Fashion & Politics

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The connections between fashion and politics always fascinated me.

I find indeed amazing the way power influences fashion, but it’s also influenced by fashion at the same time.

I followed on the Internet different news programmes from various countries covering the G8 that took place in L’Aquila a few weeks ago and it was interesting to notice how the Italian ones seemed to be the most superficial.

I guess Italian audiences didn’t really understand what the leaders decided or discussed at the meeting, since all the news programme focused their attention on the dresses worn by the First Ladies and the presents Berlusconi gave to the guests (from pens to a G8 Belstaff jacket signed by Berlusconi…dear me, that’s a scary thought!).

I also found rather silly a piece published on The Telegraph that praised Sarah Brown's three wardrobe changes (one more horrendous than the other...).

By reading some articles you really thought that, rather than a chance to talk about the real problems of the world, the meeting was a great opportunity for the leaders and their partners to show off their wardrobes.

Italians always do it better, though, and politics, fashion and advertising were combined together in a great Machiavellian plan: the wife of the right-wing Rome mayor gave out as presents to the First Ladies ethical designer bags (obviously paid by the Rome municipality and not by herself...), a subtle way to convince Michelle Obama & Co. that Italians like fashion, but also respect people (if only it were true...), while indirectly advertising the AltaRoma event that took place a few days after the G8 and during which new bags from the same designer were presented in conjunction with a United Nations project.

If you want to know more about how fashion influenced politics, check out my interview on Dazed Digital with Jennifer Farley and Melissa Marra, co-curators of the “Fashion & Politics” exhibition that opened a few weeks ago at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology .

The exhibition - that will be on until 7th November - examines the fashion and politics link over 200 years.