“What is the designer really trying to sell?”
This question isn’t always clear when looking at some of the fashion pictures in magazines. A designer’s goal should be to show his or her brand by making it recognizable; however, designers often send mixed messages.
Upscale brands, such as Prada, Marc Jacobs, and Gucci present a luxurious lifestyle that they would like one to think is achievable if people buy their clothing. But sometimes, the pictures representing high fashion brands are off-putting.
Lately, some big brands seem to be going through a peculiar phase. Images show models posing in awkward positions, and wearing eccentric unwearable clothes, with strange styling. Designers seem to be interested only in showing their creative side, which doesn’t reflect the luxury lifestyle they are promoting.
As a reader flips through fashion magazines, he or she can see many images that are shocking. At a glance, one can see many models posing oddly, wearing clothing that regular people wouldn’t and couldn’t wear.
To make the pictures even less likable, many models have harsh frowning faces that can be seen as very unwelcoming. The dramatic make-up in pictures can make them look lifeless and gaunt. Designers might want the shock value; they know that a picture that stands out will be more memorable than pictures people like, but what’s wrong with being attractive?
With all these designers having this same thought in mind, hoping to be unique and unusual, their product ends up all the same; their images are just plain ugly. Differentiating between brands is becoming harder, because they are all trying to create shock value.
It’s hard to tell anymore what kind of story a designer is trying to tell with a picture. Are they trying to sell a lifestyle or evoke a reaction? These designers hopefully know what they are doing; it just seems hard for all of us to grasp what it is.
