WHAT IS FASHION

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion

is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas the way
we live, what is happening.”
-Coco Chanel –

Fashion is a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, footwear, accessories and makeup. Fashion
is a distinctive and often habitual trend in the style in which a person dresses. It is the prevailing styles
in behaviour and the newest creations of textile designers. Because the more technical term “costume”
is regularly linked to the term "fashion". Fashion generally means clothing. Today fashion is done by
both males and females around the world. Fashion is something people deal with everyday. Even the
people who say they don’t care about what they wear, choose clothes every morning.

Fashion is a means of self-expression that allows people to try on many roles in life. Whether you prefer
expensive fashion brands or low cost fashion brands it accommodates the chameleon in all. It’s a way of
celebrating the diversity and variety of the world in which people live. Fashion is about change which is
necessary to keep life interesting. It’s also a mirror of sorts onsociety. It’s a way of measuring a mood
that can be useful in many aspects, culturally, socially even psychologically. At the same time, fashion
shouldn’t be taken too seriously. According to the International Fashion Editor of Elle magazine, Cynthia
Durcanin, Fashion is a state of mind. A spirit, an extension of one’s self. Fashion talks, it can be an
understated whisper, a high-energy scream or an all knowing wink and a smile. Most of all fashion is
about being comfortable with yourself, translating self-esteem into a personal style.

One certain thing in the fashion world is change. We are constantly being bombarded with new fashion
ideas from music, videos, books, and television. Movies also have a big impact on what people wear.
Ray-Ban sold more sunglasses after the movie Men in Black. Sometimes a trend is world-wide. Back in
the 1950s, teenagers everywhere dressed like Elvis Presley.Musicians and other cultural icons have
always influenced what we’re wearing, but so have political figures and royalty. Newspapers and
magazines report on what Hillary Clinton wears. The recent death of Diana, the Princess of Wales, was a
severe blow to the high fashion world, where her clothes were daily news.

According to Alexander McQueen, a British fashion designer and the founder of popular “Alexander
McQueen” label, Fashion has no rules, it’s all about the individual and personal style. Fashion is when a
person wear what he or she prefers, with or without makeup and accessories. People can create own
fashion rules due to own personal interest.

Even folks in the 1700s pored over fashion magazines to see the latest styles. Women and dressmakers
outside the French court relied on sketches to see what was going on. The famous French King Louis XIV
said that fashion is a mirror. Louis himself was renowned for his style, which tended towards
extravagant laces and velvets.Fashion is a language which tells a story about the person who wears it.
“Clothes create a wordless means of communication that we all understand,” according to Katherine
Hamnett, a top British fashion designer. Hamnett became popular when her t-shirts with large
messages like “Choose Life” were worn by several rock bands.

Fashion is a statement, not a style. Fashion does not have to be worn casually nor outside the runway.
Fashion is fit for all sizes, for all people of all ages. Fashion is an art of personal self- expression, not an
excuse to be pretty, popular and charismatic. Ralph Lauren, An American fashion designer, best known
for the “Ralph Lauren Corporation” clothing company defines that fashion is something that comes
from whithin a person. Which means fashion is something about personal preferance and attitudes. The
taste of fashion is different to each person. Some people like to wear dark colours and some like to
wear light colors, some prefers long dresses and some prefers short dresses.

There are many reasons we wear what we wear :

 Protection from cold, rain and snow: mountain climbers wear high-tech outerwear to avoid
frostbite and over-exposure.

 Physical attraction: many styles are worn to inspire “chemistry.”

 Emotions: we dress “up” when we’re happy and “down” when we’re upset.

 Religious expression: Orthodox Jewish men wear long black suits and Islamic women cover
every part of their body except their eyes.

High fashion is the style of a small group of men and women with a certain taste and authority in the
fashion world. People of wealth and position, buyers for major department stores, editors and writers
for fashion magazines are all part of Haute Couture (“High Fashion” in French). Some of these expensive
and often artistic fashions may triumph and become the fashion for the larger majority. Most stay on
the runway.

Popular fashions are close to impossible to trace. No one can tell how the short skirts and boots worn
by teenagers in England in 1960 made it to the runways of Paris, or how blue jeans became so popular
in the U.S., or how hip-hop made it from the streets of the Bronx to the Haute Couture fashion shows of
London and Milan.It’s easy to see what’s popular by watching sit-coms on television: the bare mid-riffs
and athletic clothes, the baggy pants of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

But the direction of fashion relies on “plugged-in” individuals to react to events, and trends in music, art
and books.

“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.” according to James Laver, a noted English costume historian. How did
bell-bottom jeans fade into the designer jeans and boots look of the 1980s into the baggy look of the
1990s? Nobody really knows when fashions begin to change.
EVALUATION OF FASHION

It is amazing to see how the different events in history have influenced and changed the way people
have dressed throughout time. Some of the most popular fashions are classic, they can stand the test of
time and hardly ever "go out of style", only experiencing minor changes to keep up with the trends.
Other clothing items could be considered "fads", styles that are only popular for a short season and
then never worn again. Often certain fashion trends are dependent on the tastes of particular groups of
people or cliques and are usually associated with social status or cultural preferences like the type of
music a person likes. Fashion can also be influenced by world events such as war or the economy. For
example, during World War II, people were only allowed a certain amount of fabric so they were forced
to create simple outfits that were practical enough for wartime duties. From the 1920s to the 1990s,
popular fashions reflected the mood of each decade and showcased changes in society.

 Dresses and Skirts - From Mini to Maxi, Pleats to Pencil

Changes in skirts and dress fashion have changed and varied dramatically between the 1920s to the
present, as well as within each decade. In 1920, only a few years after World War I, skirt and dress
hemlines rose and waist lines lowered to the hip. These changes accompanied the boyish flapper
fashions that marked the 1920s as a decade of decadence and fun. During 1926 to 1928, hemlines were
reported to be at their highest but once the stock market crashed in 1929 and the Great Depression set
in, hem lines returned to a more conservative length (below the knee or lower). 1930s boasted a return
to femininity and Hollywood glamour was idolized. Evening gowns showed bias-cuts and diamante
accents and were made of chiffon or velvet. For a more casual look in the thirties dresses were slim-cut
and had wide shoulders and a belt around the waist. Real fur accents and floral prints were also popular
during this era until World War II broke out and the glamorous look of the
decade lost the luster.

During World War II, luxurious fabrics like wool, silk and nylon were highly regulated and women's skirts
and dresses were often made of viscose and rayon. Skirts and dresses would also be made out of
anything that could be found within a home (like curtains, nightgowns or bed sheets) due to the
illegality of using excess fabric when making an outfit from about 1942 to

1947. With the economic boom in the 1950s, glamour become fashionable once again and A-line and
pencil skirts were very popular form-fitting fashions.

Dresses in the decade would often feature stylish ruffles or lace accents and were usually knee-length
or tea-length. Going into the late fifties and 1960s mini-dresses and maxi-length skirt outfits entered
the scene. Mod styled dresses with short skirts and bold, colourful patterns became popular. Mary
Quant, a Mod fashion designer is one of the people credited with creating the iconic mini-skirt of the
mid-sixties.

In the late sixties and seventies hippie fashion took over and loose- fitting, flowing maxi skirts and
dresses became dominant. Disco music and dance also influenced dresses with slender lines, flowing
skirts and the shimmering fabrics that would look best in a night club. As we entered the 1980s, fashion
evolved once more.

Skirts and dresses were once again longer and featured straight lines and more serious design. As more
and more women joined the professional work force business suits became a trend for women with
straight conservative skirts and broad shouldered, boxy blazers topped the look. In the eighties, fashion
became highly influenced by music stars and movies with eclectic looks shown off by Madonna, Cyndi
Lauper, and movie star Molly Ring Wald. In the 1990s, skirts and dresses were not as prominent and
more casual looks became acceptable with hip-hop and alternative music setting the scene for fashion
early in the decade. Skirts

and dresses were usually shortand even provocative, especially in the latter part of the decade,
however loose and flowing dresses as well as long denim skirts were also notable trends.

 Fashion in 1960’s

were more reminiscent of the 1950s — conservative and restrained; certainly more classic in style and
design.The late 1960s were the exact opposite. Bright, swirling colours. 1960s fashion was bi-polar in
just about every way. The early sixties Psychedelic, tie-dye shirts and long hair and beards were
commonplace. Woman wore unbelievably short skirts and men wore tunics and capes.

The foray into fantasy would not have been believed by people just a decade earlier.It’s almost like the
1950s bottled everyone up so much that the late 1960s exploded like an old pressure cooker. Women
were showing more skin than ever before.

For the first time in the 19th Century, London, not Paris, was the centre of the fashion world. The British
Invasion didn’t stop with The Beatles. It swept into all parts of life, especially clothing.But actually, lost
in the two extremes is the mid-60s, which actually had the coolest style, albeit more subtle. The long,
slender shapes, the bright colours and the young, London look.

 Fashion in 1970’s

The early 1970s fashion scene was very similar to 1969, just a bit more flamboyant. It wouldn’t be
hyperbole to say that a fashion revolution occurred in the 1970s. Polyester was the material ofchoice
and bright colours were everywhere. Men and women alike were wearing very tight fitting pants and
platform shoes. By 1973, most women were wearing high cut boots and low cut pants. Early 1970s
fashion was a fun era.

It culminated some of the best elements of the 60s and perfected or exaggerated them. Some of the
best clothing produced in the 1970s perfectly blended the mods with the hippies.

Just when it seemed pants couldn’t flare any more (bell bottoms), the flare was almost gone. By the late
1970s the pant suit, leisure suit and track suit was what the average person was sporting. Every woman
had a cowl neck sweater in her closet and every man had a few striped V-neck velour shirts. Tunics,
culottes and robes were also very popular. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which dresses were meant to be
worn at home, and which ones were for a night on the town.

 Fashion in 1980’s

1980s fashion can be commended for its creativity. Some fashion designers abandoned history, some
borrowed from it, while others tried to design the future. Designers abandoned all convention and
their creations were interesting to say the least.

The early 80s were somewhat subdued in colour, where there were a lot browns, tans and oranges.
Blocky shapes were everywhere and dressing like a tennis player was the cool thing to do. Velour was
hot and velvet was even hotter. For both men and women, the waistline was a little high.Early 1980s
fashion was very similar to the late 1970s. In 1983 there was a slight 1950s-style throwback, especially
in women’s dresses. By the mid-80s, pop music stars like Cyndi Lauper were ushering in an entirely new
style one that many people associate with the 1980s to this day.

Bright colour accessories like sunglasses, bangles and hoop earrings were a necessity. Teased hair, loud
makeup and neon were an important part of this style. This style was obviously more popular with the
younger crowd. It was an exceptionally flexible time when a woman could wear skin-tight cotton stirrup
pants with leggings and a giant turtleneck sweater one day and parachute pants with a small V-neck top
and a high-waist belt the next.

 Fashion in 1990’s

Women and girls fashion in the 1990s is very distinct. While not quite as loud as the eighties, the
nineties took that attitude and tried to be a little smarter and a little classier. Some common items of
clothing from the 1990s: black leggings with oversized sweater, low heel shoes, flannel shirts, denims, t-
shirts , sweatpants, skirts, Birkenstocks, solid colors, silk shirts, turtlenecks (under cardigans or
sweaters), plain white Keds and army surplus clothing to name a few.

Like most decades, fashion changed somewhat drastically from the beginning of the nineties to the end.
The early nineties started off exactly like 1989, but by 1993, the 1991 look was “so 80s.” Simply put,
nearly everyone had completely revamped their style by 1994.

By the middle of the decade, many young women were wearing the same clothes their moms wore in
high school. The seventies look was really hot, with teens wearing tie dye shirts, bell-bottom jeans and
long, straight hair. Homemade jewelry and, to a lesser degree, self-designed clothing, was very popular.
Most women didn’t want wild patterns and colors, they wanted simple and humble. A solid color,
preferably subdued was the way to go.

 Fashion in 2000’s

The 2000s fashion are often described as being a "mash-up", where trends saw the fusion of previous
styles.Decade got its name because it is the first decade that didn’t have a certain style for the most
part. In the early 2000s fashion designers rather recycled already existing high-end fashion styles from
the past decades and continued the minimalist look of the 1990s in a more polished way. Later on,
designers began to adopt a more colorful, feminine, excessive, and ‘anti-modern’look.

As women’s fashion moved away from the unisex styles of the 1990s,

the very feminine and dressy styles were reintroduced in the early years of this decade. Women wore
denim miniskirts and jackets, tank tops, flip-flops and ripped jeans. The men’s fashion in these years
was more cool and sporty. Trainers, baseball caps, light-colored polo shirts and boot-

cut jeans were pretty popular.

In the mid 2000s women wore mostly low rise skinny jeans. Tunics were worn with wide or thin belts,
longer tank tops with a main blouse or shirt, leggings, knee-high boots with pointed toes, capri pants,
and vintage clothing. The men’s world in contrast was inspired by retro fashion from pop groups. Slim-
fitting jeans were cutting edge, cartoon printed hoodies, Convers sneakers, mod-style parkas and
military dress jackets were the essential fashion items for men back then.

In the late 2000s, ballet flats, knitted sweater dresses, long shirts combined with a belt, leather jackets
and fur coats made a comeback. Besides that the style of the 1950s and 1980s became very popular for
men’s fashion. Black leather jackets, Ed Hardy T-shirts, motorcycle boots, knitted V-neck sweaters,
cardigans and Ray Ban sunglasses made the guys look very casual and edgy at the same time. Business
men didn’t wear the classic suits with a three-buttoned jacket anymore. They rather preferred a more
offbeat two-buttoned blazer worn with a matching suit trouser, a slim tie and waistcoat. The tighter
fitting clothes were born and equally popular for both genders.