 |
 |
|
Choice is one of the most powerful and volatile forces of the human race.
Choice is not always felt as such, though.
There is a difference, both dynamical and experiential, between the power of choice
and the freedom to choose. It is true that our whole system of cultural constructs hinges on
the freedom to make choices and decide things
for ourselves. But Choice only becomes a viable source of power when there is indeed a variety
of options from which to choose. The wider the range or disparity between the options, the more we feel the liberty of exercising our right to decide for ourselves.
The institution of Fashion Week has become
a monument to the force of choice and the power
of plurality. It is a smoldering cauldron of choices all boiled down into a concentrated display - carefully calculated, of course,
to harness the viewer's cherished power to serve the ends of ... well, many different people.
The most obvious people seeking to be the object of choice would be the designers (or figure-heads) of each label who are seeking validation of their talent, intelligence, creativity, passion, skill, philosophy, foresight, insight, or any combination of the above (real or projected). The next most obvious people would be the labels' owners
and sponsors, who are seeking validation of their own choice of investment - in the form of cold hard cash. Then there are the PR reps hoping
to strengthen their connections and expand their networks, the stylists and hair/makeup artists endeavoring to build their clientele base, the media with their multiplicity of agendas ...
And so on and so forth. |
|
 |
|
The tactics used to achieve the end goal of winning people's choice can be widely divergent. Some elect to elicit the viewer's empathy by making the presentation relatable and relevant
to one's actual life, while "kicking it up
a notch" to make their choice a worthwhile addition. Others seek to create a perceived
need that only their offered choice can fill.
Some wish to take the viewer by storm with
a high-impact display of desirable glamour, extraordinary ingenuity and skill, or sheer novelty. And many deliberately push the viewer away in order to create an aura of exclusivity, which arouses or heightens certain people's
desire for that option as for something withheld.
Now, how does the viewer respond to this barrage of attempted manipulation - if indeed one is first chosen to be allowed to enter the premises
and submit oneself to the experience? Well,
again one has a lot of options. One can acquiesce to the charm of the spectacle (acquiesce,
mind you, not succumb!), agree with the validity of the convincing argument, reserve one's decision for the future, cherry-pick through the offers like a sartorial buffet, or repudiate
the machinations of the Man, the System,
and the Industry altogether with utter scorn
that they expect one to be so gullible -
but all with equal delight that whatever conclusion reached is the sole product
of one's own free will. |
|
Even now, outside the mysterious precincts
of Lincoln Center, the age of technology has
even given one the option to stay at home and choose one's own time and pace to review the plethora of options. As you browse through our galleries at your own sweet will and explore ZEDUCE's encapsulation of our own experiences,
you will be making conscious and unconscious choices between one designer and another, one perspective and another, between fantasy and reality, and between our visions and yours.
So what is your choice this season? And by what route have you arrived at it? No matter where
your journey leads, it will be garnished with
a realization of delight. It is not the thrill
of ecstasy, appreciation, shock, or contempt, satisfying as it may be. No, no. It is the delight of power exercised that gives a peculiar relish
to any emotional reaction, positive or negative, and gives the experience itself an importance
that could never be achieved otherwise.
- By Arielle |
|
|
|
