Welcome!

So why did we create this blog? Why are YOU here? We – Aimee, Ida, Carlo, Billy, Jose and Pau – want to show you how fashion plays such a vital role in the process of creating one’s image. In this time when people care so much as to how others perceive them to be, what better way creating a good image than to wear the right clothes? Not only will we tell you the role fashion has, we’ll also teach you how to improve your fashion sense and how to achieve the look that you want. We’ll tell you where to get clothes to suit YOUR personality, YOUR budget and YOUR style. It’s going to be all about YOU!

But wait, who tells us which pieces of clothing go together, anyway? Who made all those rules about not wearing a top with heavy print with printed bottoms? Who told us that skinny jeans are in and boot cut jeans are a thing of the past? Who changes these trends? Why do people spend so much money to update their wardrobe? Don’t you think it’s interesting to know where the styles we go for came from? Read up and these questions will be answered. J

Through our posts, pictures and videos, we’ll show you how the simple wearing of different pieces of clothing can change your life and hopefully, we change YOURS, too.

By: AIMEE TE

BEACH FUN!

-Ida Gloria J. Felix, 07-39407

Since summer time is just around the corner, I’ve decided to put up something that will help our readers to decide on what to wear, or not to wear, when going to the beach. Also included in this article are some summer must – haves. Summer dressing need not to be complicated – it’s all about fun and feeling the warmth of the sun! Your outfit should reflect the carefree feeling that the beach season offers. In fact, summer is the time that you can break the rules of fashion, or the rules that your institution is imposing on you, just for the sake of relaxation. Make sure you choose the right swimwear that’s for you and a cover – up that spells who you are. So say good bye to your regular day outfits and say hello to your bikinis! (I’ve collected here summer tips from fashion magazines and articles in the net. And some are my suggestions. Enjoy! =))

Swimwear
There are numerous designs to choose from, depending on your personality and depending on what purpose it may serve you. If you are the athletic type person, you may opt to wear sporty one – pieces and bikinis with boy short bottom that will allow you to maximize your movements. As for the glam character, cutout maillots and sexy tops are the best for poolside lounging and tanning. But girls, remember this: the triangle top bikini remains the favorite. So you better have one of these in your closet.

Cover - ups
Top:
Tunics. Tunics have a very long history. They were worn both by the ancient Greeks and Romans. But now they are worn by glams as cover – ups in beaches. Plain and embroidered tunics are still the favorites.
Kaftans. This traditional menswear from the eastern Mediterranean is a cloak – like piece defined by button down in front and full sleeves. During the olden times, they were worn with sashes. But designers manipulated it for modern days by cutting it short.
Oversized tees. If you are not in the mood for shopping or if you do not have the budget for buying a new cover – up, you may want to scour your closet for an oversized tees. These can easily serve as bikini cover – ups especially if they are made out of cotton or sheer chiffon.
Jersey shirt. If you’re the sporty type, I’m sure you have one. Just put it on top of your bikini and you’re ready for barhopping nights. Aside from you being comfortable with it, it also makes boys turn your way.
Long, flowing skirts. If you’re a church person, or the type that loves Brazilian culture, or just a carefree one, you have these. These print skirts you wear during Sundays can be pulled up north to become a summer dress.
Polo shirts. If you’re an office person, you may use these items in your wardrobe. Button down polos whether plain, striped, or printed, can become a chic cover – up once you tie its ends into a knot right on the belly button.
Bottom:
Shorts. A really must – have. Wear one when doing action-filled water sports like skim boarding, surfing, or even when playing beach sports like Frisbee, beach volleyball, and others.
Flowing skirts. Bohemian’s still in during the summer season so its wise to have one. These items have an infinite shelf life (meaning you can use it forever! haha) and they certainly spell the easy going feel of the sea.

Forever Favorites (must-haves)
Flip flops. You can use any color under the sun!
Anything floral print. The Hawaiian flower print (Hibiscus) is the national flower not only of Hawaii but also of summer. Its shouting BEACH!! out loud.
Bright hued pieces. Tangerine, electric yellow, lime green, and cyan blue are some colors you may use.
Shorts and tanks. If you do not want to think about what you will wear when you’re going to the beach or swimming, you may want to use these classic summer outfit. It never goes out of fashion.

Oh my! I forgot the beach boys. Haha. Board shorts and slippers will do. But if you don’t want to expose belly, I suggest you wear floral polos or anything with bright hues.

Here are some useful links in finding the best summer outfits to make the best summer experience ever!:
http://www.fashionrat.com/summer-outfits/
http://www.sofeminine.co.uk/mag/fashion/d6031.html
http://beauty.ivillage.com/fashion/casualchic/0,,9b0p4t6h,00.html?dst=rss|bs
http://styletips101.com/fashion/top-10-summer-styles.html

Beyond FASHION

Paula Bianca Reyes


“Why do people dress the way they do? How does clothing contribute to a person's identity as a man or woman, as a white-collar professional or blue-collar worker, as a preppie, yuppie, or nerd? How is it that dress no longer denotes social class so much as lifestyle, whatever that is? Is haute couture defunct? Why may women wear pants and everything else men do, yet men may not wear skirts and everything else women do?”

Besides style, fashion also contributes to one’s identity. Sometimes, we are judging based on their choice of clothes, how they wear it, their choices of color and so on.

In a sea of strangers, when we notice someone in baggy clothes, cornrow hairstyle, hip hop, full of tattoos all over his skin, most of us will be a bit scared or maybe we will have a hard time talking to them. When you look at the other side, and see a lady dressed in a collared shirt, hair fixed, and carries herself well, we may think she is smart and maybe she is a professional. While if you encounter someone wearing all black, skinny jeans and a thrift store band shirt, one-sided hair, Converse shoes, most of us will conclude that they are included to the emo society. As you go on, you will meet someone dressed as if it’s saying that everything blends, and anything goes, probably dressed in a mod style, and we may suddenly think that he or she must be smart too, a bit playful and an eye catcher.

What we wear has always defined us to some aspects. At the very least, it can indicate economic status, but always before within certain confines of convention. Historically, a uniformity of dress created a homogeneous population. Most of the times, we are what we wear. Our choice of style and fashion are expressions of ourselves.

Emo (falling under certain behavior mannerisms and attire correlating with the subculture) will often be from a comfortable, middle-class background with understanding, pleasant parents. All of this is irrelevant to an emo who will consider themselves misunderstood and repressed regardless of reality. Any urologist would say that these very emotional people need to be encouraged by the rest of society to help them out of this state of existing, or technically not existing. (http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Emo)

Mod. Mod for modern, which in its purest use meant minimalist. Arguably there is nothing minimal about most Mod fashion, but that is the origin. Color played a big role in defining the look. The muted and pastel palette of Fifties fashions gave way to bright, bold color often splayed in geometric patterns. Art, usually Pop Art infiltrated fashion as works of art translated from canvas into fabric. (http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/mod-fashion.htm)


Hip Hop fashion in the 80's and 90's revealed a new approach to style and dress. It was the beginning of a tidal wave fashion influence still felt today. Sparked by rap artists experimenting with a new art form, Hip Hop fashion became an expression of the Hip Hop culture manifesting in ever aspect of dress. Clothes, shoes and jewelry norms were shattered as more music fans converted to the Hip Hop culture embracing the fresh innovative style of Hip Hop fashion. Today, we experience Hip Hop differently as it is dominated by mainstream corporate commercialization. Nevertheless the organic evolution of Hip Hop fashion continues its spread through the streets, inspiring millions to seek out Hip Hop. (http://www.kingice.com/hip-hop-fashion.aspx)


Punk fashion refers to the style of dress for people within the punk subculture. When punk music was first established in the 1970's, punk clothes tended to be rebellious, wild, and shocking. While the 70's look was a far cry from the style of punk now, during the time it was considered very confrontational.(http://punkskamusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/punk_fashion#ixzz0BPDTceV0)

According to Quentin Crisp, “Fashion is what you adopt when you don't know who you are.” It should not dictate us on how to live and how to look. We should be the one to express ourselves through it because it mirrors how we feel about life.

Gladiator Sandals make a comeback!

Gladiator sandals are indeed, back! But where did they come from in the first place? Did the Romans wear such things? Based from my research on Russel Crowe’s movie, “Gladiator”, they wore closed boots!


Who would wear open-toe sandals when all that’s in his mind is to avoid being devoured by a huge monster? But who am I to judge? Maybe the gladiators wanted breathing space for their feet.




Today, Gladiator sandals are worn by women from all over the world with summer dresses, skirts, shorts and even pants! I have to admit, they look kind of cute and they’re definitely better than flip-flops!

Since it’s summertime, hide those jackets, hoodies and long pants and start showing some skin.

Here are some great sites where you can buy gladiator sandals, online for low low prices! Enjoy! Comments will be appreciated. J

http://shoecrazeee.multiply.com/photos/album/96/GLADIATOR_SANDALS_SALE

http://ateneo.multiply.com/links/.../PRE-LOVED_GLADIATOR_SANDALS_FOR_SALE

by: AIMEE TE

FASHION = IMAGE?

Clothes may just seem like pieces of cloth sewn together to you but what do they do besides cover your body, really?

People all over the world spend billions of dollars every year for fashion. They use so much money just to get the clothes they want – the clothes that will make them look great. Every person has a different fashion sense because each one wants to project a unique image of herself.

Even though sometimes we are constrained to wearing a uniform, for example, we can still find ways on how to make it uniquely “ours”. Do you remember your high school days? Back in our days, it was having the shortest pair of socks that was the “in” thing; the shorter, the better. The goody two shoes always wore the knee-length socks, those in the middle wore mid-length socks while the ones who wanted to look good – the rule breakers – wore the ankle socks.


For the office workers, most girls are made to wear a blouse and a knee-length skirt with a slit either on the side or at the back. Of course, not all employees would confine to this standard. Some tellers in the bank would have their skirts shortened to turn it into a mini skirt while others would cut the slit even longer to reveal more flesh. There are also others who would wear lanyards with cartoon characters, even though there’s a prescribed lanyard for all employees.

Uniforms are made to control people. The absence of rules tends to make people go overboard. But most of the time these people still try finding loopholes in the rules to make the outfit look uniquely “hers”. Aside from control, uniforms also allow people to save money on clothes. Since people aren’t allowed to wear other clothes, they don’t need to buy as much clothes.

For those who don’t need uniforms, that’s where more self-expression is involved. The people in uniform make do with what little freedom they have with their clothing but those who can wear anything they want can define themselves with their clothing from head to toe. From where I’m from, in U.P., we can wear anything we want and based on clothes alone, I think I’ve learned to read the personality of others more easily.


Those who are always in slippers are probably not very concerned with how they look while those who do wear the more decorative or colourful shoes care more about their outward appearance. The people who wear more vintage clothes are probably the artistic ones, while those who are always in shirt and pants are the more classical ones.

See, if we didn’t have clothes, then we’d have to get to know others first, personally before we get a glimpse of who they are. If you see someone wearing crazy clothes, you’d probably stay away from him, no questions asked, right? That’s the beauty of clothing, the power of fashion. It helps us project the image we want ourselves to have.

By: AIMEE TE

FASHION AND THE SELF-IDENTITY MAKING

“…Fashion is more powerful than any tyrant”
Malcolm Barnard

For hundreds of years people have put some message in the type of clothing they wore. Long ago people started wanting to stand out from the “crowd” and be different from other people by means of changing their clothing. Some examples of these “standing out” became very popular and were followed by more people. This was the moment when fashion appeared. Nowadays, fashion is sometimes defined as a “constantly changing trend, favored for frivolous rather than practical, logical, or intellectual reasons”. Nevertheless, it is necessary to say that at the present moment fashion has a deeper influence on the life of people and possess more than just frivolous reasons for its existance. Clothing has become an integral part of self-realization of every person. It is no longer just an “external shield” and a frivolous attitude towards it may cause loosing a very important physical, psychological and social aspect of a person’s life. The harmony attained by the combination of the inner world of a person and his “exterior” makes it very hard to say not even being a professional in this sphere that fashion is just about looks. Clothing is basically a covering designed to be worn on a person's body. This covering is a need, a necessity that is dictated by the norms of social conduct. This “necessity” brings a lot of variety into the lives of people and makes their image more complete. It is not about people serving fashion; it is about fashion being a slave of people.

2. Fashion and identity
The type of clothing completely depends on the person who is wearing it; therefore it becomes a reflection of his perception of himself, which leads us to the term – personal identity. Lately a lot is being heard about personal identity and its meaning in the life of every single person on the planet. The choice of clothing and accessories (clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of a person’s main clothing) is as important as identification through the color of hair, height, skin and gender. Clothing nowadays is a media of information about the person wearing it [Barnard 21]. It is a cipher; a code that needs a decryption in order to understand what kind of person is underneath it. The present time offers a great variety of these “ciphers” and therefore gives people a large number of opportunities to reveal their identity. As every cloth carries a strong message about its owner, every owner “nests” a certain value in it depending on his temperament, mindset or today’s mood. Therefore, the clothing of a person is a mean of communication with the outside world. It is the way of telling people about the “state” and the ”status” of it owner [Barnes& Eicher 125].

2.a. Communication through fashion
Communication by its definition is supposed to be bilateral. So if a person carries a strong personal message to the people outside what is the response from their side? The response is the reaction on the clothes the person it wearing. It can be acceptance or complete outcast and a misunderstanding. This especially touches extraordinarity in clothing (a very expressive personal identity) or an obvious lack of taste and vulgarity. Malcolm Barnard in his book “Fashion as communication” makes a great work by outlining cultural roles, rules, rituals, and responsibilities that are maintained and constructed by fashion [Barnard 13,34]. Fashion is compared to art. It is like an architector that gives his creation any shape he desires and at the same time is the reflection of the architector’s belonging to a certain social level, a certain psychological condition and so on. One of the questions concerning the communication through fashion is whether the message possessed by fashion is the reflection of the internal or external identity. There are arguments that support each of the sides; therefore it goes without saying that fashion is a “polyhedral being” that intersects numerous internal and external aspects of any personality. The message that clothing contains is basically a way of nonverbal communication with gender, ethical and power aspects.

2.b. Impact on outer perception
Clothes have an immense impact on the perception of people around and on the perception of the person wearing them, too. A suit can make a person feel more confident and organized, which would eventually change even the gestures and the manner of talking of the person or for instance wearing jeans after a suit may change the conduct of a person to a very liberal and feeble one [Hollander 58]. The perception of people around can be very predictable in terms of their reaction on a person wearing this or that style of clothing. Fashion is one of the most powerful means of communication, which sometimes may play a vital role in the life of a person; it especially concerns the cases of getting a desired job. Therefore fashion may not only carry a message, it can also create a “pseudo-message” that is required by a situation the person finds himself in. This can be simply proved by analyzing the reaction of the people on the street on people wearing different types of clothing. The preference is always given to people dressed in “business style”, personifying their dignity and seriousness in everything. This is one of the primary reasons that even the smallest companies make wearing a suit one of their requirements for their employees. The customers feel more confident in such “consultants”. So, fashion is a very keen tool of manipulation while communicating besides its importance in social class, culture, sex and gender relations of people.

4. Men, women and fashion
Clothing is a fundamental part in the image of a contemporary man or a woman [Crane 47]. The image is constructed for various reasons and has various manifestations. Dressing has become a way to create, to reveal and to conceal information from the external observers. Fashion has always been considered to have more of a women based orientation. As soon as women realized that experimenting with their clothing might bring them the results they need they became the most interested consumers and the demand on women’s production increased greatly.

4.a. Women and clothing
In spite of all arguments fashion remains possessing an ambivalent entity. Women, have a great impact on the development of fashion worldwide. Of course one of the primary messages clothes carry is the social message. Women throughout the time have tried to make the clothing look more luxurious. Historically the social message has wildly transformed. It is very easily trace in Diana Crane’s book “Fashion and it social agendas”. Nowadays clothing is not an attribute of belonging to a clan, or to a restrained social level though it still can tell a lot about the financial status of a person. A person, especially a women is always greeted according to the way is dressed up. Therefore women may cause desirable reaction by knowing the expectations of the “opponent”. Historically, women wore traditional dresses, which signified their cultural and social status [Guy& Green 76]. As for now, traditional clothing has been completely subdued by “fashionable clothing”. Women clothing in the past had a lot to do with emphasizing femininity, neglecting man-like forms of dressing. Analyzing the way of dressing today it is necessary to say that ”fashionable clothing” has made a great “kick” to femininity. Women become less ladylike but more aggressive and businesslike. A woman is opposed to a man; it is no longer an “addenda” to a male, but a force able to contradict him and to compete with him. Women have accepted a lot of clothing styles that propagandize masculinity. Of course there still are women that are the embodiments of tenderness and femininity preserving women’s sexuality but nevertheless the general tendency of feminization in today’s society has done its work. Equality at work, business and politics has transformed the image of a woman greatly.

4.b. Men and fashion.
Throughout the history starting with the middle ages men’s fashion has changed a lot. If the era of Renaissance was characterized by increased femininity in men’s clothes, the end of the twentieth century became the moment of maximal revealing of masculinity for men. Nowadays, identity has brought a lot of specific changes in the perception of a contemporary man. An open manifestation of sexual orientation has brought the image of a feminine man into fashion. The adaptation of feminine tendencies into men’s fashion is transparent. Men tend to choose practical clothes as casual clothing and suits as their “working uniform”[Hollander 43]. The whole image of a man is not brusque and rough anymore. It has become more flexible and soft. The construction of a man’s wardrobe starts with choosing from the variety of images offered by culture and class today. The gender boundary is gradually “wiped” off. Nevertheless, clothing remains the primary criterion of the evaluation of the opposite sex. While being very liberate towards the type of clothing of other men, they demonstrate especial criticism towards women’s clothing. This happens due to the variety and abundance of women around. Analyzing men’s fashion is like dealing with a complexity. This complexity is constantly changing and adjusting to the surrounding of tendencies.

4. Symbolism of clothing
It is no surprise to any of the people who at least know what fashion is that the clothes that people wear are usually very symbolic. The symbolism of clothing is another part of delivering the message that a person tries to put into it. The symbolism may touch any sphere. For instance: music, sexual orientation, some kind of club and so on [Barnard 62]. Originally, a symbol is a facility that is used to express feelings or belonging to some group of class often dealing with power and wealth. Every observable symbol may carry a deeper meaning than it is visually understandable. Expression of symbols through clothing is a very popular tendency nowadays. Symbolism in clothing may point to the profession the person is dedicated to, supporting the “cipher” theory. The perception of symbols is not the same as the perception of the whole clothing image of an individual, because people may interpret the same symbol differently and therefore the understanding of the carrier of the symbol will be completely different. For instance, a man with a tiger on this T-shit may seem aggressive to one person and a Green Peace member for another one. A bird may be a symbol of freedom and somebody can view it a symbol of light-mindedness. Every person has to be very careful with the symbol while visiting a foreign country, due to the double meaning of the symbols that may be offending to the culture the person is in. Though the goal of every symbol is to share information, nevertheless some symbols may be inappropriate. Particular articles of clothing also contain messages with give information about the person possessing them. For example a veil interpreted as mourning or an extreme aloofness. A walking stick may be necessary to the health condition but may also be a “sign of luxury”.

5. Culture and fashion
As every person belongs to a definite culture and has the right to reveal it, personal identity may sometimes be replaced by cultural identity. Cultural identity is the type of identity that is related to a certain culture or a separate group. It brings people belonging to a culture definite highlighting differences with other people. Clothing in terms of culture is to reveal either the historical roots of a person or the roots the group he belongs to. The oriental-followers are easily defined from the crowd by the specific collars and style of dressing they hold on to. Demonstrating a belonging to a certain cultural community is the free right of every person like people that freely declare who they are going to vote for. Talking about culture it is possible to mention that nowadays exists ”material culture” that dictates its own ways and code of dressing [Crane 51]. The liberation of culture off the borders made the cultural fashion developments increase dramatically. The “freedom of word” has found a place in every single cultural attribute nowadays. Wearing a cowboy hat may not be a sign of being from Texas, but a sign of political preference.
For instance it is very easy to distinguish a European from a Hindu by the style of dressing or an Indian woman from an oriental woman by the distinctive spot on the forehead of an Indian woman and a veil worn by Moslem woman. Fashion has taken the best part of the traditional costumes of every culture and sometimes this leads to propagandizing a definite cultural group. For instance, the brightest example is the increasing interest towards the Moslems and oriental culture nowadays.

6. Conclusion
Fashion and identity are inseparable companions. Fashion with all its symbolism and attributes form an outstanding base for personal and cultural identification. Identity is a necessary process of a healthy personality as it is a part of self-realization of a person that is so much required for finding a place in life of every person. Fashion has become a tool for achieving harmony with the inner world and a way of revealing or concealing peculiarities. Fashion possesses a specific meaning and the more diverse is the society around us the more fashion-trend will appear and surprise us. As long as it does not hurt people around fashion symbols are acceptable, nevertheless while thinking about fashion and identity it is necessary to remember the ethical side of the issue. Fashion and identity through it still remains a twofold issue but there are a lot of positive aspects one can enjoy and share with other people.

Who Benefits?

By Billy Jackson Arellano

If you have read my first article on Fashion: Who Decides What’s Hot and What’s Not, this article is just an epilogue of it. In this article, I will discuss who benefits from the “what is hot” standards in fashion.

Who benefits from these standards are basically the same personas who decide what is hot and what is not in fashion.

Since the elite fashion designers are the primary trend setters in fashion, they are also the primary beneficiary from these standards. Celebrities seek their design to be elegant and be “head-turners” during awards night like The Oscars.

Another beneficiary would be the celebrities who get paid just to endorse a particular clothing line. Magazines and stores would pay a lot of money to celebrities who will endorse their products.

These magazines and stores are beneficiaries as well. The magazines which now have an article about a famous celebrity with their product think that consumers will buy more of their magazine now. The stores with famous clothing lines in their front display will attract more customers than the others. This will make them earn more profit than the rest.

Hence, we can conclude that from the designers, to the celebrities, down to the magazines and stores, they somehow form a cycle of beneficiaries from fashion. Their benefits have one thing in common – “fame and fortune”. Alongside being famous, they all earn a lot of money from setting the standards in fashion

Moving on to specifics like occupational uniforms, the institutions itself benefit by maintaining its image and credibility to the public. With the personnel following the appropriate dress code, hospitals maintain their persona of a caring and hospitable place. The police department maintains authority and earns respect from the public. Schools keep their image of a responsible and neat place to learn. And the bank maintains the trust of its depositors.

With all that being said, we should not forget that we, as consumers, also sometimes benefit from the standards set by these personas. We benefit in the form of happiness and self-confidence.

We all know that these standards of what is “in” in fashion are often too expensive to buy. Hence, as we afford to buy these clothes that are “hot” this season, it gives us an extra boost of satisfaction and self-confidence that we are “in” and socially above other people for this season.

Fashion: Who Decides What’s Hot and What’s Not?

By Billy Jackson Arellano

We all know what fashion is. Fashion is basically how we dress and how we want others to perceive us. But who decides what is hot and what is not in fashion?

Elite fashion designers spearhead the decision as to what is hot in fashion for a particular season. We think that they are the most knowledgeable one in this field that we, as common people, tend to just follow or go with the flow to the trend that these designers set for us for a season.

Another persona who has a ‘say’ to what’s hot in fashion would probably be the celebrities who wear and endorse the clothes that the designers have made. The designers think that since we idolize these celebrities and we see that a garment looks great on her, this should make us feel that that particular clothing must be so “hot” and “in” this season.

The magazines and the stores that feature particular clothing lines also play a big role in deciding what is “in” this season. The clothes that they feature would probably be the ones that they think that the readers and buyers would like to read and buy. As consumers, we end up thinking that why would these magazines and shops present a particular clothing line if it isn’t what is “hot” this season. They won’t feature it if they think they won’t profit from it.

Just how exactly it has come to this? That we let these people and institutions decide what is hot and what is not in fashion?

As individuals, we try to avoid taking risks as much as possible. Because we know that if we fail or screw up in trying to oppose the standards set by these personas, we might end up ruining our image and credibility to the people surrounding us. And we all don’t want that to happen. Hence, we often tend to just leave it to the “experts” as to what should be hot for a particular season and we just follow or go with flow.

This whole idea as to who decide what is “in” and what is “out” in fashion in general could relatively be applied to specifics like the uniforms that people wear whether at work or in school.

The persona who decides what is acceptable to wear and not to wear is often the head, the chief officer or the owner of that particular institution. Though in some cases, it is the institution itself that decides what you should wear to avoid conflicts.

The chief officer often tells you what attire you should wear and how you should present yourself to the public during your line of work. This is because he thinks you carry his “name” and his reputation to what you are wearing. Thus, you shouldn’t wear unrespectable uniforms when in public because the people might think that the institution you are working for is also a person that does not deserve to be respected.

Just like Pauline Weston Thomas would say it, “Wearing an occupational uniform puts an employee in the position of being a visual metaphor.” We learn quickly to associate different uniforms with different roles in life and different role expectations from it. We connect the policeman’s uniform with authority. We associate the paramedic’s uniform with help and care; the student’s uniform with responsibility and neatness; and the bank teller’s uniform with conservativeness and security of our money.

Deciding not to obey or deciding to oppose the dress code may lead to disruptions to your institution’s image or to your occupation’s role expectation.

Minor alterations to maintain one’s unique self-identity might be tolerable but major alterations might cause you a fortune and credibility-lose in your occupation.

With all that said, it is important to note that it is still us, the consumers, who are the ultimate decider on to what is hot and what is not in fashion. You decide what suits you the best and what can express your self-identity to the fullest.

Just be sure to know your limitations when making your own fashion statement. Because who knows? It could make or break you……

.

Fashion By Brands

by Jose Daniel Melgar

The fashion industry can be divided into five levels: haute couture, luxury, affordable luxury, mainstream, and discount. At the highest levels, the fashion industry is relatively insulated from economic changes. For example, recessionary fears in the United States have done nothing to harm haute couture, which is actually seeing an increase in customers in a time when so many other companies are fighting decreasing sales. The luxury market is doing well compared to mainstream, affordable luxury and discount brands, where its customers have less financial security and thus are not spending as much money on clothes and accessories as they used to.

Haute couture is the most expensive and exclusive of all four segments. It is occupied by only a handful of companies that produce custom-made clothing for the world's wealthiest individuals. The term "haute couture" is thrown around a lot in mainstream fashion circles. However, the term actually means something very specific. Haute couture consists of custom-made clothing made from expensive materials for the world's wealthiest consumers. Prices for a couture piece range from $25,000 to millions of dollars and though the market is small it has been expanding due to the explosion of new wealth in emerging markets such as India, China and the Middle East. In France "haute couture" is a protected term and only a handful of companies have the right to call themselves "couture houses." They must fulfill criteria set by the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture(Trade Union of Haute Couture), the governing body of the French fashion industry. Some couture houses are: Giorgio Armani Privé (segment of Giorgio Armani), Christian Dior, Chanel, Givenchy (owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy L.V. (LVMUY)), Christian Lacroix, and Emanuel Ungaro.

All couture houses produce ready-to-wear as well as couture pieces. Despite its high prices, haute couture is much less profitable than mass-produced ready-to-wear collections. However, haute couture serves to preserve a high-fashion, luxurious image of the brand which fuels sales of its other collections, namely ready-to-wear, accessories and cosmetics. It is also important to note that couture includes only women's garments. There is no such thing as haute couture menswear.

The luxury segment is a step down in terms of quality and price, but still serves a wealthy clientele. Luxury goods are a large category and include all clothing, shoes and accessories from designer names such as: Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Gucci (owned by PPR SA (PP-FR)), Hermès, and Lanvin. Luxury goods are generally regarded by consumers to be of high quality with a price tag to match.

There are no clear-cut criteria for a brand to be classified as "luxury," however one important factor is the concept of exclusivity. A person who can afford anything does not want to own something anyone can buy; they want something special and unique. As a brand becomes more popular, it is not regarded as highly by the wealthy clientele. Many luxury companies walk a fine line between increasing market share and maintaining the elite image that is so important to rich consumers with a lot of money to spend. Some examples of luxury retailers are: Saks (SKS), LVMH Moet Hennessy L.V. (LVMUY), and Bloomingdale's (owned by Macy's Inc. (M)).

Affordable luxury targets "aspirational" consumers, those who are not rich enough to afford luxury brands but will accept lower-priced alternatives. Affordable luxury is an industry segment that is focused on providing high-end merchandise at a lower price in order to attract middle-class consumers. Examples of affordable luxury are: Coach (COH), Tiffany (TIF), Nordstrom (JWN), Hugo Boss AG (HUGSF), and Chanel (lower-priced items such as sunglasses and cosmetics).

These inexpensive items allow access to a brand and a lifestyle that lower-income consumers aspire to but cannot afford. However, fears of recession, in addition to rising credit card debt and gas prices, have hit middle-class consumers hard. While the wealthy continue shopping as much as ever, these "aspirational" shoppers, people who form the backbone of the affordable luxury market have begun to cut back on non-essential goods such as clothing and accessories, leading to decreased sales.

The goal of mainstream brands is mass appeal; they sacrifice an air of exclusivity for popularity. Mainstream brands such as: Gap (GPS), Abercrombie & Fitch Company (ANF), Dress Barn (DBRN), Macy's Inc. (M), and Polo Ralph Lauren (RL) are generally perceived by consumers as being of lower price and quality than affordable luxury goods. These brands market to middle-and-lower-class consumers. Since their prices are much lower than their luxury counterparts, these brands make less money per garment. Thus, they focus on volume, selling as many goods as they can and appealing to a large number of people. In this case the concept of exclusivity no longer applies, as their goods are made (and priced) to appeal to a large number of people.

Discount brands serve low-income consumers. This category includes not only those stores that sell goods from other stores at a decreased price, but also those that price their clothing lower than most other brands; such as: Old Navy (owned by Gap (GPS)), Payless Shoesource (owned by Collective Brands, Inc. (PSS)), Cato (CTR), Target (TGT), Wal-Mart Stores (WMT)

Although haute couture and luxury have been doing well, the current economic crisis has had an adverse effect on affordable luxury, mainstream and discount brands. Their target demographic is middle-to-lower class individuals who are more prone to poor economic conditions than their richer counterparts. These individuals are no longer splurging on clothes and accessories as much as they used to, which is bad news for all three segments.

source: www.wikinvest.com