The trend of doom and gloom (war on terror, election peril, and cutbacks galore) is giving birth to a new kind of realization: Going straight for your bliss means inventing your own course of action. For those in the know, we saw this commitment to the self at Viktor & Rolf’s 2002 Winter show — as the lights came up, Tilda Swinton’s voice directed, "Be yourself. Follow your own path." James Truman, editorial director of Condé Nast for more than ten years, was driven to take charge of his own happiness by a quote from academic bliss-master Joseph Campbell — "We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us" — prompting Truman to leave Condé Nast and head for Spain in pursuit of the simple life.

Putting intellectualism, individualism, and creativity above conventional business considerations, both Jil Sander and Helmut Lang have recently taken leave of the Prada group. Alber Elbaz, Roland Mouret and Sophia Kokosolaki all turned down offers from LVMH to design for Givenchy, each believing they had a better shot at success (and happiness) if they held their own creative reins. Isaac Mizrahi created his customized path to profitability by launching both his Target line and Bergdorf Goodman couture, eschewing the pre-cut model of wholesale to retail. Ditto for Marc Bouwer, who’s mingling runway and QVC. The masses are following suit, creating and consuming self-help tomes focused on going for pleasure over deprivation, like bestsellers Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts, Your Best Life Now, and The Purpose-Driven Life, as well as debunking fashion uniforms for individual eclecticism. Will fashionistas head in droves to find their calling in order to combat dreariness? Stay tuned.

-Meghan Cleary

Photos: Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts
Viktor & Rolf a/w ’02-’03
Helmut Lang