Bright Side
As I write this letter,
we’re a few days away from putting this issue to bed, and it also happens to be International Women’s Day. When I think of strong, trailblazing women, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel immediately comes to mind. She was a woman who, against the odds, created her own empire at a time when there were few female entrepreneurs to speak of. But perhaps even more than that, she provided an escape route for women to cast off confining corsets and cumbersome dresses by introducing looser fits, suits and pants that allowed them to move freely. The shift enabled women to look feminine and fashionable while still being comfortable, something that couldn’t help but have an impact not only on their mobility, but also on their state of mind. In short, it was an invitation to women to live their lives to the fullest.
That fashion can impact your mood is a big theme for this issue; at a time when things don’t feel so cheery, designers are giving us an antidote by bringing the joy back to fashion. Spring runways were awash in a rainbow of brights, with pink and yellow—the ultimate feel-good hues—becoming the predominant colours of the season. Given current events, those Technicolor brights couldn’t come at a better time; as Anne T. Donahue argues in this issue’s feature, “The Happiness Equation,” fashion can offer us a welcome escape from reality, and that the mere act of ‘dressing up’ can actually help lift us up.
You’ll also find plenty to be dazzled by in our fashion editorial “Flash Dance” in which we celebrate all things shiny, from sequins to diamonds, glitter and gold. With a virtual disco-ball explosion of shimmer and metallics showing up on runways for spring and into fall, designers are embracing the party mood of Bianca Jagger at Studio 54. In keeping with the maximalist vibe we’ve been seeing for the last few seasons, where the message is ‘the bolder the better,’ full-on shine is, quite literally, like wearing a suit of armour: one that radiates self-confidence, positivity and above all, a license to have fun.