Recently I asked myself, what is fashion really? We spend thousands on expensive designer clothing and young girls with million dollar trust funds who own 300 pairs of shoes are the world’s new role models. We dedicate whole weeks to fashion, we talk about it, we blog about it, we tweet about it...but why?
For centuries individuals have used clothing as a nonverbal way to communicate status, occupation, wealth, gender, group affiliation and rank, to name but a few. What we wear and how we wear it provides those around us with a shorthand to subtly read beneath the surface of a social situation.
In order to not become one of those bloggers who blog about fashion without really caring about its meaning, its status, history and origins, I have decided to do a series on the history of fashion. I want to take us back to our roots, not only because I know everyone, myself included loves vintage clothing, but also because I’m becoming intensely aware of the importance of appreciating our origins.
There was a time when, due to the lack of proper communication systems, a fashion trend took 10 to 15 years to permeate to other areas in one country. It is only when rail travel improved communication that the fashion cycle speeded up and by the time we reached the Edwardian era in 1901 fashion was moving in a yearly cycle. I feel honoured to be able to have trends at my fingertips, to not have to wait months or years in order to get my fashion fix.
So watch out for posts from the ‘For the love of fashion’ series, in which I’ll try to take us on a fun journey into the history of fashion!
(Photos from metmuseum.org and madameguillotine.com)
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