My paper is called The Chemistry Between Fashion and Music. I explore how the combination of fashion and music is a powerful tool to promote a cultural movement or lifestyle and how fashion designers and musicians influence each other. I especially focus on some fashion collections inspired by rock music.

“Everyone, without exception, whom I interviewed and spoke with in the course of my research on fashion (designers, apparel manufacturers, buyers, persons from the fashion press, fashion-conscious laypersons) interpreted designer jeans in this light. Most felt that status distinctions were the only reason for designer jeans because, except for the display of designer label, they could detect no difference between designer and nondesigner jeans.”

The majority of people, no matter they are in the fashion industry or not, cannot see any difference between designer and nondesigner jeans. This reveals the egalitarian symbol of denim. Jeans are not born to be elite, they are born to be casual and to be worn at work. High-end companies put in a lot of effort for marketing and keep adding ornamentation to jeans. However, in my opinion, these are great for haute couture but are not necessary for jeans, because the most valuable features of jeans are the simplicity and free spirit.  Another interesting fact is that there are still people willing to buy designer jeans even while they cannot differentiate them from normal cheap jeans. This shows that consumers are paying for self-satisfaction and social image as well as the products themselves. A pair of designer jeans can make them feel more elite and being in a high social status.

“Paralleling the de-democratization of the jean, by the 1970s strong currents toward its eroticization were also evident.”

In fact, I think the current towards eroticization and sexualization existed for almost every type of clothing from the 70s to 80s, and was now moving towards the opposite direction. Davis mentioned the occurrence of denim skirts, “jeans for gals” labels and mini jeans exposing the buttocks. I also thought about the relatively erotic advertisement of Calvin Klein jeans. Fashion companies were trying to shift the unisex and suitable-for-working images of jeans towards gender-specific ones. They wanted consumers to feel super feminine or masculine in jeans so that their sales could be increased. However, as feminism is getting popular and gender nonconformists are widely accepted, those baggy, gender neutral jeans were now back to stage. People also started to pay more attention to their own comfort rather than others’ opinion of them. Fashion is a cycle, it changes as people changes their ways of living and attitudes towards life.

“And so do the dialectics of status and antistatus, democracy and discintiction, inclusiveness and exclusiveness pervade fashion’s twists and turns, as much, or even more, with the workingman’s humble blue jeans as with formal dinner wear and the evening gown.”

I think this quote reveal the openness of fashion. Fashion is all about changing. Any effort of trying to restrict fashion into one category, such as gender, age, social status will finally fade and shift to the opposite direction. Although I really like the simplicity and egalitarian feature of jeans, I am also open to a denim gown and will find it very appealing. Fashion is also fun because of its ambivalence and ambiguity. It’s hard to make everyone agree how jeans should be like or what symbol that jeans are associated with. The difference in people’s opinion cultivate the various possibilities of jeans and help the fashion industry keep growing.

Analysis of three looks (Joey Huaiyu Dong)

I spotted this girl at Union Square Park. She was waiting to take photos of some street artists while she was also photographed by me discreetly. I saw eager and curiousness in her sight. She was clearly interested in that group of street musicians.  I found her style to be very eclectic in a good way. A black coat, tight black jeans and a pair of sneakers are quintessential outfit for New Yorkers in winter. However, she made a lot of effort by adding interesting details to make this outfit standout. She wore a dark blue down vest inside the black coat, while most people wore down vest outside. There was a colorful hood hanging outside the black coat, reflecting her playful personality. It seemed to be made of cotton and the color palette reminded me of those toy balls in my childhood. She was also wearing a neon pink wool beanie. It added an especially playful touch and because of the fluorescence. This beanie could draw others’ attention to her at first and so they would check the rest of her interesting outfit. She was also wearing a pair of silver “leaf” earrings. The earrings looked extremely feminine and delicate and formed a nice contrast to the generally sporty outfit. This eclectic outfit demonstrate the possible duality of her personality. On one hand, she was expressive and highly enthusiastic, with fast, clever and curious mind. She was definitely easy-going and an excellent communicator. On the other hand, she also looked artsy and emotional. She had a secret wonderland with romantic dreams and had some stereotypical girly features which she normally would like to hide. The delicate earrings and the vintage camera with the leather belt reflected her artistic side.

When I saw this guy in front of the university center. His fluorescent green beanie immediately caught my eyes. Generally he looked very sporty and seemed to be ready for hiking. He wore a long sleeve crewneck shirt which was dark grey and white, and got a red vest outside. He also wore a pair of black sweatpants and sneakers with pale green bottom. He was carrying an army surplus backpack. He looked a bit puzzled and was listening to something through the earphones. Without the hat, I would only think this was a normal dude who seemed to be puzzled, perhaps by his school, work or relationship.  He was walking in a consistent fast pace and seemed to be in an isolated mental state. He was not prepared to talk to any people and had covered himself with ease and comfort. But with the fluorescent green beanie, he truly stood out from the crowd. This beanie created a strong color contrast with his red vest and looked very distinct in downtown Manhattan, where most people prefer dull colors like black. Through closer look, I also found that he was wearing a gold bracelet. This guy might have a restrained personality. He wanted to have a normal sporty look to blend into the crowd and that’s why most parts of the outfit appeared muted, but he also didn’t want to be ignored completely. He threw out hints of his fashion through the green beanie and the nice bracelet. These demonstrated that he might has dressed up himself a little bit before going out and was a muted person outside, vibrant person inside.

This is a street sweeper outside the Union Square Park. He was leaning on the stone wall to take a rest. There was a garbage cart outside the photo. What striked me was how he appeared very fashionable in his uniform. It was a typical cleaner uniform which was basically a vest of fluorescent orange and yellow. I knew that the color choice were for making cleaners noticeable for drivers. But meanwhile, the color combination also looked vibrant and chic. He also wore a hard white hat made of steel. I suddenly saw the connection between fashion and this street sweeper’s uniform. The fluorescent vest felt very futuristic and sporty, many high-end sports brands would promote designer sportswear with this kind of color combination. The white steel hat also looked modern and futuristic. As designer are always experimenting with new materials, I can see them using this for an amazing runway show in the future. In addition, the guy’s posture looked amazingly stylish. Although he was relaxed, his body and leg were folded in perfect angles that it was almost like he was posing for a fashion magazine photoshoot. Fashion has no limit, the uniform of a street sweeper may be the most popular fashion piece in the future.

The quote from The Fashion System by Roland Barthes starts with two garments in a fashion magazine.The first one is presented in the form of  fashion photography, while the second one is presented in the form of language. Barthes argues that photography and literature both describe things but in very different ways.

From this quote, I found one sentence particularly interesting: “The functions of Fashion description are thus reduced, but also,thereby, original: since it need not render the object itself, the information which language  communicates , unless it ia pleonastic, is by definition the very information which photography or drawing cannot transmit”. I am a visual person and usually think that photos are more powerful than words, but this quote makes me question myself. Although photos give fashion a form that is almost actual(we can see its color, shape, and many other details), there is still a lot of things that cannot be shown. And that’s why words exist  in fashion description. Designers sometime use very unique techniques in fashion. For example, Issey Miyake experiments with a new method of pleating in his flying saucer dress. Description in words can help people to see his efforts under the final dress and to understand better that why it is revolutionary. Words also provides different perspectives to the viewers. People usually only generate a single opinion about a garment based on their personal preferences. Description in words can help them view the works in the eyes of fashion designers or fashion commentators. Designers’ description shows the development of the original ideas to the final garments, and the commentators’ descriptions  demonstrate the garments in a more professional way.  In addition, fashion photography only show the garment in one or few angles, while words can show it in multiple angles and in motion . For instance, the flying saucer dress is described as an accordion, we can then imagine how the dress appear differently when we push and pull it to different extent.

To conclude, words can bring the fashion photos to life and help people view it in a broader and deeper way.