Hair, make-up, shirts, pants, belts, socks, watches, bracelets, faded haircuts, natural locks, glasses, scarves, great skin, not so great skin, and so on, are some of the many things that make up what we call “fashion.” When you think about it: what really is fashion? Merriam Webster defines fashion as “the make or form of something, a distinctive and peculiar often habitual way of doing something,” or the most common definition being, “a prevailing custom or usage of style as in dress.”
This week, as in previous issues of the newspaper this year, a fashion column which appears next to 20 questions titled, “Fashion: Big is in!” When the story was assigned for writer Katriska Cotton, the intent was just to be a question and answer on the latest fashion trends given by two trendy students on PV’s campus, Veronica Smith and Brandi Greer. Although the original story was a Q&A, as the story was turned around into paragraph format, what looked like a simple story began to mean something much deeper.
Garments can be defined as the second skin of one’s being. People are not first looked at for what they truly are inside their clothing, but by what they are wearing. “Fashion: Big is in!” explains that fashion is all in what you make it out to be. While this may be true, how about if someone does not know how to make fashion his or hers? Where are they to learn these golden rules? What defines fashion in everyone as individuals?
This story portrayed true passion in what is mentioned about fashion of the exterior, but what about fashion of the interior? There are many male and female students walking around campus wearing the best of the best, but holding their heads down. Why is this? Don’t those Chanel glasses, Gucci purses, Kangol hats, and Seven jeans make you feel like you are looking your best? Maybe so, but on the other hand there are students around campus wearing plain jeans, shirts, and shoes, who are happily going about their day. What can explain such phenomena?
Discussions about fashion, what is in, what is out, and what are this season’s latest trends can be talked about all day. While the article does provide valuable information on how to look great, the bottom line is: what is underneath the garments that is going to shine out to the exterior? Trends can be worn, but confidence will never be worn out. The top fashion of every season is having the strength of confidence on the inside of your personal self to make any outfit that is worn look its best.