Fashion is a vibrant form of visual and material culture that plays an important role in social and cultural life. Viewed as homogenizing, Fashion encourages everyone to dress in a certain way, but simultaneously about a search for individuality and expression. In the Empire of Fashion, Gilles Lipovetsky argues that fashion played a significant role in modern democracy. In France, The Old Regime was the political and social system prior to the French Revolution. Under the regime, all rights and status were divided into three estates: the Clergy, the noble and third estate, which represented the majority of people. “Members of each estate wore clothing appropriate to that estate; the force of tradition prevented the confusion of status and the …show more content…
Despite the implementation of sumptuary laws, they were never effective: Strict rules, lax practices. (31) By the late seventeenth century, luxury good were essentially a means of communicating and maintaining social and political however; however, “ the diffusion of fashion has mimesis at its core. (30)” Members of the third estate began to adopt materials worn by nobles. “Fashion must be conceptualized as an instrument for the equality of conditions. It disrupted the principle of inequality in dress…” (31) Once fashion disseminated into the middle and lower classes, it disrupted the class distinctions it was meant to define; it generated social ambiguity and it permitted the citizen to violate the natural order. The role of fashion changed between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the fourteenth century, there were styles based on gender: fitted for men and long and close to the body for women.(20)Then there was a gradual shift in tastes and novelties. Women’s fashion shifted from one type of dress to different dresses depending on time if day. …show more content…
Susceptibility to fashion trends was clearly rooted in gender; women fell prey to fashion and then exposed their husbands and sons. Fashion in the early centuries was not only for the wealthy, but it was made clear that fashion was feminine. “ Fashion had become an art in feminine gender.” (74) Lipovetsky believed that fashion was a privileged way of expressing the uniqueness of individuals. He argues that the introduction of fashion in the lower estate led to democracy by “reinforcing the awareness of belonging to a single political and cultural community.” (33) Fashion deeply supported individualism by encouraging the bourgeoisie to overthrow their existing Regime system and advocate for equality in their social and political systems. According to Lipovestky, “ As an institution, fashion registers the rigid barriers of class stratification and class ideal within its own order; at the same time, it is an institution in which individuals can exercise their freedom and their critical faculties.” (32) Moreover, the emergence of fashion contributed to the rise of authentic expression and dressing according to
The clothing of the Middle Ages, like everything else was decided by the pyramid of power. The pyramid of power was the Middle Ages Feudal System. Medieval clothes provided information about the rank of the person wearing them. From the 11th through the 14th centuries, medieval clothing assorted according to the social standing of the people. The clothing worn by nobility and upper classes was clearly different than that of the lower class. Medieval clothes provided information about the status of the person wearing them. The clothing and fashion during the medieval era of the Middle Ages was conquered and highly influenced by the Kings and Queens of the era. Only the wealthy could dress in fashionable clothes.
In the 19th century play, FASHION, Anna Mowatt develops the character plot as a contrast and comparison between being “natural” and “artificial in a world becoming preoccupied with fashion, and being fashionable. In the head notes, it was stated that Daniel Havens said FASHION is “the ugly image of the American Dream gone sour.” (Watt and Richardson) Fashion has a complex definition. The word ‘fashion’ can mean anything from the type of clothes you wear, how you communicate with others, the place you live, how you present yourself, or who you associate yourself with. In FASHION, Mowatt took a comical yet sober look at the definitions of “fashion,” applied it to real life in 1845, and through her characters, provides a mirror with which an audience/reader can evaluate themselves. I do not believe updating this play would be difficult because America has continued down the fast and destructive path in an effort to keep up with the “fashions” of the day.
Freeman S. (2004). In Style: Femininity and Fashion since the Victorian Era. Journal of Women's History; 16(4): 191–206
During the Elizabethan Era, there were a set of rules controlling which classes could wear which clothing called the Sumptuary Laws. The Sumptuary Laws controlled the colors and types of clothing a person could wear. This allowed an easy and immediate way to identify rank and privilege (Elizabethan Era | Clothing). Those found dressed in inappropriate clothing could be fined, lose property, lose rank, and even be killed (Elizabethan Dress Codes). Those of the upperclass wore clothing made of more expensive materials, and those of the lower class wore the same general outfits, but their's were made of less expensive materials. Fashion during the Elizabethan Era was disciplined by the Sumptuary Laws.
A time of exuberance and elaboration ushers in new patterns and cuts, along with creativity and fantasy which brought about a distinct societal issue called classism, as shown by European fashion trends. The style of Baroque is “characterized by formal redundancy, by the complexity of patterns, by the eccentricity of decorations, and by the textile sumptuousness” (vogue.com). From light and airy tints, to deep and earthy hues, the coloration of clothes gave this extreme period emotion and depth that strikes the eye, even today. Classism is a major factor and restriction during this era, reflecting the attire an individual wears. Regarding child-like garb to the working class, public could distinguish rank. Furthermore, society can differentiate the church and the nobility’s superiority. In Baroque culture, your status was visually depicted by the clothing you were able to wear. Garments impacted civilization for the duration of the Baroque age, just as is does in society today.
Fashion plays an important role in the lives of billions all over the world; people, as part of a status craving society, turn to “fashion capitals” of the world for ways in which to dress and carry themselves. New York, Milan, and Paris are leaders among this fierce industry that the world lusts after. Fashion can speak volumes about ones personality, or also about the condition the world is in at the time. In France, fashion changed rapidly and feverously as the times changed.
Fashion was culturally formed, and there is a close relationship between art and fashion. The first designer who had his label sewn into a garment he created was Charles Frederick Worth (1825-1895). In the 1840s, adult women adopted a variation on girls' pantalettes as an undergarment. (Toccata: March 2010 toccatamundi.blogspot.com
Georg Simmel explores the impact societal differentiation played on the 20th century, in the article Fashion, published in 1957 in The American Journal of Sociology, Volume LXII, Number 6. In this text he defines his theory stating “The elite initiate a fashion and, when the mass imitates it in an effort to obliterate the external distinction of class, abandons it for a newer mode- a process that quickens with the increase of wealth” (Fashion, p.541). Fashion connects those of a higher social class and segregates them from others. Simmel believes that fashion evolves from class differentiation, as members of the elite class seek to set themselves apart from other classes, and in turn a revolving cycle begins (Blumer, p.277). Members from other lower classes copy the elite’s fashion and with this the elite must change...
Many people would not believe that there are so many similarities between modern day fashion and the fashion of the renaissance time period. Many differences may be seen between the two, but the similarities are remarkable. Throughout all of time, clothing has been the major representation of social classes. What people wear has always been the distinguishing factor between the wealthy and the poor classes of both the renaissance and current time period. The evolution from time period to time period has been vast, but the fact that what people wear represents what class they reside in is still very prevalent. From the fabrics, jewels, and accessories, you can still see many similarities from the renaissance time period to the current time period. “…much of what we know about historical dress comes from the apparel of the elite.” (Sauro) Although much time has progressed, fashion from the renaissance period has held a strong influence on the fashion in today’s society.
Fashion in the 21th century is a big business, as its production employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars in revenue. Fashion has for the past century been, and is still today, used as an indicator of social change and progress, as it changes with the social norms of the society and the political changes of the world (Finkelstein 3).
What is fashion and what importance does it have in people’s life? Is it hard to create fashion and who are those people who manage people’s mind and declare what is fashionable and what is not? Fashion started when people began to wear clothes. It was between 100,000 to 500,000 years ago. The way how people dressed indicated social status. Because of this fact fashion trends was established by royalty. In the 20th century when movie industry started to develop quickly, people began to watch how movie’s stars and celebrities wore. Despite this fact, people was mostly inclined on world leaders’ way of dressing. For example, princess Diana was setting the style although she wasn’t a fashion designer. Moreover “her iconic style continues to
For example, if people saw me wear Concords, they would categorize me as being into basketball or hip hop. It is also mostly guys who are wearing basketball shoes that notice my shoes. Therefore, it makes me feel masculine and makes me feel like I belong to the basketball or hip hop culture, but at the same time, I feel like I do not belong to a certain group. Thus, fashion is different in ethnics group, gender, and class because it serves to unite people or to establish a separation from other groups. It originated from women in order to make up for their disadvantage status, middle class in order to increase their social status and marginal social groups for their lack of social importance and cities for social density and wealth (Fashion, 310). Therefore, fashion play an important role in our lives back then and
middle of paper ... ... It also analyzed the influences of modern dresses. As Palmer and Clark (2005) mentioned earlier, both decades are the classic era in fashion history.
Clothing has been around for thousands of years; almost as long as the modern human has. At first, it served the practical purpose of protection from the elements; but, as life for early humans stopped being a constant struggle to survive, they started noticing how they looked and the concept of fashion began to take shape. These first few garments were typically dyed draped cloth that was pinned at the shoulder and/or waist. This was seen in many ancient civilizations around the world, Greek and Roman the most notable. Over time, clothing began to get more and more complex and formed to the body’s shape, eventually leading up to the tailored style we now have today. However, the sophisticated world of Haute Couture; or high fashion, can distinctly trace its roots to Paris during the mid-19th century. Clothing from there was thought to be superior to those from anywhere else, and women began to come from all over Europe just to buy dresses. This was probably due in part to one notable dressm...
In conclusion, fashion will speak out a person’s social signal, people dress on designs that blend with their social class. Just as population, social activities and fashion are changing with time. Fashion has made clothing to be convinient, everything needs to be done with the least effort and spend the least time.