Dress, Appearance and Performance: Is There a Relationship?

Lorynn R. Divita, Assistant Professor

Judith Lusk, Professor

Department of Family

and Consumer Sciences

What is Dress?

Any body covering, attachment or treatment – our appearance

Dress is unique to humans

Both a social as well as a personal behavior

Dress is a cultural universalOther cultural universals – food, law, language

Dress Messages

Dress sends messages to every other sighted human being with whom we come into contact.

These messages cause others to form an idea about us and to hold certain expectations that can influence our relationship with them.

Why do we adorn ourselves

Why do we adorn ourselves?

We dress in order to copy the cultural ideal, and by doing so:

We enhance our sense of self-esteem

We increase our sense of belonging to the group

We become more confident

We improve our self concept

Apparel and the self

Self-concept: Beliefs, feelings and ideas and individual has about themselves. Conscious and unconsciousApparent Self: What we think others want us to bePhenomenal Self: True identityIdeal Self: The way we’d like to beClothing can be used to help the apparent self appeal to the group, and bridge a gap between the phenomenal self and the ideal self

Fashion and Group Dynamics

Fashion is always a group behavior because it means something has become aesthetically pleasing to most of the people in the society or culture

Huge changes in taste show a change in the way people feel in the world around them

Trivial

Transient

Extreme

Frivolous

Fashion change is never entirely arbitrary, but ugly things are sometimes in vogue.

—Laver, 1937; Simmel, 1904

Fashion as...Fashion as...Popular Culture

Behavior

We usually dress to cloak ourselves in the security of fitting in with a particular situation

When dress is appropriate for a situation, individuals tend to feel more confident and competent. The reverse is also true.

Communicative Variables

Three communicative functions of dress:

Communication

Roles

Status

Communication

The transmission by symbols of information and ideas.

Not a likely function of early dress.

For dress to be a language, a shared understanding must exist of its symbols.

Unfortunately, communication happens whether or not a shared understanding exists.

Communication - First Impressions and Stereotypes

First Impressions: Formed within the first few seconds

Includes judgments and assessments of the individual, including personality, social roles and status.

Stereotypes – Assumes that a group of traits automatically go along with one attribute.People have been found to cooperate with other individuals whose appearance is similar to their own.

Communication-First Impressions and Stereotypes

Does this look like someone who would establish trends in high fashion?

Do we expect a different clothing behavior?

Roles

Define the individual in society by describing the special tasks or functions he or she has in that society.Roles are learned.The more clearly defined a role is, the more specific the dress.Roles in the U.S. are becoming less defined, so dress is less specific.

Dress and Performance

Dress can help someone assume a role by helping performance and persuading others he or she belongs in the role.

What Is A Fashion?

A widely popular expression (in apparel, homes, art, music and so on).

How does fashion differ from style?

Style = an item’s characteristics: crew or “v” neck sweater; it may be in or out of fashion.

D-square fall 06

Style Interactions Apparel Cuisine Sports Architecture Interiors Automobiles Toys Avocations Pastimes

Spirit of the Times(Zeitgeist)

Fashion is a reflection of the times in which they are created and worn.

Nystrom’s Framework (1928)

Dominating events

Dominating ideals

Dominating social groups

Dominating attitude

Dominating technology

Spirit of the Times(Zeitgeist)

Fashion is a reflection of the times in which they are created and worn.

What Is A Trend?

A trend is the movement of fashion.Acceptance – consumers must buy and wear a style to make it a fashion

“There’s no fashion if nobody buys it”- Karl Lagerfeld

Timeliness – Change; what is in fashion one year (or season) will be out the next makes fashion exciting

Fashion Trends

“New”…because it has been missing or scarce in the marketplace

But also A logical evolution from a precursor Building on a successful trial balloon A response to social change An expression of cultural drift

Fashion Cycles

NUMBER OFADOPTERS

CASUAL

UNSTRUCTUREDSUITS

TUNICS OVERLEGGINGS

Multiple Trends as Part of Long Wave Change

Fashion Lifecycle Phases

Innovation – Fashion leaders pay high prices for new looks.

Rise – More people start to adopt looks

Acceleration– Many knockoffs; looks adopted by fashion followers.

General Acceptance – Look maximizes its sales potential, can find anywhere.

Decline – Sales diminish; retailers lower prices, replace the look for a newer trend.

Obsolescence – “Out”

Diffusion of Innovation(Rogers 1962)

LAGGARD

Time

Number ofAdopters

INNOVATOR

EARLYADOPTER

orOPINIONLEADER

orFASHION LEADER

MAJORITY

LATEADOPTER

Change Agents Fashion Followers

2.5%13.5%

Differences Within the Fashion Cycle

Classics – Never become completely obsolete, but remain accepted for an extended period

Fads – Short lived fashions, come and go, lack the character to hold consumer attention for very long

Cycles within cycles – Design elements (color, texture, silhouette) change as the style stays popular

Who Leads or Follows Fashion?

Fashion innovators – earliest communicators of a new style or look to other fashion consumers.

May or may not be influential in making other people like the style, but create awareness

Provide visual display and initial exposure of the style

These people feel more socially secure and are more interested in fashion than other people

Who Leads or Follows Fashion?Fashion Opinion Leaders – Legitimize a style for fashion followers.

Influence people in their social world

Stay within the social norms of their groups

May adopt slightly modified or toned-down versions of a style or a look after innovators have received attention from others

Diffusion of InnovationLAGGARDS

LATEMAJORITY

EARLYMAJORITY

EARLYADOPTER

INNOVATORS

S-CURVE Form

Who Leads or Follows Fashion?

Innovative communicators – People who are both innovators and opinion leaders

Appearance-conscious, spend a lot of money on clothes, know a lot about brands

Fashion followers – Look to others for behavior guidelines rather than follow their values system or marketers

High Fashion vs. Mass Fashion

High fashion looks are created by designers and exclusive stores.

Fashion leaders buy these looks during the introduction and growth stages.

The goods are expensive but exclusivity is what fashion leaders crave.

Mass fashion is made by manufacturers and retailers at many prices.

Fashion followers (most people interested in fashion) wear mass fashion.

Fashion laggards want good value;they buy late.

Fashion, Fads, Classics

NUMBER OFADOPTERS

TIME

FAD

CLASSICFASHION

Theories of Fashion Acceptance

These theories explain how fashions move from one socioeconomic level of society to another.

Trickle down. Fashions move from higher social levels to lower. How?

Trickle across (horizontal, diffusion). Fashion looks are similar at Saks and Target. Why?

Trickle up (upward flow). Fashions originate on the street and move up. When?

Transforming Basics into Fashion

Marketers change customers’ attitudes by transforming rational buying motives reasons into emotional ones.

They offer new features and benefits such as color and texture, styling, and details.

What Influences Fashion Changes?

Technology

Economic Conditions

Social Conditions

Celebrities

Hollywood

Globalization

The apparel supply chain has one purpose

To provide an appealing and desirable product To satisfy customer needs, wants, or aspirations

Business Begins and Ends with the Consumer

The Fashion Industry

Today fashion is an integral part of our economy and our culture.

It is hard to find a product that does not contain some element of fashion!

Retailers promote fashion through advertising, sales promotion, product presentation and direct selling.

Fashion drives sales but makes the retailer’s job more complex.

For some help with fashion issues

Consult WWW.fashion.about.com

There are videos on how to solve fashion issues in your life.