By CLAUDIA KWAN
The Vancouver Sun
LINK to complete article
During her time in the fashion industry as a model, stylist, fashion show producer, and merchandiser, Diane Gagne has seen many waves of change. Take, for instance, the era where serious feminists were burning their bras and eschewing cosmetics.
“Fashion was seen as frivolous back then, but I always see it as an important form of self-expression,” she says. “You need to please yourself first with what you’re wearing, and if conforming makes you unhappy, don’t do it.”
She disagrees with the idea that fashion isn’t important, or that it’s only entertainment. In recent years, she explains, ethical consumption has become en vogue in the multi-billion dollar fashion industry. And questions around working conditions in the garment industry, as well as the types of materials being used, have changed the choices consumers are making.
There has also been a lot of focus on conscious consumption; it’s a concept Gagne agrees with wholeheartedly.
“Whether you’re shopping at a place like where I work (Holt Renfrew) or fast fashion, you have to put thought into what you’re purchasing. It has to have a purpose, whether it’s $10 or $10,000.”
And what now of the pushback of controlling what women wear through arbitrary dress codes, or shaming women for their choice of outfit? It’s become a massive issue on social media, where women can be attacked on multiple fronts for wearing form-fitting or skin-revealing outfits.
Gagne says it’s a fine line.
“If you’re dressing for yourself and choosing to wear something highly provocative, you have to understand that it’s a free world, and others are allowed to have their opinions,” she says. “If you deliberately want to be outrageous and get a reaction out of people, that’s your choice. The difficult part is when you have a pre-set idea of what you would like to get back, and you get something else.”
She says the rules have relaxed for social occasions like weddings and funerals, but even there people must make judgment calls about how their outfits might affect others. Gagne says if a wearer deliberately chooses something to offend or cause distress, it says something about the wearer.
But still, says Gagne, the world is constantly changing and so are social mores. She believes it’s important to have conversations about inclusivity and personal style. She applauds the growing awareness of the need for diversity in product offerings. Clothing manufacturers are tapping into the market for stylish plus-size clothing and for makeup in wider ranges of colours and tones.
As a former model, Gagne also has some words of wisdom when it comes to physical beauty. She tells girls they should only get into modeling or acting if they truly don’t care what people think of them; if they’re not comfortable with constantly being judged it’s probably not the right choice for them.
She also says it’s important they don’t value themselves for the way they look.
“In my modelling days if people made comments about how I looked, I would say thank you and then leave it. Being attractive doesn’t speak to who I am, it’s an observation,” Gagne says. “So when I talk to my niece and different young girls I say, yes, you’re beautiful, but what have you written lately, or what are you making? It’s important to show appreciation for things other than the way they look.”