“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” – Coco Chanel
What is the meaning of life? What is our purpose on the planet? How can we escape the material world? What is fashion? For Umar Siddiqui, fashion is as fundamental as the philosophical questions that have captured the human mind for centuries. In his book, Candid about Couture, Siddiqui builds a strong argument about fashion and the importance it holds beyond the traditional meanings we associate with the same.
The book starts with exploring a word that the author invents, fashionability, followed by the author’s declaration about how he wants to prove that ‘fashion is in ambivert’. Throughout the book, the author talks directly to the reader, which not only provides the interactional flow that he intends to create but establishes a connection between the author and the reader. Apart from clearly communicating what the reader should expect from the book, he reveals a lot of personal details that make him more raw, real, and hence trustworthy.
From the beginning of the book, the author’s inclination towards multidisciplinary becomes hype visible through his deliberations over philosophy, sociology, history, and psychology. He builds a foundation to elaborate on fashion and expands the boundaries of what constitutes fashion and the impact it manifests. The author names and categorizes his chapters with precision which gives his narrative an edge and his readers a flow. One can pleasantly observe the boldness and honesty with which Siddiqui expresses his opinions in sharp fashion. He doesn’t shy away from acknowledging the shortcomings of his opinions that he might not be aware of. That is a skill hard to master when you are endowed with a strong voice and bold opinions.
While the focal point for the author is fashion, he’s comfortable exploring his primary theme through different vantage points. There are a lot of instances in the book that bring the reader to the center stage, especially when he ends a chapter with a question prompt. For reference, he kicks off the discussion over “nudity as fashion” at the end of one of the chapters by abruptly putting it in a question and following up with it in the next chapter. This particular moment in the book might also be intriguing to the readers, as it was for me, because of the worldwide controversies over nudity in photoshoots, theatres, movies, and social media posts by celebrities, and influencers and now even being taken up by the young adults, the last instance being the most triggering for the cancel culture era. His bold choice of open-ended chapters implies how the author is open to accepting differing opinions. Siddiqui conveys his intention of creating a dialogue around taboo topics, amongst other sub-themes.
Another riveting discussion in the book is around the Neo-Marxist perspective on fashion. Siddiqui’s excellence is revealed when he expertly relates the concepts provided by Benjamin, Adorno, and Horkheimer and establishes their relevance to the present. His strategic positioning of this discussion towards the end of the book enables the reader to comprehend his argument and also interpret the relevance and relation through the development of their own thoughts in the book. One can instantly see how the fast fashion industry and mass production of fashion align with Benjamin’s concept of commodification of art, elaborated in his book, ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.’ Similarly, his arguments synchronize with Adorno’s and Horkheimer’s culture industry in the sense that global fashion brands, often dictate fashion trends that bring an uncanny uniformity in consumer behavior and choices. Finally, Adorno’s pseudo-individuality can be explored through Siddiqui’s idea that a superficial identity is imposed on unique individuals through fast fashion.
An exciting segment of the book is the analysis of how Disney characters speak through their fashion choices. Disney animators use fashion to create a visual interpretation of the characters’ distinctive traits. Siddiqui brings in Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology which puts our bodies at the center of how we observe and comprehend the world. For instance, Disney princesses like Cinderella and Belle are dressed to show their royal status but also to highlight grace and femininity. On the other hand, the clothing choices of characters such as Moana and Mulan build on their warrior and adventurous spirits. Their readiness for challenges and escapades is brought to light by their practical fashion of boots, pants, belts, and satchels. Umar Siddiqui does not leave Disney villains out of this discussion. Ursula’s tentacle mirrors expand her sinister intentions and Maleficent’s dramatic robes darken her evil spirits for the audience. Siddiqui educates his readers on how these clothing choices, which often remain unappreciated by the audience in terms of their deeper intent, are in reality well-thought-of visual, emotional sensory experience that deepens the character-audience connection.
The world experienced practically the aforementioned Neo-Marxist influence on fashion and Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy when the ‘Barbie’ movie was released. A sudden ‘pink rush’ was observed when besides the promotional campaigns for the movie, people were seen dressing as Barbie and Ken when going to watch the movie. Moreover, the movie itself tried to identify Barbie in the real world. After exploring Siddiqui’s Candid about Couture, one can analyze such instances in a novel light.
Umar Siddiqui’s writing style is profound and needs to be appreciated. His choice of vocabulary, conversational skill, and way of presentation with his witty humor (personally relatable and funny because of the ‘Desi’ connection) renders the readers with a unique learning experience throughout the book. He possesses the skill of explaining complex and compound phenomena through clear vocabulary and relatable examples, related not only to his forte of fashion but to other disciplines he uses. His in-depth research of social science disciplines and academic observation of the inter-relationship leaves you in awe. Despite being non-fiction, the book manages to form a story-like flow that makes it hard for the reader to put down the book. Siddiqui proves his literary genius by exploring such intertwined vast themes through his compact effort.
Personally, this book was an eye-opener. Being a sociologist, I explored a relationship between fashion and sociology that I didn’t expect to exist. His references to Horkheimer, Benjamin, and Adorno helped me relate to his arguments in a better way. I enjoyed his multidisciplinary approach and could connect to it on a personal level as well. Moreover, there were a lot of parts that were particularly relatable to me, especially when talking about cliches, fashion, and academic stereotypes in ‘Desi’ households, and the importance of subjectivity in a person’s life. There were certain bits in the book where I struggled to grasp the relevance of his fashion arguments but overall, I would definitely keep this book in my re-read stack!
Although the book is successful in delivering the message it intends to, the book might become a little confusing for the readers. The build-up created by the author in the first half of the book through multidisciplinary aid might not stand up to the climax of the book in the ending chapters. The reader might get disappointed in the book’s second half as it might not indulge the reader as the first half. Moreover, due to the incorporation of multiple perspectives, his primary theme, fashion, feels to be at the backstage at many places. The author seems to be so carried away with his interests in other disciplines, that he fails to establish a strong co-relation and relevance between fashion and other disciplines he unintentionally brings to the front stage. Furthermore, what disappoints the reader is when the author uses ‘Workheimer’ instead of ‘Horkheimer’ in one of the final chapters where he tries to explain the inter-relationship between fashion, art, and aura. The reader is left ambiguous about whether the use of ‘Workheimer’ is a failed attempt at wordplay or a misprint error. Finally, more than the last chapter of the book, the epilogue seems to summarise the book in a better way and provide a clear gist of the author’s arguments.
Candid about Couture by Umar Siddiqui has its own wins and misses throughout, but nevertheless establishes its relevance to the reader. The compact book successfully delivers the message in a sharp, concise, and clear manner, that even hefty elaborate books fail to succeed with. Siddiqui takes his readers on an engrossing journey through his carefully curated chapters, touching upon checkpoints of multiple disciplines and finally hitting the bull’s eye at the epilogue, where he pens down the learnings from the book. This book is a living legend of how one should not judge a book by its cover. Candid about Couture, which seems to be a book for fashion-inquisitive minds, is in reality an exploration of realms beyond the notions of fashion. A must-read testament by Siddiqui, this book will concretely make you believe that fashion is a language, a vessel to one’s unique identity, an expression of authenticity and truly exists in the ambivert.
Get ready to navigate life through the subtleties of fashion; order your copy now and explore the world of style and identity.
Also Read: An Interview with Umar Siddiqui, Author of Candid About Couture.
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