library finds – Model
On the recommendation of my fashion Auntie, Auntie Fashion, I picked up Model
In case you’re curious about what kind of Auntie I’ve got, its a deliciously salacious book, full of dishy stuff as well as a fairly comprehensive study of the modeling industry circa 1981.
Of course, 1981 was the period where the superstar model was ascendant, and Stevens clearly shows how the rise of the modeling agency affected every other part of the fashion industry.
The theme I took away from reading this book is that the broader story of the fashion industry is one of ever-shifting spheres of dominance – depending on the circumstances, editors, designers, models, etcetera are in an ever-constant process of throwing their weight around to try and shape the industry to suit themselves. The power trends last way longer than a season, but are in no way less ephemeral.
Today’s perspective offers some distance to reflect, now that models are far below their previous status, and celebrities have been ascendant in fashion for decades now. Naturally I find the media element, which was portrayed in Model as being supplicant to both models and designers, to be the most fascinating aspect. How does one arm of an industry grab the reigns back once they are lost?
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[...] history will reveal that its focus is constantly shifting and so is its center of power. As I described after reading Model, the various arms of the industry are constantly trying to seize the reigns of the entire industry, [...]