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.
Updating for Today’s Audience: If I were re-writing the play, FASHION, I would mirror Mowatt in her analysis of middle class ‘wanna-bees.’ I would also take a look at how even those in the poorer economic classes have their versions of being “in fashion.” America’s system of capitalism provides a bottomless pit for those who seek wealth, status and belonging in their communities. People in today’s middle class are working anywhere from 40 to 80 hours a week trying to seek more wealth in order to provide a more “comfortable life” for themselves and their family. Many, even though they already possess all the needs to live a comfortable life, are always looking to gain a higher status in society, and have a strong desire to reach the next level of wealth. Even people in the poorer ...
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...nd in very different parts of the country. My experience points to the fact that one is not better than the other…simply different. Both the city and the country have great things to offer, and they both have disadvantages; it all depends on what a person is looking for in their life.
FASHION is a play that permeates throughout the centuries. Its themes about fashion and our treatment of it speak strongly to each subsequent generation in America. What is important to us? What matters most to us? How do we want others to see us? How do we want others to accept us? It would be just as easy to produce the play contemporarily today with just a few adjustments. The audience would certainly understand it, and many would see themselves within it.
Works Cited
Watt, Stephen and Richardson, Gary A. American Drama: Colonial to Contemporary. Mason: Centage Learning, 2003.
Wardle, Irving. "American Theater Since 1945." American Literature Since 1900: Penguin History of Literature, Vol 9. Ed. Marcus Cunliff. USA: Penguin, 1994. 205-236
Fashion reflects the attitudes of a society more than any other art form. Like art, fashion is a material record of the ideals that swayed the nations at the time of their creation. Through examining the styles, and tastes of a particular era, we can realize where the interests and priorities of a time lie. As Frank Parsons wrote in his 1920 study, The Psychology of Dress, "There is surly no better field in which to trace the devious paths of human thought than in that of clothes, where man has ever given free play to self expression, in a way which, thought not always a credit to his intelligence, is yet quite true to his innermost self, whether he will acknowledge it or not." Through, tracing and analyzing, side by side, art and fashion, and the effects that one had on the other and society, we can understand the ideals, and interests of European culture, here, through the Renaissance.
Downer, Alan S. American Drama and Its Critics. Chicago, University of Chicago Press [1965]. pp. 218-239.
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).
Bigsby, C. W. E. Drama as Cultural Sign: American Dramatic Criticism, 1945-1978. American Quarterly. Vol. 30 (1978), pp. 331-357.
Gainor, J. Ellen., Stanton B. Garner, and Martin Puchner. The Norton Anthology of Drama, Shorter Edition. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
In the late 18th century the Industrial Revolution occurred causing a huge shift in the ways in which clothing was produced and subsequently altering the ways in which clothing was perceived. For decades preceding industrialisation men and women of high so...
In the early 1800s, France was the sole fashion capital of the world; everyone who was anyone looked towards Paris for inspiration (DeJean, 35). French fashion authority was not disputed until the late twentieth century when Italy emerged as a major fashion hub (DeJean, 80). During the nineteenth century, mass produced clothing was beginning to be marketed and the appearance of department stores was on the rise (Stearns, 211). High fashion looks were being adapted and sold into “midlevel stores” so that the greater public could have what was once only available to the social elite (DeJean, 38). People were obsessed with expensive fashions; wealthy parents were advised not the let their children run around in expensive clothing. People would wait for children dressed in expensive clothing to walk by and then they would kidnap them and steal their clothes to sell for money (DeJean, 39). Accessories were another obsession of France‘s fashion; they felt no outfit was complete without something like jewelry or a shrug to finish off the look and make it all around polished (DeJean, 61). As designers put lines together, marketing began to become important to fashion in the nineteenth century; fashion plates came into use as a way to show off fashion l...
One major issue affecting many people trying to make the decision on where to live is their quality of life in either extreme. Health, education, transportation are three major concerns that many consider. In a city, pollution surrounds you wherever you step whether on the streets of a busy financial district or on the lawn of a large park. Pollution could possibly cause health problems later in life. In the country, pollution is scarce. Fresh air, rolling green hills, a few pieces of litter here and there but pretty much everything is clean, and wow! No smog, you can see the stars! In the country, childhood education, kindergarten through twelfth grade, is significantly better than in a large city; smaller class sizes and larger budgets create excellent learning environments. In cities, public schools are often plagued with very large classes packed into small spaces. Teachers with low pay, and little or no dedication are thrown into classrooms to teach, resulting in poor education. Transportation is very accessible in city environments. Public transportation, by way of subways, busses and ferries, are cheap and easy ways of getting around a metropolis, whether going out to work, school, or for a night on the town. In the country, everyone needs to have access to his or her own vehicle. A commute to work or school is about an average of forty-five minutes!
George Simmel was born in Germany in 1858 and emerged as one of the major theorists of the turn of the century (?,?). His writings on philosophy and social sciences included one of the only insights, at the time, into the structure of fashion in society, Fashion, 1904. In this text he expressed his thoughts on society in relation to fashion and style, examining societal groups and how they used fashion as a form of segregation. He referred to the elite class as trend setters, differentiating themselves by creating new fashions, and lower classes as the mimics, in an effort to associate themselves with an elite identity. This cycle brought many different fashions over the 20th century and was described as the trickle-down effect. Although Simmels theory depicts various characteristics still currently valid there are aspects that no longer play a role in the transformation of fashion.
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...
Therefore, in an attempt to both show the gravitas of fashion’s impact and justify its mirroring of times and therefore society, a walkthrough of fashion throughout history and its adaptation is exceedingly appropriate. To begin with, Britain’s Industrial Revolution in the 1850s to 1900s came with the introduction of sewing machines and chemical dyes. However, this movement of clothe manufacturing rendered its availability strictly to the opulent. This is a direct relation to the economical situation of the time, showing that people’s expenses were not directed towards the most up to date fashion i.e. luxury products but rather necessities indicating a slowly developing economy. As we move from the 1900s to the mid 1920s, the inception of the First World War influenced the need for more ‘practical’ garments. To illustrate, one of the greatest designers of the century Paul Poiret, designed his garments in a style known as the Directoire. His dresses were simple straight tube sheaths defining simplicity and exemplifying both the political and economic situation of the times justifying the necessity for a free moving design in clothing. Why adopt the notion of simplicity and free moving garments? Women had to leave their traditional domestic roles and become part of the working class or work force and adopt and replace many roles that were normally given to men. Furthermore, the Great Depression in the 1930s comes to play its own role in fashion history further pushing the necessity for a fashion to be translated to accustom a busier lifestyle. This created an economic gap between the rich and the poor. Therefore, fashion in the 1940s in the substantial sense portrayed the necessity for work and socioeconomic background and furthermore encased the economic situation where, as previous times in the 1900s, high-end fashion was restricted to the rich. Following a chronological timeline comes the
Working environments, for instance, vary among people who live in the cities and those in the country. City dwellers generally have a commute, sometimes a long, arduous and congested jaunt. Jobs are more plentiful in a city setting; however, the fast paced working environment in the city can cause great displeasure. Some would dispute, though, that it would be easier to get another job because the market is higher. Although I agree the job market is greater in the city, likewise, so is the number of prospective job seekers.
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.
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.