UNIT 7

THE POWER OF FASHION

Talking points:
 Are your fashion tastes influenced by what you read in magazines or see on
screen?
 Do you prefer going shopping for clothes alone or with a friend?
 Have you ever bought something expensive which you later regretted
buying?
 What do you think about the following statement: We are what we wear.
 What do you know about the British fashion?
 Are you fond of any fashion trend?

CAMDEN MARKET
Camden Market is made up of many different markets. The first market was called
Camden Lock because it was next to the canal. It first opened in 1972 and is now
one of the largest markets in the UK. Half a million people visit Camden market
each week. And with hundreds of stalls, there’s something for everyone. But
Camden is best known for fashion and famous for punk. Everyone knows what
punk fashion is but 30 years ago it didn’t even exist. Clothes like this seem quite
normal now. In the 1970’s it shocked many people because it had never been seen
before.
Punks were young people who were anti-government, anti-popular music and anti-
fashion. Punk music was loud, wild and about breaking all the rules. Punk style
was the same. Punks created their own cheap fashion with torn clothes, safety pins
and spiky hair. Punk fashion is still here today and it’s still about rejecting ordinary
fashion and standing out, but there are lots of ways of looking different.
Camden isn’t the only place for fashion. London Fashion Week, held twice a year,
is a great place to see clothes by British designers and the latest new fashion
trends. British fashion is very important; creatively, it’s very important all around
the world. Lots of the kind of fashion trends that you and I end up wearing started
out on the catwalks in London.
British fashion is different from the fashion that comes from different countries
around the world. Often the shape of the clothes is a bit more aggressive - maybe a
bit sharper and we try to come up with looks that are a bit more imaginative so
possibly they’re less wearable, less classic clothing, but always very exciting.
Back in Camden there are still many other fashion trends. People mix different
ideas and create new looks. Another style that really stands out is Cyber-Goth.
So this is one of Europe’s biggest Cyber-Goth shops. What’s a Cyber-Goth? Take
a look at these.
Carmen: So Jack, what exactly is a Cyber-Goth?
Jack: A Cyber-Goth is someone that doesn’t think about what other people think
about them. And it’s someone with a very strong fashion sense. It’s kind of a
mixture of varied stuff; like punk, Goth and American surfing scene.
Carmen: So, talk me through the influences of your look, the hair?
Jack: Well, my hair is a really, really lovely creation I think. It takes everything
from the punk style like colourful stuff - really standing out.
Carmen: The t-shirt?
Jack: My t-shirt is a Cyber-Goth futuristic style. It’s an exo-tubes top - which
means like, it shows the inside of my body.
Carmen: The trousers?
Jack: I really like the American surfing scene - I’m really into that. So I wanted
something to remind me of that so I chose these really, really baggy trousers.
Carmen: And finally the belt?
Jack: Twenty-first century.
So punk maybe thirty years old but here in Camden it’s constantly evolving in the
twenty first century.
(Source: Camden Market available at http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/word-street/camden-fashion,
accessed on August 30, 2016)

1. Discuss with your colleagues:

a. Is there any dress code where you work/study or in some of the places
you go?
b. If yes, are you happy with it? If not, why?

2. To which of the three groups do you think the following

expressions belong?
GROUPS:
PUNK

CYBER-GOTH
LONDON FASHION WEEK

EXPRESSIONS: a futuristic style; British fashion is different; always

exciting even though less wearable; spiky hair and torn clothes; breaking
all the rules; very strong sense of fashion; the latest trends in fashion;
anti-fashion;

3. Which clothes would you recommend for the following people?

a. An old individual who wants to show everyone he/she is young and
fashionable
b. A young woman attending an interview for the job of human resource
manager
c. A young woman going on a first date
d. A fashion designer who is visiting his relatives on a farm
e. A student attending an oral examination
f. People leaving on holiday

4. Choose the right answer:

1. Mary was wearing a dark blue dress, with a black belt round her….
a. bust b. knees c. waist
2. Mother always wears a(n) … when she does the washing up.
a. towel b. apron c. tie
3. The most expensive … coats are made of mink.
a. skin b. feather c. fur
4. Workers in this warehouse are required to wear …. .
a. overalls b. overwork c. underclothes
5. Gentlemen are used to wearing a white handkerchief in their …
pocket.
a. breast b. chest c. shoulder
6. If your socks are different, then you are wearing …. Socks.
a. odd b. matching c. cheap
7. If you don’t know how to wash this dress, look at the ... inside.
a. notice b. label c. colour
8. These trousers … when washed in hot water.
a. increase b. decrease c. shrink
9. I am afraid that stain on your jacket didn’t … .
a. come out b. die out c. make off
 10.You have to pack your clothes more carefully, or they will get … .
a. folded b. out c. wrinkled

5. What do the following symbols mean? Match the symbols with the
correct instructions:

… hand wash;
… do not wash
… do not wet clean
… dry flat
… wash at or below 30◦
… iron at medium temperature

6. Match the following words and expressions with their appropriate

definitions:
1. dressed to kill a. clothes that are passed down
2. hand-me-downs from older brothers or sisters
3. off the peg b. clothes from an earlier
4. fashion icon period
5. on the catwalk c. a person who is famous for
6. vintage clothes their sense of fashion
7. to have an eye for d. the kind of clothes worn for
fashion a formal event
8. smart clothes e. to be a good judge of
f. the stage that modals walk
along to show off the latest
fashions
g. wearing clothes that attract
admirers
h. clothing that is ready made
7. Complete the text with the words given in the box below:
fabrics, styles, haute couture, catwalk, trends, collection,
fashion shows, models, tastes, stylish

Each fashion house presents its spring ….. once a year to the public, sometimes
eager. At …. in Paris and Millan, top … parade down the …. And show off the
latest …. . these shows do not dictate what people will wear in the near future, but
they are influential in determining the season’s fashion…. . clothing manufacturers
see the shows and imitate the colours and the … of the garments that the models
wear. Everyone wants to be … and the spring showls help people choose the
clothes they will buy. Whether showing pret-a-porter or expensive … the great
fashion houses influences our …

8. Choose the correct preposition to obtain the most appropriate

phrasal verb related to clothes and fashion:
1. I have a date tonight, so I want to dress… .
a. up b. down c. off d. upon
2. I am extremely tired, so when I get home I will kick … my shoes and
have a rest.
a. on b. off c. away d. down
3. Whenever I buy new shoes I have to wear them … to make them more
comfortable.
a. in b. on c. off d. away
4. It is cold outside. Do … your jacket, or you’ll catch a cold otherwise.
a. away b. in c. off d. up
5. When you go shopping, you should always try … clothes before
buying them.
a. up b. on c. off d. down
6. Don’t leave your clothes on the floor. Hang them …. in your closet.
a. down b. off c. on d. up
7. You forgot to button … your shirt.
a. up b. in c. on d. off
8. I usually find it difficult to take something … in changing rooms.
a. off b. on c. up d. down
9. Do you ever wear clothes until they wear … ?
a. in b. out c. into d. outside
10.I need to pick … my suit from the dry cleaner today.
a. in b. at c. up d. into
 2. Describe someone you know who dresses well. You should say

 who they are

 how you know them
 what kind of clothes they wear

and say why you like the way they dress.

Here is a model you might find useful:

I’d like to talk about one of my teachers … Miss Evans … she teaches
us English in the school I go to … we always look forward to seeing what she’s
going to wear when our lessons start … she’s always very well dressed and takes
a lot of pride in her appearance … it’s not that she dresses in very smart clothes
… she doesn’t come to school dressed to kill or anything like that … but what she
wears really suits her … and she has a great sense of style as well … we often ask
her where she gets some of her clothes and most of the time they’re just off the
peg … and she says she’s not interested in designer labels or anything like that …
she doesn’t seem too concerned about keeping up with the latest fashion … she
just wears clothes that are timeless … yes … Miss Evans is the person I think
looks great in the clothes she wears.
(Source: http://www.ieltsspeaking.co.uk/ielts-clothes-fashion-vocabulary/, accessed on September 2,
2016).