Bling is defined as “Ostentatious,flashy; designating flamboyant jewellery or dress. Also: that glorifies conspicuous consumption; materialistic” in the Oxford English Dictionary. In the design industry, bling products have always been regarded as in bad taste and thus of less value. However, good taste and good design are not synonyms. Good taste is based on subjective inherent values[1]. But good design is based on the designer’s competence and professional skills[2]. Therefore, bling products can be of good design. This is a dress (Figure 1) from the Christian Dior couture house from the Spring-Summer 2018 collection in NGV, which is an example of a bling product that is also a well-designed product.
The designer of this work is Maria Grazia Chiuri. On the dress, which is a nude woman in shadow. The dress is made of silk and covered by a mass of differently colored metal sequins. The designer vividly shows off the female body by arranging the three colors of the metal sequins by using the light colored sequins to create light, dark hued sequins to create shadows, and the medium toned sequins as the transition. Moreover, the directions of the sequins similarly create a kind of movement [3]. For the 2018 Spring-Summer collection of the Christian Dior couture house, Maria Grazia Chiuri reflected on surrealism and the unconscious, being inspired by the work of Leonor Fini. Fini was known as a surrealist artist. Before Monsieur Dior became a couturier, he held an exhibition of Fini’s work in Paris.For Fini, clothes were about interpreting herself, expressing her personality, as well as defining and differentiating herself from others [4]. She went to a ball in order to represent herself rather than to dance. Fini wanted to be a work of art [5]. This dress uses the common elements of surrealism—body but in a bling way.
Bling is obvious, straightto the point, impossible to ignore, and generates strong feelings and opinions, dividing public opinion into two camps. A bling product shouts out its message: bigger is better and more is better [6]. Here, the dress uses a large amount of dazzling metal sequins. Bling products are considered to be in bad taste. However, taste is dangerous because it is a matter of morality.Good taste is related to good behavior and sense of morality. Kant mentioned three kinds of beauty; one of them exists in the ideally beautiful, such as morality. However, as bad taste, bling products are equated with vulgarity, lack of education or intelligence, and ugliness. According to Sandqvist, ugliness is filled with delight. It can help people escape from the demand for credibility and truth as well as express themselves in a playful way [7]. Chiuri not only expressesthe beauty of female body’s shape, but also displays the power of women by embroidering a nude woman with metal sequins.Therefore, bad taste provides more joy than good taste. A product is beautiful if it can give meaning and delight to its users (Hume). Therefore, whether they are ugly or not, bling products can present meaning depending on its user’s emotion toward the product.
When we concentrate on what bling products do for their users, we can find that bling does occurs on two different levels [8]. On the individual level, bling can enhance the user’s pride and identity. It becomes a symbol of success. On the social level, bling represents the user’s climb up the social ladder, changing their destiny from one of poverty to wealth. Bling signifies revolt, the users breaking of the social codes, and choosing to place themselves outside of mainstream convention and tradition [9]. Chiuri tried to break away from the stereotypes that women are emotional, weak, and subordinate to men. The dress not only demonstrates the beauty of women, but also describes a muscular, independent, and mysterious female image by using the colors of black and white with the material of the metal sequins. It challenges normative values that are deeply rooted in society that men are more important than women. Back to Sandqvist’s opinion, products that can liberate their users and set them free are beautiful[10]. Bling products emancipate us from tradition and conventions, increasing our creativity and passion for life.
There are a large number of products that represent an extreme stance in taste, such as anime merchandise, Lolita fashion, and glam rock that are similar to bling products in that they are regarded as in bad taste. However, these products can provide delight to their users who can express themselves and define who he or she is as well as break away from the conventions of society. This is why bling is still alive and well.
[1] Christoforidou, Despina and Elin Olander, Anders Warell. 2012. Good Taste vs Good Design: A Tug of War in the Light of Bling.
[2] Ibid.
[3]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LisU7a47IG8 (accessed April 06, 2019)
[4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO4ZjlW3ToA (accessed April 06, 2019)
[5] Ibid.
[6] Christoforidou, Despina and Elin Olander, Anders Warell. 2012. Good Taste vs Good Design: A Tug of War in the Light of Bling.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid.
Design Ideas 