Ethnic Influences on Apparel Design

Fashion designers have been influenced by the style of dress in other cultures. I have been taking a Culture, Human Behavior, and Clothing course and have studied different types of dress in certain cultures and countries. I learned that not only have other countries adopted Western style of dress, but the United States has found inspiration from styles of dress from around the world. Common examples of this are the Kimono style dress, headwraps, and jewelry.

A pair of shoes that have become popular that have noticeable ethnic influence are the gladiator sandals. They are similar to the sandals worn by people in ancient Rome. Who knew that shoes made for tough men would become a fashionable item for women to wear?

Countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa all have influenced clothing styles today. Patterns and colors from each of these places are shown in what we wear. Fashion in the United States is becoming more and more diverse. Having ethnic influence can increase this diversity. Being able to combine different cultures into one outfit creates a look that identifies to the average American these days. We come from a variety of backgrounds and this can be portrayed through fashion.

Main Trends of the New York Fashion Week

picture from www.style.com

picture from www.style.com

New York fashion week displayed a wide variety of styles for the upcoming spring 2009. There was everything from classic and simple to pieces that were more daring. After watching a lot of the shows I saw that no matter what your style is there is something for everyone to wear. A few of my favorite shows were Marc Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta. These are two of the shows I was able to watch over and over again.

I was in awe while looking at the new Marc Jacobs collection. Personally, I could not see myself wearing most of the looks, but the clothing seemed magical. Marc has created a collection that can be mixed and matched in several different ways. He uses bold and shiny colors. I like how he mixes patterns, but the clothing still looks wearable. Nicole Phelp's wrote a review of Marc Jacob's on www.style.com. In her review she stated this about his collection, "Mary Poppins goes to Dubai. The King and I meets The Postman Always Rings Twice. Yves Saint Laurent's Ballets Russes collection redux." She also said Marc Jacob's has a "melting-pot mentality." I agree with what she has written. Marc Jacob's has created a collection of beauty and uniqueness.

Once again, while watching the Oscar de la Renta show I could not take my eyes off my computer screen. Each piece was so different from the next. His theme was a mix between classic and modern. He had a mixture of bright colors and soft colors. The simple style and color of his collection was a contrast to Marc Jacobs' collection.

The trends for the Spring seem to be all over the place. It seems that a person can go in whichever direction they want. There was a lot of bold, flowery patterns, but also I saw a lot of nude pieces. Hats seem to be popular for the spring. All in all New York Fashion week was full of diversity. What is shown is more than something to wear, it is art.

Organic and Environmentally Friendly Clothing

At first I did not know much about organic and environmentally friendly clothing yet to be able to form an opinion about it. All I knew was that it is becoming a very popular topic in today's society. From looking around the internet is seems that organic cotton clothing is becoming available in more stores. Since cotton is the most popular fabric used in clothing it is important that is becoming more environmentally friendly to produce.

Making organic and environmentally friendly clothes is an ongoing process that continues to grow everyday. I think that if it is possible to make fashionable clothes that are environmentally friendly, then there is no reason not to do it. The fashion industry is a major industry and if it can become eco-friendly then more and more industries would follow. Consumers are in charge of what they buy and if more people buy organic clothing then the more it will be produced. More research will then be done to expand the ways of producing such clothing.

I am far from an environmentalist and have never really kept up to date with issues involving the environment. I still believe that organic clothing would greatly impact the Earth in a positive way. I put up a video about Eco-friendly fashion!

My favorite designer!

Throughout my life I have always liked a wide variety of fashion designers. It is hard for me to pick one specific one that would be my favorite, because they all have their unique taste. I have always loved Ralph Lauren's simple yet sophisticated look. Also, the dresses from BCBG Max Azria have always been fun for me to look at and when I have the money comfortable for me to wear! Most designers such as Michael Kors, Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, and BCBG Max Azria have been able to provide fashionable, but completely wearable clothing, bags, and accessories.

Comfort has always been important to me, so I love any designer that can create womens wear that I can have on throughout the day without feeling to much discomfort, but is still stylish. Also, I love designers who create collections that are easy to mix and match. If I had to pick a particular designer who provided collections that were almost perfect to what I desire in an outfit then I would pick Lilly Pulitzer. I love the story about how Lilly started designing clothes. She had a juice stand and would always make a mess. She decided to make a dress that would be able to hide the stains, so she created a sleeveless, bright colored dress. Many customers loved her dress and asked where she got it. From then on Lilly focused on designing and selling dresses.


Lilly Pulitzer's collections are always full of bright colorful patterns! I love the positive image her clothes give. Her dresses have always been a favorite of mine, because they are modest, but fun! The fit of the dresses are perfect. Even though you are dressed up, you still feel comfortable. Besides dresses, Lilly has skirts, shorts, shirts, and sweaters, and other similar items. I love the preppy look in her collections! Everything from her dresses to shorts have cute and bright patterns. So Lilly Pulitzer would have to be my favorite designer as of now even though many fashion designers provide clothing that has high quality and comfort!

http://www.lillypulitzer.com/