Badvertising Fashion

When shopping for a flirty, flowery summer dress, or the perfect burnt orange peacoat for Fall, when you pull a promising prospect from the racks, how do you picture yourself in your new find? I don’t know about you, but I see myself running through a meadow of wildflowers, grinning and glowing in my pretty new frock, or wandering contentedly on a bright Fall morning, the crisp leaves crunching under my feet.

That’s what I want from something new in my closet – the prospect of confidence and happiness bound up in its threads, the thought of comfort or the feeling of sexiness or the rush of anticipation as I think about wearing my new forties-style t-straps to work on Monday.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think most women want to feel this way when they buy and wear new clothes. Let’s face it, shopping is akin to therapy for a lot of us, and new clothes can do wonders for a woman’s soul. I’m not saying that happiness is bound up in the superficial state of sporting a new skirt or sweater, but getting and wearing new clothes that we feel good in is part of the formula for female zen.

So, here’s my thing: I don’t understand what goes through the minds of some fashion execs when they’re strategizing about how to sell their clothes.

It being the season of crisp tweed skirts and buttery-soft leather boots, I’ve naturally been spending a good deal of time on fashion websites from Delia’s to Chanel, scoping out a new season of sartorial splendor. After a few hours of web-surfing, I noticed something…there are two distinctly different theories of fashion advertising.

The first is to show models being happy in the clothes they’re wearing. Healthy, glowing models with big (although somewhat unnaturally white) smiles, looking confident and comfortable. These rosy-cheeked, carefree girls seem to emanate – “Hey! I’m loving this cashmere wrap sweater, and so will you!” And my finger instantly itches to hit the “add to cart” button.

Here are some typical examples. Look how thrilled these lovely ladies are to be sporting some clothes!


Confident and cheerful in Beth Bowley @ Nordstrom

Approachable and pretty in Ann Taylor Loft


Glowing and radiant in ECI @ Nordstrom

Then, there’s theory number two. I’m sure there’s something to it, because some of the highest-end department stores and the most exclusive designers seem to prescribe to it. Basically, the theory goes: make a girl look as miserable as possible in the clothes.
Hunch her over like she's dying of appendicitis, maker her look gaunt and drugged and generally zombie-like; or just get her to glare into the camera like she's ready to tear your esophagus out with her teeth like a rabid wolf.

Sooo....what is it with this? Why do fashion designers, merchandisers and advertisers choose to sell their products by making the women wearing them look scary, sick or angry? This is especially true of many super-chic designers - designers whose ad campaigns have brought on such hits as the era of "heroin chic". Shudder. Personally, I don't understand. So, by spending exhorbitant amounts of money on a piece of couture, I too can twist myself into contortions while looking like I haven't slept in a week and haven't eaten in recent memory...or I too can look like I'm really, really pissed off by the fact that I'm wearing a piece of clothing that costs more than a Mexican farm worker's annual salary.

Here's what I'm talking about from some recent on-line catalogue shoots:


Chilly disdain is so hot! Conspicuous Mary @ Nordstrom


Disgruntled fashionista in Charlotte Ronson @ Shopbop



This cashmere is making me cranky! in Cashmere Donegal @ Neiman Marcus


Don't hate her because she's beautiful - let her hate you! in Diane von Furstenburg @ Nordstrom


The pants have cut off circulation to the happy neurons in the brain - L.A.M.B. @ Shopbop


Excuse me, I need to throw myself off a bridge in Karen Zambos Vintage Couture @ Shopbop


In a slump in Juliana Jabour @ Shopbop

So, what gives? Why do the powers-that-be think that we, clothing-conscious consumers, would be drawn to these images of miserable women in nice clothes? Is it some misguided nod to the culture of celebrity where new designs are often sported by spoiled, troubled celebutantes most often seen hung over and hunched over and generally haunted and hungry- looking rather than happy and at peace with themselves? Does it parallel that culture of exclusivity that pervades the most fabulous fashion houses - that snide, snotty attitude of separating out the worthy from the unworthy, the rich from the poor, the stylish from the unstylish? Or are we somehow attracted to the thought of being well-dressed but distressed?

I'm sure there's a sociology thesis in this somewhere. But for now, all I can say is - I don't get it. So here's my challenge to designers, advertisers and merchandisers alike - when you're advertising fashion as an ideal, choose an ideal that resonates with women's values and their realities. Show your clothes on healthy, confident and happy women. That way, when we're looking at your ads, we'll dream of making your clothes part of our lives and of how that cashmere sweater will hug our curves, soothe our spirit, and fill us with the warm glow of confidence as we stroll down the street crunching Fall leaves under our feet.