Fashion is a popular style or trend, especially in clothing, footwear and accessories. Fashion changes over time and is influenced by many factors, including social classes, age, and location. For example, the styles of the 1960s, with miniskirts and beaded dresses, were influenced by music, youth culture, and feminism, while the 1920s saw the rise of flapper dress and Art Deco style.
While the fabric and colour of clothes may change from season to season, the shape and silhouette of garments tends to remain consistent over a longer period. Clothes are often designed to enhance or flatter specific body shapes, with fabrics that drape and move in ways that suit curvier figures or those with more straight lines.
For people with a keen eye for what’s hot, there are always opportunities to spot and try new outfit combinations. Use your everyday environment as a lab – sit in cafes and observe your friends, colleagues and fellow commuters, or take a peek at what others are wearing on Instagram. Be sure to test out colours and styles that are outside your comfort zone – experiment and make mental (or actual) notes of what you like and don’t like.
Some garments are made specifically for an individual, such as haute couture or bespoke tailoring. These are usually very expensive, but offer the highest quality and most unique look. The vast majority of clothes, however, are mass-produced and marketed as “fast fashion,” sourced from cheap labour and destined to be discarded after only a few wears, along with the microfibre pollution they generate.