Fashion In the Generation of Recession & Money Conscious Fashionistas

“From the depths of my old closet emerged my old pair of Tod’s, which was then put away for ten years,” admits a quadratic stylish Fashionista spotted in a thrift shop in the Marais. “My Chanel bag? I borrowed from a girlfriend for a month in exchange for a sense of perfection,” says an enthusiastic friend who accompanied him.

Surlookées but efficient: these two fashionistas have adopted the attitude “recessionista”. Launched by The New York Times, when the economic crisis began to win the minds, the term refers to an attitude of consumption more sustainable, more responsible and much less extravagant. Where the fashionista could starve to pay for Manolo Blahnik, the recessionista recovers, customizes, China … It smell like nobody knows the purpose of digging up the series and beautiful pieces in major retailers.

Because the idea is obviously not to dress like a bag.

The recessionista is passionate about fashion, just attentive to the debit column of his bank statement. “In other words, it consumes! “Find those who see this neologism a marketing spin to exonerate shopping sprees in a recession.

This is the opinion of Olivier Saillard, fashion historian and curator at the Museum of Fashion and Textiles. “The crisis is a smokescreen. Since the late 90s, it was in excess of consumption. Bobo generation, who spent time on the couches, knows that a new dress does not change a life. We ate too many it bags and shoes it is normal that after a while it stops. And to ensure: “The crisis suits everyone. The real problem is the mismatch between the clothes and prices. An average French person can not afford a designer piece. Fashion separates from his audience. Highly publicized but not consumed, it becomes a discipline such as contemporary art. ”

The average consumer can not always afford the Margiela or Balenciaga. But it is not dropped so far. On blogs, girls are more sophisticated than ever, trying to customization: I lacerate my skinny bleach, and presto! Here’s Balmain. And by putting photos of their work “home” next visuals parades to support and inspire them about their online friends.

Because the Internet itself as the preferred tool of recessionistas. eBay, of course, remains a must to empty their closets and find bargains. But the auction site only an overview of what has been happening for a few months on the Web. Sites rental luxury bags carton.

Another sign of the times: the professionalization of amateur street markets, where serial shoppers to offload pounds of compulsive shopping. “This is an alternative to dépôtsventes, where one earns almost nothing, and eBay, where there is no human contact,” said Nathalie Grosz, creator of the event “Come into my dressing room” * which 1200 gathered fashionistas frenzied last November. The girls come to buy Vanessa Bruno to 50 euros from fashion editors, bloggers or eBay sellers. The success is such that the next edition will cover the entire weekend on 28 and 29 March. “Consumers are trying to reclaim the mode analysis Gert Van De Keuken office trends Li Edelkoort. The development of “do it yourself” is this attempt at customizing. The decline in purchasing power is only part of the explanation, it responds primarily to a lack of supply on the market. Fashion was in crisis before the crisis.

This recession has only accelerated depletion of the phenomenon of any logo. The styles of the big brands are cutting and pasting endlessly repeated. We are tired of must-have, it now wants something more personal. ”

The recessionista attitude becomes a snob, even hitting the top of the basket of the world fashion. The parades in the capitals of fashion have seen the advent of a new modesty. A British journalist called and IT in the London Fashion Week Daily “wear” things that nobody knows where they came from. And no heels. ” Result: at the forefront of parades, Converse shoes have replaced it. ANew York, we saw writers hide their bags euros in 1000 for not carrying bags of bad taste. And Suzy Menkes, high priestess of the “International Herald Tribune, announced the death of it bag in 2009. “The crazy trendy Upper East Side only talk about the opening of Topshop in New York in early April, and Matthew Williamson’s collection at H & M! Juliette Longuet tells of a young French designer who regularly interviewed shoppers in Manhattan for his show “New York, New York” Girls on TV.

Behaviors have changed completely within months. The fashionistas are separated from their bags in it-sales deposits. Having a season in advance is no longer a must. It must be the smartest, finding good deals, places that nobody knows. The latest tactic is to get a piece to compliment paid a pittance in a thrift store! “We will have to be more creative, takes Gert Van De Keuken. The styles are individualized.

Good things will emerge. Finally, the crisis can create fashion out of the crisis! ”