Fashion: What Is It?

Everyday, we have to deal with fashion. Even those who claim not to care what they wear each morning pick outfits that convey a lot about their personalities and moods for the day.

Who sets fashion trends?

Politicians and aristocracy have long affected fashion, as have musicians and other cultural giants. Periodicals and newspapers cover Hillary Clinton’s wardrobe choices. Diana, the Princess of Wales, passed away recently. Her garments were daily news in the world of high fashion, thus her passing was devastating.

Fashion periodicals were studied by people as early as the 1700s to see the newest trends. Sketches were the only way that women and dressmakers outside of the French court could observe what was happening. According to the renowned French King Louis XIV, dress serves as a mirror. Louis was well known for his personal style, which leaned toward ornate velvets and laces.

People are categorized by their clothes.

Fashion reveals things. People’s clothes show which groups they belong to. Groups in high school are called things like “goths, skaters, preps, herbs.” Styles express who you are, but they can foster prejudice and a gulf between social groupings. A businessman, for example, could consider a youngster who has several piercings and green hair to be strange and unusual. The youngster, however, appears to be a rigid conformist to someone else. Although he wears a certain style to convey a message of disobedience and rebellion, everyone in that group has the same appearance. A style’s acceptance or rejection is a response to the culture in which we live.

Fashion is a language that conveys information about the wearer. “We all understand a wordless means of communication that clothes create,” renowned British fashion designer Katherine Hamnett said. Hamnett rose to fame when several rock bands started sporting her t-shirts, which featured bold sayings like “Choose Life.”

We dress the way we do for a variety of reasons.

Mountain climbers wear specialized clothing to protect themselves from the cold, rain, and snow in order to prevent frostbite and overexposure.

Physical allure: a lot of looks are worn to evoke “chemistry.”

Emotions: we dress “down” for sadness and “up” for happiness.

Religious expression: Islamic women cover all of their bodies except for their eyes, and Orthodox Jewish males dress in long black suits.

The fashion industry is huge. Clothes manufacture, sales, and purchases employ more people than any other industry worldwide. Millions of people create, stitch, glue, dye, and deliver apparel to retailers every day. We are unconsciously or deliberately given suggestions about what to dress by advertisements in magazines, billboards, and busses.

It is possible to utilize clothing as a political weapon. There were rules in England throughout the nineteenth century that forbade wearing clothing made in France. Uniforms were utilized in communist revolutions of the 20th century to eliminate racial and class divisions.

Fashion is a never-ending competition of popularity.

A select few men and women with certain tastes and status in the fashion industry are considered to have high fashion sense. Haute Couture, or “High Fashion” in French, is made up of individuals with money and status, buyers for large department shops, editors, and writers for fashion publications. A few of these pricey and frequently creative trends can catch on and become the norm for the majority of people. The majority remain on the runway.

Tracking down popular trends is nearly impossible. Nobody can explain how blue jeans gained such popularity in the United States, how hip-hop moved from the Bronx streets to the Haute Couture fashion shows in London and Milan, or how teens’ short skirts and boots from 1960s England found their way to the Paris runways.

Watching sitcoms on television makes it simple to see what’s popular: the tight sports outfits and exposed midriffs of 90210, the baggy jeans of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. However, the direction of fashion depends on “plugged-in” people responding to current affairs and literary, artistic, and musical trends.

“In the perspective of costume history, it is plain that the dress of any given period is exactly suited to the actual climate of the time.” as stated by renowned English costume historian James Laver. How did bell-bottom jeans go from the 1980s’ designer jeans and boots appearance to the 1990s’ baggy style? Really, nobody knows.

Style is a mental attitude. A soul, a manifestation of the self. Fashion speaks; it may be a low-key murmur, an exuberant yell, or an observant wink and smile. Above all, fashion is about expressing your sense of self-worth via your sense of style.

Why does it matter?

People use fashion as a way to express themselves and play many different roles in life. Fashion allows for our inner chameleon, whether our style is hip-hop or Chanel-esque. It’s a means of honoring the richness and diversity of our global community. Change is essential to fashion in order to maintain interest in life. It also serves as a kind of mirror for society. This method of gauging mood has several applications in cultural, social, and even psychiatric contexts. However, you shouldn’t take fashion too seriously or you won’t enjoy it as much.

How do you predict future trends in fashion?

The industry is usually set a year ahead of time by the collections in Paris, New York, Milan, and now London. However, in my opinion, the street serves as a true indicator of style. An increasing number of designers are taking cues from street life. Thus, there is a connection between fashion and individual style once more. Without giving it any thought, an adolescent can put something together that starts a new trend.

How do you make your morning wardrobe decisions?

Depending on my day, my attitude, and what’s tidy. I give my outfit more care when I have a big meeting or presentation. However, I usually dress according to my mood, which might be anything from wacky to vintage to classical. However, there are days when what I wear ultimately depends on what’s in my washing basket.