Much Ado About Bling
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8/14/2019 Much Ado About Bling http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/much-ado-about-bling 1/2 Much ado about bling By Miguel Paolo Celestial Published in The Philippine Star, 9 November 2007 The fashion world still hasn’t gotten over its mania over gold, stimulated by Comme des Garçons’ 2007 Homme Plus spring/summer collection. Entitled “Golden Boy”, it flashed gold in shirts, shorts, jeans, shoes, hats and belts. A year after, collections still had remnants of its reign. Such is the influence of Rei Kawakubo, who became famous in the ‘70s by making black the color of fashion, when she defiantly decided to make gold the new black. In a previous interview, Kawakubo mentioned the Catholic Church, Dubai, shopping malls with marble floors, and teapots as references. She remarked that gold for her meant “medals, money, religion, authority and power”, and expounded: “It is very rare, and because of that, has come to denote richness, and then because of that power and authority and of desire and ambition and ultimately success, and Hollywood and the Olympics…” It was gold’s depth of meaning that interested Kawakubo, its multiplicity of connotations. She deployed the color for its significance to society, but not to pay homage; like all great visionaries, she utilized the element to turn it into something else. The invitation to the 2007 show had a picture of a clenched fist, a symbol of achievement in Japan, against a gold background. With the invitation, Comme des Garçons already referred to the use of gold as a sign of wealth and success. Prevalently the practice in previous societies, such displays today are seen as taboo, extravagant and often out of taste. Evidence of this is the term “bling”, which refers to the flashy display of gold, other metals and precious stones in men’s jewelry. The word “bling” instantly brings to mind thick golden chains and rings, multiple rows of diamonds, and expensive jewelry worn big, clunky and obvious, usually by American hip-hop artists, but also associated with gangsters and criminals, pimps, rock stars and celebrities. If Kawakubo caused a stir when she colored her collection gold, men who “bling” do more than offend when they stick gold in their teeth, have watches submerged in the metal then personalized with diamonds, tie their shoes with 18k laces and wear their necklaces like chain mail. But the negative connotation of “bling” does not come from the show of wealth itself, but from its ostensible display. Men have proven that there are many other ways to wear expensive, shiny jewelry unobtrusively, yet certain to attract the notice of a discerning eye. The search for luxury has long since driven gold, together with silver, platinum, titanium and precious stones into ordinary menswear. Yet even so, the mentality of men who wear single diamond stud
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Transcript of Much Ado About Bling
8/14/2019 Much Ado About Bling
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/much-ado-about-bling 1/2
Much ado about blingBy Miguel Paolo CelestialPublished in The Philippine Star, 9 November 2007
The fashion world still hasn’t gotten over its mania over gold, stimulated byComme des Garçons’ 2007 Homme Plus spring/summer collection. Entitled“Golden Boy”, it flashed gold in shirts, shorts, jeans, shoes, hats and belts. Ayear after, collections still had remnants of its reign. Such is the influence of ReiKawakubo, who became famous in the ‘70s by making black the color of fashion,when she defiantly decided to make gold the new black.
In a previous interview, Kawakubo mentioned the Catholic Church, Dubai,shopping malls with marble floors, and teapots as references. She remarked thatgold for her meant “medals, money, religion, authority and power”, andexpounded: “It is very rare, and because of that, has come to denote richness,
and then because of that power and authority and of desire and ambition andultimately success, and Hollywood and the Olympics…”
It was gold’s depth of meaning that interested Kawakubo, its multiplicity of connotations. She deployed the color for its significance to society, but not to payhomage; like all great visionaries, she utilized the element to turn it intosomething else.
The invitation to the 2007 show had a picture of a clenched fist, a symbol of achievement in Japan, against a gold background. With the invitation, Commedes Garçons already referred to the use of gold as a sign of wealth and success.
Prevalently the practice in previous societies, such displays today are seen astaboo, extravagant and often out of taste.
Evidence of this is the term “bling”, which refers to the flashy display of gold,other metals and precious stones in men’s jewelry. The word “bling” instantlybrings to mind thick golden chains and rings, multiple rows of diamonds, andexpensive jewelry worn big, clunky and obvious, usually by American hip-hopartists, but also associated with gangsters and criminals, pimps, rock stars andcelebrities. If Kawakubo caused a stir when she colored her collection gold, menwho “bling” do more than offend when they stick gold in their teeth, have watchessubmerged in the metal then personalized with diamonds, tie their shoes with
18k laces and wear their necklaces like chain mail.
But the negative connotation of “bling” does not come from the show of wealthitself, but from its ostensible display. Men have proven that there are many other ways to wear expensive, shiny jewelry unobtrusively, yet certain to attract thenotice of a discerning eye. The search for luxury has long since driven gold,together with silver, platinum, titanium and precious stones into ordinarymenswear. Yet even so, the mentality of men who wear single diamond stud
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earrings, onyx rings, jeweled cufflinks, pearl-buttoned tuxedos, diamond-embedded dog tags, or platinum chain bracelets may not be that removed fromthat of pimps or the mafia. Both types exert their own distinction and claim a levelof status in society—to maintain themselves above the crowd. Ambition anddesire shine in their jewelry, intent on influence, authority or power.
But these were not the symbols Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubointended to portray by her use of gold. “I cancel out the actual meanings of goldby using it as if it were just another color.” As a precious stone, gold held highvalue, and shared this with whoever possessed it. By disregarding gold’s scarcityand therefore luxury, Kawakubo turned the tables on the “sanctity” of money andsuccess.
She plucked gold out of its hallowed nest, removed all the revered associations,the psychology, and the social interplay of envy and competition. “All these thingsI thought about and then made them abstract, and then effaced all the direct
meanings using it as a mere color, as if it were black or red.”
The designer returned the color among other colors, and the metal among theranks of other metals, like placing diamond “bling” alongside glass, beads andtrinkets—simply as ornament, because of its sheen and not of its meaning.Though market prices were obviously undisturbed, much was done against theenigma of gold, precisely because the color had been made ubiquitous andtherefore seemed less precious.
On the runway Kawakubo democratized gold, humiliated it and discredited itssnobbery. “This is what is subversive.”
Until the end of the show and a year after, fashion has treated gold like a toyinstead of a medal or a coin or a plaque, its self-importance all but flouted. ReiKawakubo has rendered it dispensable, like a bauble—exactly what she did toher gold trend after the fashion world bit her bait and went crazy over it for morethan one season. As intended, she quietly left the commotion and moved on.
