What Influences Fashion?

What makes you purchase your clothing? The music you listen to? Some of the activities you engage in? Or is it just general appeal of the clothing? Do we ourselves surrender to the stereotypes in order to seek approval?

What factors play a role in your style of dress?

For the most part, I would have to say the biggest influence on fashion would have to be the music industry. People feel that they need to dress in a certain way in order to fulfill some unwritten quota in order to be recognized as "one of them." This applies to everything. We submit in some ways. Individuality no longer exists.

To better summarize my stand on this matter, here is a quote that I feel embodies everything I am trying to say. It was featured on the short-lived animated series (which I feel is unfortunate) Batman Beyond.

"It establishes me as an individual. Just like all my friends."

- Some Random Schmuck.

He was speaking about a new technology that can alter your DNA, giving you cat eyes, leopard spots, etc. I hope you can grasp my point. 😉

~SG~

Me? Biggest influence is what I think is cute (I don't hold much in other opinions), and of course, how comfortable it is. I don't care how nice/sexy something looks, if it's not comfy to wear I won't wear it. Then again, I completely dislike the whole idea of giving up your individuality in order to fit in. For a short time I went along with the crowd and was totally miserable. Anyway, tangent there...so for me, how I think it looks and how comfy it is.

And I loved Batman Beyond.

Define your style of dress, SS

For the most part, blue jeans or dance pants (the comfiest article of clothing ever made), and either a t-shirt and my college hoodie or a turtleneck sweater. In the summer it's blue jeans or shorts and a tanktop. There's nothing special about my clothes because I don't really care about fashion. I don't dress to impress anyone. Hell, I stay in pajamas half the time. I really don't have a style, actually...I just throw on whatever I can find that's clean and matches. I feel I've got much more important things to worry about than whether or not I'm wearing the latest skirt or whatever. To be perfectly honest, a lot of the clothes that are "in" are downright ugly or distasteful. But that's just me. I'd rather be judged by who I am and my personality than my clothes.

(and you can call me Alana, most people do)

Nice to meet you, Alana. Call me Scott, most people do. Then again, I have so many nicknames I don't know what I should call myself anymore. Whatever tickles your fancy is fine with me. 😛

You have impressed me with your disregard to the modern fashion marketing brew-ha-ha. However, dispite your lack of wanton to be a slave to fashion, you still are. Your comfortable style is still a style none-the-less.

I have a similar train of thought when it comes to fashion. I have many t-shirt and jeans days (today being one of them. I am wearing a tight baby blue t-shirt [Gap] and tightER jeans [American Eagle]. They are still a little baggy, but that is a good thing.) They are nothing fancy at all, but I am still a "casual prep."

* I apologize for naming the brand names I am currently wearing. I try not to be a brand name whore, but for the most part, I cannot help it. American Eagle, Gap, Old Navy, and stores of the sort are the clothes that appeal to me. They are not over dressy, nor are they over laxed. They are a happy medium.

* Also, I apologize to Mr. Zero for plagarizing his disclaimer template. However, it is the best of ways to "save ones own ass."

Nice to meet you too, Scott.

I rarely ever buy brand-name stuff, I find paying for a name to be stupid.

And what I didn't mention (and guess I should have) is that I love to sew (costume making is one of my hobbies), and often times I take my clothes and add little touches to them (trim, beads, ribbons, etc.) to make them truly my own, and I've made quite a few of my articles of clothing. And when I said I don't have a style, I meant it more along the lines of I don't have any specific style. My clothes aren't preppy, or punk, or goth, or anything like that. They're just...well, clothes.

And I'm really not a big fan of all the commercials that are more or less saying "be an individual, but you have to wear this and fit in" 🙄 Peer pressure is far too rampant and it's something that I flat-out refuse to give in to. I like being who I am.

This is quickly turning into a debate that can be held in PM's.

Originally posted by Silver Stardust
Nice to meet you too, Scott.

I rarely ever buy brand-name stuff, I find paying for a name to be stupid.

And what I didn't mention (and guess I should have) is that I love to sew (costume making is one of my hobbies), and often times I take my clothes and add little touches to them (trim, beads, ribbons, etc.) to make them truly my own, and I've made quite a few of my articles of clothing. And when I said I don't have a style, I meant it more along the lines of I don't have any specific style.

And I'm really not a big fan of all the commercials that are more or less saying "be an individual, but you have to wear this and fit in" 🙄 Peer pressure is far too rampant and it's something that I flat-out refuse to give in to. I like being who I am.

A seemstress? clapping

Never lose your sense of individuality. It is hard to find somebody like that in a world of cattle. If I had a sense of creativity and the time to, I would love to make my own clothing.

However, adding accents to clothing does not necessarily segregate you from a conventional "motif."

Cattle in the sense that we are all, in one way or another, branded by major marketers and such.

Originally posted by Samurai Guy
This is quickly turning into a debate that can be held in PM's.

A seemstress? clapping

Never lose your sense of individuality. It is hard to find somebody like that in a world of cattle. If I had a sense of creativity and the time to, I would love to make my own clothing.

However, adding accents to clothing does not necessarily segregate you from a conventional "motif."

Cattle in the sense that we are all, in one way or another, branded by major marketers and such.

Thank you, I love sewing, it's a lot of fun. Too many people are losing who they are in their 'need' to fit in.

I know what you mean by saying that people are like cattle, and I know that somehow I'm still fitting some mold...but at least I don't totally give in and abandon who I am.

And as I must leave for class...*waves goodbye*

Enjoy higher education!

Price and comfort.

I don't buy my clothes, my mom and my gf buys them.

Your fashion sense is influenced by your society. Our society is a consumer society and therefore you are what you own ( like it or not, its how it is )

I buy clothes that I like (even though id like to think im original and outgoing in reality i am not) - which is everything apart from sleezy looking clothes or skirts so short that when a girl wears them you can see her tampon string. 👇

take it like this. I walk into a shop, pick a piece of clothing in a particularly nice colour, look if it's not v. expensive, try it on, if it fits, buy it

not going to elaborate on the mental and religious aspects of what i said. hate philosophy with passion

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
skirts so short that when a girl wears them you can see her tampon string. 👇

omg lil! 😆

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
skirts so short that when a girl wears them you can see her tampon string. 👇

A little more detail then was needed, but...

Originally posted by lil bitchiness
which is everything apart from sleezy looking clothes or skirts so short that when a girl wears them you can see her tampon string. 👇

Boo 👇 👇 👇 lol.

From what's in fashion at the current time, I choose the clothes I like according to what suits me and the colors 😊

the biggest thing that affects the way i dress, for the most part is the media (music, tv, magazine, etc). but the thing is, i've been wearing the same sh!t that i've been wearing since high school. i buy them now because i'm used to wearing them. now i buy more because i can afford them. but lately, i've been buying sh!t from target, like funny shirsts and underwear and sh!t. and now if i find it comfy, i buy it. and also, the thing about brand name sh!t is that they generally last longer compared to any nameless brand (not always the case though).

Reasonably priced, comfortable clothes that look like they'll last.

pwetty colours 😱

I choose stuff based on what I like, what I know works well with me, and veryrarely based on name 😮
But I must admit it, sometimes I do buy things based on name.

Like me and my mom shop at Tommy Hilfiger, but it's not solely the name, I just find that clothes that are brand name, and a little more expensive fit and wear better 😬

I'm not saying I own only brand names, but I do like them as much as anything else. And I'll tell you right now, I don't follow the crowd in ways of clothing, unless I like where it's going.

Very few people influence my fashion decisions, I choose what to wear.