In response to a friend pt.1: Why do we buy?

Brandon Acton Bond off somewhere jetsetting in the snow.

This is a rare for me to feel so motivated by another bloggers post to make a post in reaction to it. Brandon Acton Bond is the guy to break this rare mold. He is a reader of this blog and a great blogger who always finds something inspiring about his life to share with the reading public. Another reason I have decided to share my reactions to his post that can be read here. Brandon had a revelation as both a designer and a consumer: why do we buy what we buy and continue the consumer cycle? What a grat conversation to have! Which is why I felt it an important topic to bring up on the blog. And yes I know it has been about 3+ days for me to post about this (which is close to a few months in blogworld) but I wanted to write this when I had ample time to asses what Mr. Bond had to say as well as show you photos in a series for a project I am participating in.


Brandon starts with observing the blog commenter and the "I love..." comment. As bloggers we all get them and as blog readers, myself included, we post them. But think about it: Isn't that the same as fast fashion? It is not that we as readers of fashion blogs don't have ample to say but instead we enjoy, quoting Bond, "skimming through the outfit post for pretty pictures" and assessing them quickly. I could not argue enough that this is just a small evolution of the human brain to analyze information and to truncate it quickly. If you are a student at Uni you try to make ample use of this skill. And like Bond I am not a theorist, yet, or have interest in studying the brain. Since this is more of a response than a rehashing of the same arguments I suggest reading the same New York Times article that Brandon suggests which discusses these matters in more detail.

Me, after a week of being sick. Still dapper though, no?
Sweater: Land's End/ Pants: Juicy Couture onsie/ Shoes: vintage English house slippers

Next I would like to discuss the role of advertising in the fashion world. This will be short as the majority of you understand that it has and always will play a specific importance in the longevity and financial security of a brand or designer's fashion house. Since everyone is so elated over Tom Ford I will use him as an example. He transformed Gucci from a cliched fashion house into a viable fashion force to be reckoned with in a short time. While design and stability of the garment are about 60 percent of the process 40% can be attribute to marketing and branding which is the purpose of advertising. Bond argues that a brand is now, essentially, a dominate force in fashion media such as magazines and websites. The only exceptions are fashion blogs which can also be argued. Where does that leave the consumer? How do you know that the magazines editorial is not just a mask to promote specific brands and a photographer's work? I am sure you notice that the same photographers are used repeatedly and the same with designers. There is also a reason why most of the more successful designers and fashion editors are in their late 40s or older. The old elite will protect themselves and I don't want you to think I have a problem with it. This is fashion after all! The glamour, elitism is all apart of the game and it only hinders those that do not take time to understand that it is a business like any other. In this way advertising and branding controls what magazines write about and editorialize in their pages.

Sidenote: (I figured I would post this winning picture of me dancing, when posing I get antsy.)

Times are rough and yet we still spend on material goods that don't really benefit ourselves. One could argue they benefit us emotionally and I say YES. But another argument could be made that staying healthy, giving back to the community, and many other activities could achieve the same goal. Do you see where I am going with this? As Bond says: fashion blogs and magazines make us feel exceptional for our obsession with fashion and content feelings on shopping. The Business of Fashion shared an article a few months ago about the lowered interest in luxury fashion to the rich. Instead the article talks about how middle class and mildly upper class individuals spend on luxury fashion. The whole notion that you buy rich things so people can think you are rich is silly and foolish but has some truth. However, the make and tailoring of a garment is equally attractive to someone who is conscious of quality clothes and is willing to spend on them. I know several and I know for a fact Bond is one of them. This idea of buying clothes because they both look good and are made well is an important one.

Next time I will tell you why I have decided to morph into a personal fashion blogger for 30 days in order to prove that both fast fashion and luxury fashion should not matter when it comes to style. If you were able to get through this post I applaud you and would love to hear what you have to say.

Life is beautiful, let's share a little. 

Joy D.