The Meaning of Clothing and Fashion

1

The Meaning of Clothing and

Fashion

Chapter

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Objectives• Explain the basic reasons people wear

clothing.• State why people make various

clothing choices.• Describe fashion in terms of art and

science, and private and public awareness.

• Summarize economic and political influences on fashion.

• Define basic fashion terms.


Reasons for Wearing Clothing• In ancient times, clothing of simple

design was made from animal skins, plants, and other items found in nature– Today, clothing is made of various

materials

• Clothing satisfies these basic human needs– physical– psychological– social


Physical Needs• Clothing provides protection, or

physical safeguards• As protection from weather, clothing

provides comfort• As protection from environmental

dangers, clothing provides many benefits– Shoes protect the feet– Helmets protect the head in accidents– Sterile gloves protect against germscontinued


Physical Needs• As protection from occupation hazards,

special garments protect workers– Special “occupational clothing” includes

items such as hard hats and safety goggles– Athletes often wear protective helmets,

gloves, and pads– Soldiers and police officers wear protective

clothing and shields


Psychological Needs• Psychological reasons for wearing

clothing are adornment and identification– Adornment, or attractive decoration,

existed in all civilizations throughout history

• Being adorned with clothing – gives people a positive psychological

feeling– provides artistic expression– shows creativity continued


Psychological Needs• Culture often determines the type of

adornment people use – Culture is a society’s set of social norms or

values

• How one culture views beauty can differ from how others view it

• People’s ideas about beauty and adornment change over time as fashions change

continued


Psychological Needs• Identification is the process of

describing– who someone is– what he or she does

• Clothing helps the identification process– Example: Uniforms are specific to everyone

within a certain group

• Emblems, colors, badges, and jewelry also aid identification

continued


Psychological Needs• The regular clothing of many people

can be considered a type of “psychological uniform”

• Some businesses and schools have dress codes, which are written or unwritten rules of appropriate attire

• Clothes adhering to a dress code – promote group identity– help group members maintain a certain

discipline of behavior


Social Needs• The social reasons for wearing clothing

are modesty and status• Modesty is the covering of the body

according to a culture’s or a society’s code of decency– U.S. standards of modesty have changed

through the years– Each society or culture has its own

accepted standards of modesty

continued


Social Needs• Clothing is sometimes used to gain a

higher rank in society or to show social or military rank– A person’s status is his or her position or

rank compared to others– “Good” or “high” status is usually

associated with recognition, prestige, and social acceptance


Combined Needs• Today, people wear clothes because of

a combination of needs, which include– receiving physical and psychological

pleasure – expressing creativity– fulfilling basic physical and social needs

• Clothing carries a highly visible message about who a person is, is not, or would like to be


Why People Select Certain Clothes

• Clothing choices are influenced by a person’s– personality traits– tendencies toward conformity or

individuality– values and attitudes

• Values are the ideas, beliefs, and material items that are important to an individual

• Attitudes are personal feelings or reactions to people, things, or ideas


Values and Attitudes• Clothing values and attitudes are passed

through the generations. Influences include – ethnic and cultural traditions– economic and social conditions– different needs and values linked to

populations of certain ages– personal desire for status, easy care,

comfort, etc.– advertising


Conformity Versus Individuality• Pressure from other people has a great

influence on how people dress– Conformity means obeying or agreeing

with a given standard or authority

• Children learn what they are expected to wear from parents and teachers

• Peer group pressure also contributes to conformity

continued


Conformity Versus Individuality• Too much conformity can mean a loss

of personal individuality– Individuality is self-expression or the

quality that distinguishes one person from another

• Most people balance the influences of conformity and individuality in their clothing– They want to express themselves as

individuals but also as part of a group


Personality Traits• Personality can be defined as the total

characteristics that distinguish an individual

• Personality traits are often reflected in how people dress

• People who prefer – a lot of decoration tend to be very sociable– comfortable clothes tend to be confident,

outgoing, and secure


Needs Versus Wants• Needs and wants are other factors that

influence clothing choices– Example of a need: a heavy coat that

provides warmth in a cold climate– Example of a want: a new coat that is

simply more stylish

• A need is something a person must have for existence or survival

continued


Needs Versus Wants• A want is a person’s desire for

something that gives him or her satisfaction– The wanted item would be nice to have,

but the person can get along without it

• Both needs and wants affect buyers’ choices

• Success in the fashion business depends on understanding how consumers make apparel decisions


Ongoing Fashion Perspectives• Fashion is – both an art and a science– highly personal yet very public– influenced by economic, political, and

other events


Fashion Insights• As an art, fashion – incorporates creativity in its products– thrives on innovative, forward-thinking

ideas– uses color, texture, line, and other

aspects of design to produce stylish items to wear

– complements current trends


Fashion Insights• As a science, fashion uses science

and technology to– produce textile fibers with specific

qualities– develop effective dyes for specific

materials– revolutionize the way apparel items

are designed, mass-produced, distributed, and sold


• Fashion is a private matter.– It satisfies physical, psychological, and

social needs– Apparel choices reflect an individual’s

personal image outwardly to the public

– The textile/apparel industry keeps new fashions secret as they are being designed

continued

Fashion Insights


• Fashion becomes a public matter as soon as new fashions are introduced– Fashion is constantly in the public

spotlight through the press and other media

– Consumers excitedly anticipate seeing, hearing about, and wearing the new fashions

– Fashion is affected by shifts in the economy and the makeup of the population

Fashion Insights


Economic, Political, and Other Influences on Fashion• Fashion reflects economic conditions,

political issues, current events, and popular entertainment

• Fashions mirror the times– Centuries ago, people dressed according to

what was allowed for their “social class”– Rare and expensive items such as silk,

pearls, and the purple coloring became status symbols

continued


• People’s moods are reflected in the way they dress

• In hard times– clothing usually has a serious, conservative

look– people loose interest in their appearance

• In better times– styles are brighter and more adventurous– people are more willing to try different

fashions

Economic, Political, and Other Influences on Fashion


• Popular entertainment causes fashions to imitate a character of a movie, an actor, or a rock star

• As movies, concerts, and other modes of entertainment are publicized, consumers want to identify with them

• Fashion professionals stay aware of all the ways that apparel relates to society

Industry Facts


Fashion Terminology• A garment is an article of wearing

apparel, such as a dress, suit, coat, or sweater– Examples of garment parts: sleeves, cuffs,

collar, and waistband

• Accessories are the articles added to complete or enhance apparel outfits– Examples of accessories: belts, hats,

jewelry, shoes, gloves, and scarves

continued


Fashion Terminology• A style is identified by distinct features

that create an overall appearance• Styles exist in architecture, painting,

music, and most other forms of expression

• In apparel, each style is a particular design, shape, or type of garment with unique characteristics – Examples: A-line skirts, Bermuda shorts,

safari jackets, and crewneck sweaterscontinued


Fashion Terminology• The term style also describes an

attractive condition– Certain trendsetters and fashion leaders

are said to have style or to be stylish

• Fashion is the display of the currently popular style of objects or activities– In apparel, a fashion is the leading type of

clothing bought and worn by a large segment of the public

continued


Fashion Terminology• Fashions consist of the styles, colors, and

functionalities favored at a particular time– Styles come and go in fashion acceptance,

causing fashions to constantly change

• High fashion items, which are the latest or newest fashions, usually are– innovative, expensive, and of fine quality– accepted by the first adopters of fashion

changes– considered too extreme or unusual for the

public continued


Fashion Terminology• Mass fashion, or volume fashion,

accounts for the majority of sales in the fashion business

• These styles are called “homogenized” because they are– produced in large quantities– accepted by the mass public


• A design is a particular or unique style version– Example: A jumpsuit (pants attached to a

top) can have different collars, pockets, or trims. Each version is a different design of the jumpsuit style

• The terms style and design– have distinct definitions– are often used interchangeably in the

fashion industry

Industry Facts


Fashion Terminology• Avant-garde clothes are the most

daring and wild designs– They are too unconventional and startling

to be considered fashions of the times

• Most features of these garments – disappear after a few years– are used to draw attention to the wearer,

often on stage

continued


Fashion Terminology• A fad is a temporary, passing fashion– It is an unusual garment, accessory, or look

that has great appeal to many people for a short period of time

• Fads provide a– feeling of adventure for the wearers– sense of belonging to a group

• Eventually, most fads fade away

continued


Fashion Terminology• A classic style or design is one that

continues to be popular over an extended period of time

• A garment of classic style or design– has simple, stylish lines that prevent it

from being easily dated– is almost always acceptable– can have an updated look with only minor

changes

continued


Fashion Terminology• A fashion look refers to a total

accessorized outfit– Specific fashion looks are often identified

with a celebrity or certain groups of people

• In fashion, taste refers to the prevailing opinion of what is attractive and appropriate – Good taste means sensitivity to what is

artistically pleasing and appropriate for a given person and occasion


In Summary• People wear clothing to satisfy physical,

psychological, and social needs

• A person’s values and attitudes play an important part in clothing selection

• Fashion is both an art and a science, involving creative thinking as well as technology

• Success in the fashion business requires the understanding of clothing and fashion terms

Documents

The Meaning of Clothing and Fashion