The meanings in clothes and the interrelationship of culture and clothes
In Jeanette C. Lauer and Robert H. Lauer’s words, “Fashion has been called, among other things, a tyrant, a despot, a god, and a mystery” (1981: 1). A little exaggeration could be applied to the statement, but it certainly addressed the prominent role fashion has been playing in societies. As Marilyn J. Horn put it, “there is probably no sphere of human activity in which our values and lifestyles are reflected more vividly than they are in the clothes that we choose to wear”(1968: 1).
As for the interrelationship of clothing and culture, Horn indicated that clothing is like a cultural mirror from which we could understand a certain group or a culture, “yet it is one of the most visual expressions of the habits, thoughts, techniques, and conditions that characterize a society as a whole” (p. 29).
She further explained that people from a certain culture hold their choices and opinions chiefly based on their personal knowledge and beliefs, and their judgement would finally evoke their actions. In addition, Horn pointed out that “beliefs and values are not inherent, but are acquired in the process of living with others and sharing ideas. The dominant themes of a culture are reflected in those values which are most commonly shared”(p. 75). Apparently, the prevailing values and thoughts in a culture would have a significant effect on how people dress and how they perceive fashion trends.
However, Horn believed that the values relevant to dressing are not isolated, they are always aligned with other important things in peoples’ minds, whether those things are consciously or unconsciously rooted in peoples’ beliefs. Those things include “democracy, equality, beauty, practicality, economy, extravagance, tradition, maturity, progress, individuality, austerity……such are the values and beliefs that are motivating forces in clothing behavior” (p. 81). Other than that, other factors such as movies, television, magazines, and all types of mass communication mold public opinions on dressing styles as well (Horn, 1968). Besides, “urban settings, industrialization, and the development of mass transportation” (Cunningham & Lab, 1991: 10) changed the way clothes are being designed as well.
