Fashion Review

Laurency Jean
October 29, 2012
Writ 107
Soto
One of the revolving points in the progress of early humans was the act of decorating the body. All known cultures embellish the body either with marks on the skin or clothing. Body decoration recognizes the individualization of a person and communicates aspects of his or her personal and social identity. In the 21st century, fashion as body decoration is still a universal part of a person’s everyday knowledge, with the help of Designers who continually persuade the public that their new ideas are “what‘s in”. Next season, the same designers convince individuals to give up their allegiance to ‘out-dated designs and embrace the modern visual trends of the latest collections. The same garments are successively dubbed, “reinvention of old trend”, according to the varieties of current fashionable sense.
“Since at least the 18th century, fashions have been considered a product of social stratification. According to such ‘‘status’’ Models, a fashion arises because individuals of low social status copy those of perceived high status. When a trait becomes popular, however, high-status individuals quickly abandon the trait to differentiate themselves from low-status individuals. As a consequence, low-status individuals abandon the traits too, bringing the fashion cycle to an end” (Acerbi 2012)
The rapid overlapping of new fashions are not restricted to changes in wardrobe, but can also be distinguished in areas of modern culture as diverse as painting, music, architecture, and entertainment. In Western society’s media-based culture of mass consumerism, fashion appears to serve reactionary purposes that both structure and affirm the identities of groups and individuals. From surfers and students to alienated middle-class youths and married working women, weekly changes in fad like styles give a sense of belonging whilst also distinguishing them from their social level.

As every person belongs to a definite culture and has the right to reveal it, personal identity may sometimes be replaced by cultural identity. Cultural identity is the type of identity that is related to a certain culture or a separate group. It brings people belonging to a culture definite highlighting differences with other people. it is very easy to distinguish a European from a Hindu by the style of dressing or an Indian woman from an oriental woman by the distinctive spot on the forehead of an Indian woman and a veil worn by Moslem woman. Fashion has taken the best part of the traditional costumes of every culture and sometimes this leads to propagandizing a definite cultural group. Demonstrating a belonging to a certain cultural community is the free right of every person like people that freely declare who they are going to vote for.
“In postmodern, culture has not been the case of veils, however. Serious debate over this issue carries on and there exist many diverse views about wearing of the hijab . Some see it as a form of “empowerment for the woman choosing to wear it” While others claim it to be “means of seclusion and containment forced by others” some even view it as “submission to god’s commandments” (Kaiser 523). Culture in Fashion, such as western fashion reflects on the character of a nation. Fashions in the west are a clear image of the up to date mode of thinking and feeling. Fashion Trends that explore through various races or tribes give a clear idea of different respective way of living.
Art, Clothing, and Fashion; when talking about fashion it is hard not to discuss clothing; and when speaking about clothes, it is hard not to recognize the influence of art. Therefore, these three words go hand in hand to give meaning to each other. Art, clothing, and fashion influence each other and provide basis for society to understand each one. Anyone who has ever visited an art show or art museum can easily see that art comes in various forms. Art ranges from an oil painting hanging on the wall to a statue made out of diamonds. In the same way, fashion may be presented through different clothing each falling in different categories like; evening, gala, night, beach wear, etc.
According to Virginia Postrel of the wall street journal, "Fashion attests to the human capacity to change, writes the French philosopher Gilles Lipovetsky in "The Empire of Fashion: Dressing Modern Democracy,” his iconoclastic 1987 book. Like science and industry, "fashion is one of the faces of modern artifice, of the effort of human beings to make themselves masters of the conditions of their own existence."(Postrel)
Throughout history, fashion has had a significant role in our culture and continues to do so today. The Fashion Industry has impacted not only the clothes we wear and who we are on the outside, but also, who we are on the inside. Fashion is a social strength that is underestimated and very efficient. The concept of fashion was created by the upper class as a way to distinguish themselves from the lower classes (Finkelstein). After the upper class had done just that, their fashions began to be imitated by their "social inferiors" (Finkelstein). Fashion was and still is a matter of popularity and flavor and is constantly changing and evolving.
“Fashion is an underestimated social force. It functions effectively not only as an economic colossus but also to engineer social practices. This interplay of consumer tastes, social habits and personal identity was noted by Thorstein Veblen in his nineteenth-century analysis of the new American bourgeoisie and leisure classes. Veblen's position was that the upper classes invented fashion to distinguish themselves from those below. When the styles and practices of the upper classes were imitated, when their fashions 'trickled down' to their social inferiors, the upper classes were impelled to reconstitute themselves.” ( Finkelstein )
Designers know they a power, and will continue to use it to influence global fashions throughout the eras. These designers create original garments, as well as those that follow established fashion trends. Most fashion designers, however, work for apparel manufacturers, creating designs of men's, women's, and children's fashions for the mass market. Designer brands which has a given name' as their brand such as Calvin Klein or Ralph Lauren are likely to be designed by a team of individual designers under the direction of a designer director.
Helen J. Smith, assistant academic director of Fashion Marketing at The Art Institute of Phoenix explains, “Behind every great fashion icon are fashion designers who created the clothing and accessories they wear so well. One of the greatest Hollywood fashion collaborations was that between Audrey Hepburn and fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy. Givenchy designed many of the clothing items in Hepburn’s personal and professional wardrobes, including the infamous little black dress she wore in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s.“Fashion designers can play a significant role much like the relationship between Audrey Hepburn and Givenchy. Every designer has a woman or man they design for, whether real or fantasy.”(Smith)
In the collective cultural perception, fashion is consumption, materialism, commercialization and marketing. It is watching, shopping, purchasing the latest garments out. The current industrial fashion style and story appears ‘natural’ to our way of thinking and performance: it is normal to access and engage with fashion primarily by exchanging money for product; it is expected that these same products will look dated and stylistically out of date in the next six months; it is customary to get rid of the clothing rather than fixing it. The process of consumerism still goes on today.
According to the fashion ballet “Apparel and fashion sectors are influenced by each other. Recent economy had influenced people's mindset, and the way they plan to spend their money for clothing. Consumer pressure is always not a main driver for fashion industry. With the environmental concerns intensifying with every passing day, factors such as environmental regulations, trade agreements, and other safety standards also play a crucial role in shaping the industry. Sustainable practices adopted in the apparel, and textile sector has its impact in the fashion sector too.” (Fibre2fashion )
The importance of fashion in our daily lives is a given. For individuals who work in the fashion industry, it is a profession in itself as well as a personal interest. For those outside the industry, fashion still plays a very important role. However, many people do not realize that fashion is also a valuable tool for analyzing culture and for assessing the values of that culture. Our fashion choices tell people who we are and what we stand for in society; in addition The topic of research for this lit review is an analysis of fashion history trends, cycle, culture and industry.

Acerbi A, Ghirlanda S, Enquist M (2012) The Logic of Fashion Cycles. PLoS ONE 7(3): e32541. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0032541
Kaiser, Susan b. The social psychology of clothing: symbolic appearance in context . : Macmillan publishing company , 1990. Print.
Postrel, Virginia. fashion as art. new york, new york: the wall street journal, 2009. Web. .
Finkelstein, Joanne. chic theory. austrailian humanities review, 1997. Web.