is real fashion criticism dead?
why everyone is too scared of pissing off the wrong person to voice their honest opinion... and why it sucks.
Let’s set the scene.
It was a casual Monday night. I had just eaten a bunch of tomatoes and called it dinner, lit my conceptually scented ‘Scarlet Leaves’ candle, and booted up the Vogue app to finally take a peek at the NYFW shows that seemed mildly interesting.
That was when I had a not-so-shocking revelation.
I wore my finger to the bone endlessly scrolling through each collection’s “Review” section, only to realize… these were not actually reviews at all. I was being lied to.
As someone who yearns for criticism, analysis, and honesty in the fashion sphere, I was irritated that these alleged “reviews” were simply just reports.
While they often provide an inside look into the designer’s POV for each collection (good), the bulk of them are simply well-written fashion news reports, offering zero criticism whatsoever (bad). It’s almost as if they are purposefully filling the space with as much “context” from the designer as humanly possible, so they don’t [conveniently] have enough words left to write a real critique of the collection.
And I’m a reasonable person — I realize that not every piece of news needs to include a scathing opinion or even a particular stance. Sometimes, you just want to take in an event “as is.” But referring to these, essentially, fashion show meta descriptions as a “review” of the show, feels disingenuous.
I even went back in time to collections I know for a fact were not well-received by fashion connoisseurs… and me [*cough* Gucci Resort 2025 *cough"*] and ran into the same issue — not even a morsel of an idea that maybe… just maybe… this show wasn’t the best.
Am I surprised though? Not at all. I’ve been disappointed with Vogue’s reporting and artistic direction for quite some time, and I think I’m not alone when I say that the pages of the publication are no longer “en vogue.”
[Although, I will say their new app and October Lady Gaga cover are a step in the right direction. *snaps and claps*]
And maybe people aren’t flocking to Vogue to hear a unique perspective or honest opinions from experts. Maybe Vogue has transcended into simply being the place where everything is just out on the table and we can choose to digest it or not — no spin, no critique, no bite. It is the most mainstream fashion publication out there, masterfully woven into the cultural zeitgeist decade after decade. They can stand to stay bland.
Where Did All The Real Critics Go?
Today, the best fashion journalism, the most interesting fashion journalism, and the most daring fashion journalism (actual critiques) aren’t coming from publications at all… They’re coming from fashion experts on platforms like Substack (so meta, I know), Instagram, and YouTube. Why? Because these people aren’t tied to #bigmedia. They aren’t SO scared of being blacklisted by a particular fashion house or banned from their next show for voicing an honest critique. Creative directors often grapple with ego. Their deep emotional attachment to their work can make negative reviews feel personal, leading some to burn bridges with anyone who challenges their artistic direction.
It seems like every publication has watered down its reviews or completely dissolved them. The New York Times ‘Fashion Reviews’ section hasn’t been officially updated since 2020 even though notable fashion critic Vanessa Friedman is on their team. Let her cook.
Yes, we still have the truthful queen of snark, Cathy Horyn, now fashion critic-at-large at The Cut, but I fear the art of honest fashion criticism will die with these legends. No one wants to be banned from Armani anymore like they used to… Ugh!
Some of my favorite [opinionated] Cathy Horyn pieces
No one is teed up to take the place of these journalists. The landscape has changed drastically since the 2000s and provocative criticism has taken a backseat to blind praise for the sake of brand deals. Fashion houses and designers are swapping critics at their shows with influencers who won’t do anything other than give the collection a 5-star rating with guns to their heads. You’d be hard-pressed nowadays to find a published negative review. It just doesn’t happen anymore.
YouTuber Mina Le recently talked about the death of negative reviews in one of her well-researched analyses. She perfectly articulates the state of current criticism that’s been branded into all aspects of media and art, not just fashion.
Brands know that any influencer they invite [to their show] is going to gas them up to the moon and back to their millions of followers, whereas, with a journalist, it’s more up in the air the coverage that the brand would get.
Authenticity Sells…Seriously
While there is certainly a lack of negative reviews in the fashion space, one of my favorite critics (doing God’s work) is YouTuber Luke Meagher of HauteLeMode. His reviews are perfectly bitchy and honest, yet backed up by research, history, and context. He sticks to his guns, unapologetically, and now scores invites to major runway shows as a result of his authentic critiques.
As I was initially collecting my thoughts for this piece, The Business of Fashion podcast released an amazing episode with social media fashion critic Lyas. He, like many others, had noticed all the blind praise being recycled in fashion criticism and decided to speak truthfully and hold certain brands accountable for… well… putting out lackluster collections and expecting people to eat them up.
I started just saying it like it is on my TikTok... the first Sabato de Sarno I really didn’t like, and I think most of the industry did not like it, but no one wanted to say it, so I took the bullet.
Although he was subsequently blacklisted from certain events, voicing his opinion in this way has actually propelled his career, given the lack of unique fashion communicators.
Oh, You Thought We Had An Opinion? HA!
Authenticity sells. People know this. Publications know this. Why else would opinionated clickbaity headlines be the norm now? News outlets are tricking us with the illusion of opinion by crafting a catchy, scroll-stopping title or daring question, only to find that the piece itself takes zero interesting stance. Made ya look!
I appreciate The Cut and enjoyed their piece on Spanx shoes. However, the article illustrates a common issue I see with many publications. The headline poses the question: "Are the Spanx of Shoes As Comfortable As They Are Ugly?" Yet, throughout the article, the writer tiptoes around her personal opinion, which leans towards finding the shoes unattractive.
Although she features quotes from others who are critical of the shoes' appearance—a practice that enriches the article with diverse perspectives (love!)—she stops short of affirming the bold claim made in the headline. Instead, she softens her stance, describing the shoes as "kind of dorky," and clarifies that they are "not exactly ugly, but more sneakerish than stylish." This approach feels somewhat contradictory and dilutes the provocative angle suggested by the title.
While this article isn’t the worst offender of this kind of thing (by far), it’s something I see too often.
Celebrities Can Do No Wrong in the Fashion World… Apparently
Fashion coverage has increasingly shifted its focus toward celebrities (unfortunately) rather than highlighting the models and the designs themselves. It's common now to see more photos of celebrities at a show than of the runway designs being showcased.
And the coverage? All positive all the time, it seems. It’s one thing to leave criticism out of the equation when someone’s look is subjectively uninteresting… but quite another when a celebrity is wearing an objectively ill-fitted or wrinkled garment. In these cases, it’s STILL not commented on. It’s only ever “[insert celebrity} stuns in new photo.”
Here’s a recent example that bugged me:
Da’Vine Joy Randolph showed up to the Emmy’s looking stunning. Glam, great. Color, fantastic. Dress… ill-fitting. The right sleeve ruching looks ridiculously uncomfortable, almost as if the way it’s stitched is forcing her arm down. Can she move it? I’m not sure, but I never saw one comment on this glaring aspect from any media outlet.
Calling out something like this wouldn’t even be considered a “dig” at the celebrity in question. It’s not their fault. They have a team, stylists, and designers who make these decisions for them, I’m sure. It’s obvious mistakes like these that leave me questioning why no one is speaking about it… Everyone gets a participation trophy for simply putting their celebrity in clothes (the bare minimum).
The current “everyone looks AMAZING” discourse could be a response to the 2000s tabloid culture, where celebrities were pinned against each other, heavily criticized, etc. And to that, I understand why as a society, we have moved away from the damaging criticism of celebrities' bodies and their appearance. BUT (hear me out), that doesn’t mean tasteful constructive criticism needs to be completely scrapped in favor of everyone becoming a yes-man. Who is that serving?
Another example of this that honestly boiled my blood was the discourse surrounding the ALAIA show at the Guggenheim during NYFW. I was listening to the Who What Wear podcast, which I generally enjoy, and they were discussing Rihanna's appearance. Notably, she was nearly an hour late, holding up the entire show. Personally, I find that extremely rude to everyone involved in putting on the event. However, the hosts glossed over her tardiness, stating:
“She was a little bit late to the show, but you know, that’s the way it should be. We should all be sat waiting for Rihanna to arrive.”
Fawning over everything and everyone is tired and lame, especially when they are being disrespectful. Interestingly, the tone was quite different when Kim Kardashian arrived late, and apologetically so, to Victoria Beckham's show earlier this year; the reactions were not as forgiving. Why does Rihanna get a free pass?
Will Honest Criticism Ever Return?
Anecdote time! In my sophomore year of college, I took a film class where we were tasked with seeing a newly released film and writing a review of it. My professor was urging everyone to see Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water, as he had already seen it twice and loved it. I decided to do just that. I arrived at the local Regal by myself for an 8 pm showing, popcorn in lap.
My thoughts on the film? I hated it.
I knew my professor enjoyed the movie, so I was in a strange position. Did I write an honest review, showcasing all my negative thoughts? Or did I write one strategically omitting my distaste for the film to appease the guy giving me a grade? I went with the scathing version.
The style was there, but the substance was lacking. Strip away all the beautiful colors, and fanciful imagery and you are left with an underdeveloped relationship between two entities, that is supposedly the driving force behind relatively every event that takes place in this film.
I would give the visuals of The Shape of Water a whopping 8.5/10, but as far as everything else, a score too embarrassingly low to display in this review.
My harsh, yet honest review got me a perfect score on the assignment. My professor appreciated my authenticity, although it completely went against his personal opinion. He told me that he enjoyed it BECAUSE I didn’t hold anything back. It was different. It was raw. Ever since then, I’ve always felt it was important to tell the truth in writing. It’s cliche to say, but “being yourself” is always better than pandering.
So, do I think honest criticism has a place in today’s society? Yes. I think people are starting to finally catch on and are becoming fatigued by this sycophant culture.
There are more and more think pieces and critiques of critiques (how meta, again) coming out about the dissatisfaction of this kind of watered-down fashion journalism. Even
is using their platform to showcase writers’ honest opinions of traditional fashion media coverage. In their recent piece Fashion Month, unstacked, they feature ’s sentiments in her What Looks Good newsletter:“Reviews are mainly fluff pieces.”
Amen to that. The only way to fuel change is to keep the discourse going. I hope the future of fashion criticism is bold, bright, and unapologetic. Cheers!
This is exactly why I’m on here. No one will pay for critical fashion journalism anymore, so the only place for it is via my own channels. Interestingly, as you’ve pointed out here, there’s definitely an audience for it. Unfortunately the hand-wringing concern about not getting anyone to pay for advertising after being criticised is to blame.
I kind of think calling the Spanx of shoes ugly wouldn't have even ruffled feathers. like there are loads of things that are subjectively 'ugly' to many people and that doesn't preclude them from also being 'fashion'
to your point on not criticising celebrities, I think some of that is as you say an overcorrection from past media behaviour. I also think some of it is just plain fear of fans. remember the nyt or New Yorker or some publication like that posted a criticism of the tortured poet's department and received such vitriol the review had to be anonymised? Rihanna also has hardcore fans so maybe the podcasters in that instance were scared of potential backlash...