Fashion is Frivolous! And that's the way it should be.

I received an angry email yesterday from a woman claiming that my most recent fashion column, which appeared on Tuesday (http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Columnists/Style/colSTYLE090407.htm) was ridiculous because I showed a $130 Trina Turk boatneck tee and a $160 Trina Turk mini on a model. Her main problem was that the model was a teenager, and she felt I was pushing expensive clothes on teenagers and their poor parents. (Unfortunately, the photos don't show up on the site). I informed her that the column was never intended for teenagers. It's intended for adults. But models are always young. Anyway, I found myself defending fashion, and the high price of fashion.

As I was discussing it with my husband, he said something that stuck with me: "You're writing about fashion, not about clothes." That struck me as pretty profound. Everyone needs clothes. They're an essential part of civilized society. But fashion is for those of us who choose to express ourselves through our clothes, who enjoy making a statement with them and wearing what is new and trendy as long as it's filtered through our own sense of personal style. It's not an essential. It's a luxury, an escape. And for many of us, no matter what our budget, it's a passion.

I don't write the local golf columnist telling him that golf is stupid and the downfall of society. It's a hobby, a sport. It's not meant to be controversial. And neither is fashion. So I'll stop defending it. It is what it is. If you're not interested, then don't read about it. If you are, join the rest of us "fashionistas" (although I hate that word). We're having a lot of fun.