Before reading Christopher Breward’s aphorisms from his foreword to Fashion Studies I never fathomed how incredibly complex fashion as a study could sound when deciphering the meaning and functions. When further analyzing what Breward intended when he said “fashion is gossip.” I understood it as fashion is a movement. Nothing travels faster than word of mouth, so I agree with Breward when he says “fashion is gossip”, because it takes, the trial of a new idea to spark interest to a new crowd of people. I recall being a sophomore in high school and being criticized by my peers for wearing an elastic choker around my neck until one by one the girls in my high school saw the appeal of the choker. Next thing I knew, everyone around me is wearing a choker. Another aphorism that stuck with me is when Breward says “Fashion can be about confirmation, of self and others. But, it is also about anxiety, ambiguity and worry.” As someone who isn’t good with expressing my identity with words, I rely on fashion to confirm and communicate my identity. Without having to formally introduce myself I can give someone a widespread idea of how I want to perceive myself that day. Not only that, we convey what we mean through fashion. As a fashion designer I want to express what I envision in my head through the clothes I make without the need to describe in detail what I mean. My garments are successful when my audience gets the idea without the need of having to explain much. Fashion to me conveys our complications, our triumphs, the things we believe in, etc.
