Summer is the favorite season for many events, including fashion shows.
This brings to mind my opinion that that we should all be dressing as individuals, and not buying the clothes produced for the masses that are so aggressively marketed to us.
I have noticed that a recurring theme in these fashion galas is the great emphasis on the audience to find a certain look that will bring out their personal fashion style.
In other words, they are telling you to buy their clothes because it is the latest fashion and they hope that will be enough to make you feel like you are expressing your individuality.
If you like the fashion, fair enough, except for the fact that they are sending this message out to millions of other people also.
There is no doubt that I enjoy combining clothes and accessories to create a look that turns heads and is recognized as my signature style. But how can buying an outfit assembled by Gap and displayed in every window of their stores be an expression of my individuality?
Apparently some think it is. Sociologist and University of York professor Colin Campbell claims that modern consumerism is an expression of individualism. In his academic paper, "I shop, therefore I know that I am," he suggests that through shopping we discover who we really are based on our tastes and preferences.
We can apply his theory to fashion self-expression. What Campbell says is almost an obvious statement when you think of your buying habits. We naturally buy items that we are partial toward or something that makes us look our best. After all, as Campbell says, we use our individual preferences to pick out goods - Or so we think.
How often have you found yourself in the middle of one of those fad frenzies that jump out of nowhere and spread from person to person like a flu virus gone berserk?
Whatever the current fad is, you will find them in practically every store you visit. Fads like gauchos, Ugg boots and plaid miniskirts often cause many people to spend unnecessarily simply because it is the current hottest fashion and everyone has to have them.
When the fad becomes passé, many will be kicking themselves, wondering what possessed them to buy 10 pairs of Uggs. Even if you are not easily taken in by fads, other factors may influence your choices.
There is always the sense of high-society that comes from buying from prestigious labels.
Popular fashion labels always promise glamour and prestige when you use their products. How do they achieve this? By using commercials and advertisements, of course. They are omni-present, popping up in every media space available. The aim is to influence or socialize consumers into recognizing specific brands as prestigious.
Sometimes a celebrity lends a hand to the label's reputation. If Brad Pitt wears it, of course it has to be ultra-cool, right?
The truth is, the brains behind labels see the concept of self-expression as a powerful marketing tool because we all like to think of ourselves as different. They have succeeded in persuading consumers that buying their product will help shape individual style, when all they really care about is how much revenue they can earn annually.
A true fashion individual, however, is someone who is not easily swayed by the latest fads and fashions. Instead, they trust their creativity and confidence in their own fashion tastes to bring out their "real self." This "trait," I feel, is like a recessive gene, dormant among the masses.
I strongly feel that by not buying all of your clothes at chain stores that so many other people shop at, you will always come out on top. How can you be an individual when everyone else looks the same?
Unlike a recessive gene, fashion expression has the potential to surface if one tries to stay away from what everyone else is wearing and doesn't buy into all of the current fads and trends.
Pesky salesperson repellent might help too.
