Heatherette: Like The Wizard Of Oz Wasn’t Trippy Enough
I understand that fashion is art. But what distinguishes it from all other kinds of art is that it’s functional, it’s art that has a place in your life. And therefore, I have never been a big fan of “joke” fashion. You know, stuff that no human would or could really wear, except to costume parties or to shock your annoyingly conservative Aunt Harriet.
You know, like Heatherette.
This year, the theme was “Over The Rainbow,” with Lydia Hearst as a vampy Dorothy, and Richie Rich and Traver Rains took that theme literally, with trippy rainbow colors everywhere. It was classic Heatherette, and I usually don’t mean that as a compliment. But I managed to find, amidst the glitter and patent-leather harnesses, a few actual clothes.
See? Take away the hat and the ugly shoes and the nylons- yikes- and you have a quite wearable, if somewhat tongue-in-cheek, little Wizard of Oz-print dress.
This look takes the skinny-pant trend AND the athletic-gear trend and adds some of that club-kid neon-and-oversize thing to it. Very Heatherette, and yet also very real-world. (I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence.)
Then again, this is Heatherette, and so the majority of looks took that club kid and imagined him or her on acid.
You can visit Oz on acid here.
Heatherette, New York Fashion Week, Fugly, Fall 2007 RTW, Runway Fashion
September 23rd, 2007 at 6:45 pm
While I agree with your stance that clothing is a form of functional art that one can incorporate into your everyday life. I think couture is not mean to be a “joke� rather its meant to be artistic expression. 
Couture should be viewed as a blend of art and fashion with the pendulum swinging more towards the artistic side. Haute couture shows are known for their originality, not practicality. Surprisingly, most pieces or looks that you see at a couture runway show are never manufactured or available for sale. I think Heatherette like many other 
fashion houses, earns money through direct sales of a prêt-a-porter (ready to wear) its cheaper line of clothing, and uses the fashion show as a way to create an aura or certain cache. Heathertte has definitely capitalized on this idea. Their name is synonymous with kooky, crazy, 
fun clothing. Their theatrical theme shows make them enjoyable to watch. They literally transform the runway to the Land of Oz making the audience realize that ‘we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.’ I hardly can imagine a place where Dorothy’s outfit would translate, but 
it was fun to see a modern twist on old classic.
October 1st, 2007 at 3:18 pm
[...] caught another blogger’s eye and created a stir about fashion shows. Through this article, Heatherette: Like The Wizard of Oz Wasn’t Trippy Enough, former StyleFix writer Laura criticized fashion designers who lost the functional aspect of [...]
May 5th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
[...] known as Heatherette, who are famous for their elaborately staged and performed runway shows like Fall 2007’s Wizard of Oz inspiration, did not show a collection at the Fall 2008 Fashion [...]