Architect Philip Johnson gave a famous lecture at Harvard University detailing what he considered to be "The 7 Crutches of Modern Architecture." In it, he explains how architects can rely on characteristics of architecture that provide a false pretense of success. You can read the short lecture here.
The Seven Crutches:
- History
- Pretty Drawing
- Utility
- Comfort
- Cheapness
- Serving the Client
- Structure
For example, Johnson claims it is easy to reference a historical building to justify your own. Just because it or an aspect of it exists in history or has some sort of historical precedent, does not make your work successful.
I believe clothing is a lot like architecture in many ways and I've recently been thinking we should open a dialogue about the crutches of fashion. Clearly, this art form is not devoid of flaws. And I think now might be a good time to be critical of those things even if they exist within some of the designers we wear and support.
We could start by mirroring and expanding upon some of the ones Johnson outlined.
Cheapness
I think this is responsible for much of what fast fashion has to offer. I would be very curious to see how people would respond to some of the clothes offered at H&M or similar stores if they were 3 or 4x the price. How much of what is appreciated is due to its affordability and not of the physical designs? Obviously there is a converse to that as well since many of the clothes are modeled after high fashion and they invariably retain some redeemable formal qualities. And of course the design becomes flawed when you feel it or it falls apart after minor use.
There are many more that we can talk about but I just wanted to get the topic started. I need to get back to my real homework, unfortunately. But I was also thinking about the crutch of concept. I think some CCP could easily fall into this category.
I should make a note that this thread is not intended to make us look like a bunch of miserable old men and women bickering about what is wrong with the world. I know some people here practice fashion design both professionally or as a hobby and we all consume it. Hopefully this could help us better understand the clothes we appreciate and also make us aware of perhaps not so obvious flaws in other designs.
The Seven Crutches:
- History
- Pretty Drawing
- Utility
- Comfort
- Cheapness
- Serving the Client
- Structure
For example, Johnson claims it is easy to reference a historical building to justify your own. Just because it or an aspect of it exists in history or has some sort of historical precedent, does not make your work successful.
I believe clothing is a lot like architecture in many ways and I've recently been thinking we should open a dialogue about the crutches of fashion. Clearly, this art form is not devoid of flaws. And I think now might be a good time to be critical of those things even if they exist within some of the designers we wear and support.
We could start by mirroring and expanding upon some of the ones Johnson outlined.
Cheapness
I think this is responsible for much of what fast fashion has to offer. I would be very curious to see how people would respond to some of the clothes offered at H&M or similar stores if they were 3 or 4x the price. How much of what is appreciated is due to its affordability and not of the physical designs? Obviously there is a converse to that as well since many of the clothes are modeled after high fashion and they invariably retain some redeemable formal qualities. And of course the design becomes flawed when you feel it or it falls apart after minor use.
There are many more that we can talk about but I just wanted to get the topic started. I need to get back to my real homework, unfortunately. But I was also thinking about the crutch of concept. I think some CCP could easily fall into this category.
I should make a note that this thread is not intended to make us look like a bunch of miserable old men and women bickering about what is wrong with the world. I know some people here practice fashion design both professionally or as a hobby and we all consume it. Hopefully this could help us better understand the clothes we appreciate and also make us aware of perhaps not so obvious flaws in other designs.
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