I’ve never really touched the subject of fashion itself on the blog: what it is to me, why it’s important. It’s a bit overwhelming with access to hundreds of brands and products, and purchasing power can sometimes lead to a sense of guilt. People who make a career out of fashion or have a love for it can be seen as superficial or frivolous, yet the industry is thriving. Fashion itself provides a social context, and I think it’s important to remember that it’s okay to have nice things, to enjoy fashion, and to understand that there’s and a deeper root behind all of this fashion business.

Mark Twain said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” This is true. Culturally, we must get dressed, and our image is the first thing that people see. However, this is the last step in a long chain of manufacturing, trade agreements, and multi-billion dollar business. It’s an important part of our economy and allows us to assert ourselves as individuals. The Industrial Revolution made mass production possible. I’m not sure how clothing got the superficial label in a world of cars, computers, and gourmet food.

I don’t want to ramble on forever and I think this excerpt from the History of American Fashion sums it up quite nicely:

Whether Americans have dressed to make a political statement, to assert their class status, or simply to be irreverent, every style has carried a certain social meaning. This is in part because our culture has long ascribed great significance to individuals’ public image, and because image has long been intertwined with the American capitalist economy.

Now enjoy these quotes from fashion favorites below, and allow yourself to be proud of your closet.

“You’re considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion… but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity.” – Sofia Coppola

“We need houses as we need clothes, architecture stimulates fashion. It’s like hunger and thirst — you need them both.” – Karl Lagerfeld

“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman.” – Coco Chanel

“I am a fashion person, and fashion is not only about clothes — it’s about all kinds of change”  – Karl Lagerfeld

“Fashion is only the attempt to realize art in living forms and social intercouse.”  – Sir Francis Bacon

“Clothes are like a good meal, a good movie, great pieces of music.” — Michael Kors

“Don’t be into trends. Don’t make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live.”  – Gianni Versace

“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.”  – Miuccia Prada

Last but not least, Marc Jacobs answer to, ‘Why does fashion matter?’:

“It’s part of the art of living. Why does makeup matter? Why does fragrance matter? Why does fashion matter? Why does it matter to have beautiful furniture and nice interiors and books to read and good wine to drink and good food to eat?

These are all luxuries and it’s human nature to want them, to desire them, to enjoy them, enjoy looking at them, wearing them. I think it’s just human nature. We want things to please us and make us feel good and maybe attract other people to us or just make us feel good about ourselves.”