Choose any two of Christopher Breward’s aphorisms from his foreword to Fashion Studies, which you read in Week 1. Explain what each of the two aphorisms means (in your own words) and discuss which aspects of the aphorisms you agree and disagree with (and why). (300-400 words total)
Out of the 10 aphorisms listed in Christopher Breward’s Foreward to Fashion Studies, the ones that stuck out to me were “Fashion does not define. It is instead a term that demands definition.” and “Fashion can be about confirmation, of self and others. But it is also about anxiety, ambiguity and worry. As an aid to understanding psychological complexities it is unsurpassed.” The first aphorism I chose speaks volumes to me because I feel it couldn’t be any more accurate. Fashion is something that changes based on one’s perspective and opinion on style, dress, form, and just life in general. In other words, the individual defines what fashion means to them, not the other way around. This is how I interpreted Breward’s aphorism. Also, fashion does not define because it is constantly changing as time goes by, demanding a new definition. Ultimately, this aphorism affirms the inevitable questioning of the ways in which we define fashion. Moving on to the 2nd aphorism, “Fashion can be about confirmation, of self and others. But it is also about anxiety, ambiguity and worry. As an aid to understanding psychological complexities it is unsurpassed,” I can’t help but relate to this statement in more ways than one. This to me means that Fashion gives great incite into how a person’s mental is at any particular moment. For example, if someone is nervous for an interview, they may dress in their best clothes in order to compensate for their anxiety. Or if someone is getting over a breakup, they may start dressing lazily and not wearing clothes that inspire them or make them feel confident. This shows other people that this person may be depressed, or doesn’t care about their appearance. Overall, fashion is almost always a clear expression of the self and what the self may be thinking about.
