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The mystery of writing about fashion is why it matters. Bierce's "a despot whom the wise ridicule and obey," covers it. When you look at it as how people signal

The mystery of writing about fashion is why it matters. Bierce's "a despot whom the wise ridicule and obey," covers it. When you look at it as how people signal their alignment to what they percieve as power, it makes more sense. The article was essentially about who leads and who follows, and how they could tell, where when russians wore copies of western suits, the writing was on the wall, even if it would be decades before the wall came down. There is another piece to fashion, where it is a way to assess real desire. There are opinion polls and things people lie about, and then there are what they actually do. Envy for american fashions could have (and ultimately did) contribute to erosion of the soviet edifice. I remember hearing stories about how in the 80's, the vintage shops we all liked in the punk scene had made money by getting used jeans here to ship to Germany so they could be smuggled into Eastern Germany. Turns out the stories weren't apocryphal either, a transcript: https://www.businessinsider.com/brought-to-you-by-podcast-btyb-levis-came-in-from-cold?op=1 https://www.businessinsider.com/brought-to-you-by-podcast-bt... Such interesting times.

mc32 5y ago
>” where when russians wore copies of western suits, the writing was on the wall…” I don’t think that’s quite right. I think it’s more a reflection of the despot being dead (Stalin) and being free of that shackle. The UK and North America used to follow French fashion (hats, dresses, textiles, etc) that didn’t mean the French were winning (be it economic, cultural or otherwise) aristocracy just thought they had forward fashion sense.
- motohagiography 5y ago
  On that last point, the House of Bourbon would probably disagree. They had rulers all over the world, and UK aristocrats adopting their fashion was arguably a nod to their ascendency, and as a way to distinguish themselves with with signals of the global and exotic. After the revolution/terror, french fashion was out until the rise of the industrial middle class. It was during/after the restoration that French brands like Charvet and Hermés were founded (c. 1830's) and still later, Louis Vuitton, and they once again became ascendent on the global stage. Themes in fashion are a pretty good macro signal for where growth is going.

mc32 5y ago

>” where when russians wore copies of western suits, the writing was on the wall…” I don’t think that’s quite right. I think it’s more a reflection of the despot being dead (Stalin) and being free of that shackle. The UK and North America used to follow French fashion (hats, dresses, textiles, etc) that didn’t mean the French were winning (be it economic, cultural or otherwise) aristocracy just thought they had forward fashion sense.

motohagiography 5y ago
On that last point, the House of Bourbon would probably disagree. They had rulers all over the world, and UK aristocrats adopting their fashion was arguably a nod to their ascendency, and as a way to distinguish themselves with with signals of the global and exotic. After the revolution/terror, french fashion was out until the rise of the industrial middle class. It was during/after the restoration that French brands like Charvet and Hermés were founded (c. 1830's) and still later, Louis Vuitton, and they once again became ascendent on the global stage. Themes in fashion are a pretty good macro signal for where growth is going.