Item #1: Tavi Gevinson

The small ‘c’ controversy of New York Fashion Week surrounded Tavi Gevinson, the 13-year-old fashion blogger phenomenon (http://tavi-thenewgirlintown.blogspot.com/). Apparently the little-known wonder has made a name for herself as an influential style commentator, enough so, that she garnered herself a front row seat at some of fashion week’s most coveted shows.



http://www.interviewmagazine.com/blogs/fashion/2010-01-26/tavi-hat/

Tavi’s apparent faux-pas centred around her chosen pink bow headpiece – which was, as an aside, glorious and I’ll be getting a slightly smaller version for myself. But perhaps there was a statement being made here, unconsciously or not?

Tavi chose to mark her appearance at New York Fashion Week with a headpiece, one in the shape of a bow. Hmmm. Let’s briefly investigate the significance of this move.

According to tradition, head-gear was worn by those of status or authority. Whether a crown or a hat of plumage, the head-piece accessory was unnecessary and often featured costly accoutrements – such as jewels, or exotic feathers.

The old saying goes 'if you want to get ahead and get noticed, then get a hat'.

A royal crown, for example, symbolizes power, legitimacy and victory or triumph. In custom, a new monarch is crowned. Reference wikipedia.org.

And I’ll leave the bow (tie) symbolism explanation to the far more eloquent Warren St. John from The New York Times:

"To its devotees the bow tie suggests iconoclasm of an Old World sort, a fusty adherence to a contrarian point of view. The bow tie hints at intellectualism, real or feigned, and sometimes suggests technical acumen, perhaps because it is so hard to tie. Bow ties are worn by magicians, country doctors, lawyers and professors and by people hoping to look like the above. But perhaps most of all, wearing a bow tie is a way of broadcasting an aggressive lack of concern for what other people think."

—Warren St John, The New York Times

So perhaps Tavi’s head-gear wearing choice was purely random and unintentional, or… perhaps Tavi was ‘crowning herself as one of status and authority, earned as a result of her acumen and contrarian point of view’.