Fashionable Food and Delicious Designs
Karl Lagerfeld bûche de Noël photo from ParisianEvents.com
Thursday, February 10, was the start of New York Fashion Week. What does that mean to the food industry? When asked this question, most would probably think not a lot. In fact, more often than not the general consensus would be that when thinking of fashion it’s really only natural to think of a lack of food. While that may have been true in times of frail framed models, the world of clothing has changed. Just look at Lady Gaga’s meat dress which she recently told Anderson Cooper was a message about “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, saying “…dead meat is dead meat.” There was also a $169 bûche de Noël (aka Yule log) collaborated on by designer Karl Lagerfeld (who in an interview in Prestige Magazine once said, “I hate the smell of cooking.” ) Neither of these are necessarily something you could either afford or want to eat on a daily basis, but inevitably both are edible style pieces. However, these two items aren’t just a coincidence. As everything else in our world begins to merge into one and food progresses from being only sustenance to an art form, it only makes sense that each would begin to fall into the other’s world.
Lady Gaga's Meat Dress photo from Mtv.com
Although the phrase “this is the new that” has been said before about every area of interest (i.e. brown is the new black, pies are the new cupcake, etc.), something really has to be making an impact if someone with the status of Martha Stewart professes it, doesn’t it? Just a few days ago, in an article she wrote for the Huffington Post, Ms. Stewart proclaimed that, “Food is the New Fashion,” (in the article’s title no less). She goes on to explain, “Chefs are as celebrated as designers (move over, Armani, here’s Batali!) and eating and entertaining have become haute couture: Food is the new fashion.”
In the melding of the fashion world into that of food, you’ll find both the straight-forward mixing of the two mediums and the more unsuspecting crossover from one method to another. Each leave their own unique print on both the fashion and culinary worlds, inspiring new avenues of thought.
Marshmallow dress photo from ManiacExchange.com
For a more direct mix, edible fashion presents wearable art forms usually more in tune with Candy Land than the deep and gory messages of Lady Gaga’s meat dress. Since 1995, a trade show called Le Salon du Chocolat has held a fashion show with outfits made of chocolate, while designers in Pittsburgh took a more varied approach using everything from marshmallows to fruit roll-ups in a recent even called Eat Me Fashion Show, which was inspired by an art exhibit by Jill Larson. Edible fashion has also been used in more mainstream outlets like the Barneys New York holiday catalog where models wore everything from kale collars to cherry hats.
Then there are artists like famed shoe designer turned cake shop owner, Patrick Cox, who decided to express himself in a new art form, changing from fashion to cupcake design. He insists that food and fashion easily go hand in hand. Cox says that, “Fashion designers can do well with food because we’re into 360º, total 100 per cent saturation experiences. It’s not enough that it tastes good.” Other designers, as well as fashion magazines, have taken this advice and ran with it, starting places like Vogue Café and Gucci Ginza, as ways for designers and the fashion-minded to become involved with more than just one facet of life. By also providing food, drinks and atmosphere these new designer cafés are “…extending a brand’s reach, without cheapening the core product,” according to FinancialTimes.com.
Chef Laurent Gras photo from wwd.com
This “Food is the new Fashion” movement isn’t all just a one-way street though. As chefs are finding their place in popular culture and are being seen more often in a public spectrum, they have discovered that they can use the fashion world to influence the dining experience and use the food experience to bring a new spin to fashion. Chef Laurent Gras, chef and owner of L20 in Chicago, uses fashion collections to inspire his food design. He told wwd.com, “I look at design like food. My food, we make it very clean; it can be very complex, technically exact, but in the end, it is very simple for the guests [to eat].” While Gras is inventing sleek food and entertaining the fashion world elite through design, he will also need to look good. Although this may not be something that designers like Ralph Lauren or Karl Lagerfeld may think of while dining at the newest hot spot, it is on the minds of the chef’s behind the scenes. That’s why currently Chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Chris Cosentino and Aaron Sanchez are creating a new line of signature work shoes influenced by each of their styles. The footwear is meant to not only be functional in the back of the house, but also fashion forward for mingling with a who’s who in the front of the house. Chef Cosentino, also keeping the diner’s fashion in mind, even recently teamed up with pants company Betabrand to design the Gluttony Pants. While not something you may see walking a runway anytime soon, these expandable waistband pants will at least keep you from popping the button of your $500 jeans.
Le Salon du Chocolat Fashion Show photo from cocoa-heaven.com
It seems not too long ago, the worlds of the culinary arts and clothing were supposed to stay far apart. If a model ate too much she wouldn’t fit in her runway outfit and a chef would never imagine walking down the runway let alone designing their own clothing items. As Chefs and Designers alike both become reality stars and television icons, almost anything is possible. The Style editor for GQ can become the editor-in-chief for Bon Appetit, diet pepsi can debut a new look at a fashion show and even the average person could someday sport a dress made entirely of chocolate (or at least we can hope).
i love creativity with food, but maybe not the meat dress. In the past you’ve seen a lot with bakery items, but now it is expanding towards more entrees. A lot of cute, independent restaurants even incorporate amazing designs through-out their entire restaurant, including window fixtures, plates, glasses and even their menu books. I think it’s great.
Thanks for the comment tatum! I’m inclined to agree about the meat dress. Thankfully, I don’t think we’ll be seeing that as a trend here in the real world. You do make a good point though. It seems that restaurants are trying to veer more and more away from the generic and get into the individual design elements. It does make for a more full effect because the atmosphere can lend a lot to a meal.