Let me start this off by saying that I'm using this specific incidence of racial insensitivity as a sort of jumping off point for a lot of thoughts I've been having thanks to Jezebel round-ups of racist teens on Twitter. No, seriously.
So the Chanel couture show was "Cowboys & Indians" themed, a racially blind trope that's been played out for the better part of a century—how are we not over this yet? Maybe it's because Karl Lagerfeld isn't from these here parts, but the big uproar is over the headdresses worn by two models to close the show. Now, this isn't a discrete incidence of misappropriation as it applies to Native American cultures—this shit happens pretty frequently. There was a huge uproar at the Victoria's Secret fashion show last year when model Karlie Kloss was sent down the runway in a headdress. "[It's] a marginalized image that exposes a preconceived, inaccurate depiction of a historical event," noted one writer*, referring to Kloss's intended 'Calendar Girl' representation of Thanksgiving. "It also fails to acknowledge the persecution and violence that subsequently occurred." *I had this quote incorrectly attributed before and have subsequently lost the fuck out of it somewhere on the internet. Will keep looking—do let me know if it's yours!
Who wore it more racistly? At left, Caroline de Maigret closes the Chanel show; on the right, Karlie Kloss walks in the Victoria's Secret fashion show.
So the Chanel couture show was "Cowboys & Indians" themed, a racially blind trope that's been played out for the better part of a century—how are we not over this yet? Maybe it's because Karl Lagerfeld isn't from these here parts, but the big uproar is over the headdresses worn by two models to close the show. Now, this isn't a discrete incidence of misappropriation as it applies to Native American cultures—this shit happens pretty frequently. There was a huge uproar at the Victoria's Secret fashion show last year when model Karlie Kloss was sent down the runway in a headdress. "[It's] a marginalized image that exposes a preconceived, inaccurate depiction of a historical event," noted one writer*, referring to Kloss's intended 'Calendar Girl' representation of Thanksgiving. "It also fails to acknowledge the persecution and violence that subsequently occurred." *I had this quote incorrectly attributed before and have subsequently lost the fuck out of it somewhere on the internet. Will keep looking—do let me know if it's yours!
You appropriate something when you rob it of its specific sociocultural context, thereby claiming it for yourself. What does the phrase "Native American headdress" mean in American popular culture at this point? What does "Navajo print" mean? Well, now they mean nothing. They are props to sell Shell majority stakeholders' wives ten-thousand dollar purses.
Why was Chanel even doing this whole Dallas-themed thing in the first place, you ask? "American stores and clients ensured the success of [Coco] Chanel’s comeback—a mutual love affair symbolized by her being awarded, in 1957, the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion, which she traveled to Dallas to receive." In other words, it was really a watershed moment in Cowboys and Indians history and thank God Karl Lagerfeld took the time to commemorate it with this. "Historically, Ralph Lauren has owned this fashion territory," said Style.com's Nicole Phelps, noting that, "Lagerfeld seized upon it with gusto but also with characteristic deftness." To which I say: characteristic deftness or *cultural deafness*?? ZING. She then quotes Lagerfeld himself saying, "It's a reinvention of something I don't really know, but that I like to play with." No shit? Then say you were inspired by Fievel Goes West, motherfucker—not history.
"I don't really know it, but I like to play with it." White privilege, thy name is Karl. Whether or not his comment is specifically in reference to cultures that were indigenous to the state of Texas pre-white colonization or just all of Texas culture as a whole, that's still some kind of bullshit. The same bullshit that happened when Ron Howard cast Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi as a geisha in Memoirs Of a Geisha. There's this tacit assumption, "Oh, people don't really know the difference! Chinese, Japanese LOLZ NBD." Geishas are like, so random anyway*. The same thing happened when Johnny Depp played Tonto in that shit Disney movie we've all already forgotten about—but here's a nice McSweeney's piece about that, lest you need another reminder that this shit happens pretty frequently. (*If you don't get the random reference, click here now.)
But there are differences between people's cultures. Even Asians! And look at how many books this motherfucker has. If you don't know jack shit about a culture to which you're about to at least partially dedicate a collection, a collection of ninety-six looks that are "inspired" by a very specific cultural heritage with a specific cultural context outside of your own, why don't you start by reading a fucking book about it.
The headdresses were a small part of the Chanel show, granted, appearing only on the last two models. But all it takes is one image, and that finale shot of Caroline de Maigret is already everywhere—it is the fashion "moment" from the show, defining the collection the way those big floppy hats were pretty much immediately synonymous with Saint Laurent. Vogue's Hamish Bowles ends his review of the show by commenting on de Maigret's "proud cheekbones reflecting her Native American grandmother’s genes." See? It's ok because her grandmother was Native American. She's about that life, you know? Bowles is amazing and incredibly knowledgable about the history of fashion and you need to read his review of the show for that perspective, but the point isn't whether or not so-and-so's lineage validates Lagerfeld's aesthetic choices (the McSweeney's piece I linked to is a good reference here, too). It's that Lagerfeld's created a cultural vacuum that doesn't equal more than the sum of its finely tailored parts. The message he's very purposely sending—you don't stage a show this big if you don't want everyone to see it—lacks a cultural anchor. "I don't really know it, but I like to play with it."
The few people who can afford these clothes will have a lot of fun wearing them and commemorating Texas, I'm sure, and next November we'll see plenty of couture editorials showcasing Eastern European stick women wearing headdresses in the middle of Las Vegas. Cool. But let's call bullshit here. This work in no way contributes to a sustainable and forward-thinking dialogue about fashion and its cultural significance—or flagrant lack thereof—and no one ever intended for it to. But someone as high profile as Karl Lagerfeld (who already has a reputation for insensitivity) should be held accountable for the far-reaching messages they broadcast all over the globe, especially when they're this indulgently ignorant.
P.S. A good reference: Jezebel's primer on cultural appropriation.
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