Trends fade away, but style is forever, hence why an individual’s fashion can become immensely powerful in how they live their lives.
In a 2014 interview, Lady Gaga argued that fashion had saved her from depression.
She told Fashion Magazine, “Fashion is that thing that saved me from being sad. I’ve always cared about my costumes and my clothes….I just want to make you feel something with what I wear. I want you to feel happy and enjoy the theatre of my life the way that I do.”
Flash forward to 2017, however, and Lady Gaga’s sense of style has changed, but not her opinions of what fashion is capable of. In her new Netflix documentary film, Gaga: Five Foot Two, Gaga explains how she has moved on from her outrageous costumes, “The methodology behind what I’ve done is that when they wanted me to be sexy or they wanted me to be pop, I always fucking put some absurd spin on it that made me feel like I was still in control,” she explained.
In 2013, her sense of control was gained through her glamorous style, but as her documentary shows, she’s “bored” with glamorous and desires a new, more honest image. And now – in 2017, Gaga’s gained that control and has striped her fashion down to a basic “black t-shirt, black jeans, and black boots” uniform. It’s a toned down look that represents a more confident Gaga who is finally beginning to feel at ease with who she is as a female recording artist.
It’s a sentiment that’s followed us for ages. When you look good, you feel good. But as Gaga illustrates it also applies in the reverse–when you feel good in the clothing you wear, your confidence shines through. In a social context, it’s an incredibly powerful philosophy that can be applied to recent increased awareness in mental health.
Co-creater of Sidetrack Series (an LGBTQ webseries), Celina Vicioso, recently wrote online how being fashion-obsessed saved her from paralyzing anxiety. She reveals that fashion “…was about me, my personal style and a process I needed to take to hone in on my individuality.”
Vicioso’s ability to refine her identity through style is an incredible tool in discovering what you like, dislike, love and hate. To have this outlet allows an individual to harness a creativity that also gives them control. For Celina, fashion was her form of self-care in the face of crippling mental illness.
Gaga and Celina’s remedial sense of personal style are just two examples of how fashion harbors the potential to heal. Life lesson: Never underestimate the power of a seemingly simple black t-shirt.
BRIANNA KUSILEK
- Keeping Up with Jones: LV’s Men’s Style Director Moving On - March 17, 2018
- LADY GAGA: Fashion Saves Lives - October 12, 2017
