Sometimes the only thing one can do to forestall the inevitable is to focus on it -- articulate the problem and hope for awareness.  So the caveat emptor for the moment is to be conscious of new tastemaker curation or aggragator sites in making your choices. 

There is something called the 'signal-to-noise ratio', algorithmic equations that tweak every granular detail of human compulsion until it seems natural.  Surprise, 50% of all sales are driven by algorithms not actual customer choice -- or taste.  Could it be that the other 50% is merely the result of the 'human swarm' of social media -- i.e. copycat purchasers?  Not since the advertising gurus put Freud on retainer have so many been so manipulated by so few so thoroughly. 

So what's the upshot for the fashion field?  More often, many in the creative world are encountering a tone-deaf audience.  Consider the dilemma of an artist expressing his or her vision of a beautiful thing in a chosen medium -- it may be based upon exquisite proportions, compelling colors or textures, a subtle balance of composition or high craftsmanship -- but the audience no longer looks for those qualities, sees or evaluates them.  It is losing the intrinsic knowledge and sensibility for art appreciation. Absent that knowledge, choosing from curated choices becomes the default action just 'going to the freezer and getting the box'.

Yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but such knowledgeable beholders are becoming an endangered species and curators are now co-opting artists -- and beginning to argue seriously that their selections should be licensed.  Analytics, used by many online 'curators' and based upon taste graphs (i.e. sales figures), do not give us what is beautiful only what is popular and/or must be monetized, categories not usually related to artistic principle. 

Make your own choices from original sources -- it's more difficult and takes longer but it is how you discover yourself and acquire a unique style.  To keep your defenses up, consider an art appreciation class this year.

What else, right now?  A Spring Cleaning Sale, of course!!!  Check the goodies!

• Still on a Pattern Streak:  The CB Top Coat. First, the Paris feedback -- a quote from Susannah Frankel, The  Independent, speaking of the recent Paris shows, "As for the clothes: they were nothing short of perfect. Oversized coats in tufted wools and felted cashmeres . . ."   So I counted top coats in the runway numbers for the spring shows and there were:  9 in Paris, 7 in London, 4 in Milan (warmer there), and 9 in New York -- especially note Stella McCartney's and Celine's versions -- all so perfect for real life -- schlepping just looks (and feels) better in a great top coat.   This one is based upon a Cristobal Balenciaga pattern -- it's pli de souplesse (the beautiful fold at the back shoulder) gives it ease and elegance at once -- CB was famous for it.  The CB Top Coat only has two main pattern pieces (collar and closures are optional), no lining and the shaping in front melts into the single shoulder/sleeve seam and drops straight -- such a clean design -- classic CB!  

For many years I taught Dress and Society, a class which explored many of the psycho/social aspects of dressing.  In that context, one of the basic premises is that people tend to behave differently when wearing different clothing -- surprising but true.  I would ask my students to dress up and notice if they held their bodies or expressed themselves differently than they did in jeans and a T-shirt and one time they all wore black for a week then white to see if colors changed behavior -- and they were surprised.  I was again reminded that 80% of communication is non-verbal when I heard about this wonderful story proving that personal presentation makes an important societal difference. 

After the war in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 1998-1999, things were still hostile until a group of men began to exhibit the look and attitude of elegance in their dress and consequently in their behavior.  They are described in The Gentlemen of Bacongo ~ The Importance of Being Elegant, a new book about the S.A.P.E., (Societ� des Ambianceurs et des Personnes �legantes or Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People).  To quote Baudoin Mouanda, one of the photographers in the book, " The Sape is an art and real gentlemen have to know the concept of gentleness and good manners related to the inherent moral code of the individual".  He explains how dressing elegantly is being used to give society hope and to return to civility and good will.  The group teaches others what it means to look and act elegantly, believing "It is more significant to know the rules of elegance than to have a Dior or Versace outfit and not know how to dress" -- Mouanda.  Thanks to Selvedge Magazine for letting us know this story.

Honor others by dressing for them and make the world more pleasant.