Being on the fashion beat can be an experience in being patronized. Evidently having a knowledge of (and, heaven-forbid, an interest in) fashion isn't exactly considered intellectual or impressive. And I'll admit, sometimes cracking open the cover of Vogue to search for the "hottest bags of the season" can seem pointless and trivial. But underneath all of the materialism and sickly thin models, there lies a powerful force.

From the suit-wearing doctor or lawyer to the unconventional-ists: fashion influences all of them. Whatever you are decking yourselves out in is -- in one way or another -- a descendant of some runway ancestor. Yes, even that "anti-style/ indie-band loving/ wear it everyday" hoodie.

Fashion is fundamental. Even though it may seem a vain waste of time to many, fashion has had just as important an influence on our culture and history as music or literature -- perhaps more. Fashion is simply a different sort of art form. It can be politically or socially driven, or simply a form of creating beauty. Fashion is art or a statement you can wear and can cause as much of an impression as any other form of personal expression.

For example, look at The Clash. Members of The Clash were huge trendsetters and their sense of style was completely original, but the design of the elements of their wardrobe came from high-fashion houses.

The Clash

People have been following fashion, occasionally unbeknownst to them, for centuries. From the obsessive costume mimicking in the French courts at Versailles to the mod/hippie/rock revolts against standard fashions in the '60s, everyone is a slave to some kind of fashion, even if that means anti-fashion.

Luckily, fashion is anything but boring. It is hard categorize or define, and it is always evolving. Haute couture fashion is actually one of the most abstract and interesting forms of art there is in my opinion, and some of the most talented minds are the ones sewing that last touch on a gown.

Fashion is so interesting and alluring that it has led to the idea of the "art of fashion." Music, paintings, movies, and photographs have all been influenced by the creativity of high-fashion.

Fashion and art collide

Each one of us individually is a part of fashion. Even the simplest sweater in your closet was a product of a designer's imagination and was created to be paraded down a runway, flaunted by a celeb or advertised on the pages of a magazine. The designer's vision eventually made it down to manufacturers that created the same exact look you are wearing today and distributed it to the masses.

So say what you will about fashion. Bash it, patronize it, look down your nose at it, because in the end, you're the one wearing it.

-- Johnie and Mairys