I am pleased to present a guest article to my blog, written by Kelly Kilpatrick who is a writer for art school programs.
We’ve all
heard and seen how history repeats itself; there seem to be cycles that happen
over and over again, some of them good and others not so good. But if there’s
one thing that can be said about fashions, it’s that we don’t have to worry
about setting a negative precedent in the fear that history will repeat itself,
because after all, it’s just a matter of clothing.
Down the
ages, ever since man decided he needed to clothe himself not just to provide
protection from the elements and for the sake of modesty, people have been
exploring the ins and outs of designing clothing and accessories. With the
inventions and discoveries of new materials that were more durable and malleable
came the onslaught of a variety of designs in a multitude of material. Perhaps
the best known instance of history repeating itself is the return of the flared
trousers – bell bottoms went out of fashion with the flower children and the
hippies, but they were brought back, albeit in a better avatar, a few years ago.
That’s the
thing with fashion – you never know when you’re going to go retro and when
you’re going to take a leap into the future. And it’s often a pain (in the
wallet) trying to keep up with the rapid change, and if you try to do so, you’re
going to end up with closets of hardly used clothes, cupboards full of jewelry
that’s out of date, and a bank balance that’s going the negative way.
When we talk
of fashion, we’re not just talking about clothes; there’s a whole new world out
there that includes accessories like jewelry, makeup, watches, purses, etc.
They’re designed either to match certain clothing lines or as stand-alone
collections to be worn as the owner pleases. Gold, silver, platinum and other
precious metals have always been favored to make jewelry, and while diamonds are
rumored to be a girl’s best friend, other natural stones have been sought after
for their Feng Shui effect on the people who wear them.
From time
immemorial, celebrities have set the trends for the rest of us to follow, and
designers seek extra marketing mileage by loaning them their creations for award
functions and film premieres. Fashionable jewelry has been adopted from all
parts of the world, with the East aping the West and vice versa. Madonna started
a new trend with her penchant for the temporary Indian tattoos called Mehendi
and the Bindi, an adornment that Indians use to ward off the evil eye, worn in
the center of the forehead. And now it’s the turn of the Maang Tika, the
ornament that falls from the center of the head to the forehead, to take centre
stage with singer Alicia Keys showing up with one at the latest American Music
Awards. I guess with people looking for something new all the time, it’s just a
matter of time before the fashions of fifty years ago start making a comeback in
the present.
No
matter what fashion dictates, it’s more sensible to pick and choose your clothes
and jewelry so that they look good on you and flatter your figure and features
rather than blindly try and keep up with the latest trends. It’s also easy to
stay out of the worst-dressed list by sticking to fashions that remain in vogue
throughout time – they’re the ones that do not stand out or draw attention by
virtue of their extravagance or eccentricity alone.
Who
decides what’s fashionable, who decides when fashions have to change, who
decides IF they have to change in the first place – these are questions that are
not answerable because even though it’s a well-known fact that Paris, London and
New York are the designated fashion capitals of the world, each and every one of
us sets our own standards of fashion. And the best part of fashion is this – if
you are popular enough where you live, you might just be able to pull off a
fashion coup by dictating what people wear and how they accessorize!
By-line:
This post was contributed by Kelly Kilpatrick, who writes on the subject of art school programs She invites your feedback at kellykilpatrick@gmail.com
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