Peplums are usually placed in the area of the waist, and Kane positioned layers of fabric on the hips. A bustle would have been a better term if you really need to refer to fashion history. How is it possible that a person hired by Vogue as a fashion writer doesn’t know this?
A lapsus can happen to anyone. It wasn’t once that I wrote tiger instead of leopard print in my reviews. But I keep coming across so much ignorance. In those moments, I feel the need to comment or at least send a friendly message to the person. “Hey, you’re telling people something that’s not true. Here’s an article about how this dress was made. Here’s a book you can read to learn more about fashion history. Here’s an article about why the thing you’re saying is sustainable actually isn’t.” I never do it. The reason is the same as when I stopped writing fashion show reviews. People get offended. They consider themselves to be authorities, and they don’t like criticism. I can only bring anger onto myself this way (hence why I’m not naming anyone in this article), and I distanced myself from that mentally and physically a long time ago. But what should I do? I need to act, and yet I don’t know how to do it. Besides, I kind of don’t want to, you know? Ignorance and stupidity were always around. We just weren’t exposed to them as much as we are today.
So, I try to stay away from other people’s walls and feeds as much as possible. Those who want to learn more and write things online that are fact-driven will find a way to expand their knowledge and connect with others who share their beliefs. I guess that’s why I publish this newsletter.
P.S. Tell me I’m not the only one frustrated by this. Oh yeah, and share tips on how not to be, please!
It’s time for some news! This March marks six months since the first Stitch newsletter. I want to thank all of you subscribers who have been here since day one and the new ones who didn’t skip the subscribe button but decided to stay. Subscriptions are a way to show me you support my work, and I appreciate that. Your reactions, comments, e-mails, and DM’s, are even more important to me. Through them, I realized there’s a need for two weekly newsletters. Starting next week, you will receive two issues of the Stitch newsletter in your inbox. The first issue will be educational - I will write about sustainability, better shopping habits, clothes maintenance, etc. The second one will be more personal - I will show you things from my closet and write small opinion pieces like this one today. Both issues will remain free for now. I hope you’ll stay here for the ride, and maybe invite some friends too.
This also reminded me a designer’s reaction when I showed him an eagle rays’s skin pattern, spontaneously suggesting it could make a great effect on a dress; the initial surprise was followed by bother and by ill-concealed discomfort. He felt his genius was devalued, as if it was me creating that breathtaking pattern. I had to explain him he could find quite a wide range of inspiring patterns already existing in nature. Valentino should mentioned who invented the roses in my opinion :)
sharing same frustrations - the fact most people are unable to accept any form of criticism and the loss of the ability ( and will ) to dialogue - in the era of communication - is dramatic. social media are a reflection of the real world therefore as you said it’s a matter of overexposure of simplification, ignorance and self-celebration.
I sometimes still dare to comment, but I think not only twice before doing it; maybe it’s a good thing in the end :) hasty comments are never accurate