About Fashion
Fashion is an expression of personal style through the use of clothing and accessories. It has been utilized throughout time to denote class, broadcast societal status and even to persecute. The fashion cycle goes through ups and downs according to current events and gives people a means to advertise personal belief systems.
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History
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Fashion has its roots early in history. According to leading costume history website Fashion-era.com, "individuals or societies have used clothes and other body adornment as a form of nonverbal communication to indicate occupation, rank, gender, sexual availability, locality, class, wealth and group affiliation." Now, mass marketing and manufacture has made high fashion available to the masses, muddying most of the old lines of demarcation.
Geography
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What most of us consider fashion is confined to first and second-world societies that have access to new designs, as well as the wealth to consume them. Due to the ability of manufacturers to easily "knock off" a garment, cheaper copies of expensive apparel are easily obtainable. Western fashion is often cited in arguments against declining moral and social values by more traditional societies, and can sadly overtake indigenous garb that has survived for generations. In fashion, easy access and quantity is king.
Effects
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Clothing has far-reaching consequences for all of society, whether one is an aficionado or not. For instance, the tightly-corseted gowns of the Victorian era played into the stereotype of the proper English miss. By keeping gentlewomen tightly confined and limited in movement by heavy dresses and incredibly tight stays, they were kept breathless and at the mercy of the more mobile in society. Once women were liberated of elaborate, restrictive clothing, they were free to pursue things like employment and life outside the home.
Misconceptions
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With fashion ads in leading magazines selling at $600,000+ for a full page, it's easy to become confused by the mixed messages of the media in regards to clothing and style. Many people drive themselves into deep debt chasing after designer clothing, believing that the expensive labels will change their lives for the better. Actually, many pricey garments can be bought in well-made, affordable versions that look just as good as the original.
Fashion is only as good as the person wearing it. Play it smart by shopping for the clothing that truly suits your personal taste, needs and body type. Don't fall for ads that hype up yet another trend that will vanish within three months.
Warning
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As pointed out above, fashion can also be dangerous to your health. Several deaths have occurred in the fashion industry in the last few years due to eating disorders among runway models. Since high fashion runway models are considered the cream of the fashion crop, many of them resort to disordered eating to keep their hanger-like bodies thin. Due to these incidents, fashion industry leaders in both Spain and the US have started initiatives to reach out to models that are in danger. Sadly, fashion taken to this point makes it a lethal industry.
Potential
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A favorite pastime of designers and consumers alike is to imagine the future of fashion. In the 1950s, futuristic wear trended towards a more militaristic look featuring uniforms and metallic fabrics. Instead, the runways seem to favor a back-to-the-future theme. For the past few seasons, the 70s and 80s have made a strong comeback, as have 1950s feminine glamor. For men, fashion spending is on the rise with the acceptance of "metrosexuality" in the last ten years, along with an acceptance of male grooming. The future holds many innovations in fabric composition, production of new synthetic materials and the widespread commercialization of eco-friendly garments.
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- Photo Credit 2007 Simon_Pais-Thomas / Creative Commons
