Fashion? Classical Music's First Cousin

Style icons of the world of classical music like Anne-Sophie Mutter, Stephen Hough, and Maria Callas have been able to pull together music and fashion with effortless ease. It makes me wonder if the worlds of fashion and music are more related than they seem, almost like cousins maybe. Naturally this makes me wonder, what they have in common? Here are some ideas:

Here and Now –

The intensity of the moment, the urge to capture just for one moment the fleetingness of time, that's for me the most striking resemblance. Music is there for one moment, experienced by all present, but then it seems to vanish, only to be captured in the hearts and minds of the audience and the performer. Fashion lives in the here and now, capturing our ‘Zeitgeist’, capturing how it feels to live on this earth in this very minute, but much of it will be outdated very quickly.

Family –

The large musical family of J.S. Bach - just to name one example - is well known in the world of classical music. But family ties play a huge role in the fashion industry as well. I recently was privileged to witnessed this in the fashion family of Nanette Lepore - just to name one example here as well. Talking to her sister about all her family connections made me realize the depth and strength of this family. It is the passion and dedication of this blood relationship, that seems to run through the veins of the entire company. 

Dedication –

Both musicians and fashion folks are consumed by perfection in their craft, by beauty, by the expression of emotion. Work ethic is huge. Contrary to common belief classical musicians don’t party all the time, they don’t sleep in and wait until their muse kicks in, but how often do I encounter those perceptions in conversation. Since both worlds run in my background, I can safely say, that the same is true for fashion, a world of hard work and dedication, every day, every minute.

Unlikely cousins they might be at first sight, but both dedicate their lives to the reflection of the beauty within us.