A Look Back at Fashion

Fashion after the 20th century has its share of censors who denounce fashion as absurd, frivolous, and self-indulgent. Why should one color be hot one season and obsolete in the next season? What makes people follow fashion like sheep when they may already have enough clothes? The general assumption is that fashion designers speed up the changes in fashion to create new business.

However, keep in mind that new fashion creations would not succeed if the majority of people were unwilling to accept them. Ultimately, fashions change because there are enough people who like new and different styles. What to buy, or whether to buy anything at all, is the final decision of you, as a buying consumer.

Throughout history many cultures have followed fashion. Styles of clothing were known to change as other cultures came in contact with other cultures and societies. Through travel and competition for status within a particular society, fashion styles changed rapidly in the 20th century. If you now wore the styles that many of your great-grandparents wore, you would look and may feel a little strange.

Well-known personalities, entertainers also have an impact on fashion. The general class of people like to follow the changes in fashion to some extent, while the upper class of people like to follow the dictates of haute couture, the exclusive and expensive clothing that is produced by leading designers.

It is no small wonder that even the youngest of schoolchildren are aware that fashion styles exist and keep changing. Not to mention the great distinction they see produced in just the basic clothing styles, such as tennis shoes endorsed by popular sports figures.

They couldn’t wait to buy designer blue jeans. They see T-shirts, and the latest trendy fashions advertised on television. They can pick up the latest fashion magazine and see page after page of one designer brand after another touting the latest trend.

Discount specialty and bargain department stores all carry versions of the latest new fashion trends. Conformity plays a big part in the decision of many teenagers and college students. To stand out from “the crowd” with individual tastes that are different, new, and “attention-getting,” calls for courage and daring.

Now in the 21st century one may look to entertainers and movie stars to become the leaders of fashion. With the constant change in fashions from one season to the next, a hundred years from today, you could come back to earth and be able to look at a fashion magazine and see the different changes fashion styles go through from one year to the next.

Key Fashion Style Tips to Remember

A garment that has been designed for the consumer must always be judged against certain useful guidelines in order to determine whether it is a successful fashion design. In making a fashion apparel purchase, consider each of your apparel choices by using the following guidelines:

1. Does the garment look good from all angles? It must look equally as good from the back, as at the hemline, and the sides.

2. Is the design practical; does it meet the purpose for which it is designed, and for the reason you made the purchase? For example, if it is a sportswear item, does the design fit the activity, or provide freedom of movement? Will the fabric stand up to rigorous motion?

3. Is the garment comfortable and does it adjust itself to your movements? Is the fabric flexible? Does it stretch and give when you move?

4. Does the garment look just as attractive on a hanger as on your body when you wear it? With custom-made clothing and ready-to-wear items, this may determine your choice to purchase it.

5. Are you comfortable wearing it? If it causes you to feel self-conscious and anxious, it may not be for you.

How then, does a designer know what the public wants? Not everyone likes or wants to buy the exact same fashion. So, in creating a new line, the manufacturer and designer must then look at the second picture. This is a “close up vision” of you, the customer. Compiling information and answers to questions such as where you live, work, eat, and socialize are important.

Other long-range visions of the second style tip may include: What is your particular physical type? Are you petite, tall, or matronly? What is your age range? What types of social or community news or activities influence your fashion buying habits? Finding answers to these sources of planning are all a part of what goes into a designer’s garment creation and judgment.

Other examples of fashion judgment sources would include: What will your favorite film and television star be wearing in the next blockbuster movie? At the next awards show? Almost every event that happens in your life has an influence on a designer’s choice of creating a particular fashion. Now you know how much influence you have over the creation and the marketing of fashions!