Yesterday Vogue's September issue arrived.
While "hefty" it is but a ghost of issues past.
Back in the day I couldn't wait to devour
whatever magazine came my way. One of
the key elements of my role as retail fashion
marketer was to promote le mode du jour.
Hence soon after a periodical's arrival it was
torn asunder. My office walls covered with
"pins" pulled from their pages. Ultimately if
something that piqued my interest became
an assemblage of like thoughts, I was on to
something. Hence the thicker a pile got, the
more important it became. More was more!
The purpose of any publication is to inform.
To expose us to something we never knew
existed. Thus each new issue was a key link
in a chain of communication. A transfer of
thoughts, ideas, and inspiration. Sadly, that
all seems to have faded away. Replaced by
the disjointed visual vomit of instagram and
Pinterest. None of which is curated with a
point of view. Diana Vreeland used to say
"the eye has to travel." A theory that requires
that somebody guides said journey. Through
history arbiters of taste have led the way. My
question is where are they taking us today?
In our new digital world you can find almost
anything you want. The only problem being
that first you have to know exactly what that
is. Hence we've basically become a culture
of replenishment. Devoid of inspiration as
nothing seems new anymore. We've lost all
mystery. Instead anybody can be a "stylist".
And there are no longer rules to said game.
No restraint. Little editing. And rarely a clear,
concise, and well considered point of view.
Our world is a pastiche of past imperfect. A
mass melange of Google searches gone wrong.
Instant gratification that is anything but that.
One can't deny that it's easy. Rather than rely on
somebody else to guide our choices, the world
is ours. However there is a risk to that. Few if
any possess that magic skill that I call "it." The
ability to innately understand life's good from
bad. Instead we've become a culture of copycats.
One where "farmhouse" begets a proliferation
of shiplap, rolling barn doors, and the like. All
fine in their proper place. But disconcerting in
the confines of a suburban tract abode. We can
find whatever we want on Amazon. Even if it
is wrong for us. And sadly most don't know
any better. Even when it's more than a bit off.
Call me old fashioned but I've no need to
know nor see it all. I want to be wowed.
Dazzled. Surprised, Shocked. And most
important educated. Which in my limited
experience is a realm led by a very few.
I want experts to filter my inspiration. To
carefully curate a disparate data dump into
one vision. That's what editors and authors
do. Sharing their savvy and knowledge by
transforming information into edification.
Rather than too much of a good thing, we
must let those in the know curate our view.
And point us in the right direction.
