created memorable shows, frequently containing clothes able to be worn by nobody without severe adaptations. John Galliano and Alexander McQueen went further and made the shows a theatrical event, with the clothes merely a part of a total viewpoint. Victor & Rolfe took such thinking to its most logical and made the clothes subservient to the show. Dramatic impact was all and their fashion shows were more about their aesthetic than clothes to be worn in the streets.


Were all these designers crazy? No, they realised that in order for their labels to be desirable, their names had to have instant recognition with the public. They knew that what the public likes most of all is outrage and the press loves to give it to them. Two seasons of ‘shock horror’ runway duly reported and shown in popular newspapers, preferably with an ‘outraged’ text to accompany an attention- grabbing photograph and, with luck, your name is beginning to rise above the rest. That’s fine. You are the journalists’ darling. You will be interviewed and profiled. But only for a limited time. Fashion journalists are fickle folk, always ready to ditch the old outrage for a newer one. Up pops designer X, four years younger than you and, you fear, sexier, and suddenly you are in danger of becoming yesterday’s mashed potato.


KEEPING SALES GROWING


Is it the end? No. It is the natural order of selection and you just have to accept it. But if you (or your business partner or PR) have been wise during the two years’ press adoration, you will not have forgotten that fashion designers need not just the press but also the buyers. So, you have been giving them clothes they can actually sell. And you have made sure they have appeared on the catwalk. Nobody can sell fantasy except couture houses and designers specialising in wedding gowns. No matter how useful attention-grabbing runway looks are, you need the bread and butter garment which sells.


Remember that with big, highly successful design companies the runway is used to create a mood and the selling collection which is normally not included in the runway collection and is kept well in the background, is the one that buyers will be ordering from. You are a long way away from a situation where you can afford to create very expensive clothes with a lifespan of 20 minutes on the catwalk and, perhaps, a few hours in a location being photographed for a magazine.


THE STYLIST


So, if you can’t create clothes that are outrageous (in the way of Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan) what do you do to hit the headlines? You work with a stylist. Exceptional stylists are rare. Across the entire fashion spectrum there are probably less than ten with a world-class profile. And they work with the top names, both designers and photographers. Unless they are close friends, they will not be working with you at the outset of your career.


The stylist is a comparatively new addition to the cast of characters who make www.davenportlyons.com


THE LOOK 16


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