Material World

Like Madonna once said, You know that we are living in a material world…and I am a material girl. But does being a fashion enthusiast automatically make you a material girl — the “nice” way of saying materialistic? Let’s investigate…

Those who don’t “get” fashion (probably none of you as you “get” it enough to read CCF) typically think of the category as being over the top, ridiculous, and of course materialistic. And I get it. When you see certain fashun (not to be confused with fashion) and Instagrams full of double CCs paired with red soles, of course materialistic is the first thing that’s going to come to mind. But one of my goals with ChiCityFashion (besides the whole Chicago + fashion thing) is to show that fashion is more than labels and logos — it’s a way you can express yourself everyday. I’m not saying there’s a right or wrong way to do that, but are you actually expressing yourself with all that Chanel or do you truly appreciate the history of the label? What Karl creates season after season? The countless hours that goes into producing each and every detail?

I agree there’s a fine line between materialism and fashion, but where do we draw that line? The actual definition of materialistic is as follows — excessively concerned with physical comforts or the acquisition of wealth and material possessions, rather than with spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values. So to some extent, even if your love for fashion is purely about appreciating designers and the empowerment of getting dressed (like my feelings towards the topic), you still are in some way concerned with material possessions…whether or not it’s excessive.

It was in high school when I first started to take an interest in fashion (beyond shopping…remember, those are two different things I frequent J. Crew every other week so I’m now a fashion expert people). For a while, I’m sure fellow classmates thought I was materialistic because of it (I was also basic so that doesn’t help my situation). I never meant for it to be that way but like I said, that “line” can be blurry and everyone sees said line a little differently. When it comes to a sub-category of fashion, I’m fascinated by the luxury part of the industry. Not because I need to have a closet full of Birkins (not like I would ever buy one, as the Kardashians ruined them forever…oh and I can’t afford one) but because you can’t beat quality. There are certain designers, who will remain nameless, who are in this high-end category but the quality of what they create does not match the price tag. There are others who create masterpieces season after season and they continue to blow my mind. How can you not love that? Even if you can’t afford it, you have to appreciate it. Some think it’s crazy for a coat to cost $4700. And it is a shit ton of money, don’t get me wrong, but when you have some knowledge about the designer who created it, the materials used, the hours it took, and all other information of why this coat costs four digits, it starts to make a little more sense.

Full isclosure: I don’t really know why this Chloe coat costs $4,695 (I never saw it in person so the quality could be awful…I have no idea) but I’m just trying to give an example here. You feel me, Emma?

She gets it. So, to recap…can you love fashion without being materialistic and do all materialistic people love fashion? Answer one yes / maybe and answer two would be no. Even Tom Ford has a stance on the subject. He said a few years ago…

[It] was pretty funny listening to Bruno Mars singing ‘You’re Amazing Just the Way You Are’ [at the Met Ball] when it was in front of a thousand people who are rich, beautiful, wearing a million dollars worth of jewelry, and dressed in $30,000 dresses that are only good this season because next season it’s all going to look out-of-date. That was quite funny because it’s this industry, of course, that makes people feel like they have to change. I have such a split personality about it. On the one hand I want to go off and live in the desert with my dog and sculpt things out of adobe, but then on the other I’m part of this industry that creates insecurity and focuses on materialism and things that aren’t actually, for me, the most important things in life. So it’s strange. […] I finally came to terms with it, because whether we like it or not, we do live in a material world.

You heard the man. So next time you ask “who makes those shoes?” (as this girl is clearly saying with her eyes but the answer is quite obvious), why do you want to know? Do you want to buy them? Do you just want to know the the designer? Are you currently analyzing how much that girl’s outfit costs and the shoes are the last piece of the puzzle? If you answered yes to two of the three, you might suffer from slight materialism…but that’s okay. The more you know…

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So what do you think of all this? Do you have any thoughts on fashion vs. materialism? Are you just a material girl living in a material world? Or are you like whatever I’m getting cheese fries, where’s the nearest thrift store?

Images via Pinterest, Fashion Gone Rogue & Harper’s Bazaar