Chapter 1 Five Recent Trends in North America Unit 1 Lecture 3

1. Casual Living  Earlier this century Hats and gloves (women), suit and tie (men) regular wardrobe Dinner – skirts, jacket, tie necessary

1 Casual Living continued  Now More societal emphasis on leisure, sports, exercise Fabric technology allows for more comfortable clothes (spandex, Velcro, etc.)

2 Rapid Communication Similar fashions in all countries due to TV, internet, etc.

3. Multiple Shopping Options Malls – strip malls (plazas), indoor, box On-line shopping

4. Consumer Power  More choices = more power If consumers aren’t getting what they want (price, selection, service, quality) they can go somewhere else Designers don’t dictate fashion anymore, they draw inspiration from what people are already wearing

5. Global Market  Clothing design, fabric design, fabric production, and manufacturing process usually all happen in different countries  In the 1940s and 1950s, Paris was high fashion, and New York was ready-to-wear  Now, fashion capitals include London, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Germany, Spain, Scandinavia, Hong Kong and even Canada!

Fashion Capitals