GenQ - For the not so straight individual

A lot of the time I get people moaning at me about how much I spend on clothes. Occasionally, they actually make me think, "Maybe this is stupid." However, whenever someone moans, it does get me thinking about the word fashion and what it means to people. I'm not talking about the actual definition concerned with changing trends and so on, but with the actual name of the industry. So what is it all about? Fine pieces of wearable art or just needless items that we buy to make ourselves feel good? It is easy to dismiss fashion as needless. When compared to life's necessities of food, water and shelter then perhaps it is needless. Clothes are something to cover the body in and any old rag can do that job. Lots of people get by day by day without thinking about what they put on too much, which is fine. However, what anyone puts on when they get up in the morning has been through several development stages. Before it was sold to them it was thought up, tailored for a specific group of customers, designed and made in a process akin to creating any work of art. First the concept has to be pondered, tailored to the needs of the patron and then created. A lot of thought and hard work goes into even the simplest of garments. Furthermore, clothing can serve a purpose as an extension of the wearer's personality and tastes. Some people might say that clothing's only function is to display the owner's wealth but some bits of clothing are inexpensive, really stand out or can be custom made to say something about the wearer. Their clothing choices also reveal something about their characters, whether they do up the top button or not or if they prefer one designer to all others. Fashion choices can tell us things about other people's way of thinking. You might be thinking, but what about "emos", "chavs", "indies" and more, they all dress to a similar code and can't all have the same views. Well thats another strong point of clothing; what somebody wears can help them feel as though they belong to a group or culture, which is something that I think a lot of people need at the moment. A sense of togetherness is given through similar clothing styles, even though all of the people who dress like that do not share exactly the same views. Go to any fashion show and what you will see is outfit after outfit gliding effortlessly down the catwalk, meticulously tailored and beautifully presented, the designer's imagination set loose. John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Hedi Slimane are all part of a wider group of designers who provide the eyes with a feast in the form of superb and innovative craftsmanship inspired by various exotic peoples and cultures, season after season. This is what an artist does with a piece of sculpture or a painting; they draw on many sources of inspiration to create something which they have visualised. A spectacle for people to look at and ponder. The catwalk is a designer's gallery. Moreover, designers use these opportunities to present to us themes that they are passionate about. Vivienne Westwood is a good example, her clothes can often be seen sporting such slogans as "I am not a terrorist please don't arrest me", which was in protest to anti terrorism measures imposed by the government. The work of a designer is meant to be looked at, which gives them the perfect opportunity to incorporate some of their own beliefs into their clothing, as an artist like Picasso would with a painting or sculpture. Therefore, we can see that in its true form fashion is a form of art. Perhaps it is the mass production of clothing that has allowed people to forget that fact and view it as an insignificant extra. Fashion says things about you, your clothes tell people about you. Designers channel their creative energies into creating masterpieces that become collectors dreams, just like ancient paintings. They can sell for thousands upon thousands. Changing Fashions can be used like changing styles of painting, to help future generations discover what was happening at the time of the item's creation. There we have it then, although fashion might seem insignificant it is as important as any other form of art work. It can provide us with an insight into society as well as the minds of those who create and wear it. Next time you buy an item of clothing, satisfy your intellectual side by thinking of it as an art investment!