As Thanksgiving approaches, I am considering what I am thankful for. Faith, family and friends top my list (especially my new granddaughter, Sloan), but I also have to add fashion. Yes, that’s right. I love and am thankful for fashion. It has shaped my life.
I was fortunate to be exposed to the magical world of fashion at an early age. The definition of fashion is “a popular trend, especially in styles of dress and ornament or manners of behavior.” Fashion is so much more than just what we cover ourselves up with. Coco Chanel put it best: “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with how we live, what is happening.”
Many think fashion is superficial and without much value, but I think that is far from the truth. The clothing we wear is often our most powerful and obvious form of personal expression. Fashion allows you to express yourself on a daily basis just by wearing what you love. The way you dress tells the world your preferences, your personal style, even what kind of mood you are in.
Fashion is created through the dreams of countless individuals. Fashion boosts the economy and creates jobs for a huge number of people, from the designer who sketches the original concepts to the outfitter who manufactures the clothing to the salesperson who sells the garments.
Fashion is history. Fashion can not only tell you about what people wore during a certain time period, but can also give you insight into their lifestyles. Bell-bottoms, flowers, flowing dresses and peace signs were the uniform of the 70’s hippie culture. These clothing choices represented a break from the old strict dress codes and buttoned up society.
Fashion is art. The creation, display and wearing of fashion expresses creativity just as much as painting, writing and photography. Fashion is the one art form that makes life more beautiful by making people look and feel more beautiful.
Fashion is cyclical. If you hold on to an item long enough it will come back in style. A style will go from fashionable to so hopelessly last year to tragically dated to vintage and finally to timeless. If you invest in good quality clothing you can conceivably wear it for many decades.
And, finally, fashion is change. The ability to constantly renew itself is what makes fashion so intriguing. Fashion provides a transformative quality. The effect that an item of clothing can have on the way others see you and you see yourself is profound. Despite how much fashion deals with the surface, it is amazing how a new dress (or shoes) can make you feel as opposed to how you look. There is something about feeling your best that brings out a confidence in you that you did not realize you had. That is why I love fashion – for all its beauty, it has the power to transform us all. And that is something to give thanks for.
-by Nicki Smith
About the Author: Nicki Smith has been in the fashion industry for 36 years. She is the owner of and buyer for Pappagallo, located at 2020 Scottsville Road in Bowling Green (The Pines Shopping Center, next to Chico).