why fashion is the mirror of our own self

By Julian Sudre


It comes with sui generis flair that the creative, oft-maverick coterie of designers want to canvass, with the most distinguished effects it has on our impressible mind, the trend that will become the fashion du jour.
But then, if fashion becomes trendy, why is it so?

The fine line between street fashion and catwalk fashion is relatively a matter of putting your foot down and expressing with lurid metaphors the acuteness of your style – or the extravagance. Who can anyway afford to spend ridiculous amounts of money on a Versace fur coat weighing in at over £4000 and walk to the office on Monday morning with the glamour of a Hollywood actress?
Although, impressing remains a flattering experience to the ego, being uber chic could be overkill and confined to the catwalk.
The distinction is important; it enables the fashionista to project his sights on a backdrop of Shangri-La minus the strict sartorial utopia that the haute-couture fashion designer has generated. The fashionista will get as close to it by an assemblage of pick and mix that he or she will have garnered off giant fashion retails.

But why, the bland naked human body – which could be an art in itself – needs the comfort of the latest trends launched off the catwalk and pared down once in the high street? Is the fact of being swathed in show-stopping, good-looking rags that makes people more at ease with the ethics of society? Could it boost the socializing aspect or promote their image? It sure does – at least, at first glance.


What I find interesting is the way fashion is advertised and the fusion of the masses that throw themselves into the shops to get the look they have seen in the media and deliberately want to copy. Never mind the inappropriateness of their fitness.
The result can be at the best of times, devastating; not only financially, but more damaging to their own image that they were trying to cast.

Sporting a specific style cannot be forced onto a person; feeling comfortable with it is one thing that adds panache but the real clincher is the element of confidence that blends with the apparel.
Clothes should make one with the dresser. They are only there to complement their personality, that is, to project their self on to a physical appearance.

Trend is the copying of salient ideas. However unsavoury it is, if it catches on, you can be on to a jackpot. But fashion also comes from music and film. People urge to associate themselves with someone or a group.
This association will pertain to the real self as featured by the way they parade their attire.

Nevertheless, as the adage goes: “ You can’t judge a book by its cover.” But the very expression of selecting our clothes goes a long way in terms of how perverse our feminine side is.

This is why fashion is part of the fragmentation of narcissism that we have in ourselves; we enjoy the satisfaction we get by the sweet comforts of being "in", that is, we people, need a form of acceptance that gets embroidered in our mores.