In week 1 of the Intro to Fashion studies lecture/recitation, we were asked to offer a definition of fashion. We were asked to explain the concept of fashion and everything it speaks for. I looked back at my in-class-writings and found that I had defined fashion as a way to go about doing something. I believed that in the context of clothing, accessories, style and whatever else, “fashion” is essentially the way one decides to go about showcasing their individuality.
I have defined fashion very briefly and now that I read this definition, I don’t believe that’s the way a fashion student should define the term. This semester taught me a lot about areas of fashion and delved into questions I hadn’t even begun to associate with fashion. I believe now I look at fashion to encompass so many different concepts especially the ones that we have been studying recently – fashion and media. We speak of a lot of things I know about and observe but never had I made the connection with fashion. I’ve started thinking in a way that allows me to link historical fashion events or garments or movements to what we see currently and this provides so much more of an opinion on current matters or maybe even a better understanding. I believe my definition of fashion has shifted drastically since the beginning of the semester. My first definition seems so surgical and to the point which is everything that fashion is not! I can’t say I can put in words my new views on fashion but through all my course writings and assignments, I can see that they have evolved.
Some ideas that I took away from this course and am excited to apply in my work further are the ideas that the sartorial biography was based on. I think that assignment was so personal and involved a lot of committment and hence, left a large impact on me about the way I think. I observed patterns in behavior and this was so interesting to me. The Sophie Woodward reading and all of the subject it touched upon is something I want to use as a starting point to a concept for maybe a capsule collection. “No women I worked with wanted to be reduced to always wearing pre-determined outfits as dressing is always a creative act of assemblage.” The quote from Why Women Wear What They Want is so interesting to me and I definitely want to further unpack it in terms of other ethnographic research and then use this as inspiration for a collection.
