Theme: Fashion There are many reasons we wear what we wear

Theme: Fashion

There are many reasons we wear what we wear.

Protection from cold, rain and snow: mountain climbers wear high-tech outerwear to avoid frostbite and over-exposure. Physical attraction: many styles are worn to inspire "chemistry." Emotions: we dress "up" when we're happy and "down" when we're upset.

Religious expression: Orthodox Jewish men wear long black suits and Islamic women cover every part of their body except their eyes. Identification and tradition: judges wear robes, people in the military wear uniforms, brides wear long white dresses. Fashion is big business. More people are involved in the buying, selling and production of clothing than any other business in the world. Everyday, millions of workers design, sew, glue, dye, and transport clothing to stores. Ads on buses, billboards and magazines give us ideas about what to wear, consciously, or subconsciously. Clothing can be used as a political weapon. In nineteenth century England, laws prohibited people from wearing clothes produced in France. During twentieth century communist revolutions, uniforms were used to abolish class and race distinctions.

Fashion is an endless popularity contest.

High fashion is the style of a small group of men and women with a certain taste and authority in the fashion world. People of wealth and position, buyers for major department stores, editors and writers for fashion magazines are all part of Haute Couture ("High Fashion" in French). Some of these expensive and often artistic fashions may triumph and become the fashion for the larger majority. Most stay on the runway.

Popular fashions are close to impossible to trace. No one can tell how the short skirts and boots worn by teenagers in England in 1960 made it to the runways of Paris, or how blue jeans became so popular in the U.S., or how hip-hop made it from the streets of the Bronx to the Haute Couture fashion shows of London and Milan.

It's easy to see what's popular by watching sit-coms on television: the bare mid-riffs and athletic clothes of 90210, the baggy pants of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. But the direction of fashion relies on "plugged-in" individuals to react to events, and trends in music, art and books.

"In the perspective of costume history, it is plain that the dress of any given period is exactly suited to the actual climate of the time." according to James Laver, a noted English costume historian. How did bell-bottom jeans fade into the designer jeans and boots look of the 1980s into the baggy look of the 1990s? Nobody really knows.

Once identified, fashions begin to change.

People have always wanted to look nice and socially accepted. This is when fashion helps. In short, fashion is a style of clothing that is popular at certain era or time. In more expanded definition fashion is a habitual style not only in clothing, but also in footwear, accessories, hairstyle, make-up, fragrances and even hi-tech devices. It’s a manner of doing something as well. Life in modern society is far more controlled by fashion than people actually realize. The style we choose to maintain is largely influenced by media resources, such as TV, fashion magazines, blogs, posters and billboards, etc. It is noteworthy that in old days fashion has reflected a person’s social class, more than his or her personality. Things have changed over the years and now the inner self is more in the center of fashion. One can easily express himself or herself through clothes. Many young people prefer wearing bright, colorful items to get noticed and to show their subculture.

So why is fashion so popular? So many men, so many minds. First of all, fashion makes people creative on everyday basis. To choose what to wear and what fits with it makes a person think and use creativity. Secondly, the process of dressing up and using their imagination can make people extremely happy, especially if they succeed when putting these bits and pieces together. Thirdly, people enjoy having a “signature” style. It is even more encouraging when they get followers. Last, but not the least, fashion is an important part of different cultures and religions. For example, in India women like wearing sari. It’s a nice female garment that is wrapped around the waist. Wearing a sari has become a peculiar tradition, handed from one generation to another.

The history of fashion is rather interesting. The modern industry of fashion houses has started not so long ago. The founder of the Haute Couture industry was Charles Frederick Worth. He was the first person, who in the 19th century designed the labeled pieces of clothing. Until then there was Victorian era of dresses with several layers, Baroque style dresses with plenty of buttons and lace, Renaissance robes with adorned necklines and voluminous skirts, modest Medieval dresses with long hemlines, and even ancient Greek and Roman loose tunics. Today, Paris, Milan, New York and London are recognized capitals of fashion, so everybody follows the standards set by well-known fashion houses, situated there.

In my country, there are always trends and so teenagers wear a variety of clothes. A lot of teenagers are influenced by American TV and they try look like some American kids wear. Many boys like to wear large baggy trousers, Nike or Adidas trainers and baseball caps. Most girl seem to follow the latest fashion that they see in magazines and so they wear whatever is in. Others are inspired by rock groups and wear the same clothes that their favorite singer wears. Some teens want stand out from the crowd, many people think that they dress weird and stupid, but teenagers as to express their independent and individuality. There are teenagers who don`t tend to follow the latest fashion, but dress comfortably and tastefully. in our country clothing available to all. Even if you don`t have much money you can dress fashionably. In Russia there are shops with designer clothes that can buy rich people, and shops aimed at the middle class. Other like going to markets or second-hand shops. I think most people would spend about 100$ a month or clothes.

Long years ago, some wise member of the Homo Sapiens race discovered the first clothing. Since that time clothes have passed throught very significant changes. They developed from the simpliest rags and skin into something really fabulous. Clothes can say much about the person’s style of living. It can show the personality of each person. But they can also distinguish people of various religions and nationalities. When wearing some kind of particular dress people sow their affiliation to one of these gruops. Wearing a particular dress can also classify a person into a social class. On the other hand, some peeple wear clothes only to be fashionable, and they are not showing their personality.

Different factors that have influenced the styles of clothing are geography, climate, poverty and wealth.

Clothing today consists of many parts. We can often have up to ten pieces on. Of course that depends on the weather. Climate we are living in has four different seasons. And that means there are seasonal clothes. Of course you can not wear winter clothes in summer as well as you can not use summer clothes for winter. We can differentiate four types of clothes.

I will start with summer clothing. It is usually very hot in the summer so you need light and comfortable clothes. Women wear short skirts and tops or dresses. Men usually wear some shorts and a t-shirt or a short-sleeved shirt. Another thing in summer is wearing swim suits. Nowadays there are so many different types from bikini to bathing trunks. It is very important because in summer you spend a lot of time on the beach and it is important how you look. To sum up, in summer all you need are simple light clothes.

As the weather changes and its getting cold outside the clothing has to change too. In autumn we usually wear trousers or jeans that are easy to upkeep. But it is also important to have a coat or a jacket because it often rains.

In winter you need clothes that can keep you warm and dry even if it snows outside and the air temperature is bellow zero. That means you need coat or jacket to protect you and a warm sweater. You also need warm underwear and some knee-socks. It is also good to have a pair of gloves and some cap and a muffler.

Spring clothing is more or less the same as autumn.

You can not wear the same jumper to a football match and to a theatre. For all those special occassions you need different clothes. When going to a theatre or just out for a dinner you need to dress up. A well-dressed gentleman should wear a suit and a tie or a bow tie. We wear many various clothes for many various occassions.

When we go to a concert or to the theatre we prefer to be dressed up. We wear an evening dress, which consists of a dark suit, a light shirt, tie and gown.

For sports we put on sport’s wear like jeans and T-shirts blazers, a waterproof jacket or anorak and sport’s shoes.

At home we like to feel comfortably and so we prefer comfortable clothes – slacks, jeans, T-shirts and on our feet slippers.

To school we wear something practical and comfortable. The most favourite clothes of teenagers includes jeans or trousers, shirts, pullowers and trainers. Special kinds of clothes are uniforms and costumes.

People have different thought to fashion. Some have an excellent taste in dress and are always dressed perfectly, especially women. Fashion includes not only clothes but also hair style, make-up, and accessories, e.g. shoes, handbags, gloves, belts, hats, ties, coronets or glasses. These things complete clothes. Just look around Slovakia. Every second shop is Boutique or something like that. It’s like a drug here and some people are depending on it.

To be fashionable means something different for everyone of us. Fashion is not just about modern stylish clothes, it is also about all kinds of accessories. From sun-glasses to handbags, jewellery to umbrellas, hats to belts…And it takes a real feel for the fashion to know how to accessorize.

There are several fashion rules, for example you should wear no more than one necklace or chain. You should not mix too many colours in your outfit and of course you should not wear white socks to a suit. I guess in Slovakia it is getting better and people are still more and more fashionable. Especially the young people have a sense of style. Well, at least they are trying. I am tryig hard too.

It is important to look good and always have some nice clothes on. Well, today image is everything. The first impression is always vital. And nothing helps you to make good impression better than nice and clean clothes. It is really important what you wear, no matter what anybody says. That is why I am trying to be well-dressed in every situation. For me, maybe even more important than how I look is how I feel. The clothes I buy must always be very comfortable. Because you can look amazing but when you feel like you are going to die if you have that sweater on for another two seconds, it just makes no sense. That is why I usually wear some jeans and a t-shirt or shirt.

Styles, cuts, designs and length of clothes change very quickly because dressmaking has become big business nowadays. One style is almost every year replaced by other style. Fashions often revert to older styles; what is out of fashion now, may become hot a few years later. The most famous designers are Donatella Versace, Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Vivien Westwood etc. The cities of fashion are Paris, Milan, New York or London.

I guess to look good you do not have to wear expensive designer pieces. After all, it is pretty simple. Every man or woman has it own sense of style. That is why it is said that clothes make the man. Yes, it is true. Clothes really make the man. People often judge you by what you are wearing. I do not know if that is right, but that is just the way it is. Nowadays image is everything. The way we look often helps us to achieve what we want. If you really want to make a good impression, you need more than clothes, you also need good hairstyle, modern accessories and a lot more. That also belongs to fashion.

Some human cultures, such as the various peoples of the Arctic Circle, traditionally make their clothing entirely of prepared and decorated furs and skins. Other cultures supplemented or replaced leather and skins with cloth: woven, knitted, or twined from various animal and vegetable fibers including wool, linen, cotton, silk, hemp, and ramie.

Although modern consumers may take the production of clothing for granted, making fabric by hand is a tedious and labor-intensive process involving fiber making, spinning, and weaving. The textile industry was the first to be mechanized – with the powered loom – during the Industrial Revolution.

Different cultures have evolved various ways of creating clothes out of cloth. One approach simply involves draping the cloth. Many people wore, and still wear, garments consisting of rectangles of cloth wrapped to fit – for example, the dhoti for men and the sari for women in the Indian subcontinent, the Scottish kilt and the Javanese sarong. The clothes may simply be tied up (dhoti and sari); or pins or belts hold the garments in place (kilt and sarong). The cloth remains uncut, and people of various sizes can wear the garment.

Another approach involves measuring, cutting, and sewing the cloth by hand or with a sewing machine. Clothing can be cut from a sewing pattern and adjusted by a tailor to the wearer's measurements. An adjustable sewing mannequin or dress form is used to create form-fitting clothing. If the fabric is expensive, the tailor tries to use every bit of the cloth rectangle in constructing the clothing; perhaps cutting triangular pieces from one corner of the cloth, and adding them elsewhere as gussets. Traditional European patterns for men's shirts and women's chemises take this approach. These remnants can also be reused to make patchwork hats, vests, and skirts.

Modern European fashion treats cloth much less conservatively, typically cutting in such a way as to leave various odd-shaped cloth remnants. Industrial sewing operations sell these as waste; home sewers may turn them into quilts.

In the thousands of years that humans have been making clothing, they have created an astonishing array of styles, many of which have been reconstructed from surviving garments, photos, paintings, mosaics, etc., as well as from written descriptions. Costume history can inspire current fashion designers, as well as costumiers for plays, films, television, and h History of Fashion

The origin of Fashion is from the year 1826. Probably everyone believes Charles Frederick to be the first fashion designer of the world. He also established the first Fashion house in Paris. Consequently, he began the tradition of Fashion houses. Furthermore, he gave advice to customers on what clothing would suit them. He was prominent form 1826 to 1895.

During this period, many design houses hired artists. Furthermore, the job of these artists was to develop innovative designs for garments. The clients would examine many different patterns. Then they would pick the one they like. Consequently, a tradition began of presenting patterns to customers and then stitching them.

At the beginning of the 20th century, new developments in Fashion took place. These developments certainly began in Paris first. Then they spread in other parts of the world. Consequently, new designs first came into existence in France. From Paris, they went to other parts of the world. Hence, Paris became the Fashion capital of the world. Also, Fashion in this era was ‘haute couture’. This Fashion design was exclusively for individuals.

In the mid-20th century, a change took place. Now Fashion garments underwent mass production. There was a significant increase in the rate of production of Fashion garments. As a result, more and more people became involved with Fashion garments. By the end of the 20th century, a sense of Fashion awareness was very strong. Now people began to choose clothes based on their own style preference. Hence, people began to create their own trends instead of relying on existing trends.istorical reenactment.

Fashion Trend

Political influences certainly play a major role in influencing Fashion. Many politicians become fashion symbols. Notable examples are First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Diana. Also, political revolutions make a huge impact on the Fashion trend. For example, in 1960’s America, liberal clothing styles became popular among the younger generation. This was due to the Liberal revolution.

Another significant factor which influences Fashion trend is technology. There certainly has been a rapid growth of technology in the Fashion industry. For example, wearable technology has become a popular Fashion trend. Furthermore, 3D printing technology and the internet have also made an impact on Fashion.

Social influences are probably the strongest influences on the Fashion trend. Many music stars strongly influence Fashion choice. For example, wearing hoodies became famous due to rap musicians. Furthermore, movie and television actors create a big impact on Fashion. Many youngsters love to emulate the Fashion sense of their favourite celebrity.

To sum it up, Fashion certainly has become a part and parcel of human life. It certainly is a force that is here to stay. Most noteworthy, Fashion has immersed every place on Earth.