Can good architecture ever fall out of fashion?

I don’t know about you, but I have a fairly large collection of ties. I have always liked ties, even in high school (which at the time was actually more about non-conformity than ‘dressing for success’). To my surprise, the other day I picked out an old Brooks Bros. standby, which I have always liked, only to see it in a new light; unattractive. Why did I no longer like my old standby? It had not changed; no fading nor was it worn thin and threadbare. No, there was something about me that had changed my taste in ties. The more I looked at this particular tie, the more I wanted to understand why it had become less desirable. I decided that the little sea horses and shells were too far apart, where they had previously been just fine. Also the yellow color was just not right anymore. Was this because some of my more recent ties are a retro paisley and of Marimekko design? Was it that, by comparison, my old tie was no longer fashionable, or maybe I just don’t like little sea horses anymore?

The fated sea horse tie

But, why should I be surprised, many articles of clothing are just fashion; here today and gone next season, designed to be obsolete. Which is great fun for those who enjoy change and shopping for new stuff all the time, but not particularly sustainable. But then, what is the carbon footprint of a tie or a pair of shoes, anyway? But what of the old sweater that you love year in and year out? Certain articles of clothing remain perennial favorites for years regardless of what friends think of your taste. In the end I guess fashion can be exciting, or confusing, or even boring for some of us.

What about music? It is equally disposable? I certainly have favorites dating back to my misspent youth. What of the newly discovered favorites that I somehow missed when they first were recorded? I was never a Journey fan in the 80’s, but now their greatest hits gets a fair amount of play on road trips. Metallica was not a band I paid much attention to until my teenage kids put their Black Album on my iPod. Why would I all of a sudden enjoy music that was not new, ground breaking and nor particularly keyed in to some personal remembrance of that period? Maybe that’s why some people like classical music; music written centuries ago, but still feel relevant. Then there is other new music my kids listen to that has now made my play list – enjoying the rock classics and exploring the new, Deafheaven anyone? But for the unadventurous, many of us stick with what we like and rarely venture into new territory; same old grey flannel pants, same old Kenny G. Then again, for me, the ebbs and flows of popular culture is what makes it all interesting, no?

Iconic Mary Quant dress; Twiggy

When it comes to architecture the turnover rate on fashion is much slower, after all, a 3 minute song may take an hour or two to put together, while a major building 3-5 years, if not longer. Many architects have a limited playlist, if you will. They may have a style and stick to it, like Mies, Corbu, Voysey, even Macintosh to name a few. Mies and Corbu were the heroes of my time in architectural school. Voysey and Macintosh were an acquired taste developed years later in my career along with Lutyens and Asplundh. Not unlike classical music, one can still enjoy walking through the Glasgow School of Art, not that you would design a building like it or write music like Brahms. Appreciate the art form of a period for what it is, not because you, the individual, feel some familiar association at the time of its creation. But what about Gehry, Koolhaas, Hadid and even Piano? Do they have an approach to design that is identifiable … a brand … a style. Like my new ties, what becomes more interesting to “wear” until something else comes along? Again, while you might appreciate these architects’ talent, you wouldn’t copy them. Or would you? Isn’t the vast majority of mainstream architecture derivative in some way or other? Aren’t we all influenced by what we see online and in what is left of the architectural press? Hopefully we are inspired and do not simply copy the styles we love.

Glasgow School of Art

Is architecture like the current state of the music industry? There are so many styles of music that one can pick and choose bits and pieces of what is out there, sampling, and come up with your own interpretation of what is au courant. The Beatles being channeled by Skrillex or just reinterpreted by Tony Bennett and whoever! Everyone is borrowing, building on, breaking down and reinventing a never ending variety of popular music. This is a good thing if there is discipline and craft, not so much if it is just so much an ersatz makeover.

So has architecture today, for the most part, become a channeling of Modernism with a little sampling of new technology and materials? Why do so many new buildings look so familiar, hey, wasn’t it SOM or was it Saarinen who designed a building just like that 50 years ago? Less is more, again! Maybe I have been around too long, but as my wife says, ‘keep a dress long enough and someday it will come back into fashion.’ Will my little sea horse tie ever be fashionable again? It is probably too disposable to worry about, but buildings, they have a tendency to stay around for many years. Being loved, then ignored, hated, and demolished, or like that old dress kept in the back of the closet and then finally warrants preservation. Perhaps coming back into fashion, in its own way, is the goal of all good, enduring and sustainable architecture.