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Style vs. Fashion

Style vs. Fashion

Posted by Rose on 1st Jun 2016

This ethical clothing maker examines the difference between the two terms that are often used interchangeably

There's been a lot of ink spilled debating the differences between the the terms style and fashion. Here’s my attempt at a working definition.

Although I am sometimes wowed by the technical brilliance, lavish fabrics, and sewing skills evident in runway-oriented high fashion, like you, I wonder who can (or would) actually wear this stuff apart from from the tall, rail-thin models who stride the fashion show catwalks.

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As someone focused on making clothes for mature women with their real-world figures, my aim is to achieve natural grace while incorporating classical shapes and silhouettes that have withstood the test of time.

Comfortable clothing cut for mature women's bodies

The looks we see in fashion shows ultimately trickle down into the consumer market. These knockoffs are toned down and cut with more  average anatomies in mind. And of course, the fabrics, accessories and appointments of the fast-fashion copies lack the luxe imprint.

But more importantly, whether we’re talking fast fashion or the work of haute couturiers, often missing is a sense of personal comfort and preferences. I’m talking about apparel that's built on unfussy lines that don't overwhelm the wearer with the designer's sense of aesthetics—clothes that allow the wearer's personal style to shine through.

Coco Chanel, when asked for her definition of a fashionable woman, famously observed "She dresses well but not remarkably.… She disobeys fashion. But she is not eccentric. I hate eccentricity.” I think that says it beautifully.

Ethical clothing for expressing your personal style

In mulling over the difference between style and fashion, I've come to feel that style is largely personal and interior; the clothes we wear say something about our own aesthetics and personal convictions. Fashion derived from runway shows on the other hand is impersonal and exterior. It's an imposed sense of style instead of something that springs from within. It's also the engine that fuels fast-fashion knockoffs and the recklessly unsustainable cycles of that business model in which trendy new looks evaporate within weeks to be replaced with yet more instantly disposable designs.

What do you think? Do you have your own definitions and distinctions between style and fashion? Email me or stop by Sympatico's Facebook page.

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