Thanks to my membership with the ever-glamorous Independent Fashion Bloggers [if you are an IFB Member, you should totally add me. All the kewl kids are doing it.], I got to read a fantastic blog post this week called Finance & the Fashion Blogger: Ignore-ance in Dramatis Personae. Although you should totally check the original post out, it basically acknowledges the oft-overlooked question of: “how do these fashion bloggers afford all of these clothes?”
Exhibit A: Jane from Sea of Shoes. Not only is she unfairly beautiful, she always seems to have something new (and frequently very high-end) complementing her ginger locks. Where does it all come from? Heaven? Does she grow money in her lovely backyard?
The Dramatis Personae post ponders the effects of financial responsibility on fashion blogging, and vice versa. After all, if we’re spending ourselves into the ground for new content, is it all worth it? Likewise, if we refuse to pry open our wallets for a new pair of shoes once in a while, are we really practicing what we preach?
If we’re being honest, I’m not the kind of blogger like Jane is, who posts about her wardrobe simply because I don’t have a but a NYC apartment, and money trees need a lot of space to grow. Not that there is anything bad at all about bloggers like Jane; I personally love to see people with fantastic style (and a nice camera) show it off. It just so happens I can’t be one of them.
Later that day, I read another article picked up by the Cut (originally from WWD) about the wardrobe budget of the upcoming Sex and the City 2 movie. 10. million. dollars.
“10 million dollars” is one of those grand figures that, unless you have access to it, is pretty detached from anything real. But think about it – what designer wouldn’t be dying to throw free clothes at this movie for the amazing exposure (except perhaps Manolo Blahnik)? So you have that, PLUS $10 million.
Why the hell do they need $10 million dollars, you ask?
Well, apparently, in ONE scene, Carrie wears $4,000 embellished jeans by the Blonds under a $47,190 silver-and-gold Chanel lamé dress and overskirt. To put this into context, that outfit would pay my New York City rent for three years. If any of you are outside of NYC, I imagine it could pay your rent for about six.
After learning about the SATC wardrobe budget and reading the Dramatis Personae post, I couldn’t help but wonder, is the aggressive consumerism displayed in Sex and the City during a time of economic hardship socially responsible? When people are still losing their jobs, stomaching pay cuts and suffering the effects of the recession, should we be really celebrating frivolous spending? Just like with the fashion bloggers, when you are depleting your bank account to fill your wardrobe, how does it all add up?
I decided to take my questions to the (online) streets by gathering the thoughts of some of my fellow fashion bloggers, who had a myriad of opinions on this topic.
My feeling is that Sex and the City, which has its New York premiere tonight at Radio City Music Hall, is based on illusion. In any time of crisis, we seek escape. In times of economic crisis, we seek an escape from the depressing Dow and shrinking savings accounts. The flash, the glamor – it’s all part of the escape.
Fortunately for me, many of my blogger friends agreed. First of all, we need to remember how important fashion is to this franchise:
“The clothes worn by Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte speak to me just as much as their characters do, utterly mesmerizing in all their designer glory from the minute those clothes appear on screen.” – RedPoppy, RedPoppy Fashion
“I know I’ll be sitting in the theatre pinching myself back to real-life after being swept up by the fantasy. As fabulous as the fashion is, it’s all conceptual. It’s the “if only” and “what if” of SATC fans’ worlds and is meant to inspire and impress; if real women were expected to spend BIG for wardrobes like that, we’d be in perpetual trouble with collection agencies! With the exception of heirs and celebrities, this kind of spending is just unrealistic… which is why I think it’s totally acceptable for us fashionistas to indulge ourselves in the fashion feast SATC serves up.” – Lindsay, Cubicle Chic
“This has become an important element of the movie: portraying a rich, glitzy, designer label, perfectly manicured lifestyle that is out of reach for 99.9% of its audience. For everyone watching the film, it has become a form of escapism, especially in these difficult economic times, where they can forget about today’s challenges and just bath in the glamorous fantasy of SATC. Like the NYTimes wrote, the movie is like a kind of “porn” for women (mostly) where their “dirty” fantasies of wealth, men, vacations and beautiful clothing, shoes and jewelry can be fulfilled. SATC is not at all about reality, so their unrealistic wardrobe budget is an understandable (although possibly difficult to swallow) expense for the film.” – Meredith, Cubicle Chic
I love this next blogger’s idea on the movie’s wardrobe and its ties into social responsibility and the economy -
“I love the movie’s outrageous clothing budget and everyone else should too! Films are supposed to have that fantastical element, and when it comes to SATC, the fashion is as important as the dialogue. Maybe more. If we can’t see some $50,000 skirt action in SATC, then where can we see it? With the economic crisis some people might feel it necessary to criticize, but let’s not forget that spending will help lead us back towards an economic upturn. So, if the film spent some money and inspires others to spend some as well, then I say: ‘thanks, SATC, for doing your part in helping the economy.’” – Kristy Eléna, Vogue Gone Rogue
Some thought a compromise of quality (but less expensive) clothing could achieve a fantastic effect:
“I believe in order to create a believable illusion there’s a definite need for high end clothes. I don’t think putting them in knock-offs or cheap clothes would fit the image that the show has created. I do, however, think that $10 million is a lot for a clothing budget and maybe they could have selected less pricey clothes that still have a high end look!” – Ta’Keisha, Violet Meets Fashion
While we all appreciate the glamor of Sex and the City, the incredible wardrobe budget gives others pause:
“People always look for escapes in they regular readings so the movie can be viewed as some inspiration or as a fantasy. On the other hand, people can get obsessed with labels and accept nothing else, leading to depression or bankruptcy. The bottom line it is sending a wrong message. We all need to stop with the excessive spending on fashion and start looking into the financial situation that America is facing. However, we created this monster. The alternative? View the outfits only as inspiration and try to find similar looks at more budget friendly stores.” – Island Gal, NYC Island Girl
But what do you think? Should we take it for what it’s worth, at face value, or does SATC send a dangerous message to vulnerable consumers?
Photo Credit: NY Magazine
“This… stuff’? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select… I don’t know… that lumpy blue sweater, for instance because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise. It’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent… wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic ‘Casual Corner’ where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.” – Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada
