I love to travel. For many years, I spent my savings in joining tours to different parts of the world. There is nothing like travel for education and socialization. Every new place I visited gave me a different perspective of the wonders of nature and the varied cultures of people. I made very pleasant acquaintances and friendships with individuals I met in those trips. The exposure to architecture, crafts and other works of art in different countries has widened my horizon in understanding people and has also increased my tolerance of varied human behaviour.
But my period of traveling has already come to an end; I do not have the energy and resilience needed to cope with the demands of this pleasurable way of life. I would not be able to keep up with the rest of the tourists in those long walks of exploration.
I have to find other ways of compensating for the feeling of loss I badly experience in not being able to indulge myself in this interest that I have to forego.
I have to be satisfied with various means of seeing places and people. I have turned to books and other visual means of viewing places, people, works of art and other creations of man and nature.
Lately, I discovered a show that is quite fascinating, Fashion Television. This program takes the viewer to some of the most awesome places in the world – London, Paris, New York, Milan, Florence, Sao Paolo, Tokyo and lately Moscow and the Great Wall of China. The venues for the shows are so varied from the magnificent salons in Paris, to the ancient castles in London, the opulent mansions in Florida, the runways built with the Eiffel Tower and the Great Walls of China as backgrounds to deserted warehouses and subway platforms.
Guests to these fashion shows include celebrities: high government officials, millionaires and billionaires, actors and actresses, well known photographers, CEO’s of fashion magazines and artists of all kinds. Some of them are dressed like fashion models; others does not seem to care – they are in T-shirts and blue jeans.
Like traveling, viewing a fashion show can be very educational. One comes across the remarks of guests that assume different meanings as one sees what are in store for the viewers.
“Absolutely amazing” One’s eyes really open wide in amazement to see what the models display of their physical attributes in their scanty costumes. They are not bikinis or lingeries! So what are they? I am not sure!
“Incredibly inspirational! Very creative!” I agree, these are ideas that very few would dare dream of. There are tassels every which way similar to those one sees on drapes in medieval castles.
“The height of perfection!” Perfection in what? I am not sure: Some of the dresses are too tight and too short! (Parang kinulang ng tela). The gowns were so voluminous that the models had difficulty walking. But then, they were indeed different. That may be where the perfection lay.
“Unbelievable!” one guest exclaimed. She was referring to the “high risk” shoes, thin six-inch stilettos which some of the models removed as they walked on the runway, Indeed, they were dangerous!.
The clothes emphasize a particular aspect of the physique- the legs for the short, short hemlines, the boobs for the low neckline, the eyes for the varied hats etc,
Jewelry complimented the clothes from sparkling diamonds, emeralds and rubies, to colorful beads of all sorts, huge hoop earrings, oversized buckles and numerous bracelets. They are inspired by various cultures – African, Scottish, and South American.
Most of the designers are young and new. The older names still appear but they seem to be retiring soon or the trademark names stay but new designers are hired to continue with the business.
So are the models. Well-known names seldom appear on the runways anymore.
Furs and leather seem to start to be in vogue again. They appeared mostly as accessories like collars, bags, belts and wraps.
I think I shall continue watching Fashion Television. Maybe after a while I would develop the sensibilities necessary to appreciate the points of views of designers; I do not think that most of the clothes in fashion shows really ever become a part of the wardrobe of those whom we call the fashion conscious. They probably end up as costumes in plays, operas and similar gatherings.
The elegant gowns that cinema stars wear in galas are from these designers and some of them are sometimes outrageous, like those we see in fashion shows. But most of them really help enhance the attractive features of the wearers.
We know of certain celebrities who are considered fashionable but they do not wear these unbelievable designs that we have seen in fashion shows. Some of the well-known women who are very fashionable but have very impeccable tastes that I admire are the First Lady of the United States, Michele Obama, television personality Barbara Walters and US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
It is a surprise to me that well-known designers like Stella McCartney, Donatella Versace and the sisters known as Rodarte do not seem to be sampling any of their creations when they appear in public. Actresses and singers like Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham do.
In these tight economic times, several of the well-known designers have felt the pinch. The competition has become fiercer and fashion shows have become the means of showing off the designers’ goods.
Each show has to be more fabulous than the other to attract clients. The entertainment part heightens. Here I am on the sidelines with no prospect of being a client, but I shall stay for the surprises, shocks and fantasies that Fashion Television offers.
