About Kirsten Expertise I can answer most questions regarding the history of fashion and the industry, within the last eighty years. I have a special focus on the sixties, as well as the seventies. I can answer questions regarding fashion trends, icons, designers, and trends and clothing that was specific to a certain decade. I will research every question asked of me until I find an answer.
Experience I am a fashion enthusiast and aficionado, and have an impressive collection of Vogues, Harper's Bazaars, and Women's Wear Dailies spanning from the fifties to the present. My grandmother was a photographer's assistant for Harper's Bazaar in the fifties and sixties and later became a fashion model. I am particularly well-informed when it comes to vintage, bohemian-inspired clothing and know the best boutiques to find these clothes in New York, Dallas, and especially Los Angeles, as well as the best online stores. I have done extensive research in the field of fashion history, and have an abundance of resources, and consider myself a well-rounded expert when it comes to fashion and its history.
Question What are some of the motives behind the changes of fashion trends/fads/designs (etc..) throughout the history of western civilization?
Answer Hi Christy, sorry for the delayed response. I think that this is a very open-ended questions with many answers, I think it is also a question of opinion. I think the transition in trends has to do with the state of the country at the moment. For instance, the jogging craze in the 1970's gave birth to an entire trend of running shoes, tracksuits, and those little terrycloth exercise shorts. This is only one example of a very big trend throughout the history of fashion. Also, I think fashion is often used as a mechanism of not only self-expression, but of rebellion as well. For instance, the hippies. The long hair, the barefeet, the ty-dye and the ripped jeans were all unheard of fashion items coming out of the stiff, conservative fifties. The flapper style, and the punk movement in the early 80's and the grunge look in the 90's are also examples of this. So I think the main motive behind transitions in fashion style are responses to the state of the country, world, etc. and things that were popular artistically and culturally at that time. I also think that all fashion is recycled. Fashion is really just self-expression after all. Hope this helps!
