2010 Fashion: The Year In Review

Model Falls on the Burberry Runway

Model Down! Model Down!

Models fall on the runway all the time, but when a tumble makes primetime newscasts that’s pretty bad news for the label. Burberry’s Spring 2011 show was ripped by critics regardless of the models’ obvious struggle with their shoes, but one’s nasty spill just added insult to injury.

American Apparel

Oh, where to start with this one. Dov Charney’s questionable business practices like anti-ugly employee policies and racy, bordering-on-porn ads just make the already eyebrow-raising clothing American Apparel sells that much less appealing. If the brand were doing well financially it might save some face, but their pretty serious money struggles made the news this year as well and it doesn’t seem like hipster sexy is going to be enough to save the brand.

Charney’s focus on appearance isn’t totally unjustified, and we do hope the company’s less controversial employment policies can survive, but it’s getting harder for Charney to blame the recession as other stores begin to emerge from the slump. All together now: Womp womp.

Fashion’s Continued Reluctance to Accept Technology (let alone embrace it)

We’ve repeated it ad nauseum this year: if fashion wants to remain relevant into the future, everyone in the business needs to get over the irrational fear of technology and insistence on ignoring it until it goes away. Style.com highlighted the parts of fashion that were digitized this year, but we don’t think the slow acceptance warrants praise. Yes, many more eCommerce stores were launched this year, Burberry made a noble attempt at adapting their runway shows to the times and DKNY PR Girl achieved Twitter genius status, but other industries have left fashion in the dust on this one and even some brands are social but still making seriously stupid mistakes. Ok, now we’ll stop preaching it. For now.