Fashion Designers

Fashion can be worn in many different ways and in different styles, and that's how we get fashion designers. There are many famous fashion designers, including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Prada etc...

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These designers are very popular and are constantly advertised on television and in magazines about their products which include retail, perfume and cosmetics. It isn't exactly clear why people like to wear these clothes as they are very expensive, especially in retail. A handbag from Louis Vuitton can cost up to 2000 dollars, and many women are more than happy to buy them. It is mostly because in this day and age, designer products imply wealth, and it is human nature to want to show that off. It is seen as very glamorous to wear designer products, as they are the kind that are seen on runways and celebrities.

These designers come from all over the world, again showing off how fashion is international. For example Chanel and Louis Vuitton are French, Gucci and Dolce and Gabbana are Italian and yet people in America and Britain wear and sell these clothes on a regular basis.

Other popular brands from America are Hollister, American Eagle and Abercrombie and Fitch.

However there are a lot of people who can't afford to buy designer brands, especially those who are in difficult times with the economy. But they still want to look good or respectable, so they shop in shops such as Primark, H&M and Berseka and try to imitate designer styles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiiMBpp9GeU

-This video shows a clip from the television show 'Gok Wan's Fashion Fix.'

-The point of the show is to show women how to dress fashionably but at lower price.

-The clothes here are meant to be like designer clothes except they're not.

-This show is all about how you don't need designer clothes to look good. 

The pictures came from google images and if you click on the links beside them it will bring you right to the image. The same goes for my video from youtube. Thanks - KT 

Fashion Materials

Fashion has many different aspects, including the materials that are used in the clothes. Some materials are better than others, and therefore cost a lot more than others. Silk is a very desired material in clothes, but in some cases it can be seen as inhumane. Silk is taken from silk worms when they are still in their cocoon stage, and the worm must be destroyed in order to take the silk. Some people find this either repulsive or wrong, almost as much as wearing fur, and therefore don't wear it.

                                         http://bit.ly/s6hxz7   silk worms

http://bit.ly/sXzkCU silk worm life cycle

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-however despite the way that silk is made, it's still used very widely over the fashion world.
-silk is seen as elegant and graceful on women and this is why it's used so much
-silk is also very comfortable on the skin
-real silk is very expensive









Fur: Fur also has a lot of controversy around it. There have been many debates over it, but it is still used in many clothes because of the food chain. Fur isn't something that everyone appreciates or likes because of how it is taken. Fur is skinned from different animals and then sewn together to make clothes, mostly jackets.
Fur is taken from many different animals such as lions, tigers, zebras, bears ... but skin from animals is also taken, such as from snakes and as i mentioned earlier, silkworms.
However all this aside it is still used in many top designers and seen as very glamourous.

Jackets like this aren't uncommon in fashion. They are often worn in places such as New York, and are desired very much, hence how they are still being sold and fur is still allowed to be worn.

http://bit.ly/rQUsDN

Wool: Wool is very commonly used because it is so warm and it can make a lot of clothing, including jumpers, coats, leggings, trousers, t-shirts (etc). It is made from sheep. It is used in the Winter because its so cold, and the style that is in write now is wearing clothes made of thick wool.

This is an example of the wool fashion now. Especially in Winter, wool is used because it is a way of looking good but also staying warm. Wool can be knitted into different patterns as well, which makes it versitile and it sells to a bigger audience.

Plus it is usually quite cheap, and can be used in non-designer clothes as well.

http://bit.ly/sTm4TI

Cashmere: Cashmere is a very fine and thin material, but still made from an animal. It comes from goats, and it is strange to think that something that comes from a farm animal can be so well-known and used in designer trends. Real cashmere can be very expensive, but it is worth it for the nice feel of it on skin and the look of it.

-Cashmere looks a little like wool, but it is much more desired and looks more expensive. It sort of has a shiny look to it and its softer and more pleasant on the skin.

http://bit.ly/rRHk9R

Fashion Today

Fashion has drastically changed over and over again since the year 2000. It seems that these days everywhere we look there are fashion statements. Some people make fashion statements to stand out, others because its their personal style, and others do it to get reactions. The biggest examples of fashion statements are from celebrities. People like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga have had some of the most outrageous outfits the world has ever seen, and couldn't have even been imagined as little as twenty years ago. In our times, the more strange and unique your clothes are, the more you get noticed.

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Lady Gaga wore all of these outfits in one night, at the VMAs (Video Music Awards). That is what fashion is these days, its showing off your style and your opinion using your body and your clothes. To many it is as expressive as talking in a debate with politicians. Literally it is another way of getting your ideas across. Lady Gaga is a perfect example of this because she is always saying that beauty doesn't matter to her, but getting her thoughts and ideas across does.

Fashion spreads throughout the globe, but it means more to some countries than others, and in different countries there are different styles. Every country has a place where fashion is more widely respected, but the three main fashion capitals of the world are New York, USA, Paris, France and England, Britain.

• NEW YORK: New York is well known for its wacky lifestyle and crazy culture, and when it comes to fashion it is no different. New York prides itself in its individual fashion and art, and fashion week in New York is one of the most important events of the year. People come from all over the world to watch the show, which lasts a week in total.                                    

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- The fashion here is very extravagant and colourful, which has become the style. They also wear a lot of layers with clothes now.
- The fur aspect of fashion is also something that is very New York. The fur line is a huge aspect of fashion week in New York and many designers will work with fur, as there is such a great demand for it.

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-The fur line is mostly used in jacket wear and coats. It varies from huge jackets, waistcoats, coats, scarves, gloves, hats, shawls, etc..










PARIS:  The fashion week in Paris may not be as popular as the one in New York, but it is still very unique and spectacular in its own way. 

-The fashion here is very extravagant and out there.
-Paris is well known for its stripes, especially on clothes.
-New York is quite similar to Paris in terms of fashion but in
Paris it is more outrageous in the sense that they show off their bodies more, mostly by making the material they wear thinner and often see-through.
-They also use a lot of clothes that are very flowy.

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-BRITAIN: 
British fashion is very different to American or French fashion. It is a lot more covered up and concealing, with the use of layers, high collars and thick materials (wool). The models they have are also very bland with not much make-up and more often than not there hair will be scraped back off their face.

-British fashion is all about concealing the body, but still looking elegant and beautiful. As you can see in the picture of a model from British Fashion Week, she is wearing a bright dress with a high twisted collar, that covers up the chest and neck, but is still seen as a gorgeous and unique dress because of the big bow coming from the side.

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JAPAN: Although all the different countries have different styles, they are more similar to each other when compared to Japan. Japan has a very distinct and wacky style of clothing, that usually comes in bright neon colours.

As you can see in the picture here from Japan's Fashion Week, there are lots of loud colours in this outfit, along with lots of bright patterns in various shapes and sizes. The headscarf the model is wearing is also adding to the extravagance of the outfit, and this photo definitely shows what Japanese fashion is all about.
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So as you can see, all over the world there are different fashion styles and icons. Fashion is constantly changing, and will continue to change over the years as it is such a big part of our world now.
In my next blog I will be talking about the different types of material that are used in fashion and which ones are more desirable than others.