- “Fashion is not necessarily spectacular (though it often conforms to the theory of the society of the spectacle), it can also be demotic, ordinary, mundane, routine and humble. It is the stuff of the ethnographer and the anthropologist.”
This aphorisms expand the limits of fashion significantly. Breward thinks that not only revolutional, attention-grabbing runway ready-to-wears are fashion, mundane, day-to-day clothing are fashion as well. As long as the “stuff” is associated with ethnographer and anthropologist, which means it is connected to people and culture, it is fashion. He didn’t specify what the “stuff” it is, probably because he want to expand the boundary of fashion from clothing and accessories to a broader sense.
I partially agree with this. I agree that fashion does not have to be spectacular.Because fashion is everywhere while spectacular pieces only come out once in a while. Simple demotic dresses can be full of elegance and have timeless color palette and beauty, so they can be considered fashion as well. I disagree that fashion can be ordinary. In my opinion, a truly “fashionable” piece should be at least aesthetically pleasing or interesting; even if the idea is not spectacular, it should offer something to the viewers and wearers. Ordinary “stuff” are more like useful tools rather than fashion.
2. Fashion is intensely personal, in the same way that poetry is intensely personal. It is a medium through which personal stories can be told, memories re-lived and futures foretold.
Fashion has strong connections to the designers and the wearers. Similar as poetry, fashion expresses their identities in a highly personalized way. Fashion can demonstrate what story you want to tell the public, and indicate your memories and even your future.
I agree with this statement. I think fashion is one of the strongest visual statement a person can make. When I meet a person, even for the first time, the clothes and accessories she is wearing can always tell me about her personality. For example, if a person always wear all black, I will assume that she like simple things just like she like simple color, she might be more serious rather than playful, etc. Memories will affect a person’s aesthetics indirectly but strongly. We might keep wearing a type of dress and suddenly realize that it was what our grandma used to wear when we were kids. Future is also partially shown by fashion. How a person dress herself tells how she wants to be perceived in the public. Her intention can indicate her goals for the future and will definitely affect her actions.