Fashion: Celebrity Fueled Consumption and the Rise of "Wag" Culture

On a cold, rainy evening last week in London, I made my way to the London College of Fashion campus off of Oxford Street to see a short film and attend a panel discussion on the topic of celebrity fueled consumption. The film entitled "Dress Up" was written, produced and directed by the intrepid Kate Battrick of Make Do Style and Fashion and Film blogs.

"Dress Up" was produced in support of Kate's MA in Fashion and Film, a new degree offered by LCF which started just this year. The film is set in London and deals with the rise of "Wag" culture in the U.K. "Wag" is a term that refers both to the wives and girlfriends of footballers and to the lifestyle they lead thanks to the obscene amounts of money paid to their husbands/partners for kicking a ball around a field (think Victoria Beckham post-Spice Girls, pre-"designer" reinvention). If you've conjured up images of breast implants, fake tan, hair extensions and a wardrobe overflowing with Roberto Cavalli-esque fashions, you've got the picture. Disturbingly, an increasing number of young girls aspire to become Wags themselves when they grow up. At the heart of their aspiration lies the glamour and quasi-celebrity status that comes with the "job" of being the arm-candy of a famous footballer and the designer wardrobe that comes with it.

The film was followed by a too-brief panel discussion on the role of celebrity in fueling consumption. The panel featured Tamar Jeffers-McDonald (lecturer in film studies at the University of Kent), the blogger behind Coco's Tea Party and fittingly, Melanie Rickey, Fashion Editor-at-Large at Grazia magazine. Unfortunately, while the discussion touched upon starlets more famous for their fashion choices than their films, oddly little time was spent discussing the role of magazines like Grazia and the countless websites and blogs specialized in dissecting and recreating "looks" worn by celebrities. They perhaps more than anyone else have much to answer for in promoting the trend of wannabe Wags and rise of celebrity fashion. Personally, I would have been interested in hearing their defense. Given the quality of Kate's film which was both subtle and funny, the panel discussion that followed was unfortunately not quite à la hauteur as we say in French and simply didn't do it justice. Perhaps Kate can be persuaded to post her film on one of her blogs and engage her readers in a spirited discussion of the issues. How about it Kate?

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Comments

[Verity O]

Dear Helene,

I enjoy the spirited debate too! After all you have said, I still don't understand where you are coming from though. But thanks for taking the time.

best wishes,
Verity O

[Helene]

Dear Verity O:

Either you did not read my response or you read it selectively. Again, for the sake of clarity, let me address your comments:

1. "Idiotic teenagers with no mind of their own":

I believe those are your words not mine. I referred to women and girls. My response was respectful of Grazia's readers and I don't appreciate your attempt to misrepresent what I said. I don't put words in your mouth, please don't insert yours in mine.

2. "an academic who has a negative issue with popular culture and celebrity":

Again, thank you for the backhanded compliment but I'm not an academic. Nor do I have a negative issue with popular culture and celebrity. If you read my response, you might have noted that I acknowledge the important supporting role played by celebrities in promoting fashion. My issue is with celebrity over-reaching into domains they have no expertise in. I have too much respect for what goes into becoming a designer not to be offended when a celebrity uses their clout to occupy a position at Ungaro or Halston or any other legitimate fashion house.

3. "Fashion is there for enjoyment and entertainment. Grazia merely chronicles what is going on":

Actually, fashion is more than entertainment. It's a business and when Grazia admits to working directly with celebrities such as Olivia Palermo to create content for it's magazine, it no longer merely chronicles what is going on. It is a direct participant. To pretend otherwise would be disingenuous.

4. "Lindsay Lohan is no longer at Ungaro; your issue with that should be taken up with the management of that business, not the organs that report on it."

As I stated earlier, LiLo would never have been offered that spot were it not for the many magazines like Grazia who have elevated her to fashion icon status for the girls and young women. What is LiLo if not a tabloid creation? She hasn't made a movie in years but her every move and outfit continues to be dissected by Grazia and other magazine and websites like it. Since you mention you worked there, you obviously know better than most that she's been covered by Grazia ad nauseum. To suggest that Grazia along with other magazines like it have played no role in this cult of celebrity would again, be disingenuous.

Thank you again for the opportunity to clarify my viewpoint. I enjoy the spirited debate.

Helene

[Verity O]

Dear Helene,

having read your reply I take it back. Ido not think you read Grazia. You have just decided to lump it in with the celebrity tabloid magazines that occupy the lower end of the market. If you read it, you would not write what you do!

Grazia IS a fashion magazine, with some guilty-pleasure celebrity content, and excellent coverage of news and issues that affect women today, including debt. As someone who has worked there, I know we are read by a high demographic of ABC 1 readers. We are not read by idiotic teenagers with no mind of their own - they have Heat and Look.

I agree with a lot of your points on UK issues, but I think you are an academic who has a negative issue with popular culture and celebrity. Fashion is there for enjoyment and entertainment. Grazia merely chronicles what is going on.

Lindsay Lohan is no longer at Ungaro; your issue with that should be taken up with the management of that business, not the organs that report on it.

Best wishes,
Verity O

[Helene]

Dear Verity O:

I suppose I should start by thanking you for the backhanded compliment and to assure you that my criticisms of Grazia and other magazines like it are genuine and not an attempt to make myself "look clever" as you suggest. This said, I don't believe in dumbing down my commentary or in condescending to my readers either. For the record, there is nothing "underhanded" about my comments. What you read on this blog are my opinions as a consumer of luxury goods and fashion. If they get you riled up then by all means speak up. I don't publish anything I can't defend and I welcome the opportunity to debate the issues with all my readers.

In answer to your question, my issue with Grazia and other magazines like it is that they are little more than celebrity tabloids masquerading as fashion magazines. While they may occasionally offer a nugget of substance or advice, the bulk of their magazine is dedicated to dissecting celebrity fashion in an effort to promote celebrity-driven consumption. During the discussion which followed Kate Battrick's film at LCF, Melanie Rickey actually admitted that Grazia directs whatever celebrity they happen to be working with to multiply the outfits worn on any given day (presumably to ensure enough material to fill the pages of the magazine). The example she cited was of Olivia Palermo, the reality "star" du jour who has made a career of being photographed in borrowed designer frocks. In other words, while they may use paparazzi-style photographs to suggest authenticity, it is for the most part contrived. I find this tactic deeply cynical not to mention misleading to the magazine's readers.

Were Grazia playing to the UK's highest earners with a budget to comfortably afford Olivia Palermo-inspired wardrobes, I might care less. They don't however. They target the masses of women and girls who feel they have to dress in designer clothing and change as often as Olivia Palermo to feel good about themselves or to feel validated by society. You might already know that the U.K. has one of the lowest rates of personal savings and one of the highest levels of personal indebtedness in the European Union (much of which is composed of credit card debt). Celebrity-driven consumption is obviously not the only contributing factor here but I can't imagine it's helping either.

Moreover, I think that the over-involvement of celebrities in fashion ultimately cheapens the industry. Celebrities have always played an important supporting role in promoting fashion. But, celebrities are no longer content to be photographed in designer clothing for a premiere or a charity event. They're no longer content even to front their own eponymous "fashion" lines. They're now taking up design positions in genuine fashion houses. As an avid consumer of fashion, I find that perfectly appalling. Does anyone really believe that Lindsay Lohan would have been given the keys to the design studio at Ungaro had she not been elevated as a "style icon" to the masses by magazine's like Grazia? The same goes for Sarah Jessica Parker.

It's rather fitting that the very same week SJP was appointed creative director of Halston Heritage, Times Online published a profile of Antonio Berrardi during which he described the miserable conditions he endured as an unpaid apprentice to John Galliano (it included unclogging toilets and being so poor he had to bake his own bread to eat). Sadly, Berrardi's experience is not unique and by most accounts, he's one of the lucky ones. The day SJP, LiLo or any of the celebrities so closely chronicled by Grazia week in and week-out invest that kind of blood, sweat & tears into fashion design, I'll gladly revise my opinion on the topic.

In a nutshell, these are my issues with Grazia and other magazines like it. My apologies if my response is rather long. It has less to do with wanting to appear clever than in wanting to be perfectly clear. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so.

Helene

[Verity O]

Dear Luxe Chronicles,

Would you be kind enough to share you exact issue with Grazia? I'm starting to get a bit riled by your consistently underhand comments. It is obvious that you read Grazia. Someone as obviously intelligent as you does not need to deride magazines such as Grazia to look clever.

Best wishes,
Verity

[Helene]

Dear TosD:

Those are very kind words - thank you! The Luxe Chronicles is a labour of love so it's always nice to know that someone out there truly appreciates.

Helene

[TosD]

Hi Helene,

I stumbled upon your blog about a month ago and since then I've been an ardent reader. I love, love, love your posts.
I like to think of yours as the thinking woman's fashion blog. Always thought provoking and that sets you apart from the rest. Keep up the good work!

[Make Do Style]

Thank you for the post. Love the photo. And yes the debate has only just started. I hope to get the film in to film festivals and then once that season is over I will get it broadcasted!

[Helene]

Dear Mlle. L:

Funny you should make the "haut de gamme" reference regarding Grazia. During the panel discussion, UK Grazia fashion editor Melanie Rickey actually stated that they don't normally cover Wags suggesting that they were too trashy for the pages of Grazia adding "we have very high standards regarding celebrities". That she actually uttered that line with a straight face had me floored.

Also, interesting comment regarding Liberty London Girl. I replied to one of her tweets via her Mercedes Benz-sponsored London Fashion Week Twitter page suggesting that her celebrity references weren't telling me very much about the designer she was tweeting about. She answered that "not everybody is a fashion insider" (ironic given that she's at LFW while I'm at work) and "stay tuned for more". She then promptly blocked me from following her Tweets.

Personally, I feel strongly that the appeal of fashion blogs is their unvarnished take on the industry and an unflinching willingness to speak their mind. As more and more bloggers find themselves being co-opted by the industry, many are at risk of compromising their appeal. I sense that if bloggers are not more careful in how they wield their new found status in fashion's ecosystem, they might find themselves back amongst the great unwashed masses once again.

Thank you for taking the time to comment.

Helene

[Mlle L]

I totally agree with your assessment of Grazia. I like how French Grazia presents itself as a "magazine de haut de gamme" when in fact the Grazia publications are everything but haut de gamme.

I thought that Liberty London Girl choosing Grazia to reveal her name was an interesting choice. She probably went with them because they were one of the first mags to name her blog on their favourite list. It certainly is a magazine which gets many readers but the fact she was profiled in that specific publication has slightly modified the way I saw her.

Yours,

Mlle. L.