One Friday afternoon in early March last year, I had a sudden urge, the first I'd had in over a year - I wanted to buy new clothes, the kind I could wear outside, the kind I could wear to a party.
It was late winter and the sun was shining and warming everything. A week and a half has passed since I received my first Pfizer New Crown vaccine. In this case, my optimism is overwhelming and I have to celebrate in my favorite way- online shopping!
I was looking forward to the new year with great anticipation: I wanted to be in the hustle and bustle of people, to enjoy all kinds of entertainment and to touch the hands of others, and I wanted to make a difference and recapture my past self before summer. First, I thought back to where I bought my clothes before the outbreak - ASOS? Medwell? Nordstrom? I racked my brain, reviewing outfit recommendations from the network shows I'd watched over the past year, then opened my browser ...... In a fit of blind optimism, I wandered into a bunch of black bottoms, sweatshirts, then matching sports corsets and ...... more bottoms. Finally, after sliding down numerous pages, I also came across some sweaters and jeans. Obviously, these clothes had been on the shelf for months. I stopped and pondered: Did I get the wrong month or season? I've had this suspicion many times since the outbreak.
| Not bothering to dress up
The fashion industry hands out items before consumers realize what they want, based on a guess of what they are interested in buying in the coming months. This time, however, I didn't see any new spring clothing on the shopping sites - bottoms were everywhere.
The epidemic has hit many industries hard, with the apparel industry bearing the brunt of the impact. Typically, people buy new clothes when their lives change, such as when they start a new job, end an old relationship or move to a new home. But in the past year, we rarely needed new clothes, much less the opportunity to wear high heels and formal pants, and sales of these clothes fell sharply, with people instead spending their money on pants with elastic bands and tie-dyed clothes becoming popular.
In 1928, in the movie "The Wedding March", the modern girl's outfit showed the popularity of the "Roaring Twenties" in America.
The most popular dress in 2020 is the "nightgown" - but it's just a fancy version of pajamas. In the past, the fashion industry spent billions of dollars each year to predict people's "future" consumer preferences. Now that people are less and less interested in dressing themselves, the anxious fashion industry has turned to studying what people will buy in the infinite cycle of the "present". However, there are some profound changes in American life today. For some, especially those of us fortunate enough to work from home, parties, appointments and socializing have suddenly returned. Those who have lost a loved one or had a brush with death are especially eager to embrace life and appreciate the present moment - which may be accompanied by an urge to improve their face value, and studies have found that people are more likely to want to look new after experiencing heavy stress. That means millions of people will be scouring stores and their own closets in search of the answer to an unfamiliar question: What will I wear to reintegrate into society?
| The Plague and Dress Code |
The plague has a long history of influencing people's dress; the Black Death claimed half of Europe's lives in the 14th century, and the rich legacy of the dead made life rich for the survivors. Some historians believe that the plague inspired Europeans to pursue haute couture and luxury goods, while at the same time, European clothing became tighter and tighter, buttons, furs and other embellishments became more common, and ornate headdresses became widespread. In this way, the Black Death gave birth to the Italian fashion industry, making it a global trendsetter to this day.
Later, the European closet became a barometer of disease. the late 18th century, the outbreak of tuberculosis in Europe was thoroughly romanticized, the disease caused by the thin body reflected in the wasp-waisted corsets of the time. the early 20th century, people began to worry that long floor-length skirts would hide dirt and cause disease, so women began to cut off the excess fabric to make the skirt shorter. Since then, the Victorian aesthetic has come to an end.
But fashion historian Valerie Steele, director of the Museum of Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, says an important historical reference to predict how Americans will dress after the epidemic is the "Roaring Twenties. At the time, both the protracted war on influenza and World War I had just ended, and many Americans were exhausted and disillusioned by the decade. Steele told me, "Young people were complaining that the United States had done a terrible job on these things, and that the country that had suffered a crushing defeat was asking us to follow the rules it had set." Sounds familiar, right? After the flu ended, America was rebellious and culturally diverse. People danced to jazz, drank and drifted in speakeasies, and the entire country indulged in unrepentant debauchery, a vindictive revolt against the abstinence and material deprivation of the previous years and a strong opposition to Prohibition. The rulers tried to stop this extreme hedonistic behavior with Prohibition, but failed. Young women also untied their corsets and donned ultra-short skirts, not only rebelling against the stereotypical rigidity of the previous era, but also pursuing a life of debauchery. The end of the flu became the beginning of an explosion of despair.
A model walks down the runway wearing clothes designed by the Erik-Yvon brand during Australian Fashion Week in Sydney on June 1, 2021.
Sexy is no longer a shameful taboo as it was in the early 20th century, but it is still not widely accepted. Lauren Sherman, senior correspondent for The Fashion Industry, said fashion changes have become more cautious in recent years as social norms, such as gender role identity, have shifted. The most recent trend has been to disguise body fat and thinness rather than seek physical freedom. I can't say that American culture is getting more extreme, but it's at least more politically sensitive," Sherman said. People are overdoing it and can't grasp the 'degrees' of sexiness."
Long before 2020, the number of celibates in the U.S. continued to grow. Add to that the fact that this past year, both singles and couples have practiced abstinence. For many, breaking the chains of abstinence and becoming a passionate person again starts with addressing the stress and loneliness of the past year. Nicole Perkins, a relationship writer and podcast host, told me that she wasn't sure how to dress going forward. "I hate to admit I'm scared of what's to come," she said with a quiver in her voice, "and it's hard to imagine how I'm going to return to my old life and start dating again when I'm still single." This anxiety is most visibly reflected in the dress code. Do you remember what you used to look best in? Do those clothes still have that magic? Do they still fit? In Perkins, I see myself with the same concerns.
Once the consumer stops taking clothing seriously, the designer's various designs can only be used as a bargaining chip for future bets.
But in a way, the impulse to shop is an effort to reconcile my detached body with the image I want to present in the next few months. If I can figure out what I want to wear, maybe I can become a "whole" person again. Or, at least, I could start developing relationships with people again. For America's lucky ones, the past year has been monotonous and lonely; for those who have lost their jobs, homes, loved ones or are on the front lines of the epidemic, there is more fear and grief. In the near future, many people may be able to enjoy the joy, but for others, the joy will hardly offset the pain they experienced just a short time ago. For those who feel both, the next few months will be a mixture of sadness and joy. At least I'll see my friends again, and I'll see the people I hate - which is equally exciting. I'm longing and anxious as if I'm about to embark on the first day of a new semester! But, boy, it's time to start a new life. Comparing this moment to the start of a new semester is obviously not apt, but the similarity is that both involve a wave of shopping first. After a long period of disconnection, you're going back and expanding your social circle like a blank sheet of paper. Even if everyone is planning to buy a few nice new dresses like I did, it's hard to find your favorite clothes at the mall all at once like you used to do at the end of summer.
| The Hesitant Fashion Industry
Sherman told me that in the winter of 2020, many brands said they would not start getting spring and summer clothes until around the beginning of May the following year, several months later than before. Many brands are even choosing to wait and see for longer in order to minimize risk. Another big reason why the U.S. apparel market is so unpredictable is that designers, like everyone else, are going through a period of "isolation. Sherman says, "There is a lot of fear in fashion and very little creativity left."
Even so, some designers believe that the future is full of possibilities, at least people will wear more sexy, for example, Givenchy has launched a new underwear for the display of the chest without pads. However, other designers are not so optimistic. Eddie Sailiman, the founder of France's Celine Clothing, used to be known for his extremely sexy and luxurious designs, yet in his recent ad campaign, the clothing models are wearing only sweatshirts and jeans with the brand's logo and baseball caps on their heads. Once consumers no longer value clothing, the designer's designs of all colors can only be used as a bargaining chip for future bets.
People are deciding what to wear when they go out by blending in socially, spending time with friends and colleagues, and observing what people around them are wearing. Fashion is a form of communication, and clothing is a way for us to express ourselves to others. But what's the point of that communication if it doesn't have an object? Sherman believes that it will be a long time after we return to society before this communication can take place. Only then will people be able to determine what they really want, and designers will be able to predict what consumers will want in this new era. Indeed, after all, the "Roaring Twenties" lasted a full decade, not just a few months.
