Justin Bieber's Musings On Fashion Are Hysterical

Regardless of his devotion to Kanye West and apparent fascination with street style, Justin Bieber is not a sartorial icon. Perhaps the performer could be considered a Millennial musical icon and even a talented songwriter, but the 21-year old will never be Karl Lagerfeld. Nevertheless, Justin Bieber talked fashion with Women's Wear Daily in a recent interview in which he made his fervent commitment to becoming a fashion plate abundantly clear. However, this being Bieber, the interview was a jumble of inadvertently comical moments hinting at a young star still playing dress up with his success.

Quite frankly, Bieber's music and wardrobe choices have taken a backseat to his many public transgressions of late, including but not limited to a DUI charge and an assault Bieber allegedly ordered on an Argentinian photographer. The notion that the singer wishes to be associated with something other than these misdemeanors is logical. Bieber has chosen his next desired role, and it is that of Calvin Klein spokesmodel and style icon. In what Women's Wear Daily reporter Amanda Kaiser labeled an "enthusiastic," if hesitant, exchange, Bieber revealed a handful of wisdom-filled gems to describe his devotion to fashion.

When asked about his sartorial preferences, Bieber gave a somewhat generic answer that hinted at a passing interest in fashion with minimal depth of knowledge, stating he is "really into, like, drapy things, drapy sweaters, layering pieces," thus explaining the singer's heretofore mysterious obsession with harem pants and the like. Despite his inability to elucidate exactly what defines his style, Bieber was quick to simultaneously shower the fashion industry in praise while accidentally dismissing the music industry.

"Fashion’s definitely really important... It’s not easy. It’s not like putting out an album,” Bieber related, likely to the chagrin of music producers everywhere. The fashion world is an industry in which image is everything, and perhaps in pursuit of a cleaner reputation, Bieber is seeking to distance himself from his mistakes by donning a new costume: that of a well turned-out model/designer/songster.

In reference to a potential forthcoming fashion line, Bieber played coy, citing personal fears of underachievement as his primary obstacle of late. "I haven’t lost that passion. It’s just such a big deal... It’s about trial and error and I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet," Bieber told Kaiser. It may well be that Bieber has fallen down one too many times in the past several years to endure a failure on the public stage like an ill-received eponymous line.

The kernels of sagacity the fashion community can glean from Bieber's interview are therefore few but significant. Fashion is important. Failure is not an option. Creating a musical album is laughably simple. And apparently, "drapey" clothing is totally in vogue this season. The next time someone tells you that what you wear doesn't matter, you can simply explain that Justin Bieber thinks otherwise.