Fashion is a term that’s widely used to describe trends in clothing but there is actually much more to it than the latest ripped jeans or glittery gold leaf belt. Fashion is a form of expression, it’s about how people convey their personalities and ideas through the clothes they wear. It can be a whisper, a scream or a wink at the world. It can also be an important tool for characterization in a story as it can give us a clue about a character’s motivations, values and beliefs.
When writing a scene set in the world of fashion, it’s worth paying attention to the details. The type of fabric, pattern, colour and even the way a garment is worn can say a lot about the person wearing it. In semiotics, fashion is seen as a system of signs that communicate messages to the audience. For example, a tailored suit may communicate power and formality while ripped jeans and a t-shirt may communicate casualness and youthfulness.
Unlike other forms of expression, fashion is not necessarily universal and trends can differ between cultures. It is also close to impossible to define what exactly constitutes a fashion. As it is based on change and trends, fashion changes too quickly to pin down exactly what it looks like. However, historians such as James Laver and Fernand Braudel have been able to identify some of the key moments that mark the beginning of continual change in clothing styles, for example the shortening and tightening of men’s overgarments from calf-length to just above the buttocks or the baggy look of the 1990s that faded into skinny jeans and boots.