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本帖最后由 xiaoshayu 于 2010-3-7 07:10 编辑
PART 1 THEORY OF FASHION DESIGN
Lesson 1 What Is Fashion? 概述了流行的基本概念和特性。
Fashion，which is as old as time and as new as tomorrow，is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. It influences what we wear，the way we talk，the foods we eat，the way we live，how and where we travel，what we look at, and what we listen to．Fashion is what leads us to discard a product that is still useful but is no longer“in．”①It is also what makes us sometimes wear more clothes than we may actually need, and sometimes less than is needed to protect US from the cold or the sun．
The intensity with which changes in fashion are followed by people everywhere on all levels of society is evidence of its social significance and its impact on human behavior．②
To be“out of fashion”is indeed to be out of the world．
The Language of Fashion
Many definitions of fashion have been given by wise and witty or learned men and women．For example, to Oscar Wilde．“fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months．“And according to Ambrose Bierce． “fashion is a despot whom the wise ridicule…and obey．”Thoreau philosophized that“every generation laughs at the old fashions but follows religiously the new．”And Shakespeare wrote that“fashion wears out more apparel than the man．”(3)
Fashion Means Consumer Acceptance
Among the countless definitions Of fashion, the one from Webster’s latest unabridged dictionary (the Third International) comes very close to what professionals mean when they use the word：the prevailing or accepted style in dress or personal decoration established or adopted during a particular time or season．The most widely recognized fashion authority, the late Dr．Paul H．Nystrom, defined fashion in similar words as“nothing more or less than the prevailing style at any given time．”④Thus，a fashion is always based on a specific style．A style，however，does not become a fashion until it gains consumer acceptance，and it remains a fashion only as long as it is accepted．
For example，bow ties，tapered jeans，crinoline skirts，and chemise dresses are and will always be styles，but they can only be called fashions if and when they become prevailing styles．It is clearly possible，moreover，for a particular style to come in and go out of fashion repeatedly．Some examples of such ‘‘ins and outs” of fashion are peasant blouses， sheath dresses，padded shoulders， and circular skirts，to name but a few．
The element of social acceptance is the very essence of fashion．Acceptance，however，does not mean that a style is necessarily worn by everyone or even by a majority of the public．Acceptance can be and usually is limited to a particular group of people or to a particular location．For example，what New York men and women wear is often unacceptable in other parts of the United States that have markedly different climates or mores．Furthermore，what is popular among a particular age or occupational group may not be accepted by those of different ages or occupations．
Fashion Trend
Fashions are not static; there is always movement, and that movement has a direction, discernible to careful observers．The directions in which fashions are moving are called fashion trends．For example, skirt lengths may be moving up from the calf to the knee—perhaps almost imperceptibly from one season to the next, but generally in an upward direction．Short jackets，as another example，may gradually be gaining at the expense of hip—length styles． Men's ties may be getting wider or narrower；women's shoes may be getting clunkier or more elegantly slim；the athletic workout look may be getting more or less popular in other leisure-time clothes： and so on．The change from season to season may be slight，but they generally have a direction．The ability to recognize that direction or trend is vital to fashion practitioners．Since these people must work far ahead of consumers’ buying periods，much of their success depends on their ability to read the signs and recognize promptly the incoming and outgoing trends in fashion．The terms“prophetic,”avant garde，and forward fashions are often used to describe styles that are gaining in acceptance．
The Constant in Fashion Is Change
If there is one absolute constant pertaining to fashion, it is the fact that it is always changing-sometimes rapidly，sometimes slowly，but it is never static or dormant．(5)This element of change is recognized in the definitions of fashion itself cited earlier，by the use of such words as“prevailing”or“a given period of time．’’To ignore the element of change is like looking at a still photograph in place of a motion picture．The still tells you what is happening here and now；the motion picture shows you what came before and what may lie ahead．
Why Fashions Change
To understand the constant changes in fashion，it is imperative to understand that fashions are always in harmony with their era．As a famous designer expressed it，”Fashion is a social phenomenon which reflects the same continuing change that rides through any given age．”Changes in fashion, he emphasized，“correspond with the subtle and often hidden network of forces that operate on society．．．⑥In this sense，fashion is a symbol．”
Changes in Fashions Are Gradual
Although fashions change constantly and new ones appear almost every season，a full-scale changeover is never completed at any one time．In studying the pattern of change in fashions，scholars have observed that changes in fashion are evolutionary in nature，rather than revolutionary．
It is only in retrospect that fashion changes seem marked or sudden．Actually，they come about as a result of a series of gradual shifts from one season to the next．(7)For example，when women’s skirts began inching up from midcalf in the 1960s，this gradual shortening was not particularly noticeable at first．It was only when skirts moved thigh-high，in the form of minis and micro．minis，that people took notice of the approaching extreme．Similarly，when men begin to abandon ultranarrow ties and suit lapels in favor of more and more width，the changes are not noticed at first．Then，when wide ties and lapels begin to lose their appeal and progressively narrower styles make their appearance，people again mistake their belated recognition of these gradual shifts for a sudden change in fashion．
Even today，when the rate of fashion change has accelerated sharply，the pace of change is really slower than it appears to the unskilled observer who has failed to notice the early evolutionary movements in a new direction．
The Prediction of Fashion
Analyzing and predicting which styles will become the fashions for coming seasons has been called an occupational guessing game for the fashion industry，with millions of dollars at stake．⑧Fiber，textile，and leather producers must work from one to two years ahead of the consumers’ buying seasons；apparel and accessory designer／manufacturers must prepare their lines from nine months to a year ahead in order to show them to retail buyers three to six months in advance of the consumers’wearing season．Without accurate forecasts and projections of what looks，colors，fabrics，silhouettes，and design details are likely to be acceptable to customers，they would not be able to produce and sell the massive quantities of textiles and apparel that they do．
Such forecasts and predictions of fashion are neither guesswork nor a game, nor a matter of intuition．Rather，prediction is one of the most vital activities in the fashion industries．The successful forecaster recognizes that fashion is neither haphazard nor mysterious，but a tangible force whose progress can be charted，graphed，understood，explained，and projected．Basically，what fashion practitioners do is examine past experiences for clues as to what will happen today，and then analyze and evaluate today's activities for indications of what may happen tomorrow．
①流行是这样一种事物。是我们抛弃了还可以使用，但不再时髦的产品。
②世界各地不同阶层人士追随流行变化的紧迫程度，证明了流行的社会意义以及它对人类行为的影响。
③Thoreau从哲学的角度这样诠释：“每一代人都嘲笑旧的时尚，却照例去追求新时尚。”且莎士比亚这样写道：“流行比人磨损掉更多的衣服。”
④最为广泛被认-可的时尚权威—Paul H．Nystrom博士用类似的文字这样定义流行：“仅仅是特定时期的时髦样式。”
⑤如果存在着一种符合流行的绝对永恒，那就是流行是永远在变化着的这一事实，(这种变化)时快、时慢，但绝不会固定下来或呈休止状态。
⑥“流行是一种社会现象，它反映了任何特定年代同样都要经历的持续变化。”他强调说：“流行的变迁与那些作用于社会的影响力量所具有的微妙、而又常常是暗藏着的系统是一致的。”
⑦只有当追溯过去的时候，流行的变迁才显得特别引人注目或突然。实际上，这些变迁的发生是从一个季节到另一个季节的一系列逐渐变化的结果。
(8)分析和预测哪种款式将成为下个季节的流行曾被称为是冒着数百万美元风险、时装工业的职业竟猜游戏。 |
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发表于 2010-3-7 08:57:20
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