Diamonds are a boy's best friend?

I’ve always liked costume jewelry. It’s accessible and yet implies the inaccessible, with little pieces of glass imitating sapphires, emeralds, rubies or diamonds. I’ve always liked costume jewelry because, when it gets down to it, costume jewelry is just as valuable as the thing it imitates. I know, I know, that sounds preposterous and I’m completely aware of the price differences, but I’m talking about value. Value is measured by the demand for something. Gold or precious gems don’t have any real use, you can’t “use” them for anything, the only reason they’re expensive is because people want them. The only reason people want them is to add something special to their appearance, and doesn’t costume jewelry do exactly that?

In a sense, the same can be said about clothing. I don’t mean to say there’s no difference between Primark and Versace, because there is, but is there a difference between a gold mesh dress hand sewn by your local seamstress, or a gold mesh dress made by Donatella? If we don’t take into account the creative aspect, there isn’t. The price difference is because thousands of people want the Versace dress, whereas only you want the other one. It’s basic economics. 

But, things aren’t that black and white. Although we pay ridiculous prices for high fashion, there is a reason. The reason is that we don’t just pay for the material, or the hours put in by the person who put together the garment, we pay for the mind of the person who is behind the design. We pay to be a part of somebody’s creative process, because we want to live in that little imaginary world they’ve thought up. When you wear a Versace dress, you become a Versace person, and that is the greatest thing about fashion. It’s why fashion is considered an art, because it allows the wearer to have an emotional experience. That’s why, although critics will say there’s no real difference, we’ll continue to buy high fashion, because it may not have any real value, but it’s worth as much as you want it to be.

Sweater: River Island

Jeans: Primark

Shoes: Dr Martens

Necklace: Ebay

Sunglasses: H&M

Photography by Alice Malyon