1. Interviews

I had the opportunity to interview my mother and my younger sister (who is 11 years old) on their experiences and views on fashion and how it has changed in their lifetimes. My sister’s ideas tended to be focused around the present time while my mother’s thoughts were mostly concerning her college years in the early 90’s.  I began by asking them what classic fashion item defined their fashion experience growing up. For my mother, a simple jean jacket was something that could always be worn and never went out of style. My little sister, contrastingly, stated that a jean jacket was more of a trendy item and the classic style of her generation was a simple canvas flat (her favorite brand being TOMS). As for fads, my sister concluded that rompers are most likely a fad—although they are fun and easy to wear, she feels they will probably being to be seen as a fashion taboo. The fashion fad of my mother’s time was neon colors. A person wearing neon colors could easily be identified as a fashion-savvy person. Finally, the trendiest items for my mother and sister, in their opinions, were Girbaud jeans and Justice clothes, respectively. Both were and are considered to be “cool” items that fashion knowledge and economic prosperity.

From speaking to both people, each concluded that the trendy items of each generation showed not only fashion coherence, but financial status as well. Both my mom and sister loved to dress the same with their friends and often ended up matching. For my sister, she felt fashion was a great bonding force between herself, my mother, and I. Overall, both figured fashion played a very large role in social relationships. Who you are friends with would often determine your style and how you dress would often determine your friends—it was an inversely proportionate relationship. Both my sister and mother considered themselves general acceptors of popular fashion; not necessarily ahead or indifferent on trends. From how they described themselves, however, I would conclude that my mother is a late fashion adapter or late majority while my sister is a mass market early fashion adapter (both of which I believe qualify as general fashion acceptance).

As for attitudes on fashion and how their attitudes have changed, my mom said in college she loved fashion and it was one of her top priorities. Dressing well was (and continues to be) a determining factor in many other aspects of life. As time went on, however, my mother decided that fashion for her kids was more important and she was more concerned with being comfortable rather than trendy. My sister felt that as she has grown up, she cares more and more about fashion. It is a fun form of expression for her, and she feels as she gets older, there are more and more options in fashion. Today, my mom feels fashion is so much broader and allows a lot more room for creativity. She also finds it strange that people pay so much for so little clothing. My sister thinks fashion gets more and more exciting and loves seeing fashion evolve.

2. Comparisons

I was similar to my mother and sister when it came to how fashion affects my relationships. Though fashion plays a small role in my family life, it is a huge factor in my friendships. My friends and I will often go shopping and find the latest styles to bond. In my changing attitude on fashion, I most closely to relate to my sister. I enjoy fashion more and more as I grow older and have yet to reach a point where comfort trumps style. Like both my sister and mother stated, I believe fashion is important because it is a financial indicator. Though we may deny it, we notice when someone is wearing something very nice and associate that style with money. I, also, like both my mother and sister feel that I am a general fashion acceptor. As for a fad, I believe peplum styles are sure to go out of style soon. There has already been a drastic decline in peplum tops, skirts, and dresses and I feel the decline will only continue. A trend I have noticed is ripped jeans. They are edgy and can be worn with everything from t-shirts to dressy tops. Though some may also consider this a fad, I do not see this style going out for a while. Finally, although I agree with my mother that a jean jacket is a classic, the most classic item I have noticed is a good pair of black jeans. They, like jean jackets, can be worn in many situations and are universally flattering. I found it interesting that what my sister considered a classic, canvas flats, would be a fad in my book. I definitely see generational differences between my mother, my sister, and myself.

3. Class References

As I was analyzing fads brought up by my sister, my mother, and myself, I thought a lot about the fashion count activity done in class. I mostly considered rompers, canvas flats, peplum, and ripped jeans and noticed around me how often people wore these items. They appeared to be fairly consistent with the predictions though canvas flats seemed to be on the decline (rather than stay as a classic). Additionally, I noticed the reality of group acceptance (as explained in page 41 of the textbook). I, like my two subjects, have fallen into the concept of following the majority. At one point in time, a trend like peplum is generally acceptable. At another point in time (or in another place), the same trend would be completely unacceptable. I have noticed extreme cases of group acceptance in recent times. Wild trends like super-high leg slits, low-cut tops, and cut-outs are very popular. In another time or place (or even to some people), these trends are wildly inappropriate. Finally, I was intrigued at the concept of a “fad”. What is a fad to one person may be a classic to another. The textbook defines a fad as “A fashion that suddenly sweeps into popularity, affecting a limited part of the total population, and then quickly disappears.” My sister considered TOMS a classic (or a style that is generally accepted for a long time) while I would personally consider them a fad.

4. Conclusion

Overall, it was interesting to see how fashion evolves throughout time. I would conclude from these interviews that as we grow older, our fashion tastes grow with us. Our motives for fashion change and our style along with it. Younger generations seem to be more open and accepting of radical styles while my mother tended to lean toward comfort. It also appears that we are all susceptible to peer pressure when it comes to fashion. Fashion is so much more than fabric on your body—it tells people who you are before you even open your mouth. I also found it extremely interesting that some self-defined “classics” truly stay classics while others end up being fads. It was also interesting to discover trends from a while ago are slowly coming back into style. This shows that fashion really is a cycle and the beauty of it is in the eyes of the beholder (or the fashion wearer).