Fashion is not simply clothing, nor is it just an assortment of pictures in the latest issue of Vogue. Instead, it is a highly colorful form of textile and visual culture that plays an essential role in life, both the cultural and social aspects. As a forerunner in history for centuries, the fashion industry is a major economic player. It is among the top ten leading industries between all well established and developing countries in the western and eastern worlds. Rebecca Arnold sums up fashion merely as this,
It shapes our bodies, and the way that we look at other people’s bodies. It can enable creative freedom to express alternative identities, or dictate what is deemed beautiful and acceptable. It raises important ethical and moral questions, and connects to fine art and popular culture;
Those listed examples are only a very small slice of the significant number of ways in which the fashion world links the cultural and social sides of society from people of all nations. Although fashion has grown outside of France’s tight grip, Paris still holds the position of the industry’s capital of the world.
Outside of the territorial walls of France, foreign countries have attempted to duplicate their style and trends in fashion for years, well practically centuries. From as far back as the 1300’s, French royalty made bold statements in the ways that they chose to dress. Moving along in fashion history to the reign of King Louis XIV, Steele mentions the king’s statement, “Fashion is to France what the gold mines of Peru are to Spain” gave the motivation of him and his minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to realize what type of money could come about from matching the amount of gold that Spain found pouring into its treasury from the min...
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... Elizabethan Age to Present Day. London: Anchor Press, 1981.
Batteberry, Michael. Fashion: The Mirror of History. New York: Greenwich House, 1982.
Boucher, Francois Leon Louis. 20,000 Years of Fashion: The History of Costume and Personal Adornment. New York: H. N. Abrams Inc, 1967.
DeJean, Joan. The Essense of Style. New York: Free Press, 2005.
Gold, Annalee. 75 Years of Fahion. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1975.
Laver, James. Taste and Fashion: From the French Revolution to the Present. London: Naismith Press, 2013.
Lester, Katherine M. and Bess V. Oerke. Accessories of Dress. Bloomington: Chas A. Bennett Co, 1954.
Schmitt, Bernadotte E. The Fashion and Future of History. Cleveland: Western Reserve Press, 1960.
Steele, Valerie. Paris Fashion: A Cultural History. New York: Oxford Press, 1988.
Torren, Deborah. Fashion Illustrated. New York: Hawthorn Books, 1975.
McCutcheon, Marc. "Clothing and Fashions." The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life from Prohibition Through World War II. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest, 1995. 161-67. Print.
To summarize, fashion is just another outlet through which we can view our ever changing world. It is just as important as literature, cinema, and other means of creative expression that document history. However, fashion plays an even bigger role than most other art forms because it can shape the identity of a generation. Similarly, the clothes you wear can tell a story about who you are and your part in shaping a culture. In history class we often view historical events and facts so objectively that we forget that the people we read about had their own colorful culture as we do. Observing fashion and fashion history, ultimately, breathe life into the past and help us to understand how we operate as a society.
Since its establishment in the mid nineteenth century, haute couture has not only served as a symbol of status and convention for the imperial court and “high society”, but the underlaying foundation of the burgeoning production, consumption and dissemination of fashion. In 1858, the creation of the House of Worth, along with the faithful support of Princess Pauline von Metternich and Empress Eugénie, positioned Paris as the leading capital of fashion. The initial production of copies of the Empress’ couture dresses flourished as the Parisienne style circulated around Europe, followed by America, which prompted the development of ready to wear fashions. Although the popularity of haute couture was not sustained until the modern day, the works produced from labour intensive and time consuming tasks have continuously influenced the fashion of nowadays. Particular traditions of haute couture, such as the concept of showing garments on live models has developed into a norm, and have majorly impacted upon the consumption, production methods and circulation of fashion.
Lou Taylor is not only an author but also a dress historian, designer, and professor of Dress and Textile History at the University of Brighton. She is also a member of the Fashion and Textiles and Art History and Complementary Studies Boards of the Council for the National Academic Awards. Her interest
Steele, V., 1997. Fifty Years of Fashion: New Look to Now, Connecticut: Yale University Press. Available at: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xqEt6Dpb4TYC&pgis=1 [Accessed April 16, 2014].
Peacock, John. The Chronicle of Western Fashion: From Ancient times to the Present Day. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1991. Print.
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).
Werle, Simone. Fashionista A Century of Style Icons. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1977. Print.
Lawson, David "History Of Renaissance Clothing - How Today's Fashion Is Affected." 6 Jul. 2011 EzineArticles.com. 16 Nov. 2011
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...
Fashion in France was an always popular, ever changing aspect of society. Fashion changed back then just as rapidly as it does now. This facet of culture blossomed during the nineteenth century. Even still today, fashion plays a huge part in lives of everyone across the world and Paris still stands to be one of the major fashion hubs of the world.
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.
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...
...earing the most ruffled, neon colored skirts in town. Your surroundings, financial background, religion, and daily habits make up not only your culture, but also your style. Factors such as music and the club scenes also influence a person’s fashion choices. With the amount of diversity, history and cultural references in the world, the possibilities in fashion are very complex. We can only look at reoccurring trends, and trends that have failed in order to understand what styles will survive in the future.
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.