Introduction
Fashion is a term that is used to describe the current trends in dressing especially in clothes, accessories, hair styles and footwear. Culture and customs affects the fashion of a particular society. Has fashion really affected the culture? Fashion is usually imitated across cultures and this leads to lack of order in a culture. This makes society lose identity as they eventually forget their roots in culture.
Fashion keeps changing and this leads to instability in cultures. Fashion is usually seasonal and changes with time. What is the trend of growth in fashion? What has led to the accelerated change in fashion? This paper will look at fashion in depth and answer questions on change in fashion.
Discussion
Fashion is a word that is used to refer to clothing in general. This refers to costumes, fabrics, and designs used to make dresses. In western culture, fashion has been changing rapidly depending on seasons. These have been observed by other cultures and have commented on it as instability and lack of order in western culture. In western nations, there have been continuous changes in clothing for men and women.
Fashion distinct classes of people in the society where complex and sophisticated fashion is related with the rich and modernity. Change in fashion has been accelerating century after another as it has been now taken by many people as a career. Fashion is also dictated by the occasion, for example, weddings (Laver, 1979). Art historians are able to use fashion in dating images with confidence and clarity. They do this after five years as in 15th century.
Marie. Icon of fashion
Changes in fashion have continuously distinguished the upper class of Europeans and also have led to development of distinctive national styles. The affluence of early modern Europe has led even the poor and peasants’ following the trends of fashion at a distance and this is the main motor of change in fashion.
The 16th century portraits in German and Italy makes a good example as there were changes in hats designs and it was referred as Spanish style (Timothy, 1999). Colour and pattern of clothes changed year after year but cuttings on length of dresses of both ladies and coats of men changed slowly.
Men styles usually were imitated from military officers or in theatres of European war where men were able to dress up in foreign styles. Increased publication of French engravings that showed Paris styles made the fashion to change rapidly from 1780s. By 1800 western Europeans were dressing alike although there were local variations that distinguished provincial culture (Braudel, 2004).
Dressmakers and tailors have contributed to the changes in fashion for they continue to invent new styles and designs in the market. Professional designers have a hand in the accelerated change in fashion. The flapper styles of 1920s for women marked the major changes in design.
The length of skirts was shortened and they were made to be loose fitting (Cumming, 2005). Today, people have a wide range of fashion to choose from. The way a person dresses may reflect his/ her personality. Fashion varies across a society depending on culture, age, weather, occupation, generation and geography. Fashion industry developed as a result of modernity. With the new technologies, fashion industry has greatly developed and clothes are being made from simple to most complex fashion.
This has led to changes in fashion and people always wanting to go with the most current fashion. People who like their culture continue making clothes relating to their culture though slowly by slowly culture is being forgotten (Intellectual Property in Fashion Industry, 2005).
Conclusion
Fashion has continued to grow over centuries and this has been greatly contributed by modernity. Culture to some extent dictates the growth and adaption of a particular fashion. Fashion differentiates classes of people in the society where complex and sophisticated fashion is related with the rich and modernity.
Change in fashion has been accelerating century after another as it has been now taken by many people as a career. Tailors, dressmakers, and designers have contributed to the increased trend in change of fashion. Fashion varies across a society depending on culture, age, weather, occupation, generation, and geography.
Reference List
Braudel, A. (2004). Understanding Fashion History. New York: Costume & Fashion Press.
Cumming, V. (2005). Western Fashion History. New York: Costume & Fashion Press.
Intellectual Property in Fashion Industry (2005). WIPO press release
Laver, J. (1979). The Concise History of Costume and Fashion. London: Abrams press.
Timothy, B. (1999). The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China. California: University of California Press.