Wonderful World of Fashion - Essay Example

Fashion…provides individuals with a key means through which to manage their identities in the context of everyday life.” “Fashion…provides individuals with a key means through which to manage their identities in the context of everyday life.” Introduction What is fashion? According to Simmel (1957), “Fashion is the imitation of a given example and satisfies the demand for social adaptation; it leads the individual upon the road which all travel, it furnishes a general condition, which resolves the conduct of every individual itno a mere example.” (p. 543). Such is the definition of fashion that culture and identity seem to be constructed as one. For a long time, fashion has been used by people as a form of a language through various means such as the colour. On the other hand, it is fundamaental to define identity too. However, identity is a concept that is argumentative and compelling especially when associated with fashion. Usualy, fashion is utilised in the expression of self. By making use of certain appearances, persons are able to show who they are and what they aim to be. They are able to state that they would not like to be something else or like somebody else. Through these concepts, this paper aims at discussing the statement ““Fashion…provides individuals with a key means through which to manage their identities in the context of everyday life.” (Bennett, 2005, p. 98). Many a times, when people have wanted to express themselves, they have often gone after certain aspects of the visual. It is a common belief that through it, they will be able to show who they are or who they want to become. At the least, people are after attention, want to be seen and recognised when in a multitude of people. The building of an identity is very much inspired by the environment and culture that an individual identifies as his or her home. The environment and culture are both components of fashion. They are fashion components as they are used in the building of fashion. The norm has always been that the choice or selection that a person makes is an actualisation of who that person is and what he or she simply sees as the real deal. Thus through fashion, the individual is brought out and expressed to the outside world in silent choices, rather than through words. These silent choices are a compilation of the bits here and there that a person has picked up through sight and hearing. Bits obtained from other people, other cultures, and their culture. These bits have to be of the person’s liking, without which, the individual cannot take them up. However, people are faced by many dilemmas when it comes to making a selection of the style that is of one’s choice. The reason being that fashion is constituted by numerous styles and varieties. There are various combinations of styles from which to choose from. As such, it requires the deepest and innermost thoughts to come up with a choice of that person’s liking. Normally, the manner in which an individual dresses up is what pleases him or her. However, the manner of dressing for many is random but specific, detailed and to the letter. Imagine a scenario whereby human beings had no sense of dressing and never clothed up. What would differentiate one person from the other? Hence, the attire that one wears can be regarded as his or her second form of him or herself. It is an outward reflection of the he or she on him or her. In spite of the aspect of sex and the origin of that person taking effect, they can be regarded as variables that are bound to change. Hence, fashion is a statement of who people choose to be and prove they are in the society. The ability to buy a certain attire that signifies a particular fashion denotes one’s ability to buy, his or her taste, the dreams and the fantasies, and the values attached to his or her persona. Through fashion, a person is able to tell the present moments he or she is in and even give a clue about their perspective in life. Many a times, the identity of an individual is done through emotions. Emotions constitute a large part of any human beings life regardless of the gender. Hence, when one decides that a particular fashion style is what they need and goes ahead to buy an attire that symbolises that style, it is considered as an emotional practise. In their mind, it is assumed that people who see him or her will recognise what the person chose and identify with it in one way or another. It is the reason why, people will always take compliments regarding their dressing positively. The positive experience is bound to enhance the self-esteem of the individual. Thus, the selected fashion style enables many a people to express and show their identity. Through this mode of identity expression, one is able to create an impression around him or herself in a way no other person can. The created impression is easily identifiable by the people around the person and he or she can easily be associated with it. Many of the people who identify the identity in any individual that has been expressed through fashion are persons who are of the individual’s liking. The reason being that one cannot be attracted nor like a certain aspect of fashion if he or she does not like it. Thus, it is an expression of who people want to be linked with and be with because these same people end up being our friends. Self-esteem and security make up a large component of any fashion sense. They do because people loss their courage, confidence, and become less active if they feel that what they are wearing is not up to their needs. If in the case of a group, a person feels that his or her mode of dressing is not up to the set standard, the person is likely to become less active, talkative, contribute less, and is not able to exercise his role appropriately. Not because the individual cannot do it, but just because his or her fashion sense is not up to the standard that he or she views as their own. Socially, the person can be regarded as endangered by the fears arising from his or her mode of dressing. Such fears could be the facet of being viewed differently from who the person is because of his choice of fashion. Like any other aspect in life, fashion has evolved to accommodate awareness and movements of people. Entwistle (2000) asserts that in medieval Europe, the sexual difference was clearly marked out through dress although the class remained a pre-eminent feature (Entwistle, 2000, p. 152). Then, the prohibition of “seeing the female leg” meant women’s clothes adopted the form of a long skirt or robe in contrast to the male dress that took the form of tights or breeches (Entwistle, 2000, p. 152). Flash forward to the present where women’s clothes are tiny garments mostly interchanged with trousers and shorts. Worth noting however is that until the 18th century, “for riding and sporting events, women dressed almost exactly like men, carried purses and daggers suspended from their belts” (Entwistle, 2000, p. 153). Interestingly, then, there was less distinction in women and men’s clothes in terms of decoration, colors and fiber such that by the close of the “15th century, fashionable clothes had become so absurd that it was difficult to tell men and women apart. Perhaps fashion awareness can be attributed to the wake of the industrial revolution where gender differentiation in both the public and private spheres became not only evident but exaggerated (Entwistle 2000, p. 154). As we know it today, work was separated from the home with many “respectable” bourgeois ladies confined to the home in the role of mother and wife. With this renunciation of decoration, especially during the Victorian times, ladies dresses would begin to be decorated with ribbons and laces. Discussed below are some of factors influencing fashion and its ability to influence everyday life during modern times Consumerism; like any other consumer product, the law of demand and supply has shaped the decisions in the fashion world. The notion that “the customer is always right” has seen trends grow in leaps and bounds where tailors make clothes pursuant to the will of the consumer. This would explain why, coupled with innovation, women have shifted away from corsets to wearing bras, or none at all. While in the past stockings were deemed as undergarments, they are now worn as the “main” clothing. The shift in the clothing paradigm, the rise and growth of consumerism, as Breward (1999) explains, saw advances in the manufacturing and retailing systems in the 1990s offering an exponentially growing market the prospects of increasingly sophisticated ready-made suits. This has been on a continuum. It is why garments, sometimes as small as a handkerchief, retail for hundreds of dollars. It explains why teenagers and fashion fanatics bow and relentlessly seek after what colognes, perfumes, watches, scarfs and any other accessories endorsed by celebrities (Breward, 1999, p. 60). The culture; while this is not as forceful a point as it was earlier, it has its share of influence. As subtlety pointed out above and by Appleford (2013), a people’s culture or what is trending when will greatly affect what people wear. For example, the workplace culture traditionally conforms people to an executive wear often dominated by dull colors devoid of bright accessories and ornaments. The culture of a certain subset of people will determine the style of their clothing. Hip-hop fans will not dress like country or rock fans (Appleford, 2013). While rock fans will subscribe to a fashion statement that is inclusive of tattoos, piercings, elaborate jackets, Mohawk hair styles and tight jackets, hip-hop fans mostly don oversize trousers and T-shirts. While this is not absolute, it has been known to influence some designs. For instance, Cardin’s most influential design, “a collarless boxy jacket, would become famous under another name, as ‘the Beatles jacket’ worn by the “Fab Four.” (Breward, 1999, p. 45). While still on culture, it dictates the themes to be employed on certain religious grounds. For example, in the Islamist nations, while they will not be critical of jewelry, tight or revealing clothing will be shunned. That said, fashion statements will revolve around the fabric of hijabs, niqaabs, its color, the assortments stitched to it and the henna layers applied to their hands and legs. The culture is almost analogous, in terms of strictness and structure to the Hindu, Japanese and most African cultures, albeit the creeping in of modernity (Chakrabarti, 2009). The perceived statement: as Entwistle (2000) points out, the suit is said to have the power to convey “respectability” “business-like” or “professionalism” behavior (Entwistle, 2000, p. 172). However, beyond that, it has been seen to be devoid of any other meaning. For illustration, the ‘zoot suit’ of the 1940s was the focus of an “extravagant use of expensive fabric’ with its “luxurious accessories” loudly proclaiming, “I have got it made.” Dyson (2010) discusses how recent focus on the “new man” has broken away from the inadequacies of male fashion with the 1980s decade providing a significant moment in the history of men’s clothing. Now, there are more sexualized representations of the male body. The circulation of the modern man heightened by television advertising, menswear shops and male magazines have purposed to provide a distinct fashion statement of how a man should be (Appleford, 2013). Besides offering a range of beauty products traditionally known to women, men now participate in fashion catwalks, go for manicures and pedicures and will look better when they are not as “rough” (Simmel, 1957). Fashionably, the “new man” is expected to be lean, clean and conforming to a certain image. The ‘new man’ and woman should ooze with “sexiness” and provocative sobriety. By definition, the modern gentleman must be a multi-faceted character. His fashion statement should depict loyalty, strength and capabilities (Dyson, 2010). So must a woman. Her fashion statement should be a combination of class, authority, humility, sexiness. She must be respected yet approachable, unique yet not weird, catch the eye but not be slutty (unless that was the intention). Conclusion Fashion provides individuals with a key means through which to manage their identities in the context of everyday life. For this reason, it has become the representative of the variables and contrasts of life, more animated and diversified to incorporate various groups such as children to its umbrella. With new economic orders and changes in social paradigms, fashion developments can only oscillate to accommodate everyone. (Simmel, 1957, p. 541) agrees that other factors which might prompt changes in the fashion sphere include globalization, the rise of social media, innovation and trends such as attitudes and appeal towards heterosexuality or homosexuality. References Appleford, K., 2013. Fashion and class evaluations. In: S. Black, et al. eds. The handbook of fashion studies. London. London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 102-120. Bennett, A., 2005. Culture and Everyday Life. London: Sage Publications Ltd. Breward, C., 1999. Renouncing consumption: men, fashion and luxury. In: A. De La Haye & E. Wilson, eds. Defining Dress: Dress as Object, Meaning, and Identity. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 1870-1914. Chakrabarti, N., 2009. My Wonderful World of Fashion: A Book for Drawing, Creating and Dreaming. London: Laurence King Publishing. Dyson J. 2010. Maketh the man, GQ Magazine, April 2010. Entwistle, J., 2000. The Fashioned Body: Fashion, Dress and Modern Social Theory. Cambridge: Polity Press. Simmel, G., 1957. Fashion. The American Journal of Sociology, 62(6), pp. 541-558. Read More