Fashion Rules

So the Academy Awards just went by and, like usual, there was a lot of comments about the fashions of the stars. What I found funny was that today on the radio the DJ talked about some fashion critic's "rules for people over the age of 40". According to him, if you are over 40 you should not be wearing horizontal stripes, double-breasted blazers, capris, and a couple of other items I forget now.

Well, here is my response. If you are anything except average or skinny, don't wear horizontal stripes. Unless you are dressing formally, don't wear a double-breasted blazer. Capris are for warm weather so that is the only time you should be wearing them. Personally, I think they look better on most people than shorts do unless the cuffs of the capris are too tight and cutting into the legs.

Fashion is, for all extents and purposes, for people who are in good shape. It doesn't matter how old you are.  Larger sized people and super skinny people require different designs for their clothes to look good. This is simply a fact that is ignored by a lot of designers. They design for the average sized model which are representative of people in good shape.

If you look back through history, you can see how society's views on how good a person looks changed. For a time plus sized models were "the norm" then super skinny models became "the norm" and now models are healthier and more of an average size. All models are considered examples of beautiful people but their body shapes have always determined what fashions could be worn..

Fashion, like art, is subjective. We listen to a group of experts telling us that this is fashionable and this is not fashionable or is outdated fashion. We develop our sense of style based on what the experts tell us. Which, in one way, is good because we learn what is considered fashionable by society's current rules. But the rules change.

Classic fashion, as it is called today, was at one time considered cutting edge. It was daring, clothes followed the body rather than hiding it, but it was also widely accepted so that eventually it became more than a trend and instead became a style. In effect, it became respectable fashion.

I find that age gives a quality of it's own to fashion. A young person will view fashion much differently from a person who is considered mature. Younger people are more willing to try the more outrageous fashions, the cutting edge fashions that might be fads or might end up staying as a fashion style. And, as a society, we accept and even encourage that attitude. Older people have seen more fashion disasters come and go so they are usually more reluctant to try unconventional fashion statements.

But not always.

Yet our society discourages experimentation by older people. As that critic said, people over 40 are not supposed to wear fashion better suited for the younger generations. Fashion critics are harder on people wearing age-inappropriate fashion. Certain styles are considered fashionable for certain age groups.

I've looked at the various celebrities in their fashions and read the comments by the fashion critics. A lot of celebrities look younger than they are (well some look older too) and they look fine in fashions considered suitable for the younger generations. Some do end up wearing outfits that make them look older but part of that is also hair and makeup choices.  It is always interesting to see if the critics pick up on the total picture or concentrate on just the outfit.

I have my own sense of style and sometimes I agree with the critics but other times I don't. When I don't I try to figure out why. Is it just that I don't like a particular fashion trend? Or is there some other reason?

One feature of MSN's website is the weekly Hit and Diss fashion watch. I don't always check it out but about once a month or so I do. And I noticed that when the woman is wearing something that shows off her bust, it has to be a major fashion flaw for the outfit to get a diss.  There might be a slight criticism uttered for some minor flaw but the outfit can still be given a hit rating. Too much cleavage is another turn off in most cases although a few outfits can get a hit with a lot of cleavage being shown.

So, fashion critics are human after all and are not immune to sex appeal. But that doesn't mean their approval overrides my sense of fashion. Same for any "expert" in any field, I will consider your viewpoint under my rules and standards and if I disagree with you, then all it means is that I don't agree with you. I have the right to my viewpoint and I will at least do more research to find out what I can on the subject before deciding if one of us is right or wrong. But fashion, like I said before, is subjective and it all comes down to personal opinions.

Which is one reason why I don't follow fashion trends. I find what I feel looks good on me and buy that. Or, when necessary, buy the closest I can find because nothing for sale looks good on my body shape. Some days I think I should take up sewing again.  But that just leads into choosing fabric, which is it's own subject for discussion.

I guess the point I was trying to make is that while there should be certain fashion rules in effect (like for horizontal stripes and those awful bandage dresses which should be banned), no rules should be applied based on age. I understand why people try to make these rules though. Because some people just don't have any fashion sense. But that can be applied to people at any age.