What is it that sparks a group of people to all move in the same direction? Why are some drawn to fads in dress and behavior that others don’t like at all? I think back to my time in the 80’s wearing an A-frame hairdo held up with Aqua Net, and I know that was not good fashion… or was it? Thank goodness everyone is too afraid of ruining the o-zone layer to make that style cool again, but some of the fashion I’ve seen this year is just as terrible. This is from the 2017 Spring fashion show in New York City.
Don don donnnn!
Yikes, I’d be worried if I ran into these models in the street. What’s with the brouche on that ruffly purple blouse on the end? Would any of you wear that? Looks like a transgender knight in satin pants to me.
No, I just can’t get into any of this, I’m more into clothes I could actually wear. Not that excited about walking about in my platform green sneakers. But to be fair, this is New York fashion, and I’m in Spokane, Washington.
So what makes fashion “stick?”
Is it function over fashion? Style over comfort?
One thing is for sure, you can’t live without the basics, so working with comfortable clothes is always a good idea to me. Then it can be about the style of the clothes that makes those basics into favorites.
Fashion sticks because a group of people all move in the same direction towards one style or identity.
We’ve got the Hipsters, the Goths, the Queers, the Gangstas, the Sportys, the Punks, the Gamers… So many groups of style to choose from. We also have the age groupings – who are the ones really influencing the clothing market now? The Millennials, the GenXers, or the Baby Boomers?
Here’s a selection list of Western World Generations from Wikipedia:
- The baby boomers are the generation that was born following World War II, generally from 1946 to 1964,[27][28][29] a time that was marked by an increase in birth rates.[30] The term “baby boomer” is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus on a defined start and end date.[31] The baby boom has been described variously as a “shockwave”[32] and as “the pig in the python”.[33] This generation is also referred to as the Me Generation, and the latter portion of the Baby Boomer generation as Generation Jones.
- Generation X, commonly abbreviated to Gen X, is the generation following the baby boomers. Demographers and researchers typically use starting birth years ranging from the early-to-mid 1960s and ending birth years ranging from the late 1970s to early 1980s. The term has also been used in different times and places for a number of different subcultures or countercultures since the 1950s.
- Millennials, also known as the Millennial Generation[34] or Generation Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X. Demographers and researchers typically use the early 1980s[35] as starting birth years and ending birth years ranging from the mid-1990s to early 2000s. As of April 2016, the Millennial generation surpassed the Boomer generation in size in the USA, with 76 million Boomers and 77 million Millennials.[36]
- Generation Z, also known as the Post-Millennials,[36] the iGeneration, or Homeland Generation, is the cohort of people born after the Millennials. Demographers and researchers typically use starting birth years ranging from the mid-1990s to early 2000s, while there is little consensus yet regarding ending birth years.
Interesting huh? From this perspective it looks like the sheer number of Millennials should be followed closely by the buying power of Baby Boomers. But are those numbers the most important?
As a minority GenXer, I can’t help but think that my generation has the most style. Ha ha ha!
But style has become a way of thinking expressed through one’s clothing and attitude.
Like music and art, the trends of fashion are much influenced by the times in which they were created. Politics and important events shape our group consensus as a whole. So perhaps the strange, green New York Spring fashion was a product of a confused and chaotic time for people in America. Or maybe someone just did way too many drugs when they designed those outfits, because no one is really going to wear that!
A few good notes.
I did find this gem of USA style that I think deserves mention: Side-cut bells. Jeans with a slit cut out the sides and frayed for a fringe effect. As a staunch supporter of anything fringe, this do-it-yourself fashion trick looks like a fresh Spring idea for everyone to try! Another trend to note is the “GIRLS” on her shirt. It seems 2017 is the year for Girl-Power to rise up as a prominent theme. This is the year that Wonder Woman makes a come back on the big screen, and the year women all over the country marched in pink hats to celebrate and defend their rights.
I want to recognize the?native-style jackets that came out of the Native American Sewing Company. These light Spring jackets are from a socially conscious Native American-owned business designed by REAL Indians and made on tribal land. Buy Native to support this growing company not appropriation. This is another trend brought in as a sign of the times. Native people united all winter in Standing Rock, ND to defend their water and protest against impending oil pipelines. The protest made national news and brought support and empathy from people all across the country.
Last but not least, I am proud to show my kuspuk in this beautiful red & turquoise print. As the sun warms the days more and more, this cozy garment will have to go back into the closet until Fall comes again. But it will be back, like all good favorites do, because they are timeless.
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