Impact of Fashion Styles
Published January 4, 2012 | 
When shopping for fashion clothes and accessories you have lot of choices to select; as many budding designers and small online fashion labels are competing with each other to put forward a great alternative in the market. Along with the advent of internet you can gain a little help from both online and offline fashion stores which offer originality, quality and flexibility as they are willing to provide you just the thing you want and as you wish. By doing an internet search or by visiting small fashion labels, will offer you a variety of huge choices and you can be aware of what is fashionable right now. There is a new take on almost each and every fashion trend among lot of companies which are at the fore front of new designs. In the modern competitive market trend there are extensive range of clothing materials and accessories which are having unique looks and styles, and are supplied by many fashion businesses.
Just think, can fashion be considered as an aspect which is connected with glamour or glitz? Is it worth to spend thousands in order to acquire the latest clothes and accessories? Whether it is the jeans, sweaters, pants, shirts, coats, jackets, suits, leather or fur which attracts the people with impressive images of fashion items regularly that are shown in television channels and in various fashion magazines. Whatever be the reason, this fashion craze will results in emotional illnesses like depression, low self esteem and many psychological and physical effects.
It is commonly believed that individuals are themselves are responsible for their own actions. On the other hand you should not underestimate the effect of the changing images in the fashion industry. In short our eyes are subjected to have a feast everyday due to the constantly changing fashion trends. It expresses the way a person looks, thinks and acts. So we have to move forward with these trends and probably if we are reluctant to accept this sequence then we will be termed as an old-fashioned dunce that lacks in taste. The effect of this is to bring the viewer’s mind under control and to make them to accept such unrealistic role without questioning them.
It had been made clear that fashion is not the reflection of a consumer’s real taste. It actually makes the people to deprive off the power and as a result they are not able to express it in honest manner. The consumers are compelled in an indirect way to decide what and when to buy, what all things and accessories to carry and the like. Thus these fashion styles had put us into a situation which make us helpless and leaves us at their mercy without representing reality. It summons up visual images of expensive and fashionable clothes and accessories are only for rich and famous people as they can only afford. The image sometimes includes clothes which paint women in a manner which gives us an emotional injury which not only hurts, but also affect the women’s mobility factor.
Fashion Design Portfolios
Published January 4, 2012 |
Creation of a portfolio is one of the most important aspects for a fashion designer to make his presence felt and to carve a niche for himself. Portfolios are a means for the designer to communicate his ideas and concepts about fashion to the people. The portfolio determines the sale quotient of an individual’s design. It is a presentation of the range of a designer’s skills and his expertise in the field.
The process of making a portfolio is a thought provoking as a lot many factors go into making it perfect. The designer has to consider the design sketch and focus on the target customer. For instance, it should be known whether the portfolio is for men’s wear, children’s wear or for women. Similarly, it should be clearly defined whether the portfolio caters to contemporary or traditional fashion forms.
Portfolios are based on certain themes and have to be made keeping in mind the target product. The making of portfolios not only requires a knack for fashion but also an understanding of the human form.
The successful designers are more experimental when it comes to using techniques for making and presenting portfolios. They utilize various techniques such as watercolors, felt tip markers, cut and paste technique or computer aided programs for the presentation of portfolios.
A portfolio gives visual evidence about the technical skills of a designer. It shows whether the designer has knowledge of sewing, draping and making of patterns. It also gives an idea about the ability of the designer to make fashion drawings and also highlights his awareness of the past, present and future fashion trends. The portfolio has to be articulate and not redundant, evolutionary and not stagnant. It has to be in sync with the time and a true reflection of a designer’s artistic and creative skill.
Gay Men’s Influence on Fashion, Style and Popular Culture
Published January 4, 2012 |
Popular culture is constantly evolving. There are many influences on what is considered fashionable and stylish at any one time. Some tend to dominate, however. And one growing trend is the effect of gay male sensibilities on many aspects of mainstream culture including films, television and fashion. No longer on the margins of mainstream culture, gay men are often making its rules.
Take the breakout show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. This entertaining television program took the (often true!) stereotype of gay males being more fashion conscious, cultured and aesthetically adept than straight males and made it the central idea. These witty gay men ran amock, giving advice to clueless straight guys on everything from their choice of swimwear to their behavior with the opposite sex. The show was a huge hit in the USA and globally, and even spawned localized versions in different countries.
There are other, more general examples. Take the gay ideal of masculinity, which has a focus on good grooming and physical fitness. While gay male icons are often Adonis like, their heterosexual counterparts have long been able to get away with being less than fit and sometimes downright slobby. But this seems to have changed in recent years.
A couple of recent “sword and sandal” epics illustrate this well. In Troy, both main stars (Brad Pitt and Eric Bana) were fitter, stronger and more muscular than in any of their previous roles. A similar look was required for the movie 300 about Spartan warriors. All of the principal actors, as well as the extras, had clearly spent a lot of time at the gym. The star, Gerard Butler, followed a punishing training regime for four months prior to filming, often working out with a well known body builder.
One wonders how many of the original Spartans would have looked so buffed. They certainly didn’t have the benefit of digital blood sugar monitors, isometric gym equipment, protein bars and all the rest. (Though they would have been far more lethal, of course!)
Compare these films with the Roman epics of the fifties and sixties. In films such as Ben Hur and Spartacus physical perfection was not nearly as important. Stars such as Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas and Charlton Heston were certainly fit, but hardly the perfect physical specimens we’ve seen parading across the screen lately.
The evolving character of James Bond is another case in point. Sean Connery, the original movie Bond, was a masculine icon. He had an imposing physique and was hairy chested. He certainly wasn’t overweight, but he wasn’t toned either. While he did get around in his swimming trunks in at least one film, this was as much to serve the plot as it was to give the women something to ogle.
Then there was Roger Moore. While he was dapper and stylish, he was not very athletic. He was most comfortable in a suit, and seemed to have an aversion to swimwear.
The latest Bond, Daniel Craig, is more fit and muscular than any of his predecessors. He’s probably been training with Gerard Butler! In one purely ornamental scene in Casino Royale he rises from the surf to display his (hairless) barrel chest and washboard stomach. Needless to say, when dressed he’s always wearing the most stylish attire.
It’s interesting that these are all big budget movies that are made appeal to a broad demographic. They are guy films; not gay films. Yet the action men in them look fit, sleek and often fashionable while killing all the bad guys. While the rising influence of gay male aesthetics isn’t the only reason for this phenomenon, it is certainly a major factor.