Sunday 10 February 2013

Why do we follow fashion?




Fashion came from a time when women wanted to look and feel better. I have looked at the history of how fashion started and it was mainly designed by men for women who wanted to feel more sexy and feminine. In my opinion it was created to make us all individual and to express our feeling through the clothing we wear. Yes, it can also be a way for people to feel as if they "belong" which is an important part of our lives. Or is it? To me fashion should be about expressing how we feel not what's in trend or what everyone is wearing. 
It's understanding what makes you stand out and what brings out your best qualities. 
                                        
:                                               (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19557340)

Fashion has become a big part of our everyday lives. There is a lot of girls I know that would love a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes which right now is a must have. I feel if we look good we feel good. But is it really worth spending over £600 on shoes that are made the same way as shoes from Next or Ted baker? No, I don't think it is, and to be honest a lot of people waste money on designer fashion.
Why do name brands make us feel better? We follow fashion trends these days because we want to feel normal and because for many of us it is a lot easier to simply look for clothes on-line, get a feel of what they look like and go to the store and buy similar items. Basically, you are getting a lot of help from the fashion trends and experts say that people will be more and more fashion conscious in time. This is also why fashion trends should become more normal, it will become a part of our everyday lives. When you look around, most people dress the same, we do have our expectations like Lady Gaga but they are rare to come by. 
                                
(http://abcnews.go.com/Business/louboutin-entitled-protect-signature-red-sole-court-rules/story?id=17163269)


Fashion is a form of art. Its like a blank canvas ready for a timeless piece of art to be created on it. It can also explain a lot about a person. It's a bit like a book, the first thing we see is the cover then if it catches your eye you will then decide to open it and read on. Fashion is a big part of life, we go to work, first thing you think about is what to wear, we see people every day in their own fashion, own style, own way of living. If we meet up with friends, go on a date, or just everyday things, fashion is a part of it. 
Why don't men follow fashion? The snag is that men don't. Men will more than likely prefer a beautiful young woman in last century's fashions than a woman in top modern designer wear. 

                                   
                                                       ( http://nymag.com/thecut/)



If you think about clothing it's just a mere yard or two of fabric which can be recognisable as the work of a specific individual. Couture fashion has been around for over a hundred and thirty years.(Couture: The Great Designers By Caroline Rennolds Milhank) Every country and designer has followed their own inspiration. Using women clothing to express their feeling, fashion was started purposely by designers who wanted more luxurious clothing that was made to fit by order and to fit the individual need of a client.

              
                                             
                                                      (Photography by Nick Knight VOGUE )
Women now have a better understanding of their shape and have a good understanding of what kind of clothes we want to wear, I also think the way we dress can have an effect on our appearance or even how people see us! There was a point in my life when I was feeling down so I went shopping with my friend and got a dress from designer Karen Millen which was a fitted silver dress along with black high heel shoes from New Look. I think that was when it hit me that what you wear can help you feel better, even in some cases make you feel like a woman again. I can honestly say I felt better after that not that the pain went away but the mere fact that when I looked in the mirror I felt like a new person. 
Also as Matt Ridley points out in his excellent book The Red Queen, the fact that women are so interested in wearing the right shoes and this season's colours is a bit of a mystery. I keep coming back to the same fact that women dress sexy to impress men or in the old days to find a husband, it is undoubtedly the case that British women are far more interested in fashion than the men here and in some ways we use it as a shield. 
                            

                                                  
 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/new-york-fashion-week/2012/09/06/468bd6cc-f845-11e1-8398-0327ab83ab91_gallery.html)



My view is that in the 21st century we have revolutionised how we look and understand what suits us, what makes us look good and also how the outside world sees us because we can't walk around naked so we learnt to embrace what we have. This is because fashion is a form of art. There are so many different types of fashion designers that design differently and have different approaches.
No, people don't just spend money on designer outfits just to wear it once! There are some people out there that buy things just for the sake of the brand. But this isn't just seen in clothing. It's seen in everything else too. e.g. cars, food (branding), etc. personally, I buy designer clothes sometimes because I know that they are made from good quality products/materials and will last longer. For instance, why do I buy designer sunglasses and bags, and not the cheap knock-off? Quality is better then anything that is cheap.
                      
                                                 
                                                           (http://vogue.tumblr.com/)

People follow fashion for many reasons. It's a personal thing.
And you can't look down on someone because they choose to buy designer items. Today's community needs to let go of judging others.
We should still keep our own personality and not lose who we are just to fit into the fashion world. Fashion is not about fitting in, it's about creating art I hope we don't lose this. 
Pictures courtesy of 

vogue. washingtonpostthecut, abcnewsbbcThe Red Queen by Matt Ridley, Couture: The Great Designers By Caroline Rennolds Milhank