hion has immense influence on people. As we live in an postmodern society, where everything is changing fast due to globalization, we communicate through our cloth to others the different roles we play in everyday life. It is something which society created throughout the centuries, as something expressing meanings and identities. Fashion plays one of the most important parts in its ability of giving the people a way of expressing their feelings. We have come to a point ( in the 21century) where it became essential to wear different cloth for different occasions, as for example wearing a suit for a business meeting and jeans after work. Within the different dress codes there are variable styles of wearing them. Those individual styles express statements about identity. Those statements might be related to gender, social – class, tradition etc. Clothes also express individual statements, besides the comunication of the different roles we play in live. Coming to an job interview with a jeans and a t-shirt or in a well fitting suit 'says' different sings about a person. As the the persons identity is not only being defined by their way of dressing, it can only to a certain extend be said that 'the choice of clothes as an expression of ones identiy ...(is) too simple.' The human race is constantly constructing their identity. This process is manly influenced by society and social interaction. George Simmel, a German philosopher and sociologist, based his analysis on the premises 'that the prerequisite for fashion's existent is a relatively open society, consisting of several classes in which an elite strives to separate itself from the bulk of the population by means of adopting observable signs, notably in dress. This adoption ... ... middle of paper ... ...statement of rococo fashion were rooted in elegance, refinement, and decoration, but there were also elements of capriciousness, extravagance and coquetry. Women dresses in the 18century were ornate and sophisticated. Men costumes in the seventeenth century had been more extravagant and colorful than woman's, until women seized initiative and their dresses became splendidly elegant. During the rococo period were more since of visual statements on individual identities compared to the earlier centuries. As the clothing style veered off into two diametrically opposed fashion directions, people had more choices in order to define their identities within their style of clothing. As mentioned earlier in the text there was a 'fantastic conceit of artificial aesthetics and the desire to 'return to nature'.
Clothing style is dictated by three particular interests. First is popular fashion, which was most influenced by either the church or the rulers, as styles were copied from the ruling class, and, as they grew more and more extreme, criticized by the ecclesiastical element. Second is commercial interests. The strong merchant class will always know how to push the richest and most expensive materials into the mode. And thirdly is personal artistic expression. Fashion is dictated by many factors such as geography, time, and social and ethical standards. But superseding these is the influence of strong personalities, the brave people who will don the unthinkable, and in doing so, create the latest trend. Personal expression and creativity will only be found in the bravest, and usuall...
Women in this period wore dresses, formally known as gowns, or skirts for daily activities and formal occasions. The gowns of the sixteenth century are considered the most beautiful gowns of any era (Pendergast & Pendergast 469). The styles changed from year to year, but the basic style of a tight-fitting upper body and a full skirt that reached one’s ankles remained (Hanson). Females of the lower class wore less tight undergarments because they ...
During the 1600's closets did not exist, meaning fashion wasn't a major industry at the time. Near the 2000's fashion was one of the main priorities making women the model that they are today.
Style is something that comes from within. If there’s anything absolute about style it’s that it holds you accountable to yourself at every moment. People understand that what they put on in the morning is the first thing that people notice about them (Garcia 6). The clothing you wear affects how you feel about yourself throughout the whole day. In fact clothing is the most principal means for identifying oneself in a public space (Crane 9). Clothes are supposed to give us a sense of security in presenting ourselves to society. Our personal identities focus on our own beliefs, goals and value systems, and our fashion comes in all forms. This form of identity can be expressed when people wear whatever they like because it makes them feel good about themselves and makes them feel happy, confident, less self-conscious and free from social expectations and
Throughout each decade a particular lifestyle is associated with a fashion trend, as fashion is defined as a medium used to reflect an individual’s or a community’s way of life. This can be empirically elaborated as fashion being an affiliate of the lifestyle of a particular time in era. Using the following points, I will attempt to discuss how the lifestyle through the decades was represented by fashion, making the lifestyle in that time, a blueprint for fashion, particularly using the lifestyle in the 1920’s, 1980’s and the current time. Firstly the economic status as pivot tool for influencing the lifestyle in each decade will be discussed. Followed by the level of exposure and freedom in relation to the moral values of each decade. Then the social influence in each decade such as politics, music and peer pressure, on the lifestyle in relation to fashion will be discussed. Lastly a conclusion on the factors discussed and my opinion will be given.
Young people need more attention or acceptance from others comparing with people at other stages, as youths are experiencing a process of being adults. The formation of identity can be exemplified through fashion. Young people tend to establish their identities through the way they dress. As Hall,S (1997) stated, visible objects, like clothes may have a simple physical function, that is to cover the body and protect it from weather, however clothes also have a function which can double up as signs, which construct a meaning and carry a message. Fashion can also be a language that makes clothing possible become a self-communicative device at our disposal, plays a...
There have been many things that described people throughout history. One of the most dominant ways was the style of clothing. Through cultural preference and materials available there is consistency as well as diversity in clothing. Though clothes in the Middle Ages were somewhat primitive compared to today’s garments, the quality clothing had no effect on the people’s freedom of expression through fashion.
The attire of men and women in the eighteenth century cemented the roles they were supposed to play. The style of made dress belied his nature as somewhat more free from restrictions whereas the woman, bound by corsets and strict dress-codes found herself held back in clothing as in society. A sphere of influence, behavior and conduct was assigned to both sexes; each was valued for different qualities. These gender distinctions do not allow any overlap between the two sexes. (Marsden, 21) In light of this, society viewed cross-dressing (the practice of one gender dressing themselves in the attire of the other) as a threat to its own structure. For a woman to forsake the clothes and character of women for that of men sounded monstrous. Such a practice would create sexual ambiguity - a woman would assume the clothes of a man and thus the manner and actions of a man, yet her physical nature denied her that right. Cross-dressing creates monstrations - a woman ceases to be a woman after she has assumed male garb and can never hope to be a man.
Dressing a certain way can change the world’s perception. This idea of changing one’s appearance to change one’s self is a common occurrence in movies and on TV: Mulan, Mrs. Doubfire, Just one of the Guys, etc. For example, in the movie Coming to America, Eddie Murphy’s character pretends not to be rich in order to find a woman who likes him for more than just his money. In reality, the opposite of this is far truer. How often do we wear our most expensive clothes to a wedding, where we will be meeting many people for the first time? There are children who would rather walk home that be picked up in their families beat up car or who are ashamed that they have to take their lunch in a paper bag rather than a canvas one. A person never wants to be judged by what they don’t have. Someone who is proud of what they have may be more inclined to believe what Madame Merle does. But someone, possibly of a lower class, who doesn’t have much to be proud of, would much rather be judged on their character, like Isabel
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.
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.
Social responsibilities are being practiced more importantly in our society, and fashion industry is also connected to this aspect. This is true because fashion industry is closely linked with global issues such as labor and trade, markets and its customers. Modern designers are trying to balance their ethical values with profits in order to capture customers, goodwill in society, knowing for its environment-friendly production, designing, manufacturing, purchasing and facilitating them in their endeavors.
There have been many instances where I am stopped and commented on what I’m wearing. Depending on a single item of clothing, I am either a “certified hippie”, “lesbian”, or “law student”. This has brought me to raise an important social question: How have fashion and advertising built identity stereotypes? Stereotyping can have a strong and negative impact on a person, especially younger generations that are now at an influential stage in their mental development. By subjecting them to these stereotypes based on what they wear, they may begin to think of and see themselves as society claims, rather than who they are or aspire to be. By conducting further research on stereotyping in fashion designs through their advertisements, the aim of this research is to understand the history and social ideas behind fashion. By thoroughly understanding the problem, a solution would be easier to reach. In order to gain further insight on the matter, two practitioners have been selected: Dr. Rebecca Arnold and Dr. Roman Meinhold.
Fashion, psychology and the sociological perspective have long been perceived as mutually exclusive concepts. However, is there a possibility that a trinity exists in the former? To illustrate, it is evident that throughout history fashion has influenced society as a whole and has mirrored its aspects i.e. economical and sociological. Furthermore, this influence has developed to be perceived psychologically where individuals identify with fashion in the sense of translating visual information showing their personal views and attitudes. To that effect, what is fashion? Traditionally and in the literary sense, fashion is defined as ‘a popular trend, especially in styles of dress and ornament or manners of behavior’ . However,
Fashion is a controversial issue in society nowadays. We live in a consumerism advanced era in which whether following fashion trends or not has become a debatable point. Many people believe that it is important to follow fashion trends. For example, Lord Chesterfield once said, “If you are not in fashion, you are nobody.” The question is why fashion should be an essential matter of concern to all of us. As far as I am concerned, each person should be able to decide if one wants to follow a trend or not.