Fashion Has Not Lost Meaning, It has Gained Meaning

 

Fashion Has Not Lost Its Meaning, It has Gained Meaning

“Style and fashion have collapsed into each other. But being stylish and being fashionable used to mean two different things. One did not require having money to buy designer clothes; the other did. One required a certain sensibility; the other one did not. That’s why you could be called a “fashion victim,” but no one would call you a style victim.

“The signs that we are in a postmodernist era of fashion — where fashion has become unmoored and lost its original meaning — are everywhere: the rise of streetwear, a tsunami of product collaborations, normcore, dad sneakers, the ugly-made-pretty aesthetic, the erasure of concern for the quality of both materials and construction. 

“Some things remain the same, of course. Brands with huge marketing budgets and a compliant fashion media (now flanked by so-called influencers) still dictate taste. The democratisation of fashion is a myth: the masses still buy what they are told. But they are no longer necessarily marching to the beat of the same drum, the same trends.” 

This so-called collapsing of fashion into style is arguable. The famed fashion designer Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion comes and goes but style lasts forever,” therefore establishing the clear difference between the two. Fashion is trending items, designers, aesthetics, or even just the clothes you own right now. Style is how the wearer puts the clothes together.

The evolution of style is clearly seen with the many different aesthetics teens are now wearing to reflect their interests or their personality. Today you can go to a high school (as this is where the weirdest, newest styles are seen) and see a plethora of styles, where as before, most teens wore the same things unless outright trying to make a statement, like the goths’ heavy use of blacks.

 With the sustainable fashion movement gaining traction and more successful independent brands popping up everyday, people are discovering it’s easier than ever to find clothing that fits what they feel, not what the masses are telling them. Yes, people are still influenced by Instagram “influencers”, celebrities, and fashion media but it is easier to tune out the noise and tune into your favorite normcore or street style blogger.

 This trending move towards your style expressing every part of yourself paired with the sustainable fashion movement has also led to the boom in vintage clothing popularity. It serves the needs of someone who loves the nostalgia associated with it and who has a limited budget. Ultimately, style has become more important than fashion itself. Anyone with an Instagram account can flex their new Gucci bag and gain followers, but only people with style will last the years.