thoughts about aesthetics and personality
What personal relevance does the aethetic of our clothes have in a time of textile abundance and omnipresent fashion and looks in the media?
We are flooded with pictures in social networks, get plenty of inspiration wherever we turn and are confronted with an apparently endless amount of cheap and fast changing fashion supply.
What makes us choose the clothes we wear?
Of course there are physiological reasons to start with, first of all, protection - one of mankind’s fundamental needs.
We need clothing to stay warm and being protected from environmental conditions.
As we lost our‚fur’ through evolution, the clothes we wear became our second skin, our chosen skin.
Sensations on our skin and body partly decide what feels right for us – the textures, structures and silhouettes. The surface of a fabric might feel warm, cool, fluffy, cozy or raspy.
Our choice of clothing is therefore never a random or private decision. Every day, we choose what covers our bodies and what ultimately creates an impact on others.
Developing our own aesthetics, we combine colors, fabrics and silhouettes, we decide on tight or loose, firm or soft.
And conscious or not, we ponder social relevance and acceptance.
Fashion provides us with a visual language through a series of signs and codes that we use to communicate social status, identity, aspirations and the way we feel about one another.
Clothes provide a ‚carrier’ service, helping to bond the relationship between ourselves and others and society as a whole.
Fashion at its creative best is one of the most powerful and direct expressions of personal aspirations, individuality and belonging.
Our claim for conformation or individuality creates the mark we leave on other people. It might be refusal of establishment, a wish for standing out and attracting attention, showing status through branding, overdressing to oppose informality or dressing apparently meaningless to fit into the masses.
Not every one of us has the desire to create a direct impression with our choice of clothing, but at least every one makes a decision every morning – driven by inner and outer criteria.
The social impact of our clothing always deals with current beauty ideals of our time, and they are constantly changing. Although diversity of beauty has never been more versatile than today, the abundance of pictures we see every day has a massive impact on us and applies more or less subtle pressure to keep up with the given standards.
What we define as beautiful for ourselves is a melting pot of personal experience, desires and inner attitude.
A chosen outfit can make us feel strong, elegant, seductive or otherwise tired, weak and unattractive, depending on our daily mood and challenges.
Being at peace with ourselves, we accentuate through clothing our personality, mood and identity. It’s an interpretation of our values, cultural affiliation and desired place in society.
People create their own uniform choosing special pieces of clothing, varying in style, quality or demands of sustainability. The particular history behind special garments can add a lot of personal value and change our feelings by wearing it.
A conscious selection in our wardrobe, some loved pieces independent of fast changing trends, creates a unique look that shows our personality and in the end makes us glowing with happiness and confidence.