Christopher Breward brings up two aphorisms that strongly reside with my opinions on fashion. One aphorism he states says, “Fashion has a tendency to construct its own canons. Like every cultural form these should be documented and then subjected to debate… fashion scholars need to look and question.” (Breward xviii) Fashion is something that constantly changes over time, due to many influences — some being social, economical, environmental, spiritual, cultural. Trends come back, people critique and then change, and try to improve. It is a cycle of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. It can make a large group of people react towards everyday issues, as it becomes the start to where one may be able to visually understand the relevance between them and the world. It lives up to the cultural norms, and sometimes even goes beyond its time, making it revolutionary.
In that same sense, Breward has also stated, “Fashion can be about confirmation, of self and others. But it is also about anxiety, ambiguity and worry… unsurpassed.” (Breward xix) Fashion becomes an embodiment of who one is, and that can be seen in both a positive and negative way. Fashion may constrain someone, but also give someone the individuality and freedom they want. There are many contradictory impulses and ideas that make fashion an unconventional and concerning topic. Since image is such an important aspect to society and life, clothing becomes a main factor as to how one may be treated or approached as. There is constant pressure to be under a certain norm, making it an awkward space for creativity and originality, as well as experimentation to get out of the societal norms.
