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 «Fashions are fleeting, style is forever» - this quote
is attributed to the legendary Coco Chanel, who managed to create her own
unique style and revolutionize fashion on the way. In a single short phrase
Chanel succinctly formulated the most significant difference between the
concepts of «fashion» and «style»: unlike fleeting fashion, style, as a key
element of the person's image, is far more permanent.
On the one hand, it's rather strange to rank style above
fashion, since the very concept of fashion is much older than that of style, but
on the other hand, it is quite understandable: after all, in today's world,
anyone can try as many looks and roles as they like, with style being the
"tool" for these transformations. Since clothes make the man and book is often
judged by its cover, your personal style is a letter of recommendation of
sorts, a reflection of your personality.
Thus, style is an extension of you; it's your attitude,
personality and instinct. Style is a form of expression, a statement and it's
in the choices you make. Clothes are just one way of expressing your style. It's
not the actual clothes itself but what it conveys about you. Style is something
that evolves, matures, and changes over varied amounts of time. It can be
influenced and inspired by your age, gender, culture, geographic locale,
interests, emotions and a myriad of other factors. Most people express
themselves through the clothes they wear while others may hide through them.
Style like everything else in our life comes down to choice. You choose what
you show the world about yourself through your style and the clothes you wear.
And you can also deceive not only the world but yourself by dressing and
portraying your style as something you're not - knowingly or unknowingly.
When it comes to fashion, it's appropriate to remember
Stella Blum who said «Fashion is a social agreement, the result of a consensus
of a large group of people». Nowadays though we have fashion designers who
create trends by trying to predict what people will like or sometimes by trying
to sell the idea to them unlike when fashion just happened. It's become about
letting others do the thinking for you, letting retailers, designers, magazines
and other large companies whose main aim is to profit set trends for you to
follow. And that's where style comes in when you have to decide what you are
and what you want to express by the way you dress and way to live.
Style: classic, formal,
subculture
Categorizing the diverse contemporary styles of
clothes can be a challenging task: a person chooses his or her style depending
on age, social status, profession, personal preferences and whether or not they
are a part of a subculture which often has its own strict style rules. While
it's easy to see why your personal style is partially shaped by your age and occupation,
the way your style is related to your unique preferences, your likes and
dislikes, is more complex. In fact, various combinations of your unique
personal traits and inclinations can result in a variety of styles: traditional,
eclectic, minimalistic, military, safari, or glamorous style.
The development of some distinct clothing styles is
closely connected with the emergence of subcultures - communities of people
with a culture which differentiates them from a larger culture to which they
belong, and distinguished by its own system of values, language, behavior, and clothing.
Typically, in most cases, style of clothes serves as a distinguishing
characteristic to the people belonging to same subculture, a «card of
introduction» of sorts. Over the years, numerous subcultures have had a great
effect on the modern fashion, the influences including Gothic, hippie, punk, and
recently emo style. Although initially these styles were popular only in the respective
subculture communities, today their elements can be seen both on the catwalks and
high street.
Style and History
Some of the clothing styles have been shaped by the
course of history, like the dandy style that developed in the XIX century
Britain, largely owing to Oscar Wilde. The present standard of femininity can
be exemplified by the New Look style, "invented" by the great French couturier
Christian Dior. The key elements of this style - cinched waist, wide skirt,
tight-fitting bodice - make their regular appearance in the collections of modern
designers.
It's great to be passionate about fashion, trends and
knowing how people feel about what's in and what's not, and though you may
identify with some of them and follow those that make sense to you personally,
you should never forget to stay true to yourself in doing so. Follow your own
muse. Influence others with your own creativity, personality and confidence.
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