Fashion Showdowns

Fashion is a heady business that brings all sorts of people from different walks of life together and as such, it is a wonderfully lush breeding ground for conflicts. Criticism, double-crossing, boycotts, putsches, the Fashion world sees them all. And we’re all so used to them that we no longer notice. So, are showdowns an inherent and necessary part of Fashion?

One perfect example being played out very publicly is Vogue vs Bloggers (or Influencers, depending on wom you talk to). Opinions are being voiced here, there and everywhere in defence of one camp or the other and battle lines are being drawn. And that’s constantly the way it is in Fashion. You choose your camp, a camp - or somehow end up in one - and deal with everything that comes with it. The extent of the conflicts you end up in can range from mild backbiting to full-scale Mexican standoff, but there is a tacit understanding that this is just one of the by-products of something as fickle as Fashion.

That isn’t to say that arms are constantly up and we’re always lying in wait, ready to take down our Fashion foes. And sometimes, just sometimes, some Fashion feuds are actually laid to rest, though unlike so many things in Fashion, conflict resolution can be painfully slow (think years and decades rather than weeks and months). But Fashion showdowns do tell us a lot about the state of the industry, its development and its place in society. We’ll just have to wait and see what we learn from the Vogue vs Bloggers showdown - and see which side takes the most perfectly-styled well-heeled prisoners.

The Chicutopian (@barbedchic)