Sunday, March 2, 2014

The Power Issue 2014: The Other Elizabeth Hawes

"Fashions is a mystery because it's something that developed with no relation to the public taste or need. [Style] is dressing to fit your own self--it lasts." -Elizabeth Hawes, American fashion designer.

A lot can be construed in a name.  A name represents a person as a whole; it is a way to describe a person and every little thing about them with one word.  You could call her a fashion legend, one of the mothers of the American fashion industry, a renowned author, and a talented designer, or you could save yourself a few breaths and just simply call her Elizabeth Hawes, envisioning every aspect of the woman in a briefer yet more meaningful way.  You could call her a talented author, a dedicated journalist, and a hardworking editor, or you could call her Elizabeth Hawes as well.

Hawes (journalist) came to New York as a 23 year old editor for The New Yorker when she was first mistaken for Hawes (designer).  Simply by the fact that these two women shared a name, Hawes (journalist) was viewed as a legend to most people that she met at parties and events in New York.  She would go from stranger to icon in two words: Elizabeth Hawes.

This article, written by Hawes (journalist) herself, pays homage to the works of one of the original American fashion designers in a quirky and interesting manner that centers around a name.  It is important that the fashion world of today remembers where we came from.  American fashion advocates must be aware of the lengths that women like Hawes (designer) went through to make fashion attainable and remarkable.  In Hawes' (designer) prime, fashion and couture was something that was reserved for the elite living in Europe; not just anyone could be passionate about it.  Hawes used her power and resilience to help gain the United States some credit in the fashion world and make a name for us in comparison to French or British couture.  In my opinion, this is a woman with all the power in the world.

If fashion isn't appreciated, then these women dedicated their lives to it for absolutely nothing.  We need to keep on the legacy of these brave and tenacious women who came before us, and that is the exact reason I started this blog.

No comments:

Post a Comment