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Thursday, January 31, 2008: I'm excited to announce a new collaboration with (the) Manolo (for the) Men 'blog. I'll keep writing longer pieces for this site, with shorter, snippier bits there. ManoloMen's Izzy will continue his magnificent-ness there, and I will add some sparkle of my own. Thanks to The Manolo!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
lost in translation
I prefer not to hear artists speak about or interpret their own work. If you have watched the director's commentary on the DVD of a really good film you might agree that an artist saying, "look how my art works!" really destroys any allure. An artist presumably chooses the medium of film (or canvas or clay or acid-free paper and pencil) because it transmits a more complete message. In 1937, Picasso could have just issued a statement through his PR agent, "war is bad and evil and nasty," but instead he painted Guernica. Somehow the effect lasted longer.
Lately I find myself talking about clothing to a lot of normal people--people not in the business, and not already so passionate about clothing--and I am reminded of the sticky situations you can get yourself in when describing clothing. Even seemingly safe words like classic or American or just "brown" can trigger a thought, or an experience. To hear that something is "classic" is to remind you of the guy you never liked in the cubicle next to you who always wore "classic" clothing. Ooops. Wrong word, even if it's true by the dictionary definition.
I think you have to get yourself into trouble with words first to realize how damaging they can be. Is that shoe dressy? Or is it formal? Or casual? Or less dressy? Ah, it's conservative. American. Is that suit slick? Or classic? I think it's a power suit. Or no, maybe it's Ivy League. Is the color of that tie green, or emerald? Is the suit brown? Though these words have accepted definitions, interpretations vary.
The legendary Arthur Jordan at Louis Boston first taught me the dangerous power of these words. ("Wield them with care!" he may or may not have said.) I specifically remember mini-lectures about the words green, brown, and old. Very, very dangerous, these words. In clothing, none of them usually carry a good connotation. Nobody wants a brown suit or an old shirt or a green tie. But a chocolate worsted, a proven style, or a hunter tie might enable us to continue the conversation.
Take this one step too far, and our result is a variety of words and statements that no longer mean anything in the context of clothing. When you work in clothing and read men's magazines and press releases and the trade weekly DNR, you see a lot of this. They're just space-fillers--very safe space-fillers. Classic. Redefining. Elegant. Sophisticated. Modern. (And my favorite, the phrase "modern classic.") The salesperson might say, "It's a business suit but you can dress-it-down with a pair of loafers and a polo shirt." Nothing is ever too anything. It's always just enough this, and just enough that, making it perfect for you, the average consumer. Yet this is how we have arrived at the current state of dialogue on men's clothing: it's bland and passive.
In sales, if forced to talk about a style, or a particular piece of clothing, it might be better to tell a story. The best retailers and salespeople know this very well. An adjective is a hard, defining word. A story is just as informative, and less definitive. It's up for interpretation, which is exactly what we want to say about clothing.
It's hard for some people with self-proclaimed rational minds to believe that these little words could have such an effect. We may like the idea of being objective and emotionless about our clothing, but it's just not possible. We can buy stereos and cars and houses without emotion: we can do it by numbers and reputation only. Clothing is one of the few areas where we have to rely on emotion and interpretation and sensitivity to guide us.
Thankfully, the clothes are already communicating whatever it is you may be trying to say with language. Just train yourself to listen, look, and practice. Then throw the words away.
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