Fashion scares me. Not the kind of scared when you watch a scary movie. Not even like walking in a dark forest, but the scary that comes with not being in your element at all. The kind of scary when everything around you feels real but you are not.
So the first thing I did when I walked through the many doors, turns and security checks to arrive backstage (yeah, I had a backstage pass) at the Moynihan Station Post Office building to see Prabal Gurung’s Fall 2014 Collection at New York Fashion Week, was to ask my friend to take a picture of me in front of one of the oversized gongs tastefully decorating the stage. I needed proof. That proof might have meant something in twitterverse or instagramhell had it not been for the many people more adept in the ways of social media. Yes, in the Wild West of social media, there are the quick and the dead. I wasn’t quick enough.
The music started, models strode out with their perfect gait, people were taking notes and flashbulbs were exploding in the face of what Prabal had created, and that’s when I got it.
I can’t pretend to review the show. That’s something that takes years of watching “The Devil Wears Prada” on repeat. I could not tell what fabrics were used, where they came from or what the shoes meant. But one need not be a fashion genius to see what Prabal had accomplished. The designs had a strict objective, which was to showcase practicality, boldness and creativity, within a structure. The common theme for me were the lines: straight, crossing, weaving. They came together, flowed apart and merged with the colors – gray, white, black, red, orange – and formed such remarkable patterns that when I saw them floating past me, I could not but let go of my bias against the world of haute couture, and reflect that this is art.
This is not to say that all fashion is created equal, and this year’s New York Fashion Week had its detractors, like this review from Vice (http://m.vice.com/read/fashion-week-sucks-balls). Heck, if it were not for Prabal, most Nepalis would probably not even take a second look at this world, except for when it is referenced by popular media, or to steal a few glimpses of the models on Fashion TV as we channel surf in between the loadshedding. Fashion has and always will be the domain of celebrities and people that seem to have no bearing on the real world. Something of this has clearly seeped into our local scene too, like with any other form, by way of imitation, and has eclipsed some genuine talent. You just need to look at the myriad of glossy magazines adorning the shelves of bookstores and restaurants.
Prabal’s inspiration this year has been Nepal, plain and simple. From the colors to the flowing robes, from the ankle bracelets to the patterns snaking around the models like Sayapatri flowers in bloom. Had he been so bold as to show this much Nepali influence a few years ago there was a good chance that he would have been appreciated but marginalized as just “exotic”. Now, he can show that his work does reflect who he is, and not just what is expected of him. He is an artist, taking inspiration from within, and without, to show that in his domain, there is a mixture of class, of colors, of history and of nostalgia.
On one level, what Prabal has been able to do is to do his job and cater to the practical aspect of his business (presumably to make sure his products appeal to buyers). But within those boundaries there is a release of creativity. This is how an experienced craftsman expresses the complete artist within himself. When he started out, the question was not about talent. That was obvious, but it was more about how he could translate that talent into a viable business and a brand. The way Spielberg has done, where his movies appeal to such a wide audience, but every single film shows a new aspect of his artistry and craft, and you often have to watch them multiple times to get all the layers. In this regard, Prabal has now become a successful artist, though it might be a bit premature to provide a final verdict on his achievements.
The show was over in all of 15 minutes, a show that took months to prepare. And as people began filing out, it was clear that the photographers, tweets and updates, and even the streaker, validated the point that Prabal is now not just a talent but also a brand.
Prabal’s inspiration for this collection was Mustang, in Nepal, where Buddhism teaches us impermanence. Ultimately, these moments of appreciation will disappear. Next season, when another cycle begins, there will be newer styles and newer inspirations. That’s how fashion becomes art, but it is also a reminder that all of the creativity, effort and talent is fleeting. But beyond the glamour, and in spite of perceived or real shallowness, there is beauty, something many of us will never understand. And fashion still scares me, though not as much now.
