从“中国风格”到“中国元素”——服装设计的中国叙事方式探赜

From “Chinese style” to “Chinese elements”: Exploration of Chinese narrativemethods in fashion design

当代中国服装设计师的一个普遍困惑是,如何在作品中把现代时尚与国家身份统一起来。解决这一困惑的关键在于厘清“中国风格”和“中国元素”的区别。本文采用跨文化比较研究方法,分析了两者的区别,即“中国风格”是整体的、历史的和静态的模式,而“中国元素”则是自由的、鲜活的和动态的单元成分。通过研究,本文总结出服装设计的中国叙事方式的创新途径是从“中国风格”思维深入到“中国元素”思维,以设计师的个性激活“中国元素”的生命力。欧洲服装设计师运用中国元素创造了他们的新风格,显示了中国元素为人类服饰创新作贡献的无穷潜力。中国设计师也完全可以把中国元素从传统的中国风格中解放出来,将其与国外服装元素一样作为灵感源泉,以时代和个性的眼光进行融合,形成符合现代时尚、面向未来的中国风格。

A common confusion faced by contemporary Chinese fashion designers is how to achieve a“Chinese narrative”in their works,that is,to unify modern fashion with national identity.The“Chinese narrative”way of fashion design can be summarized into two categories.One is to redisplay the Chinese style in history,and the other is to partially integrate Chinese elements.The former is difficult to be compatible with modern fashion,while the latter is seen as lacking original“labeling”designs.Therefore,studying the new way of“Chinese narrative”in fashion design is of great value for eliminating the confusion of design thinking,promoting the development of Chinese fashion culture,and promoting the understanding of Chinese contemporary fashion design by the world fashion community.By using the methods of literature research and cross-cultural comparison,the author clarified the difference between the terms“Chinese style”and“Chinese elements”used in“Chinese narrative”,analyzed the design practice of Chinese elements of foreign designers,and drew three important conclusions.First,“Chinese style”is a holistic,historical and static model,while“Chinese elements”are free,fresh and dynamic unit elements.The innovative way of the Chinese narrative way of fashion design is to deepen the thinking from“Chinese style”to“Chinese elements”,and to activate the vitality of“Chinese elements”with the designer’s personality.When Chinese elements are liberated from the traditional Chinese style,they are not restricted by the original style.Designers should choose Chinese elements based on their modern vision and imagination,and freely combine them with modern fashion elements.Second,European fashion designers have created their new styles using Chinese elements,demonstrating the infinite potential of Chinese elements to contribute to human fashion innovation.The use of Chinese elements has precisely become a way for designers to express their individuality,which constitutes the romantic Orientalism style in their works.Chinese designers can also completely liberate Chinese elements from the traditional Chinese style,take them as the source of inspiration like foreign clothing elements,integrate them with the vision of the times and personality,and form a Chinese style that conforms to modern fashion and faces the future.Third,since foreign designers can use Chinese elements to form their own style,in the same way,Chinese designers can also use foreign elements to form their own style.Just as the Chinese elements in the eyes of Europeans are full of charm due to their unfamiliarity,the foreign elements in the eyes of Chinese people are also full of exotic atmosphere.The history of the modern“eastward spread of Western clothing”is also the history of Chinese people integrating foreign clothing elements into their own lives.The author systematically and deeply analyzes the“Chinese narrative”path of modern fashion design,clarifies the relationship between style and elements,dispels the thinking shackles of Chinese style,releases the vitality of Chinese elements,stimulates the innovative vitality of designers,and enables Chinese and foreign designers to achieve mutual understanding,which jointly promote Chinese elements to play a greater role in human modern fashion.The mutual learning and integration of cultural elements of human clothing is not only a path of innovation for European designers,but also for Chinese designers.Contemporary Chinese fashion designers go out of the fence of thinking and regard human clothing cultural elements,including Chinese elements,as resources to form their own styles,which is the only way to form the future Chinese style.