Is There A Need For Fashion?
Well, what is fashion? Is it any different from style?? Style is defined as a quality of imagination and individuality expressed in one's actions and tastes. It is a much more comprehensive term as compared to fashion. Fashion is defined as the prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior. The two terms are often used interchangeably.
Fashion has evolved through the ages; often reflecting the mood and characteristics of the society. For example: During The War, skirts were made body hugging so as to conserver much-needed cloth. After the War, skirts had a lot of flair and body to them, indicative of the coming days of plenty. However, it isn’t just society and current events that influence fashion. Fashion often influences society. Remember Yves Saint Laurent's revolutionary female suit...Today, no working woman's wardrobe is complete without a suit! He was the one who made it such a staple.
Is fashion art?? Why not! It is creation of a beautiful masterpiece. Fashion designers are the modern-day artists...who inspire women to dream, to look better, to FEEL better. Design houses like Christian Dior, Chanel, Gianni Versace, Valentino, Givenchy, YSL, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Ralph Lauren do just that.
John Galliano at Dior is a master craftsman and a master marketer. He has revived an old haute couture house into one of the hippest and trendiest fashion houses ever. A Dior handbag is the ultimate in chic. A Dior fashion show is not just about fashion....its drama, clothes, beautiful models, and oodles of attitude. John Galliano's latest inspiration is Marlene Dietrich. Herself no stranger to high fashion. The D'Trick handbag by Dior , set to release in 2004, is just another example of the abundance of genius in Galliano.
The Gucci group under American Tom Ford is another major turn-around story of recent years. Tom Ford is a genius to be able to simultaneously manage the Gucci and YSL lines. The house of Versace, rocked by the brutal killing of Gianni Versace, is back on track and hip as ever under sister Donnatella. The house of Chanel, under the skillful eye of German Karl Lagerfeld has expanded globally. He has proven that even something as basic as tweed can be endlessly manipulated to create masterful suits and dresses. Coco Chanel must be pleased with the way Lagerfeld is living up to her legacy.
If Dior and Versace is for flashy(not to mention cash-rich) clients; Valentino is for their classy counterpart. That man is just not capable of creating something trashy or skanky. Jackie Kennedy made the Italian Valentino popular in the USA when she wore his outfits as the First Lady.
In American fashion, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan are pioneers. Who can forget Calvin Klein! He introduced the concept of designer jeans. Not to mention the revolutionary advertisements! Remember Brooke Shields, with her "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins" or the waif-like Kate Moss in the CK ads???
There is ready-to-wear fashion...and then there is Haute Couture. Haute couture is the height of high fashion. Haute couture is the creation of exclusive fashions, often exquisitely handmade. People say that the days of haute couture are numbered, if not dead altogether. However, that just cannot be! One look at the Dior, or YSL shows will prove that haute couture is alive and kicking!
Fashion comes and fashion goes. Hemlines change from season to season. Fabric, design, buttons, sewing, embroidery, craftsmanship, knitting, draping, fitting sessions...so much is involved in making of a seemingly simple dress. However, the classics of fashion stay constant. Diamonds, fur, high heels, a pencil skirt, a white shirt, boot leg jeans....these are classics. Of course there is the moral dilemma regarding fur and crocodile pelts. After years of abandonment, fur finally is in fashion again. This may be a good thing or a bad thing for you, depending on your perspective. But that’s the great thing about fashion. It offers you choices. It never imposes upon people what they should wear.
Is there a NEED for fashion?? Strictly speaking, No. Fashion is not one of our primary needs. But then even the most mundane clothes you wear are "fashioned" by someone. Do you give up on clothes entirely?? What fashion gives us is confidence, elegance, style, class, and grace (if worn well, of course). Fashion, and the subsequent proliferation of fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, and InStyle, give women more than mere clothes... they make us dream. And that’s more important than any hemline, fabric or design.
Well, what is fashion? Is it any different from style?? Style is defined as a quality of imagination and individuality expressed in one's actions and tastes. It is a much more comprehensive term as compared to fashion. Fashion is defined as the prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior. The two terms are often used interchangeably.
Fashion has evolved through the ages; often reflecting the mood and characteristics of the society. For example: During The War, skirts were made body hugging so as to conserver much-needed cloth. After the War, skirts had a lot of flair and body to them, indicative of the coming days of plenty. However, it isn’t just society and current events that influence fashion. Fashion often influences society. Remember Yves Saint Laurent's revolutionary female suit...Today, no working woman's wardrobe is complete without a suit! He was the one who made it such a staple.
Is fashion art?? Why not! It is creation of a beautiful masterpiece. Fashion designers are the modern-day artists...who inspire women to dream, to look better, to FEEL better. Design houses like Christian Dior, Chanel, Gianni Versace, Valentino, Givenchy, YSL, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Ralph Lauren do just that.
John Galliano at Dior is a master craftsman and a master marketer. He has revived an old haute couture house into one of the hippest and trendiest fashion houses ever. A Dior handbag is the ultimate in chic. A Dior fashion show is not just about fashion....its drama, clothes, beautiful models, and oodles of attitude. John Galliano's latest inspiration is Marlene Dietrich. Herself no stranger to high fashion. The D'Trick handbag by Dior , set to release in 2004, is just another example of the abundance of genius in Galliano.
The Gucci group under American Tom Ford is another major turn-around story of recent years. Tom Ford is a genius to be able to simultaneously manage the Gucci and YSL lines. The house of Versace, rocked by the brutal killing of Gianni Versace, is back on track and hip as ever under sister Donnatella. The house of Chanel, under the skillful eye of German Karl Lagerfeld has expanded globally. He has proven that even something as basic as tweed can be endlessly manipulated to create masterful suits and dresses. Coco Chanel must be pleased with the way Lagerfeld is living up to her legacy.
If Dior and Versace is for flashy(not to mention cash-rich) clients; Valentino is for their classy counterpart. That man is just not capable of creating something trashy or skanky. Jackie Kennedy made the Italian Valentino popular in the USA when she wore his outfits as the First Lady.
In American fashion, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan are pioneers. Who can forget Calvin Klein! He introduced the concept of designer jeans. Not to mention the revolutionary advertisements! Remember Brooke Shields, with her "Nothing comes between me and my Calvins" or the waif-like Kate Moss in the CK ads???
There is ready-to-wear fashion...and then there is Haute Couture. Haute couture is the height of high fashion. Haute couture is the creation of exclusive fashions, often exquisitely handmade. People say that the days of haute couture are numbered, if not dead altogether. However, that just cannot be! One look at the Dior, or YSL shows will prove that haute couture is alive and kicking!
Fashion comes and fashion goes. Hemlines change from season to season. Fabric, design, buttons, sewing, embroidery, craftsmanship, knitting, draping, fitting sessions...so much is involved in making of a seemingly simple dress. However, the classics of fashion stay constant. Diamonds, fur, high heels, a pencil skirt, a white shirt, boot leg jeans....these are classics. Of course there is the moral dilemma regarding fur and crocodile pelts. After years of abandonment, fur finally is in fashion again. This may be a good thing or a bad thing for you, depending on your perspective. But that’s the great thing about fashion. It offers you choices. It never imposes upon people what they should wear.
Is there a NEED for fashion?? Strictly speaking, No. Fashion is not one of our primary needs. But then even the most mundane clothes you wear are "fashioned" by someone. Do you give up on clothes entirely?? What fashion gives us is confidence, elegance, style, class, and grace (if worn well, of course). Fashion, and the subsequent proliferation of fashion magazines like Vogue, Elle, and InStyle, give women more than mere clothes... they make us dream. And that’s more important than any hemline, fabric or design.
posted by Zenobia at 3:11 AM
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