Fashion 101

Fashion is always changing, slightly elusive, extremely seductive.

It has the power to transform an image and make a social statement.

What is fashion anyway?

Dictionary.com's definitions:

1.       The prevailing style or custom, as in dress or behavior: out of fashion.

2.       Something, such as a garment, that is in the current mode: a swimsuit that is the latest fashion.

3.       The style characteristic of the social elite: a man of fashion.

To some, fashion is an art form. To others, it is almost a religion.

But for most people it is a method of utilizing clothing, accessories and hair to show or hide something about yourself.

You can use fashion to express yourself, to serve as an extension of your personality: goth, skater, soccer mom, professional.

Or you can use fashion to disguise your true self:a conservative in vamp clothing, a vamp in conservative clothing.

Fashion statements can be made with clothes, accessories, shoes, hair, makeup, even your cellphone.

Who decides what's in?

Designers can greatly influence what direction fashion will go in.

Miuccia Prada of Prada and Miu Miu, Marc Jacobs of Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton are considered directional designers (Prada for remixing classics, Jacobs for vintage-inspired styles).

Working five or six months ahead of the season, the press attends fashion shows presenting designer collections; the media will then give editorial coverage to trends they think their readership is interested in.

Store buyers work many months in advance of the season to place orders with manufacturers for styles they think their customers will want to buy.

Celebrities and other opinion leaders (socialites and other glitterati) are usually the first to sport new looks, spurring the buying public into accepting emerging trends.

So everyone from big-name designers to celebrities may be behind influencing the direction fashion will go in.

But ultimately, it is you, the consumer, who will decide what is "in" when you choose whether or not to buy into a trend.

Where are the world's fashion centers?

New York, Paris and Milan are considered the major hubs for designers and manufacturers of fashion apparel and accessories.

London, Los Angeles, Toronto, Hong Kong, Sydney and Sao Paolo, in addition to hundreds of other smaller market areas are host to excellent designers and manufacturers.

How can I work in fashion?

Depending on what you want to do -- from designing to retailing -- there are many paths you can take to get to your destination.

Education is a vital ingredient: many universities offer excellent fashion merchandising courses.

Work experience is another necessary step to working as a professional in the fashion industry. Experience at the retail level (as a sales person in a store) is a great way to get a feel for how consumers buy, mix or reject clothing.

Many students are initially attracted to fashion because it seems like a glamorous business:to some degree it is.

But the majority of clothing and accessories that are designed, manufactured and sold have absolutely nothing to do with the glitzy shows associated with famous designers.

The majority of people working in fashion have behind-the-scenes jobs at less-than-glamorous wages. Regardless, most who work in the industry are charged by its vibrancy and creativity and get rewards other than fame and fortune (a fun job, creative outlet, etc.).

Even if you say you don't care about fashion and don't dress to make a statement, you are making a statement (that you don't care about fashion).

Why care about fashion?

Most people pay attention to fashion in small doses which is a very healthy way to approach it. They make sure wardrobes are in step with the times and even indulge in a trend or two each season.

A few reasons why fashion is still relevant:

·         It shows your thinking is modern and flexible (e.g. willing to accept and process new ideas).

·         Fashion has escapist qualities to help you deal with the pressures of the world (For example: your country may be at war, but you've "escaped" by dressing in the season's fluffy ruffles that make you look like you don't have a care in the world).

·         Everything you put on sends a message.

Why are most designer clothes so outrageous?

Fashion has almost nothing to do with good taste: it is a force that is beyond such practical considerations.

The clothes that are presented at the fashion shows are often exaggerations of a theme. Some designers such as John Galliano (Christian Dior) go to great lengths to present extravagant looks that no one in their right mind would wear on the street.

These collections are part marketing (to grab media and consumer interest in a designer line) and part artistic expression.

By the time they reach the stores, most looks are edited by buyers to be saleable (hemlines dropped an inch or two, elements of the original look are put onto more understandable pieces, etc.).