Fashion and Society
Fashion refers to the new approaches of doing things in the society. Often fashion depicts in the way human beings dress, interact, forge mannerisms and develop a habit of doing a precise thing a certain way. Therefore, trend is fluid in the society and enables one to have an understanding of the gadgets that the given society reveres most. Fashion is an art and changes regularly based on the social transformations that are taking place in the neighborhood and the changing preferences of different humans within the society. This paper discusses the fashion designs of Tom Ford with unique analysis of how his works influence tradition and creativity, the use of color, textures and style communication and the way in which his fashion conforms to or changes the social norms that are existent in the society.
Tom Ford and Gucci
Tom Ford closely associates with the Gucci brand. The brand offers men’s wear, women’s wear and shoes. Tom has been the face of Gucci over the past two decades and has enabled the brand to be a household property in the society. Ford is also an organizer of the runway events that also enabled him to showcase the newest collection of the clothes and designs that have been produced within a given year (Polan and Roger 19). Additionally, Tom Ford is one of the revolutionary fashion designers who present their collection in various international fashion fair in many parts of the world.
Creativity and Originality in the Fashion Industry
The fashion industry rewards the creativity of the fashion designers through the creation of the new and original brands that are likened in the society. The fashion industry, particularly in the American and European continents have a culture of production of new lines and new collection annually in which the renowned fashion designers are invited to showcase the new products and brands that they have. Tom Ford, is one character who has served to take the culture to the next level. In 2016 for example, Tom Ford made a parade of the new fashion products three months before the main fashion event that was to take place in New York. While the decision could lead to many people getting used to the fashion and risk being voted least during the main event, the global fashion industry values original work and none is permitted to copy the fashion ideas of an individual and patent them. As such, Tom’s patent of the Gucci products and frequent change of the fashion products serves to enable the society to change their clothing style (Kennedy, Emily and Jay 71).
The Use of Color, Textures, and Style
The use of color, textures, and style communicates the social values that a designer tends to uphold in the society. Ford has a preference for the black color and production of fashion product that have a brown and smooth texture. The style that Ford prefers to present to the target audience is the presentation of new styles such as seamless skirts and the black suits that are semi casual. The use of color, texture and style mirror the social values that are held by the European audience. The Europeans love changes in styles often as it is viewed as the basis for social transformation in the society. The Europeans, the market in which the Gucci brand best ranks prefer a high texture with colors that don’t scream such as the black suits for men and the different shades of green for the women clothing lines that can be used for the formal occasions. Most of the Gucci fashions are aligned to the formal wear, which is preferred by a majority of adult Europeans. The Tom Ford brand, which is closely associated with him currently, does not segregate on a given style that is targeting a particular group of the society but has a taste for the celebrities (Senker 212). Tom is credited for clothing personalities in the leading international events and award ceremonies such as Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. As such, Tom values the uniqueness of the brands and having a given design being promoted by a renowned celebrity to improve the performance of a given brand within the target market. However, the nonverbal communication of the Tom Ford brand and cloth lines has specificity on gender roles. Tom dresses the males in suits and the women in dresses and heels. The male celebrities who are dressed by Tom Ford wear closed shoes with the women being clothed in the open shoes and heels. As such, there is an evident difference in the clothing style that Tom Ford prefers to the men and women dressed by him leading to the differences in the gender roles. Socially, the clothing brands for the celebrities are unique to the clothing line that is often made available to the public for access.
Fashion as Communication and Transformation
Fashion is a way of communication. Fashion is mainly evident through the type of clothing that one wears and communicates to the public nonverbally. The way one dresses primarily influence the perception that different people may have on him or her. Some clothes are reserved for the official functions, religious activities, social events, and leisure or casual activities. Wearing beautiful clothing such as fitting suits may make people tackle you seriously and wearing tattered clothes communicates that an individual is shabby. Wearing clothes with colors that do not blend depicts a lack of seriousness. The various functions of clothes, in particular through the type of clothing include decoration, concealment and protection, attraction, identification, status and identification and gender differentiation (Tungate 39). Additionally, the type of fashion that one may prefer has to relate to the function and social values within the environment in which he or she is set to operate.
Fashion: Challenging Social Norms
In the modern times, fashion serves to challenge the social norms that have been existent in the society. The traditional social norms have often advanced that the nature of clothing of men and women have to be different. However, taking the example of the modern yuppie fashion trends, there exists the unisex clothing that breaks the gender barriers that have been existent in the society for a considerable time. Furthermore, there are clothing brands that produce the uni-sex clothing such as the Calvin Klein clothing brands. Fashion has also served to mirror the transformation taking place in the society of the gender positions. For example, in the advert of “The Wait,” a female clad is a beige dress is depicted as resisting the advances of a man and concentrating on an activity in a mini tablet (Bartlett, Shaun and Agnès 44). Such events break the social norm that affirms the social norm of gender differences in clothing and the susceptibility of women to the advances that are being made by men. Therefore, fashion transforms the society.
Works Cited
Bartlett, Djurdja, Shaun Cole, and Agnès Rocamora. Fashion Media: Past and Present. , 2013. Internet resource.
Gibson, Pamela C. Fashion and Celebrity Culture. London: Berg, 2011. Print.
Kennedy, Alicia, Emily B. Stoehrer, and Jay Calderin. Fashion Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the History, Language & Practice of Fashion. , 2013. Print.
Polan, Brenda, and Roger Tredre. The Great Fashion Designers. Oxford: Berg Publishers, 2009. Print.
Senker, Cath. Fashion Designers. New York: PowerKids Press, 2012. Print.
Tungate, Mark. Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara. London: Kogan Page Ltd, 2012. Print.
