After a frosty winter, finding art in fashion

Sometimes, I'll admit, I'm half inclined to concede to these pretentious snobs in their moldy sweater vests and corduroy pants and say that academia and fashion just don't mix. After a long night studying, who can really be bothered every morning to put a lot of thought into their outfit just to go to econ lecture? It's a pain, especially in the winter when everything I wear has to be covered over by a big coat and many, many scarves. At Princeton, the result of this conscious disinterest is that to be "fashionable" means you're one of the clones of girls in leggings, Ugg boots and North Face jackets, toting around a heaving Vera Bradley/Longchamp bag - on this last point only is there room for interpretation.

But spring, along with all its cliches of new life and flowering gardens, also awakens within me a reminder that fashion is really much more than most Princetonians will admit. And rather than being in a completely different realm from intellectualism, fashion is very much an art form unto itself, combining elements of both visual and performance art.

I mean, how else would you categorize the Etro collection this season other than as art? Filled with bright colors and beautifully hung fabrics, it is truly a triumph in defining what, to me, spring is all about. Though some elements are perhaps a bit too kitschy, overall I found the collection to be a refreshing change from the newly emerging trend toward plain colors and oddly fitting designs. One dress in particular stands out to me: a periwinkle paisley with splotches of orange and yellow. It drapes remarkably around the figure, clinging to the waist while still maintaining the loose bohemian style of the collection.

Alexander McQueen, with his usual flair for the dramatic, is also clearly interested in turning his fashion into art. Inspired by exotic birds for his spring "La Dame Bleue" collection, McQueen decorated the heads and bodices of dresses with feathers, and many of his fabrics resembled plumage. Both genders of birds - gray females and colorful males - were represented on the runway, and the show was effectively organized as a progression from dull to colorful.

Somewhat a damper to the performance spirit, the marked trend this spring is light fabrics, in whites, grays and silvers, sometimes marked by the smallest hint of color. Though I tend to find this slightly dull, there were some instances in recent fashion shows when the pale color theme was executed very well. Oscar de la Renta, for instance, managed to spice up the light colors by introducing a safari theme. By applying his usual impeccable eye for shape and incorporating this season's must-have accessory, the large clutch, into many of the outfits, de la Renta made his collection appear far from boring. Monique Lhuillier's collection also stood out for its soft, feminine approach on the light-color trend, continuing with the Grecian theme as a direct allusion to Paul Poiret's creations.

Yet in the end, it's not likely that many people are going to be wearing a feathered gown out to the Street anytime soon. But it is here that many people misunderstand what fashion is really about. There is no expectation that anyone is going to wear some of the complex designs McQueen created. Rather, like any other art form, fashion exists as a source of inspiration and beauty. A fashion show is just that, a show, a performance as thought out and as potentially brilliant as any play. And just like a play, it's designed to make us think. Here, the designers are the artists; it's the audience's job to figure out how to apply their creations to everyday life.