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Don't Pay Homage To Original Fashion Trendsetters?



As I sit here surrounded by Elle, InStyle, Vogue and W magazines – not to mention having Style, Fabsugar, and NYmag sites open on my desktop (just to name a few) searching for the latest trends in Hollywood that can seamlessly be incorporated into the average woman’s wardrobe (let’s be realistic everything that’s seen on the runway or in Hollywood is not something the average woman wants to wear or even practical for her to wear) I come across a critique of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s style showcased at the Emmy’s. Besides realizing that I missed one of the major fashion events - let’s be honest with ourselves no one cares who wins, maybe except the actors, but we the audience truly only care about what the actors wear – after all the primary function of the Emmy’s is to showcase the latest fashion trend. The Emmy’s are forgiving to those actors whom are not able to cut it as models, due to their height deficiency, by allowing them to be the center of attention in the fashion world for one night strutting down their runway or as it’s more famously known the red carpet (you can argue that actors are the center of attention when it comes to fads, but I don’t count tabloid pictures as being the center of attention, consider it to be more like stalking someone) – anyhow I digress from the topic at hand my surprise about AOL’s comment regarding Ms. Hewitt’s ‘80s hairstyle.

I was quite surprised, but entertained, by AOL’s critique of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s hairstyle. I personally thought the style gave an effortless romantic bed look. Maybe the look does not have a place on the red carpet but hey keep in mind I never claimed to be a red carpet stylist or expert. Granted Jennifer Love Hewitt does not always make the A-list for her style but saying the style came straight from the ‘80s is just wrong. For the current generation the statement has no meaning but for those of us that lived in the dreadful era of Hammer pants, Gumby haircuts and androgynous looks gone wrong – the statement is just plain cruel.

The critique then made me question what really makes a statement – fashion statement that is.

If anyone can remember when Toni Braxton dared to wear the famous barely there Roman Toga gown by Richard Tyler at the 2001 Grammy awards, her pick was seen as risqué and even a bit taboo. Many people commented about the choice and some even claimed that she tried to compete with Jennifer Lopez’s Versace gown worn at the 2000 Grammy Awards ceremony. Everyone’s memory was a bit short that night.

Before the 2000 Grammy Awards Toni Braxton was famous for wearing revealing, sexy gowns at almost all of the events she attended. Once she married suddenly she had to reclaim her sexiness by trying to compete with Jennifer Lopez’s gown – a newcomer to the game at that time. The comment was both preposterous and annoying. How could someone who started the trend try to compete with a newcomer? If anything Jennifer Lopez seem to pay tribute to Toni Braxton blazing the trail for allowing women to showcase their sexiness as both fashion and art.

Around the same time the public appeared to attribute another trendsetting movement to Ms. Lopez – the apple bottom. Hollywood stars would try to obtain the perfect round “gluteus maximus.” If any star attained the most sought out feature at that time, fashion reporters affectionately coined their butts the Jennifer Lopez butt.

Now let’s keep in mind there were many women before Jennifer Lopez that strutted their round derrières’ across the big and small screens. Women such as Toni Braxton, Janet Jackson and Halle Berry just to name a few were proud of their shapely figures yet having this figure did not become stylish for mainstream until Jennifer Lopez made the climb to fame. Rihanna’s new haircut, to me is very reminiscent of Halle Berry’s mushroom cut in the early ‘90s, yet it is considered innovative and the new rave. Do we pay homage to a select few of trendsetters in fashion or do we recognize all?

Could it be the more marketable the person is the more likely the hairstyles, dresses or even body figures he/she sports make the style more fashionable, outdated or just bad fashion?

Visitors I post this question to you - Is fashion dictated by the people, a true democracy, an art form that allows rebels, risk takers to express their individuality, or is it guided by the unforeseen hands of marketers? Or is it whoever has the most marketing dollars becomes the most fashionable?

Let’s hope for those who are die hard fashionistas or at least aspiring fashionistas sakes none of the above is the case.

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