After yet another celebrity-studded Met Gala in New York last week, fashion journalists scrutinised every sequin and seam of the supposedly best and worst-dressed attendees.
The most bemusing aspect, however, lies in the fact that having caught the merest glimpse of boundary-pushing pieces by the likes of Valentino and John Galliano for Maison Margiela, there’s little chance we’ll see them again.
For this is the era of the “wear-it-once” set and the “won’t-wear-it-if-she-wore-it” brigade.
Mind you, Kim Kardashian’s white gown by Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli did look remarkably similar to Beyonce’s 2012 Met Gala couture gown in black by Givenchy, but that’s another story.
Unless Kardashian’s couture makes its way into a retrospective about the fashion house, I’m unlikely to inspect its beadwork. And, unless Julianne Moore breaks with so-called celebrity convention and opts to wear a Rihanna-style show-stopping canary-yellow Guo Pei dress to the next awards ceremony, it might never be seen in public again.
Like flowers with the briefest of blooms, some of the truly standout gowns to grace the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art have had their moment in the sun. Dry-cleaned, vacuum-packed and kept under lock and key in archives, these couture works of art are forevermore hidden from view.
Which is a crying shame when you consider H&M’s seven-month collaboration with Sarah Jessica Parker on her imperial Chinese gown. One would surely hope it might at least be exhibited in a flagship store for all to see.
Equally, the resplendent Philip Treacy creation she wore on her head, the red flames of which licked the night sky last Monday. SJP has always walked the contrarian catwalk and it’s probably time we did the same and gave our favourite pieces a second chance to shine.
Dubai is arguably a microcosm of Hollywood’s fashion scene, with familiar faces on the circuit going to great lengths not to be papped in the same dress twice.
Catering for this, and mindful of the costs involved, couture and ready-to-wear hire companies have sprung up in the city, delivering pieces straight to your door. And in true Cinderella style, they will have disappeared again by the next day.
From the latest Chanel handbag to Van Cleef & Arpels’ priceless jewels, there’s almost nothing you can’t borrow or hire if you have the right connections – with the possible exception of shoes and undergarments.
The question is why so many feel the pressure to do so. Perhaps it is time to turn our backs on the social mirror and deviate from the norm.
Although she’s maligned by the media for recycling, maybe we should do as the Duchess of Cambridge so expertly does and simply dare to double wear.
rduane@thenational.ae
