The Woodstock Fashion Rip-Off

Aug 10, 2009Fashion
These two central casting Hippies are wearing over a grand worth of clothes beteen them. Excuse me, can you remove your label so I can see right through you?

These two central casting Hippies are wearing over a grand worth of clothes between them. Excuse me, can you remove your label so I can see right through you?

After my heartfelt Woodstock moment yesterday, I am breching (vomit in Yiddish) from the lead story in Women’s Wear Daily, Woodstock at 40: Fields of Fashion. First of all, the writer Sarah Haight (no doubt hired for the whole Haight-Ashbury coincidence) has very little to say about the cultural, societal phenomenon; rather, she is quick to hone in on the “unfolding of the hippie chic look”…which correct me if I am wrong…is an oxymoron. The Hippie movement rose and fell as a rebellion against the stats quo…if not, status in general. Thankfully, Valerie Steele, chief curator F.I.T., points this out. The dynamic youth movement of the 1960’s, with their collective voice, may never be heard again, in our easily placated society. It was about anti-conformity, which proved to be a watershed moment in the 20th century. We helped to end the Vietnam War, damn it. We were doing anything not to look like our parents. Now, our youth culture (also an oxymoron) is the complete opposite scenario, case in point, the little prepsters on NYC Prep (talk about breching). As long as they can wear designer clothes, all is well in their little Glocca Morra.

Hello, Central Casting? I need a few "Hippie types" for a fashion shoot. Puleeze.

Hello, Central Casting? I need a few "Hippie types" for a fashion shoot. Fotz.

Take a look at the images from this story. Would you say “inspired by” or simply “bad knock off”. These look like stills from a bad, made-for-television movie. No Hippie chick would ever know about a Douglas Hannant, or dare shop at What Goes Around Comes Around, where $400 concert T-shirts are sold. Every time a designer does something Hippie-inflected, they should think twice about the gall of their price point, which is an insult to the movement, rather than an homage to its Hippie chic-ness. Call me a kvetch, but the purity of the Hippie movement, and Woodstock, and the Summer of Love has less to do with style, and much more to do with anti-style. Just so happens that anti-style was ten times more fabulous than the conservative look that still pervades our culture.

The real corn in this photo is the outfit. If you saw this girl walking down the street, you would roll your eyes. Period.

The real corn in this photo is the outfit. If you saw this girl walking down the street, you would roll your eyes. Period.

FYI...This is my chocolate Chihuahua, Woodstock.

FYI...This is Woodstock, my chocolate Chihuahua.

Tagged:You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

5 responses to “The Woodstock Fashion Rip-Off”

  1. Benita says:

    Brilliantly put, and a deft skewering of the mindset that turns an evanescent moment of unity into a fashion spread and "Where to Buy" guide. Well done.

  2. Bridget says:

    About time we saw Woodstock!!!!!

  3. Ericka says:

    Oh, puppy love!!!!!! <3

  4. Andrea says:

    Just another nauseating example of how our society has devolved into a mindless blob of mass consumerism.
    ps- cute chihuahua

  5. Justin says:

    Is that A girl ?

Leave a Reply to Justin Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *