Existential Crisis: Do I even like Fashion?

TLDR: Yes, I do.

I returned from my weekend trip to New York City with this question: Do I even like Fashion? Outfit-watching at Fashion Week parties and a conversation with a friend on the 2-hour commute back to Philly had sent me into an existential spiral. If I don't like Fashion, am I even Sara?

I got the obvious out of the way first: Do I like clothes? Yes. Duh. Though liking clothes and liking Fashion are not the same. Fashion is a culture, clothing is an art.

As I glanced at the population of the monstrous, growing lines outside the coolest parties, I lost faith in Fashion. Why is everyone wearing a variation of the same thing? NYFW used to be a place to spot the most fashionable outfits. I feel surrounded by Xeroxed NPCs whose only programmed motion is waving their RSVPs in the doorman's face. Is this what fashion culture has come to? When did the after parties become more exclusive and important than the shows?

I'm disappointed in New York. At one function, attendees stood in front of a photographer to capture their outfits. I was unimpressed, sorry. One chick wearing bloomers over her stockings looked cute, I'll give her props. Everyone was so modest! Yeah, it was freezing degrees but show some skin for god sake; I sure was under my big furry coat.

On the ride home from the city, I chatted with my friend about my passion. It all started when I remarked that I didn't like the long wool peacoat that adorned oh so many New York passerby's. To which he retorted, "You don't like anything that you wouldn't wear". I paused. "Well, yeah". He had made an accurate statement. Does my stubborn, individualized perspective on Fashion dethrone me from my Fashion Girl status?

I can spot a trend, don't get me wrong. But I really prefer not to. I avoid TikTok at all costs; the place where originality goes to die and reincarnate as the hottest modern fad. Keep your fleeting fads far from me! I fear that downloading that dreadful app with suck the creativity right out of me. Instagram is cool though. My algorithm tries so hard to get me to watch Reels but I resist. Something about the discordant sounds as someone swipes through, barely giving each video a chance, makes my blood boil. I'm a proud hater.

Another aspect of Fashion is the evil industry. I'll tell the story of how I got led on, used for labor, and ghosted by an employer.

I had DM'd a super cool gal who had posted a story on Instagram seeking resumes for an open position. We chatted and she sent me her email so I could send her my work. I repeated the same scenario with another employee of the company, in a different department. Cool. I sent my application to both and quickly got an email back inviting me to their office for an interview. Cool! I had happened to be in New York that day so it worked out that I could "come in for an interview and trial run". I took to Reddit to define a trial run. What I gathered is that they exist in all industries and consist of a day to meet prospective coworkers and understand the atmosphere while completing tasks to prove your value.

It all went great! They applauded me and one other prospective intern for finishing all the work we were given; they were doubtful we'd get to the end of the countless stacks of papers. We even stayed late to get it all done.

I got an email a few days later thanking me for my time and asking for a follow up interview. They liked me in two departments, we were going to chat about which one is the best fit for me. I interpreted this as good news; better odds. We set a date and a Zoom link that she never joined... I sent an email 20 minutes after she hadn't arrived. I sent a follow up the next day to set another date. I even went to our original mode of correspondence through DM and sent a friendly message. I remained hopeful. But I never heard from them again and thats the end of the story. Bummer.

I'm not bitter, though it would have been an awesome job. I'm upset that this is a canonical tale for most young people entering the Fashion industry. At least thats what my professor says. It's unprofessional and rude, in my opinion. That's the last I'm going to speak on it. Gotta take that L on the chin and keep pushing.

Back to the question at hand: Do I like Fashion? Even after that experience?

After all this complaining, I realized I love it. Fashion is chaos; my favorite. Because Fashion and clothes are so completely intertwined, I must be into Fashion. So that's my answer. Existential crisis averted. We good.

'Til next time,

Sara