It seems that no matter how reclusive of a life a woman leads, at some point she’ll have to at least acknowledge the fashion industry and how it impacts her life. It could be that she looks up one day and realizes that her favorite brand of jeans has changed their cut no longer carries the straight-leg style she had grown so accustomed to. This sudden halt of production of clothing mainstays can be problematic in people’s lives, but it’s also something that’s necessary for change every now and then. For example, if we never changed fashion styles, women would still be required to be clothed from neck to ankle – and what fun would that be?
Many people see the outrageous fashion designs that are paraded down the runways in Paris, Milan, or New York every year and think that those “high fashion” outfits have nothing to do with the jeans and t-shirt they’re wearing. However, they couldn’t be further from the truth. Despite what we may think about those outrageous fashions, the truth of the matter is that the designs may be outlandish, but the basic principle behind them is not. While a few of the top models and actresses will wear these designer outfits, the majority of clothing companies will manufacture a cheaper version of the exact same outfit for their store lines. The company that makes the best knock-offs of the runway designs usually ends up selling the clothes to your local department store.
Therefore, the clothing in these stores is directly influenced by the trends that originated in those fashion-heavy cities as much as a year beforehand. If a designer puts out a pair of slacks that is flowing with vibrant colors, the department stores won’t be far behind in following the trend. Likewise, it’s not unusual to see major trends in dresses shift following successful shows in any of the major fashion cities. Try to observe the process yourself. Follow the coverage from fashion week shows around the world – typically held once in the spring and once in the fall of each year – and keep tabs on the major trends coming down the runways. Take notes and check back a year later – it’s fun to see which trends took off and which ones didn’t make it to the department stores.
The same cycle occurs for patterns on clothing as well. Say a designer has a hit with a polka dotted shirt or a gingham skirt – the next thing you know all of the striped shirts you like to wear could become difficult to find on regular department store shelves. So the next time you find yourself flipping through fashion magazines thinking, “That’s outrageous! I can’t believe anyone would ever consider that fashion,” remember – it’s highly likely that the same outfit you found yourself wrinkling your nose at in distaste will be affecting your clothes shopping habits later on. High fashion clothing may be odd, outlandish and outrageous, but it will certainly affect the way you shop in the year to come.
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One of the biggest problems people have with so-called “high fashion” clothing is that there are very few women in the world who can actually fit into them! Even for the lucky few who can get them on, there’s no guarantee that those expensive clothes will look as good as they did on the airbrushed runway models of Paris, London or New York. For the rest of us mortal women, the important thing to remember when shopping for the perfect outfit isn’t whether or not it was in the fashion magazines that year – it’s how it actually looks on you and your body.
Many women shop just for designer labels – they don’t take into account their realistic body shape. Consequently, they end up looking much worse than if they’d shopped around for clothing items that actually worked for their bodies. For example, if you have an extremely curvy body, don’t wear something so tight that it causes other parts of your physique to appear lumpy – even if the clothes are “in style” this season. Instead, choose something that’s slightly clingy around the breasts but flows a little from your ribs down. Compliment this top with some straight-leg, low-riding pants or jeans to accentuate your hips.
Fashionable items like the straight-legged skinny pants and baby doll t-shirts might look incredibly cute on tiny Hollywood starlets, but unless you’ve got an extremely petite frame, you’re going to look incredibly out of shape in this combination. Even the smallest built girl can seem much heavier when that tight attire draws attention to her imperfections. The idea of flattering clothing, though, is to draw attention away from your less-than-perfect areas and focus on the most appealing aspects of your body. For example, if your face is round, try to wear something that pulls out your more prominent features, or conversely, if your face is very narrow, don’t wear a lot of angular clothing that will draw attention to this fact.
Also, don’t be afraid to bring a friend shopping with you and force them to tell you the truth about how you look in something. Remember, the sales person is there to make a living, so they may not tell you honestly if something actually looks dreadful. Furthermore, if you shop by yourself, you won’t be able to see how the clothing looks from every angle – no matter how you twist and turn in front of the mirror.
The other thing to remember is that looking best doesn’t require name brand items. In fact, restricting yourself to this kind of high profile fashion shopping can actually prevent you from developing your own sense of style. You can get some great, name-brand pieces at discount stores like TJ MAXX or Marshalls that will look great and save you money. As a matter of fact, most men don’t look at the labels on your clothes – they see how confident you look in your clothing and respond to that instead.
The most important thing to know about fashion is that it all depends on your attitude. Each person is an individual who wears clothing differently. What looks fabulous on one person will look horrible on another. So find your own sense of fashion and have fun mixing and matching the different styles until you find one that fits you. After all, isn’t that what started the fashion industry in the first place?
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