Clothing captures a part of who we are

July 4 2011

I have always thought of fashion design as the reflection and interpretation of culture and society. Little did I know that I was missing a crucial part of what fashion is or rather how certain fashions came to be. Fashion in not simply a piece of sewn fabric that people purchase simply because they find it amusing but because it satisfies our human need; a human need that is as important than anything else. It is the need to express ourselves - to express what we think we are and what we want others to think.

The funny thing is despite how hard we express ourselves through our clothing we still cannot completely show our full identity with one outfit. After all, we play different kinds of roles in our everyday life and we cannot wear everything at once. Also, different people can have different interpretations of a single object. Therefore, we cannot exactly judge a person by what he or she wears. Because whatever outfit he or she may wear at the moment, it only captures one side of his or her's persona. I experienced this when i dressed up as a secretary. Everyone was quick to think that I was in corporate attire. They were right. But it was confusing to identify me as a secretary or a lawyer. Despite of these, clothing cues/clues can still make a difference. By knowing part of an individual's persona one gets to be a step closer in understanding that person.