Women’s fashion

The way we dress – and in particular the way women dress – is a sign of who we are and how we wish to act in the world. It is vital that we get this language right, says Carolyn Moynihan.

The importance of fashion today

There can be few words that conjure up as many conflicting ideas and emotions as “fashion”. To some it is redolent of excitement and romance, to others it reeks of tyranny and exploitation. A voyage of inner discovery for the true believer, to the cynic it is the essence of superficiality. For the typical teenager it is the sine qua non of social acceptance, for her mother, often, a symptom of the generation gap.

Attitudes to it vary but the fact of fashion remains: at any given time in a culture there will be a dominant mode of dressing that reflects ideas about beauty and what it means to be a woman or a man. It is a question of turning necessity (that of clothing ourselves) into art – and, increasingly today, into money. If the commercial motive has subverted the artistic one in recent times it is because the underlying notions about sexuality and beauty have become confused.

Here, then, is the challenge of fashion today: to rediscover it as an art that expresses the true dignity and attractiveness of the person. This applies especially to women, who are the focus of fashion, and the only ones who can put their authentic stamp on it. Every woman shares responsibility for this project.

The idea of beauty
Recent attempts to the contrary—witness punk and unisex trends—fashion remains intimately linked with the idea of beauty and therefore with women. In an extended reflection on this subject Pia de Solenni points out  that, historically, woman has been muse to the poet, artist and writer. She personifies the virtues, wisdom and the graces, making them attractive through the beauty of her outward form, and this is the essence of feminine power.

Beauty is meant to serve virtue, and this is why the concept of modesty has been central to the way a woman presents herself. Modesty may have acquired negative connotations in Victorian times, but it really has nothing to do with timidity or a restricted social role for women. On the contrary, a style of dress which is feminine without emphasizing a woman's sex allows her the freedom to express her intellectual and spiritual qualities without giving mixed signals.

If modesty in a sense restrains beauty, elegance gives it full scope. This other key to the art of dressing has the root meaning of selection, of discernment or refined taste which enables a woman to choose the specific style of dress that expresses both her personal qualities and artistic and moral values. The notion of elegance remains central to the professional world of fashion today.

Sign language
The sociology of fashion sees in clothes and accessories a sign language that non-verbally communicates meanings about individuals and groups—their social status, occupation, roles, group affiliation and values. Dress creates a first impression of a person that either hides or reveals their true character.

The professional woman who dresses in a well-cut suit with coordinated accessories and carefully styled hair, and the girl who "dresses up" in tight, low-riding jeans and clingy top, are both making a statement about themselves. Indeed, even people who think they are making no particular statement—for example, a young mother who simply dresses in what is practical and affordable—are still telling the casual onlooker much about themselves.

It is important, then, to be clear about the messages our clothes give – not only in general but in particular settings. Here the idea of appropriateness is important. Many workplaces will have their own formal or informal dress code that individuals are expected to live up to. At other times, respect for others and for customs will dictate whether jeans should be left in the closet and something more formal preferred.

History of fashion

For much of western history styles of dress reflected an individual's place in a more or less rigid social hierarchy based on landed wealth and bloodlines. During the second millennium Europe's trade with a world expanding through exploration gave rise to a wealthy urban class who could improve their social status through conspicuous consumption, which included dressing lavishly. This resulted in sumptuary laws which lasted from the 1300s well into the 1600s. Their purpose was to limit extravagance and vanity, but also to limit the pretensions of the rising middle classes and maintain the position of the aristocracy.

During the 18th century fashions became European rather than national phenomena and the pace of change picked up in the 1780s with the publication of French engravings that showed the latest Paris styles. Printed and widely circulated, fashion plates gave rise to the idea of frequent changes in detail. Women could alter their dresses or trim their hats according to the latest fashion. As the flow of information speeded up, so did the thirst for the new, until it finally produced the concept of new clothes for each new season, or at least spring and fall.

Fashion originally was the preserve of the wealthy, but the industrial revolution eventually put it within everyone's reach. Mass production, which at first allowed the poor to dress decently, now holds out to everyone the dream of dressing like film stars and other trend-setters. We can all dress in silk or velvet, even if it is only a synthetic look-alike. The shift of manufacturing to low-wage countries makes for plenty of affordable fashions.

Thus we can all—or nearly all—be conspicuous consumers in the sense of having a high turnover of clothes. Extravagance and waste are temptations built into the mass market. Quality of fabric and elegance of design—characteristics that extend the life of a garment—come at a price that deters those on smaller incomes.

Today's fashion industry
Fashion today is big business. More people are involved in the buying, selling and production of clothing than any other business in the world. Advertising the latest fashions is a major source of revenue for newspapers, magazines, television and other businesses. Huge amounts of money are involved in the endless succession of new looks that trickle down from the leading fashion houses in Milan, Paris, London and New York.

Sofia Carluccio, a designer working in Uruguay, says she and her colleagues try to take on board the latest trends from Europe, but "add to them certain values which we see as fundamental: elegance, harmony, and the effort to design every garment to enhance the dignity of the woman who wears it". Although the world of fashion can be a difficult one to work in, Carluccio has managed to build a career and a reputation on these values. "Something which I am very clear on is that fashion is about dressing, not about undressing—that is a sort of leitmotif in all my work"

Even in Europe, however, there are signs of sympathy with that view. In a recent interview with GQ magazine Miuccia Prada, described as "the most powerful woman in fashion", had this to say about the image of women in a popular television show:

"With women, the more unhappy they are the more undressed they are. This is true. Dignity's another very important part of this. Sex and the City is the opposite of dignity. You have to have dignity for your body—this is with men and women. You need to have dignity towards how you are, how you dress, how you behave. Very important. Men are always much more dignified than most women."

The challenge of maintaining a truly human standard

Young girls
It is one of the more negative marks of fashion and related industries today that it has carried sexiness into the world of young girls. The appearance of the Playboy "bunny" logo on children's clothing and bras designed for eight-year-olds in the Mary-Kate and Ashley range are two indications of a disturbing trend.

Even without these extremes, dressing little girls requires careful discernment today, and if well handled can reduce problems later on. Sydney mother Pam West describes the approach she has taken with her daughters:

"From their earliest age we have tried to dress our kids in appropriate clothes. We've resisted cute little miniskirts and those tights and tops suits which look cute on a toddler but suggestive on a teen. You might think that weird, but in everything we've anticipated the teen stage in order to avoid conflict later when the rules have to change. So far, no-one thought our toddlers funny-looking (except when they dressed themselves) and it has paid off.

"At the same time we've tried always to stay in fashion… Despite the fact that I'd love to impose my own somewhat alternative styles on my kids, I have resisted the temptation and allowed them to embrace the concept of fashion. What I have tried to teach them, however, is that they need never be slaves of any commercial store's idea of what fashion is."

Adolescents
If there is one group in the eye of the fashion storm it is adolescents. Their emergence as a distinctive market during the past half-century has been tied up with the exploitation of their emerging sexuality and need to identify with their peer group. In many cases this sets young girls at odds with their parents, who struggle to find a way to encourage a proper fashion sense.

How can parents talk to their teenage girl about standards that measure up to her human and specifically feminine dignity? Here are some tips:

• Don't rush to criticize styles which are simply not to your taste. Go to the important issue: are the fashions your daughter likes consistent with her dignity?
• Slavishly following fashion fads is simply a sign of immaturity. It is good to talk with your daughter about the fact that many young women are being manipulated by commercial interests that simply want their money.
• Talk clearly about the meaning of the body. The male and female body express complementary modes of self-giving. The body is meant for greater purposes than just exhibitionism. What meaning does your daughter think her body should convey?
• Modesty should not be confused with being old-fashioned. Apart from expressing respect for one's own body, modesty expresses the fact that others have a right to be regarded as intelligent, decent human beings.
• Girls don't have to choose between being dowdy and being provocative. It is possible to dress attractively without showing cleavage.
• Encourage your daughter to ask herself: "How do I want others to see me? What do I want them to pay attention to? Do I want them to consider what my face looks like? What my Figure is? Or who I really am?"
• With a sense of humor, and without allowing clothes to provoke quarrels, see if you can set yourself up as your daughter's fashion consultant. Look around for what fits her personality and way of being. And don't just choose clothes that you like, because you will be robbing her of an important opportunity to express and develop her personality.
• Let your daughter help you choose some of your clothes. Advice should flow both ways.

The modesty movement
Modesty comes naturally to girls. New York journalist Wendy Shalit points out points out in her book, Return to Modesty: "Young girls are still the experts on embarrassment," and though they may dress in miniskirts they worry, "Do I look all right? Have I gone too far?" In fact, many are responding to what could be called a modesty movement in the United States.

The industry is said to be responding to these signals. The bare midriff is supposedly "out" this year but clothes seem as tight as ever and revealing in other ways. Then there is the opposition. A Harvard Divinity School woman graduate wrote recently that the modesty movement represents a reassertion of "control" of women, excusing men from controlling themselves.

Mothers as models
Dressing for success is not the sole preserve of the career woman as she is generally defined. Rather, it is a guiding principle in every career a woman may embrace. Canadian mother of ten, Irene Freundorfer urges mothers to "dress for success in your marriage and in the education of your children".

Moms are the blueprint for their children's perception of femininity and motherhood, she stresses. "Dress up, dress feminine and take care of those little details out of love for your husband, your daughters and your sons. In today's society, your family needs your example. Show them the dignity and example of being a woman who puts fashion at the service of a noble and pure love." Her tips include:

• No time? Take the time; make the time.
• Learn about your figure, colors that suit you and styles that complement your beauty.
• Glance through flyers to learn the styles.
• Shop with a friend who is willing to give you advice.
• Spend some money on yourself.
• Keep it simple, do it within your budget but do look terrific.

Young professional women
Much is at stake when a young woman dresses for work. A miniskirt in the office is a weapon in the war of the sexes. It respects neither the sexual nature of male colleagues nor the personal attachments and commitments they may already have. It displays carelessness towards the customer or client and draws attention to the employee at the expense of service and the enterprise.

A commitment to true workplace equality and cooperation calls for another way of dressing. It is not simply a question of "power dressing" in the 1980s sense of a masculine, corporate look. Professional seriousness is consistent with feminine elegance. A spirit of hard work and cheerful service to others will suggest styles and details of dress which are both practical for the wearer and pleasant for others.

Art historian and mother Sarah Phelps Smith says professional women, because of the social prominence of their roles and their higher incomes, have the opportunity and even the responsibility to influence the world of fashion. "Our clothes need to reflect the woman of the 21st century, and help create who she is to become."

Growing older gracefully
At a recent seminar in New York world-renowned designer Oscar de la Renta noted: "Beauty is not something you are born with. At 18, a woman might not be so good looking but at 40 she could be extraordinary looking. That is the beauty that interests me—the beauty you create." But, he adds, this creation should be an expression of one's identity and requires work and discipline on a daily basis.

Women have long been able to stave off grey hairs and other signs of age. They no longer have to look like older women when they hit fifty, and can continue to dress in youthful colours and styles. On the other hand, the 60-year-old trying to look like 20 merely looks silly.

With the ageing of the baby boomer generation the fashion industry has begun to acknowledge that there is a mass market for well-designed clothes for mature women and a variety of figures. Everything, however, hangs on women's sense of who they are and how they want to act in the world.

Good news and opportunities

The women he made clothes for in the mid-1960s would dress for every occasion, even wearing a nice suit to lunch with friends, said Oscar de la Renta. Now these women are on the endangered species list. Today it is more difficult for the designer to have a good sense of who he is designing clothes for and to understand her needs and lifestyle.

All the same, he regards the present as a prime time to be a designer. "This is the most exciting time for anyone to be creating clothes. Never has there been in the history of time, women in control of their destiny as they are now. Never have we dealt with a consumer who is as smart as we know women are today." And it is not film stars and celebrities he is talking about but "the woman in the street". This suggests both an opportunity and a task for women: to make known their needs and ideals.

"With the turn of the millennium," says Sarah Smith, "there seems to be a shift towards a new elegance, bringing back some of the best of the old, while continuing to search for the right fashion statement for the women of the present." Historical references give women the freedom to wear many styles that are "vintage". Taking advantage of such options each woman can "design a wardrobe suited to the part she plays in the continuing drama of the 21st century woman".

Fashion quotes

"How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone." — Coco Chanel
"Fashions fade, style is eternal." — Yves Saint Laurent
"The difference between style and fashion is quality." — Giorgio Armani
"To be well dressed is a question of discipline and discipline is something that one learns." — Oscar de la Renta
"Now is the most exciting time in fashion. Women are controlling their destiny now, the consumer is more knowledgeable, and I have to be better every single day." — Oscar de la Renta

"All the American women had purple noses and gray lips and their faces were chalk white from terrible powder. I recognized that the United States could be my life's work." —  Helena Rubinstein

"I have always dressed according to certain Basic Guy Fashion Rules,including: Both of your socks should always be the same color, Or they should at least both be fairly dark." — Dave Barry
"Sometimes, a woman filled with all sorts of uncertainties in most of the areas of life and emotion, will have her only confidence and independence in her fashion-sense. I'm sure this is a misfortune. Fashion should not be expected to serve in the stead of courage or character." — Loretta Young
"I have a full, rich respect for fashion. I love its whimsy, its humor, its charm and its rewards. I love its vagaries and its demands. I love what it does for women. But I know, with all my heart, that no woman should follow it blindly." — Loretta Young
 "My work has brought me into contact with the world's finest designers. I had a lot to learn. I have learned a lot. I found out you can learn a lot about yourself as a person, too—while you're learning how to use fashion in your life." — Loretta Young

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have very little or no influence on society." — Mark Twain

"A fashion is merely a form of ugliness so unbearable that we are compelled to alter it every six months." — Oscar Wilde
"By a man's finger-nails, by his coat-sleeve, by his boots, by his trouser knees, by the callosities of his forefinger and thumb, by his expression, by his shirt cuffs -- by each of these things a man's calling is plainly revealed. That all united should fail to enlighten the competent inquirer in any case is almost inconceivable." — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet

"FASHION, n. A despot whom the wise ridicule and obey." — Ambrose Bierce, 19th Century American satirist

"Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new." — Henry David Thoreau, 19th Century American writer

Useful websites

History of fashion
The history of fashion and dress
Notes for a fashion history course at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Good notes and illustrations.
Fashion Era
Fashion-era contains 491 content rich, illustrated pages of fashion history, costume history, clothing, fashions and social history.

Fashion training
Fashion Awareness Direct (FAD)
A UK site for people interested in fashion design.
 
Fashion tips
FashionForRealWomen.com
Hints on practical wardrobe strategies by a fashion consultant who also offers a free email newsletter, The Clothing Chronicles.

In the media

Patricia Dalton. "What's Wrong With This Outfit, Mom?" Washington Post. November 20, 2005.
I heard about it in my kitchen before I read about it in the newspaper: After visiting the expanded Tysons Corner Center this fall, my 23-year-old daughter said, "You won't believe how weird Victoria's Secret's gotten: It's all red and black with a bunch of mannequins that look like porn stars." Some shoppers were so outraged at the raunchy lingerie display that they threatened to boycott the store; others just yawned....

"Tired of low-rise and low-cut? Modesty can be chic". Christian Science Monitor. May 25, 2005.
A few years back, Chelsea Rippy was a frustrated shopper. She would go out once a week looking for new clothes and would come back empty-handed. Racks of cleavage-baring tops and low-rise jeans were leaving the stylish young mom with few options for clothes she felt comfortable in...