Couture to high street a comparison
Historical, Social, Professional and Contemporary Contexts
Essay
In 1904 German sociologist and philosopher Georg Simmel put forward a theory that there was a “dualism” effect in fashion or as later coined by the press, a “trickle down” theory. What Simmel was suggesting was that lower status groups emulate the fashions of higher status groups and in turn higher status groups move onto new styles so as to differentiate themselves from lower groups (Jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk, 2014). In this essay I am going to discuss how this theory is thought out and observed in early Twentieth Century ladies fashions and how does the idea of trickle down still influence the development of fashion in today’s lifestyle orientated society.
For fashion to exist, “society must be stratified, some members must be perceived as inferior or superior - or simply as worthy or unworthy of being imitated. and as far as the "inferior one" imitates their direct "superior" and never vice versa, the conclusion is: "... fashion - i.e., the latest fashion [in social forms, apparel, aesthetic judgment, the whole style of human expression] - affects only the upper classes." (Simmel pp 135.) For example, if some upper class girls begin to wear a new dress designed by a prestigious couturier, soon, the desire for lower class girls to imitate them will force the market to supply low-priced copies. Thus, moving down from one level to another, in a short space of time this dress no longer distinguishes the upper class girls, since everyone is wearing the same or similar styles. So the girls from the upper classes will once again have to look for something else to distinguish themselves, which will once again be imitated, and so the cycle will go on.
As an example of this theory we can see portrayed in Fig 1, Hollywood actresses of the roaring twenties would have a particular style, known as a “flapper girl”, these girls were famous, rich and had a party life style which lower class
Essay
In 1904 German sociologist and philosopher Georg Simmel put forward a theory that there was a “dualism” effect in fashion or as later coined by the press, a “trickle down” theory. What Simmel was suggesting was that lower status groups emulate the fashions of higher status groups and in turn higher status groups move onto new styles so as to differentiate themselves from lower groups (Jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk, 2014). In this essay I am going to discuss how this theory is thought out and observed in early Twentieth Century ladies fashions and how does the idea of trickle down still influence the development of fashion in today’s lifestyle orientated society.
For fashion to exist, “society must be stratified, some members must be perceived as inferior or superior - or simply as worthy or unworthy of being imitated. and as far as the "inferior one" imitates their direct "superior" and never vice versa, the conclusion is: "... fashion - i.e., the latest fashion [in social forms, apparel, aesthetic judgment, the whole style of human expression] - affects only the upper classes." (Simmel pp 135.) For example, if some upper class girls begin to wear a new dress designed by a prestigious couturier, soon, the desire for lower class girls to imitate them will force the market to supply low-priced copies. Thus, moving down from one level to another, in a short space of time this dress no longer distinguishes the upper class girls, since everyone is wearing the same or similar styles. So the girls from the upper classes will once again have to look for something else to distinguish themselves, which will once again be imitated, and so the cycle will go on.
As an example of this theory we can see portrayed in Fig 1, Hollywood actresses of the roaring twenties would have a particular style, known as a “flapper girl”, these girls were famous, rich and had a party life style which lower class
References: Figure 1 Nina Petronzio. 2014, 20 in the 20’s … some things didn’t change. – Nina Petronzio, [online] Available at: http;//ninapetronzio.com/2012/11/20-in-the-20s/ [accessed: 5 Jan 2014]. Figure 2 Walterosborne.com. 2014. Where Are We Now?. [online] Available at: http://www.walterosborne.com/where-are-we-now/ [Accessed: 5 Jan 2014]. Figure 3 Realstylenetwork.com. 2014. Style Icon: Marilyn Monroe | Real Style Network – Fashion and Style. [online] Available at: http://www.realstylenetwork.com/blogs/fashion-and-style/2013/02/style-icon-marilyn-monroe/ [Accessed: 5 Jan 2014]. Figure 4 Pinterest. 2014. :: FIFTIES FAB :: [online] Available at: http://www.pinterest.com/mandysieben/fifties-fab/ [Accessed: 5 Jan 2014]. Figure 5 We want what she 's got. 2014. Marie Claire, Iss. 304 p. 95. Figure 6 Express.co.uk. 2013. Jenny Packham, Alexander McQueen, Topshop : Kate Middleton 's best outfits of 2013 | Style | Life & Style | Daily Express. [online] Available at: http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/style/451124/Jenny-Packham-Alexander-McQueen-Topshop-Kate-Middleton-s-best-outfits-of-2013 [Accessed: 5 Jan 2014].