Dressing down

Without risking a rant here (I don’t want to use the blog for that), I just wanted to put up a post about the apparent downward spiral in uninspiring uniform design that seems to be plaguing our society.

This morning, I sat (yes I got a seat!) on the tube and found a small newspaper snippet about the new robes that have been designed for the British judiciary service. Gone are the Hanoverian wigs, wings and collars and instead we have been given something which resemebles a member of a space federation council from a bad episode of Buck Rogers. The fashion designer, Betty Jackson offered her services for free (hmmm) and came up with the idea of different coloured stripes to designate the civil level at which the judge operates.

This to me, represents another shift towards a general unimaginative, ‘global wardrobe’. A sort of neutralising of character and identity. Whilst I agree that it makes no sense to stand in the way of change, there is something inside me which yearns for the symbolically loaded, respect-commanding, institution of fine attire. Is there any wander that the tailors of Savile Row are on their knees?

Our Police officers now look like riot-police all of the time, our city workers wear dull ‘off-the-shelf’ suits that weep pinstripe tears in de-humanised pubs and I have no idea what’s going on with school uniforms these days.

I know this all sounds like a ‘Times’ reader’s rant, but was there really anything wrong with the old judge’s outfit?
Maybe there was… I don’t think so, but I could be wrong. Design for design’s sake.
For those who fancy a nostalgic nudge in the ribs from the world of fashion design, head to the approaching exhibition at the V&A on the total design splendour of Imperialist Russia.

‘The Magnificence of the Tsars‘ exhibition starts on December 10th 2008 to March 29th 2009.