How not to write

[Faust]

It is no secret that there is a lot of bad writing when it comes to fashion - misused terms like "minimalism" and "deconstruction," overused terms like "avant-garde" and "inspiration," and just plain, vomit-inducing, fake enthusiasm that permeates fashion marketing copy. I thought this would be a fun thread where we can tumble examples of bad fashion writing.

Got this headline from YOOX today:

"Free Spirit Style for the True Sophisticate"

[Dane]

My loathe the word "eclectic".

ie. - her eclectic wardrobe mixes high-street style with designer couture.

Translation - hot tranny mess.

Also, the misuse of the word "couture".

[HWith]

It's really not a misuse of a term per se, but I really hate the term "This seasons must-have". Seriously, who falls for that? For me it translates as must-avoid - not that I'd ever look in the directions of these so-called must-haves anyway. The same goes for stuff like "This season is all about floral prints/denim shorts/whatever" ... It saddens me that it's so easy to lure people into thinking that following seasonal trends is the epitome of high fashion stylishness.

[cjbreed]

^^dude i totally agree. what does that even mean? and how does it happen? "this season is all about yellow!" what? was there like a round table discussion and all these shithead fashion houses decided "ok guys, what are we going to make everyone buy this season?" and some guy spews out with "i'm feeling a lot of yellow right now. its just such a fun color, do u know what i'm saying?? i think yellows are the next thing"

"ok, yellow it is!!"

also. i'm tired of the word "aesthetic". just sayin'

[michael_kard]

In my honest opinion, all the things mentioned above can be found in the descriptions in Downtown's thread. Inspiring and beautiful clothes reduced to trendy bullshit.

[cjbreed]

i see why u think that and yes they do link to trendy fashion mags and all that but i think they are just creating a backstory to merchandise and style the clothes for their blog pics. sometimes it veers off into trendtown but for me they get a pass based on sheer epic inventory alone. and taste. and the blond chic is pretty cute. so yeah i forgive them

[michael_kard]

I agree the photos are usually nice, and selling these clothes is a completely different discussion (I've only recently realized how hard these people work to make their business survive selling SZ brands), but I simply can't get past descriptions like Into the Wild.

[Shucks]

^^dude i totally agree. what does that even mean? and how does it happen? "this season is all about yellow!" what? was there like a round table discussion and all these shithead fashion houses decided "ok guys, what are we going to make everyone buy this season?" and some guy spews out with "i'm feeling a lot of yellow right now. its just such a fun color, do u know what i'm saying?? i think yellows are the next thing"

"ok, yellow it is!!"

blame companies such as promostyl and trendstop, and the fiber-/textile-/fashion companies which buy their 'forecasts'...

[cjbreed]

oooohhhh.....now i see

ugh.

[Dane]

Also blame Pantone.

[Shucks]

u didn't know about agencies like that before? it's pretty disgusting. everyone buys their bullshit - car companies, paint manufacturers, museums...

[cjbreed]

you know what i think i did know about these types of agencies and i even remember debating the topic when the whole "charging to view SZ thing came up" but i guess i forgot all about it. weird. but i don't think i really grasp the reach and influence these companies have. but it may be the only way to account for some trends. they don't evolve naturally. they are created. to boost sales by feeding on groupthink and people's tendencies for conformity. ugh. again.

[michael_kard]

I wonder how accurate their predictions are. I signed up for Trendstop's "Free Fashion Trend Alerts Newspaper". Can't wait!!1

[gavagai]

I agree the photos are usually nice, and selling these clothes is a completely different discussion (I've only recently realized how hard these people work to make their business survive selling SZ brands), but I simply can't get past descriptions like Into the Wild.

haha. I agree completely. Honestly, Downtown sells incredible clothing for women so I do think they get a pass.

Regarding this thread and Downtown: I really think some retailers and copy writers actually use this BS talk to relate to the blogs and magazines that some of the women shoppers read. That is, they continue to talk this lame ass crap because alot of people are lame and actually buy into the hype. Downtown gets a pass because we think there shit smells good? HMMM. I agree but its faulty logic!

[Servo2000]

^^dude i totally agree. what does that even mean? and how does it happen? "this season is all about yellow!" what? was there like a round table discussion and all these shithead fashion houses decided "ok guys, what are we going to make everyone buy this season?" and some guy spews out with "i'm feeling a lot of yellow right now. its just such a fun color, do u know what i'm saying?? i think yellows are the next thing"

"ok, yellow it is!!"

also. i'm tired of the word "aesthetic". just sayin'

Quote from an interview with Takeji Hirakawa:

Second, fashion designers do not create trends. Fashion designers only "design" trends.

So who makes the trends? There are a few big syndicates of textile and material makers, who get together a year before the designers make collections, and decide what they should make for the next year. For example, the Paris textile show Premiere Vision that they do twice a year. University professors, cooks, and artists are contracted to Premiere Vision and come together to talk and brainstorm about things like where they vacationed over the last six months, what they think is visually attractive, what films they liked, what exhibitions were interesting. They talk about these things and put them up on the blackboard. They then organize these words into blocks and look for keywords within those blocks. Then they try to imagine particular colors from those blocks. In this process, the textile makers create trends as a "frame" for what to produce the next year.The textile makers make the frame, and within that frame, fashion designers go and purchase fabric from those manufacturers and then design trends that reflect their individual personalities. So designers design trends, but fabric manufacturers make the trends.