The Lure of Fashion

Clothing is a part of everyday life. From the time we’re born until the time we die, we wear clothes. We wake up every morning, noon, or night and put them on just as easily as we wake. Some put a lot of thought into what they wear, others not much thought at all. It’s more of a comfortable state of mind for some. But what about those who choose their wardrobes according to what is fashionable?

In The Now

Fashion refers to styles of especially dress (but also including cuisine, literature, art, architecture, and general comportment) which are current in any given culture at any given time. Such styles may change quickly, and “fashion” in the more colloquial sense refers to the latest version of these styles. Inherent in the term is the idea that the mode will change more quickly than the culture as a whole.

The terms “fashionable” and “unfashionable” are employed to describe whether someone or something fits in with the current popular mode of expression. The term “fashion” is frequently used in a positive sense, as a synonym for glamor, beauty and style. In this sense, fashions are a sort of communal art, through which a culture examines its notions of beauty and goodness. Why are we so enamored by fashion?

Two Words - Fashion Week!

A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, that allows fashion designers or “houses” to display their latest collections. Catwalks/Runway shows are typically the highlight of fashion week. The most prominent fashion weeks are held in the fashion capitals like Milan, Paris, London, and New York. In the early and mid 2000s, fashion weeks sprang up around the globe to draw attention to designers elsewhere.

The earliest fashion week, held in New York City in 1943, was designed to attract attention away from French fashion during World War II, when fashion industry insiders were unable to travel to Paris to see French fashion shows. Fashion publicist Eleanor Lamber organized an event she called “Press Week” to showcase American designers for fashion journalists, whose innovations had been previously neglected.

Buyers were not admitted to the shows and instead had to visit designers’ showrooms. Press Week was a success, and fashion magazines like Vogue, which were normally filled with French designs, increasingly featured American fashion. Yet, where did it all begin?

History In The Making

The interest in fashion isn’t new but has been a part of world culture for thousands of years. But the industry we know today didn’t emerge until the late 1800’s. Couture fashion came about with the invention of the Singer Sewing Machine with its continuous stitch by Isaac Singer and a popular dressmaker of the time, Frederich Worth.

Prior to the 1800’s most clothes were hand sewn and women’s fashion was dictated by the climate of their environment, community, and country. When trade routes surfaced, new finer materials became available to those who could afford them. From then on, the way a person dressed denoted wealth and stature the same as it does today.

You Wear It Well

Most people love to look good and receive compliments on the way they dress. This enhances self-esteem and generates an interchange of positive energy which flows from one person to the other. Since our outfit is impeccable, our hair and makeup must go right along with it if we’re a female. If male, facial hair must be groomed perfectly.

Humans crave attention even before we’re born and in our mother’s belly. When we hear our mother talk we bounce around kicking and moving for her attention. After we’re born, it’s a continuation of that very same thing; it doesn’t cease. Why? We love being noticed.

As we grow older, our own personal style and taste begin to take shape. My niece began picking out what she liked to wear at 3 years old. She gravitated towards a certain outfit or color because it made her happy and she felt good wearing it. Today, more than ever there is a resurgence of fashion, or as fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons says, ‘Fabulosity’. And we love it!