FASHION AND WE

At some time, people covered their bodies only with hides - in winter, to protect themselves from the cold and bad weather and in summer, from the heat. And, perhaps, in those days, too, there were ladies who walked around in animal hides that were very difficult to get while hunting. They became trend setters and introduced the concept of deficit. However, freeing themselves from hides, humans learned to demonstrate wonders of amazing ingenuity over many centuries not only in maintaining, but also in decorating their bodies with clothes in various climate zones of the planet. During various periods, the East and the West alternately became trend setters of fashion. However, there is no doubt that various elements and types of tailoring were borrowed both in ancient times and now. This is especially noticeable in large cities, where the desire for aesthetic transformation is much more pronounced than in rural areas.

They say that a city can be judged not only by its architectural appearance and the style of communication in the streets, shops and other places where public life takes place, but also by how its citizens dress. How do we, residents of the metropolis, dress today? What prevails in the clothes of various age groups and social categories of citizens? Today it is a pair of jeans. They are worn by a vast majority regardless of age and social activities. And 20 years ago, the situation was different. Jeans were the prerogative of the male wardrobe. Today, George Sand, who was the first to challenge society and dress in a man's suit, would be happy to see how blurred the boundaries between men and women are, including in self-expression through clothing.

Every time has its own standards of beauty. At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, thinness bordering on exhaustion came into fashion. It was believed that on such a body, clothes look more exquisite, even clothing in the style of pr?t-?-porter. Pr?t-?-porter (meaning "ready to wear" in French) is models of garments that are produced in large quantities and standard sizes. Clothing is sold in small shops - boutiques and in large department stores. These models can be created outside of fashion shops for mass production and in a more exclusive way based on models of leading couturiers.

In this case, there is a very interesting point in the approach to the choice of casual clothes, which is associated with the manifestation of individuality in each person, because each age group - from 16 to 80 - has its own place in society and, consequently, its own dress style. But before turning to analytical thinking in this regard, we should note the important points that are connected with our city. First, it is about the colour scheme. Even 20 years ago, the predominant colour was black. It was connected with the fact that this colour is the least easily soiled and the most practical: for travel on public transport and around the city. Today, bright and light colours have appeared in clothes (especially among teenagers), including the white colour, which creates a festive mood in itself. This feeling arises, apparently, from the fact that previously we preferred clothes of dark colours. Perhaps, in terms of practicality, such clothes were comfortable, but in visual terms, the picture looked gloomy. Today, when living standards and the availability of appliances for domestic use (washing machines and various detergents) are no longer a problem for the vast majority, there are more and more clothes of white and light colours. Such clothing is preferred by teenagers and people of the middle generation. As for representatives of the age group of "70 and above", most of them hold well-established stereotypes - "dark colours are not easily soiled and therefore, are practical". This applies to the colour as well. Now onto the style. The older generation, having learned a lesson of "survival" from the Soviet period, still adheres to old stereotypes. This applies not only to the colour but also the style of clothing: it does not attract attention and at the same time, is of higher quality. That is it will last more than one year. Here, the main thing is the approach to the choice of clothing that should be strong and last long. In such a situation, no one is thinking about trends in fashion. The category of those "over 60" is now much younger in spirit. Here in everyday clothes, we can see sport, romantic and classical trends. That is these are people whose fortieth anniversary is connected with the perestroika in Soviet society at one time - those who had to go their own path of perestroika related to attitudes towards themselves, transformation in society and in generally accepted views on what is "acceptable" or "unacceptable", "decent" or "indecent". This can be called a "psychological revolt" against all the previous taboos in life. And this is reflected in clothes, in particular, in the female half of the population. Women are less conservative and more active in the manifestation of their own ego. This group also includes those who are "over 50". Their revolt is expressed more clearly, so in the style of the clothes they prefer there are a lot of clothes borrowed from generation next.

The category of those "who are over 40" is a special age caste. They are children of the transitional period - they were able to switch very quickly to something that the time of democratic freedoms brought, and learn a simple truth: fashionable is what is practical, convenient and comfortable, does not require any time to look "decent", i.e. clothes "for all occasions". The time dictating such rules of the game taught them to take a rational approach to everything, including clothing. Pragmatism is their motto and yardstick of values. In the arena of social life, there are those who build their own system of actions and attitudes to life in terms of obtaining practically useful results. This, accordingly, affected the style of clothing - both men and women. The generation of those "who are over 30" proved to be more mobile in all respects - in the approach to social activities and to the method of self-expression through clothing. The circle of their ideas includes the concept of a dress code and a desire for aesthetic transformation. Representatives of this generation clearly set themselves a task: in what clothes they should go to work, cinema, restaurant, for a walk with friends, on a visit, to corporate parties and so on. And most importantly, they know exactly that the dress code is used to refer to the rules of clothing, which shows one's belonging to a particular occupational group. The dress code of a company is a continuation of its corporate culture and an important part of its brand. We can see a strict corporate dress code in Baku banks, restaurants and many shops. And it has become part of our lives so much that it seems quite logical and natural. But the most colourful and relaxed age group in the freedom of expression through clothes is teenagers and young people under 25. They successfully use a style that is dictated by youth fashion and offered by magazines in Russia, France and Germany. And we are almost the only CIS country that is able to apply the modern style in pr?t-?-porter clothes as it should be: with a taste and understanding of the modern style. The metropolis teaches the rules of this game. But does this game help not to hide, but show one's ego, finding what will underscore your individuality in large numbers of clothes advertised for everyday life?