BROOKLYN. I was born and raised in this fabulous city. Flatbush, Brooklyn to be exact…an epicenter of fashion in many respects. New to IRT’s “Fresco Cartel Report,” I want to share my thoughts with you.
I know some of you will appreciate what I say simply because you come from the same era that I often speak about or you just appreciate authentic NYC culture. By authentic I mean pre-gentrification, pre-Giuliani NYC, the NYC where you still looked twice when you saw suburbanites getting off the A at 145th. You remember riding the train with Deceps, when every other kid was a booster or “Lo Life,” before the city that raised us to be hustlers and the epitome of cool became more like Disneyland than the city we remember in “Warriors.”
The IRT brand is definitely not new to NYC’s iconic lifestyle, music and fashion. With the musical movements of R&B, Dancehall & Hip-Hop, whose foundations were driven by many brilliant artists born and raised here in Brooklyn (Lena Horne, the Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z to name a few), came the type of clothes we wore. Back in the 1980s and 90s, there was such an array of styles and crews, it was hard to keep up. Polo, Tommy Hilfiger and Esprit were just some of the popular brands back then, significantly influenced by these genres of music that both came from and helped shape NYC culture. I’m a product of that culture and I want to share that true NY perspective. People may perceive Manhattan as being the main outlet to fashion in New York as a whole, but in actuality, Brooklyn holds its own championship belt for introducing some of the biggest trends. In fact, most people don’t know that it was Caribbean kids in Brooklyn and the Bronx who made wearing European cut clothes and designer labels like Gucci, Bally and Vuitton the must-haves that they became amongst NYCs urban youth back then. Trust me, rappers and local corner pharmacists didn’t just make these trends up. They got them from their West Indian friends who brought those styles from back home, as wearing costly designer duds was always the style for the hippest kids back in the islands. Just call me Penelope Sage and I’ll be broadcasting our trend forecasting culture to the world.
Be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else.
(Judy Garland)
Oscar DLR Spr 09 Closing Look (on our fave model Arlenis Sosa)
I may not be a fashion cognoscenti, but I do know that since childhood, I have been observant of the fashion world. I watched my fashion-conscious relatives make patterns and execute original clothing pieces. As a product of the 80’s, I walked through many styles. The Madonna phase: the racy jewelry with crosses, the white lace dresses with spandex and the hair-to-the-side phase…the Michael Jackson Era: leather jackets, penny loafers, dark sunglasses…the Prince/Morris Day/Sheila E./Purple Rain Era: frilly shirts, the tailored look, hats, the veils, etc. to name a few. There are many others being remixed now and that’s just because the cycle of fashion seems to rotate for those who were not up to the time when said fad first surfaced. Take a Marchesa or Oscar De La Renta gown, there are definite differences. You can spot a Chanel suit from an Yves Saint Laurent. Why? It’s because designers have held on to their identity. They did not jump on a fad simply because it was the “In Thing.” They’ve kept it signature. For these identity-strong labels, you need not even look at the tags, you know who the designer is by the fit and detail.
I have attended dozens of fashion events, purchased hundreds of fashion magazines in which I seem to observe the same logic, which poses this question: “Why is it when one fad surfaces, it seems to be the only style people want to wear and the clothes available in stores only accommodate THAT look?” When a style comes out, one designer may have authenticated it, but several similar looks will come down the runway shortly after, subsequently making it the only look easily found a couple months later. I may have mentioned some high-end designers earlier, but for most of the middle-class who can’t afford the $18,000 gown above, the looks we find in somewhat affordable stores are becoming too repetitive. If one feels to be different, they may be called an outcast or a fashion police candidate. Why? Suppose it’s a person’s style. Is it really so bad to be different? Why is it only okay when more than a few people are wearing it? I remember when round-toed pumps were “in.” 
At that time, pointed-toe shoes were practically forbidden. Guess what, when pointed toe shoes returned, it was round toes that became the “back-of-the-closet-shoe.”
Moral of what I am saying? Stay original, and hopefully stores will start selling a variety of looks, instead of only having the option to purchase through websites that carry archived clothing, which leads to another fashion “problem,” the overly-vintage wardrobe. It will allow people to be freer in their choices. Remember, it is we, the consumers who drive sales and retailer decisions. Time to bring back the tailored looks of the 1920’s. Time to bring back classic looks, maybe hats from the 50’s, for example. With more options, there is a better chance of someone finding a look to suit them. Add anything to spruce up your outfit, show your personality. This is a new year. Be yourself, if not you’ll be recycling big plastic glasses and rope chains along with the millions of other “cool” New Yorkers who think they invented the current retro comeback. The choice is yours. Don’t be afraid to pull out those old Chloe aviators if the current oversize looks don’t suit you, that’s all I’m saying. Along with the rest of you, we’ll be anxiously awaiting next month’s NY Fashion Week, hopefully bringing a breath of fresh air with it.
Penelope SAGE*
