Kitsch

Kitsch is a style of deliberately 'tasteless', excessive and vulgar beauty that consciously breaks the rules of good taste for the sake of irony, fun and challenge. The word comes from German art jargon and means mass, cheap imitation of art. In fashion, kitsch is garish colours, gaudy prints, plastic ornaments, sparkle, pop-culture and 'souvenir' motifs, humorous and absurd combinations. Kitsch plays on the edge of bad taste, turning it into a deliberate, witty statement. It is close to camp but emphasises precisely the 'cheap', mass aesthetic. Designers such as Moschino (under Jeremy Scott) and Versace readily quote kitsch, turning it into high fashion. Kitsch is a playful rebellion against the elitism of taste, in which excess and unseriousness become a source of joy and freedom.