1. Chapter 1

2. Chapter 1 1
Chapter
The Meaning of Clothing and Fashion

3. Objectives Explain the basic reasons people wear clothing.
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Objectives
Explain the basic reasons people wear clothing.
State why people make various clothing choices.
Describe fashion in terms of art and science, and private and public awareness.
Summarize economic and political influences on fashion.
Define basic fashion terms.

4. Reasons for Wearing Clothing
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Reasons for Wearing Clothing
In ancient times, clothing of simple design was made from animal skins, plants, and other items found in nature
Today, clothing is made of various materials
Clothing satisfies these basic human needs
physical
psychological
social

5. Physical Needs Clothing provides protection, or physical safeguards
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Physical Needs
Clothing provides protection, or physical safeguards
As protection from weather, clothing provides comfort
As protection from environmental dangers, clothing provides many benefits
Shoes protect the feet
Helmets protect the head in accidents
Sterile gloves protect against germs
continued

6. Chapter 1
Physical Needs
As protection from occupation hazards, special garments protect workers
Special “occupational clothing” includes items such as hard hats and safety goggles
Athletes often wear protective helmets, gloves, and pads
Soldiers and police officers wear protective clothing and shields

7. Chapter 1
Psychological Needs
Psychological reasons for wearing clothing are adornment and identification
Adornment, or attractive decoration, existed in all civilizations throughout history
Being adorned with clothing
gives people a positive psychological feeling
provides artistic expression
shows creativity
continued

8. Chapter 1
Psychological Needs
Culture often determines the type of adornment people use
Culture is a society’s set of social norms or values
How one culture views beauty can differ from how others view it
People’s ideas about beauty and adornment change over time as fashions change
continued

9. Psychological Needs Identification is the process of describing
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Psychological Needs
Identification is the process of describing
who someone is
what he or she does
Clothing helps the identification process
Example: Uniforms are specific to everyone within a certain group
Emblems, colors, badges, and jewelry also aid identification
continued

10. Chapter 1
Psychological Needs
The regular clothing of many people can be considered a type of “psychological uniform”
Some businesses and schools have dress codes, which are written or unwritten rules of appropriate attire
Clothes adhering to a dress code
promote group identity
help group members maintain a certain discipline of behavior

11. Chapter 1
Social Needs
The social reasons for wearing clothing are modesty and status
Modesty is the covering of the body according to a culture’s or a society’s code of decency
U.S. standards of modesty have changed through the years
Each society or culture has its own accepted standards of modesty
continued

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Social Needs
Clothing is sometimes used to gain a higher rank in society or to show social or military rank
A person’s status is his or her position or rank compared to others
“Good” or “high” status is usually associated with recognition, prestige, and social acceptance

13. Chapter 1
Combined Needs
Today, people wear clothes because of a combination of needs, which include
receiving physical and psychological pleasure
expressing creativity
fulfilling basic physical and social needs
Clothing carries a highly visible message about who a person is, is not, or would like to be

14. Why People Select Certain Clothes
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Why People Select Certain Clothes
Clothing choices are influenced by a person’s
personality traits
tendencies toward conformity or individuality
values and attitudes
Values are the ideas, beliefs, and material items that are important to an individual
Attitudes are personal feelings or reactions to people, things, or ideas

15. Chapter 1
Values and Attitudes
Clothing values and attitudes are passed through the generations. Influences include
ethnic and cultural traditions
economic and social conditions
different needs and values linked to populations of certain ages
personal desire for status, easy care, comfort, etc.
advertising

16. Conformity Versus Individuality
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Conformity Versus Individuality
Pressure from other people has a great influence on how people dress
Conformity means obeying or agreeing with a given standard or authority
Children learn what they are expected to wear from parents and teachers
Peer group pressure also contributes to conformity
continued

17. Conformity Versus Individuality
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Conformity Versus Individuality
Too much conformity can mean a loss of personal individuality
Individuality is self-expression or the quality that distinguishes one person from another
Most people balance the influences of conformity and individuality in their clothing
They want to express themselves as individuals but also as part of a group

18. Chapter 1
Personality Traits
Personality can be defined as the total characteristics that distinguish an individual
Personality traits are often reflected in how people dress
People who prefer
a lot of decoration tend to be very sociable
comfortable clothes tend to be confident, outgoing, and secure

19. Chapter 1
Needs Versus Wants
Needs and wants are other factors that influence clothing choices
Example of a need: a heavy coat that provides warmth in a cold climate
Example of a want: a new coat that is simply more stylish
A need is something a person must have for existence or survival
continued

20. Chapter 1
Needs Versus Wants
A want is a person’s desire for something that gives him or her satisfaction
The wanted item would be nice to have, but the person can get along without it
Both needs and wants affect buyers’ choices
Success in the fashion business depends on understanding how consumers make apparel decisions

21. Ongoing Fashion Perspectives
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Ongoing Fashion Perspectives
Fashion is
both an art and a science
highly personal yet very public
influenced by economic, political, and other events

22. Fashion Insights As an art, fashion
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Fashion Insights
As an art, fashion
incorporates creativity in its products
thrives on innovative, forward-thinking ideas
uses color, texture, line, and other aspects of design to produce stylish items to wear
complements current trends

23. Fashion Insights As a science, fashion uses science and technology to
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Fashion Insights
As a science, fashion uses science and technology to
produce textile fibers with specific qualities
develop effective dyes for specific materials
revolutionize the way apparel items are designed, mass-produced, distributed, and sold

24. Fashion Insights Fashion is a private matter.
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Fashion Insights
Fashion is a private matter.
It satisfies physical, psychological, and social needs
Apparel choices reflect an individual’s personal image outwardly to the public
The textile/apparel industry keeps new fashions secret as they are being designed
continued

25. Chapter 1
Fashion Insights
Fashion becomes a public matter as soon as new fashions are introduced
Fashion is constantly in the public spotlight through the press and other media
Consumers excitedly anticipate seeing, hearing about, and wearing the new fashions
Fashion is affected by shifts in the economy and the makeup of the population

26. Economic, Political, and Other Influences on Fashion
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Fashion reflects economic conditions, political issues, current events, and popular entertainment
Fashions mirror the times
Centuries ago, people dressed according to what was allowed for their “social class”
Rare and expensive items such as silk, pearls, and the purple coloring became status symbols
continued

27. Economic, Political, and Other Influences on Fashion
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Economic, Political, and Other Influences on Fashion
People’s moods are reflected in the way they dress
In hard times
clothing usually has a serious, conservative look
people loose interest in their appearance
In better times
styles are brighter and more adventurous
people are more willing to try different fashions

28. Chapter 1
Industry Facts
Popular entertainment causes fashions to imitate a character of a movie, an actor, or a rock star
As movies, concerts, and other modes of entertainment are publicized, consumers want to identify with them
Fashion professionals stay aware of all the ways that apparel relates to society

29. Chapter 1
Fashion Terminology
A garment is an article of wearing apparel, such as a dress, suit, coat, or sweater
Examples of garment parts: sleeves, cuffs, collar, and waistband
Accessories are the articles added to complete or enhance apparel outfits
Examples of accessories: belts, hats, jewelry, shoes, gloves, and scarves
continued

30. Chapter 1
Fashion Terminology
A style is identified by distinct features that create an overall appearance
Styles exist in architecture, painting, music, and most other forms of expression
In apparel, each style is a particular design, shape, or type of garment with unique characteristics
Examples: A-line skirts, Bermuda shorts, safari jackets, and crewneck sweaters
continued

31. Chapter 1
Fashion Terminology
The term style also describes an attractive condition
Certain trendsetters and fashion leaders are said to have style or to be stylish
Fashion is the display of the currently popular style of objects or activities
In apparel, a fashion is the leading type of clothing bought and worn by a large segment of the public
continued

32. Chapter 1
Fashion Terminology
Fashions consist of the styles, colors, and functionalities favored at a particular time
Styles come and go in fashion acceptance, causing fashions to constantly change
High fashion items, which are the latest or newest fashions, usually are
innovative, expensive, and of fine quality
accepted by the first adopters of fashion changes
considered too extreme or unusual for the public
continued

33. Chapter 1
Fashion Terminology
Mass fashion, or volume fashion, accounts for the majority of sales in the fashion business
These styles are called “homogenized” because they are
produced in large quantities
accepted by the mass public

34. Industry Facts A design is a particular or unique style version
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Industry Facts
A design is a particular or unique style version
Example: A jumpsuit (pants attached to a top) can have different collars, pockets, or trims. Each version is a different design of the jumpsuit style
The terms style and design
have distinct definitions
are often used interchangeably in the fashion industry

35. Chapter 1
Fashion Terminology
Avant-garde clothes are the most daring and wild designs
They are too unconventional and startling to be considered fashions of the times
Most features of these garments
disappear after a few years
are used to draw attention to the wearer, often on stage
continued

36. Fashion Terminology A fad is a temporary, passing fashion
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Fashion Terminology
A fad is a temporary, passing fashion
It is an unusual garment, accessory, or look that has great appeal to many people for a short period of time
Fads provide a
feeling of adventure for the wearers
sense of belonging to a group
Eventually, most fads fade away
continued

37. Chapter 1
Fashion Terminology
A classic style or design is one that continues to be popular over an extended period of time
A garment of classic style or design
has simple, stylish lines that prevent it from being easily dated
is almost always acceptable
can have an updated look with only minor changes
continued

38. Chapter 1
Fashion Terminology
A fashion look refers to a total accessorized outfit
Specific fashion looks are often identified with a celebrity or certain groups of people
In fashion, taste refers to the prevailing opinion of what is attractive and appropriate
Good taste means sensitivity to what is artistically pleasing and appropriate for a given person and occasion

39. Chapter 1
In Summary
People wear clothing to satisfy physical, psychological, and social needs
A person’s values and attitudes play an important part in clothing selection
Fashion is both an art and a science, involving creative thinking as well as technology
Success in the fashion business requires the understanding of clothing and fashion terms