Fashion, ethics and globalism

The Fashion Spot has an interesting thread in the Trend Spotting Section where a debate about the fetishizing of ethnic cultures for a western audience is inspiring many heated comments. It is obviously a touchy subject for some. There are those who accept "ethnic" trends in fashion as an inevitable result of globalisation, and then there are others who believe that the west is simply co-opting the cultures of the east, robbing the items of their cultural or spiritual meaning. I suppose my upbringing guarantees that I lean more towards the former opinion, as I was uprooted from my own culture as a child and have lived in a very diversely populated city ever since. I can't relate to any particular set of cultural values or belief systems. I've always been a blank canvas open to anything striking or beautiful that comes my way.

So this is why despite the debates over ethnic-inspired clothing, I still made my way to my local Value Village this morning and snagged three beautiful sari's from the fabric section. Why are they mixed in with sheets of raw fabric? No idea. But I love the many possibilities the colors shapes and patterns have to offer. I think I've solved my what-to-wear-when-it's-too-damn-hot dilemma. Here I draped one from behind up over my shoulders and belted it in place with a satin belt from another dress.