The appreciation and rejection of purely functional fashion

This weekend was a flurry of fit checks, especially with the Revolve Festival at Coachella often billed as the influencer Olympics. While Coachella's influencers, headliners, and attendees were dressed to the nines, it was also an incredible weekend for creatives, as their work was showcased through a plethora of Instagram photos and performances.

But before moving on to Coachella, the NBA's women's pick was also an incredible display of athletes in their finest outfits. The number one selection, Caitlin Clark, made history as the first athlete to be dressed head-to-toe in Prada during an NBA or WNBA draft.

Okay, back to the music, or for me, the lack of it. I myself was devastated not to attend this year. I generally don't mind missing major festivals, but I have a deep love for Lana Del Rey and only felt my FOMO quadruple when a leaked video of her sound check included her unreleased song, You Can Be The Boss.

But that didn't mean I went down the rabbit hole of Lana Del Rey and festival fashion. An artist that stood out to me was Doja Cat.

In true Doja Cat fashion, she took performance art and the avant-garde to a new level. In an interview with Vogueshe explained how she wanted the show to feel like a textural fever dream, with her outfits serving as a scientific exploration of self, dissection of the mind, and deeper understanding of what makes us who we are.

Performing hit songs such as Attention, Paint the Town Red, Tia Tamera and Need to Know, her outfits consisted of a hazmat suit, silicone muscles, faux fur two-pieces and the most fabulous of all: floor-length hair extensions with long-haired boots to match her dancers, also with floor-length hair and hairy, full-coverage bodysuits.

The all-natural human hair costumes were made by Charlie Le Mindu, a French hairstylist and creative director who has previously worked with iconic artists on their hairpieces such as Lady Gaga's blonde lips. It got me thinking about fashion as well as function, if we really can have both.

Clothing is obviously functional if we look at the definition of the word, according to Oxford Languages: of or having a special activity, purpose or task; relating to the way something works or functions. Clothing covers us, helps us resist the elements and sometimes even perform particular tasks, such as creating illusions of shapes and silhouettes.

Ironically, functional also has a second definition: designed to be practical and useful, rather than attractive. But if we delve deeper into the practical side, I can easily say that the clothes are quite versatile, as the fabric itself can help mop up spills, serve as a tourniquet, and be folded into a makeshift bag.

Yet the concept of fashion and practicality is the subject of an age-old debate over whether fashion is an industry or an art. When functional clothing attempts to be both fashionable and practical, the fashion element is always an accessory rather than a part of the design.

For example, vintage charms are meant to be an addition to your bracelet or necklace, but it's even more fun when you can open the hatch of a spring-loaded hand truck, spinning around the horse on the merry-go-round. or hide something in a mini gold safe.

So the opposite can be true: having an illusion of functionality behind a pure accessory: the Diesel belted skirt, the Acne Studios mini skirt in the shape of a leather bag (with attached pouch) or the Ganryus quintuple-belted jeans.

It might simply have to do with the difference between being fashionable and having everyday style, particularly with the interchangeability of the two in terms of how we may or may not implement and execute expressions close to artists and artists. creative in our daily lives. .

We may think we are mundane and that our lives have fallen into a rhythmic noise that puts us to sleep, but just as we and our circumstances are constantly changing, so is fashion. Perhaps the spark we need to lift our spirits lies in taking on a daily task as simple as putting on clothes and changing our mindset to create an outfit.

As a result, our verbs and actions become more exciting as we give ourselves and our tasks more meaning than we initially intended.

Henry David Thoreau once said, “In the long run, men achieve only what they aim for.” Therefore, even if they were to fail immediately, they had better aim for something high.

We can aim higher, carry harder, create more and increase our presence. If we have been told that our world is our own and that we live in self-centered worlds, then why not follow that narrative?

Our stories keep us grounded in our deepest, most innocent, and simplest desires. If we can honor our stories and let them surface in the warm climate of the West Coast, then I think we can be unstoppable.

One of my favorite songs is Let My Love Be Heard by Jake Runestad. So get out there and make yourself heard. If that means wearing a floor-length wig, I encourage you to do so. The world East your oyster and the clothes you wear are your drawing board, go out there and make your mark!

Hadyn Phillips is a young writer who writes about fashion in the 21st century, highlighting new trends and popular controversies. Her column, Thats Fashion, Sweetie, rwe are every Wednesday.