Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life.” – Bill Cunningham
Fashion is still considered as a frivolity by many but Cunningham seems to have rightly decoded the importance of fashion in this one line. Undoubtedly fashion plays an important role in our lives. In fact it will continue to matter so long as we live in a society where our appearances matter a great deal despite the various claims that fashion is not important in our lives. It not only impacts your personality but also your life. The ‘dress to impress’ mentality is deeply ingrained in our mind since we are small. What you wear and how you present yourself determines to a great deal your personality and how the world perceives you. Fashion further instils in us a desire to have an edge other fellow humans. The desire to appear better and different from others is the driving force behind fashion. People dress in certain particular ways to convey, proclaim and signal things which they cannot do otherwise.
During ancient times clothes served the sole purpose of protecting your body from extreme weather conditions but their function have changed gradually. Now apart from their basic function clothes and fashion serve a ‘social’ function and there is an increased emphasis on how we dress and carry ourselves in the social world. Fashion and the ability to carry yourself well can often be equated with your social status. The richer you happen to be the more expensive clothes you can afford and thus appear chicer and nicer. But at the same instance there isn’t a fixed or predefined way to be fashionable.
The recent rise of fashion bloggers and street style stars proves it very well. Fashion is becoming innovative, more approachable and more relaxed. It is interesting to note how individual’s take on style soon transform into fashion trend. That is to say that fashion these days has become personal rather than being a rigid set of unanimously defined rules.
It no longer refers to skinny models strutting on the ramp dressed in impractical and impossible to be worn clothes. These days fashion is more about being comfortable in your skin. People are coming up with innovative ways to look fashionable on budget, how to wear the same clothes to get different looks and moreover how to shift the focus away from bands to individual styles. At the same instance talented young designers are working hard to bring a sense of fun and fresh energy to the world of fashion.
There is also a new consciousness to make fashion more nature friendly. Fashion designers are talking about green fashion and its effect on the environment. There is an increased awareness on how we shop and what we wear. People are not just buying labels mindlessly but in fact paying a good deal of attention to what all they bring to their wardrobe
Be First to Comment