The fashion industry

jason_els

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It's more than that. Fashion is important in many ways.

Looking for a police officer? You look for the clothes of a police officer. Need to identify a warrior? One looks at his or her uniform and can immediately tell the branch of service, rank, and situation for which the person is dressed. Clergy too use fashion to identify themselves and their station in society. Uniforms, whether for the UPS driver or a train conductor, are the definitive use of fashion in society. We use clothing to tell us far more about a person than a simple glance would imply.

A skilled fashion designer will create clothes to the purpose. For a police officer one might want at least two uniforms. One to look dignified for dress purposes, another for street work that allows freedom of movement, breathable fabrics, lots of pockets, perhaps even some protection and then translate that into summer and winter wear for climates that need it.

What we see in fashion influences us as we influence fashion. Look at the major break in women's fashion from the 1910s to the 1920s. Women went from long skirts, mutton chop sleeves, petticoats and high necks with lots of poufy hair to simple sleeveless slip dresses and bobbed hair styles. This reflected the freedoms that women gained during the first world war. Women went from being Gibson girls to flappers in less than ten years and fashion answered that change by allowing women more physical freedom and less upkeep. The 20s woman didn't have hours on end to attend to the standard of beauty she had in the 10s. World War II did the same thing, seeing women work at home and with it came a huge slew of work clothing designed for women. Women's dungarees, workshirts, short skirts, slip-on shoes, and then, following that, the broad-shouldered suits of the 40s that reflected women's new-found power in a society they had to run from top to bottom while men and even their sisters were busy at war.

Fashion is a fascinating and useful tool for evaluating social change and roles within a culture. It may seem frivolous to us and may seem as if fashion was being dictated from above, but truly, good fashion reflects society, not the other way around. Plenty of designers have tried to start trends which fell completely flat because the trend didn't reflect the desires of the customers. It takes some very keen social insight to be a successful and useful fashion designer.

Thank you.

Dissing fashion is quite fashionable (whoops, did I say that?) as always. Fashion has its place. Personal style cannot be created without an element of fashion. People who know what looks good on them and wear it well always catch my eye more than the person wearing ultratrendy clothing that is ill-fitting or doesn't suit them.
 

rangisrovus19

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I'm not going to lie, I spend about 95&#37; of my money (excluding food) on clothes. Not just clothes to be worn and cover myself up, but things I look good in... damn good. And I hear it everyday. I feel good about myself when I go out and people notice that I am confident about my looks and how I put myself together. I also think it's a part of self-respect. I have about $2000 worth of denim alone in my closet. Don't you love your legs that much? Would you rather spend $30 on a pair of lumpy, oddly designed pants, or a pair of $200 ones that were created in a very delicate process - one the designer knows how a certain body type would look good in? to compliment the curves of your body? If you don't think so, that's fine. You probably have more important things to attend to. Me on the other hand, I love fashion and what it can do for people. My boyfriend is a gymnast and has an amazing physique and he wasn't wearing anything to prove it. The clothes he know wears compliment his body and has made him feel so much better about himself. I used to not give a god damn about looks at all, but when you start, and get into it, you won't stop... and I promise you won't turn back.

and like some have said, it's an art and a way of expressing yourself. It's all about the aesthetics. It's eye candy... everybody loves candy!
 

Bbucko

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In my late 20s I was a huge "fashion consumer". I had the money to look my best, and generally did (some shoulder-pad excesses notwithstanding).

I learned early in life that not everything is for everybody, certainly not when trends seem inevitably to appeal to the extremes, and my own body doesn't fit the classic mold of masculine perfection.

I'm not fat. I'm just very short and broad (5'6", 150 lbs, 42" chest, 28" waist, 10 1/2 EEE shoe). I have muscular legs and arms, very broad chest/shoulders, no ass, big bulge. Humpy and fashionable rarely coincide.

So when I dressed for success in suits and ties, I needed a very sensitive tailor. The pants on a 42 short suit are 34-36. A 28" waist required more than taking in the waist: the pants require reconstruction. That slim Paul Smith look made me look like The Incredible Hulk, but boxy, drapy suits left me looking short & dumpy.

Tapered trousers made my feet look square, but wide legs made me look 3' tall. Those gorgeous Italian slipons killed my feet (being about half my foot's actual width) and became distended and ugly after a few days anyways.

I posed a real challenge (and still do). I need to edit carefully in terms of color, cut, fabric, shape and texture. But most of all, in order to look my best I need an above-average tailor.

These days I'm strictly jeans-&-Tshirts, with the occasional long-sleeve mixed in when the occasion calls or the South Florida weather becomes uncomfortably cool. But I still depend on the knowledge of my body I've learned over the years, and a truly expert tailor who can recut most of what I buy to make it fit.
 

jason_els

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5' 6" is not, "very short."

My step father has the same issues though. He needs to get everything he buys re-tailored. He's very conservative and classic in his dress (think J. Press). He found one sweater back in the 40s in a little shop in Bermuda and since then has re-purchased that same sweater every 10 years or so. Little in his wardrobe changes! But he does have everything tailored and he always looks very, very, good. As to the shoes, you can go to Gucci or the other places here in New York and get made-to-measure shoes for only $50 more than you'd pay otherwise. No bargain but not bad either. My mom has exceptionally narrow feet so they both have shoe issues. Happily I don't thought I have British teeth and the orthodontia bills to go with them ;).
 

Bbucko

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5' 6" is not, "very short."

My step father has the same issues though. He needs to get everything he buys re-tailored. He's very conservative and classic in his dress (think J. Press). He found one sweater back in the 40s in a little shop in Bermuda and since then has re-purchased that same sweater every 10 years or so. Little in his wardrobe changes! But he does have everything tailored and he always looks very, very, good. As to the shoes, you can go to Gucci or the other places here in New York and get made-to-measure shoes for only $50 more than you'd pay otherwise. No bargain but not bad either. My mom has exceptionally narrow feet so they both have shoe issues. Happily I don't thought I have British teeth and the orthodontia bills to go with them ;).

It's hardly average, darling :rolleyes:

One thing I wanted to mention upon reflection.

When I was 35 I embarked on a nine-year relationship which I've described elsewhere, so I won't repeat it all here. One of the things he felt strongly about was that "fashion" was for the birds: expensive, wasteful, and generally inconsequential to our lives. So i went through a nine-year period of buying off-the-rack and making do.

When first embarking out on my own in Ft Lauderdale, not only was everything ill-fitting, but was very inappropriate to the climate. What made perfect sense for walking the dog in Connecticut on a blustery fall day was totally out of place having a beer at The Alibi, for example.

A friend looked in my closet and declared that everything inside looked like it belonged to someone's larger husband.

It took three years, lots of money (and careful budgeting) and a few missteps before I hit on the look I have right now. It's body and age appropriate without looking like I'm about to trim a rose garden.

I have a younger friend (mid-20s) who recently commented that I "dress arrogantly" though I'm not arrogant. Aside from the True Religion jeans, I'm not certain what he meant (and he didn't elucidate).
 

B_tallbig

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It's hardly average, darling :rolleyes:

One thing I wanted to mention upon reflection.

When I was 35 I embarked on a nine-year relationship which I've described elsewhere, so I won't repeat it all here. One of the things he felt strongly about was that "fashion" was for the birds: expensive, wasteful, and generally inconsequential to our lives. So i went through a nine-year period of buying off-the-rack and making do.

When first embarking out on my own in Ft Lauderdale, not only was everything ill-fitting, but was very inappropriate to the climate. What made perfect sense for walking the dog in Connecticut on a blustery fall day was totally out of place having a beer at The Alibi, for example.

A friend looked in my closet and declared that everything inside looked like it belonged to someone's larger husband.

It took three years, lots of money (and careful budgeting) and a few missteps before I hit on the look I have right now. It's body and age appropriate without looking like I'm about to trim a rose garden.

I have a younger friend (mid-20s) who recently commented that I "dress arrogantly" though I'm not arrogant. Aside from the True Religion jeans, I'm not certain what he meant (and he didn't elucidate).
5-9 TO 5-10 is average height so 5-6 is short but i would not say is very short. Very short to me is 5-4 and under.
 

earllogjam

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I think clothes are important in your work world. Many people have jobs where they need to dress the part. I have a collection of very expensive suits, ties and shoes collecting dust in my closet now. There was a time where I was judged by how nicely I dressed and I came to appreciate well constructed and tailored clothing.

I hate shopping and I have a hard time finding things that fit and look good on me so whenever I come across anything that I like, I just buy it.
 

rangisrovus19

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this about sums everything up...

taken from The Devil Wears Prada:

Miranda Priestly: [Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same] Something funny?
Andy Sachs: No, no, nothing. Y'know, it's just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. Y'know, I'm still learning about all this stuff.
Miranda Priestly: This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff

hmmm?
 

earllogjam

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this about sums everything up...

taken from The Devil Wears Prada:

Miranda Priestly: [Miranda and some assistants are deciding between two similar belts for an outfit. Andy sniggers because she thinks they look exactly the same] Something funny?
Andy Sachs: No, no, nothing. Y'know, it's just that both those belts look exactly the same to me. Y'know, I'm still learning about all this stuff.
Miranda Priestly: This... 'stuff'? Oh... ok. I see, you think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select out, oh I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue, it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean. You're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar De La Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves St Laurent, wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets? And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of 8 different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs and so it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you're wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room. From a pile of stuff

hmmm?

Uhh. I sew my own clothes from animals skins.