The Fashion Story

Clothing is a general term for a variety of coverings designed to protect or adorn the human body. It may be made of woven materials or man-made fiber of animal skin or fur or even a type of paper known as "bark-cloth." To be specific, "clothing" is distinguished from "fashion," or "vogue," which signifies the prevailing mode or customary style of clothing. In present concept, "clothing" connotes the durable and substantial; "fashion," the novel and transitory. For example, a mother buys winter clothing for her children, and it is clear that in this context she would regard style as a secondary consideration. Her primary concern centers, rather than on fashion, on such matters as warmth of fabric, wearing qualities, ease of upkeep, and, most probably, a reasonable cost, all of which are attributes relevant to the purchase of winter clothing  Japan Fashion Fair

On the other hand, fashion reflects the events, surroundings, and customs of its era. It is influenced by laws, arts, culture, and personalities. For examples, laws and regulations have had their effect on fashion as seen in early New England laws that restricted women from wearing more costly clothes than their husbands could afford. Events in the arts have influenced the effect on fashion as exemplified in the tremendously successful musical comedy "My Fair Lady (1956)," based on George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, which inspired feminine adaptations of 1914-1918 costumes. Culture has powerfully conditioned fashion. The slendor of the Renaissance brought the magnificence of the merchant princes in their silks, satins, velvets, and jewels. In the fabulous, extravagant courts of Louis XIV, XV, and XVI of France, headdresses soared and skirts ballooned. Personalities have had great impact on fashion ever since the days when sumptuary laws differentiating nobles, farmers, and tradesmen were eliminated and when it became possible for all classes of society to dress more or less alike. In 1960-1961, the "Jackie Kennedy look," a tribute to the beauty and style of the young wife of President Kennedy, spread so far and fast within weeks after the election that every fashion sketch in the newspapers looked like her.

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Generally speaking, changes in fashion occur slowly; at the height of the popularity of one silhouette or color, there are often faint indications of another. Editors, stylists, designers, and fabric manufacturers are trained to follow and gauge these faint indications and they can forecast the coming mode. But there will always be surprises, particularly if women accept a new fashion swiftly, or discard it with equal speed. Professionals are often accused of accelerating fashion change to create new business, but this simply is not practical. No fashion succeeds until women are ready to accept it. website: http://www.asiafashionfair.jp/en/exhibitor