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Fashion voice puts us on clothes-buying treadmill

By Helma Voth

It does it in the fall. But it does it in the spring, summer and even the winter too. That invisible, anonymous “fashion voice” tells us what we should wear.

As Alison Lurie points out in The Language of Clothes, the suggestion is that if we buy and wear certain clothes, we will seem “genteel, rich, sophisticated, and attractive to the other sex.”

And what do we do when we hear that voice?

Folks who have already found some perfectly comfortable styles that flatter their figures groan in protest. “Throw those away now? Why? Use up money that could be spent on travel, entertainment, or whatever, just to buy new “in” clothes?”

Some manufacturers rub their hands with glee. “No, we won’t make quality clothes!” is their unspoken thought. “If we do, people will keep wearing them. We have to have a foolproof way to make them buy more and more, every season! Isn’t it great here in Canada, what with four distinct seasons? They have to buy new outfits, four times a year!”

Waste watchers scream out in agony! They deplore the throwaway, consumer-oriented society. This is almost like “disposable clothes.” Waste management personnel foresee new difficulties: how to deal with materials that do not decompose easily.

Some older folks sit back and wonder when the fashion industry will feature models and clothes that actually honour the bodies and shapes of seniors. Seniors search for shoes that respect their feet, they curse the buttons and button-holes that do battle with their arthritic joints, and they worry that their knobby knees and prominent varicose veins will insult the designer’s intentions.

Other alert consumers, after seeing the list of what is now in style, cringe. They dread the thought of having to choose yet another outfit. They mutter; “Egad, I have to reshape my body to fit the styles and change my complexion to accommodate those “in” colours. I want to look healthy, alive!”

Many speak behind closed doors, alone, “Those dresses look gorgeous, but, try as I might, I can’t seem to fit my body into them. What is wrong? Maybe I have to spend money to fix this crumbling infrastructure. Hmm, a belt could help. A girdle perhaps. How about the plastic surgeon? Erase the wrinkles. Dye the hair. And soon I’ll be who I am not!”

Only minutes after the New Arrival signs are placed in clothing stores (well before the specified season actually begins), the “I’ve-got-to-be-first” crowds sprint to the stores, plastic card in hand, ready to revel in the new looks! Last year’s possessions are tossed to the back of the closet, or given to the nearest charity.

Never mind our age. We want to look sexually attractive, we want clothes that enhance our figures, and we listen attentively to the “oh, you look gorgeous” as we eye ourselves in the mirror. Now when it comes to shoes, there will be jubilation in the professions dealing with foot care! Guaranteed! There will be bunions, corns, twisted ankles, and more.

Players in the fashion business keep a wary eye on the “political agenda” of encouraging tolerance and understanding, particularly that dangerous idea of diversity. They have to use their skills of persuasion to make us realize that what we presently wear and love is no longer okay. And before we know it, we want what they say we should want!

Ah yes, there are also the “fringe people” – people who don’t care what the “fashion voice” says. There are religious groups that design their own distinctive clothing. Ethnic minorities continue to proudly wear their distinctive garments. School or work uniforms sometimes relieve people of having to make tough clothing decisions. Artistic people, known to create their own look, are unswayed by the fads.

Some of us nostalgically yearn for the return of soft cotton clothes, quality silk, seams that last longer than a few weeks, buttons that are sewn on securely, and the permanent removal of irritating, scratchy labels.

We ask, “Why is so much junk created?” We know the answer. We are not supposed to hang onto treasured clothes for too long – we are supposed to buy, buy, buy, and discard the old, as soon as possible. Is it not fascinating that we are so influenced by the “What’s in, What’s Out” list while we still also insist that we are all unique individuals? We stress that diversity should be tolerated and appreciated, and yet in fashion we are seized by the herd mentality!

We know that we have to wear what the “group” wears, to feel like we belong. But yet we want to be that unique individual! No doubt we have seen, or experienced, the horror of proudly walking into some public function, wearing a unique, special outfit, only to come face-to-face with another person wearing the identical outfit!

A phenomenal amount of money, thought, feelings and time are invested in clothing. “What should I wear?” Sounds familiar? A asks B, B asks C, etc. Who finally decides what is “right”? “I don’t have any clothes to wear (for some function)!” You’ve heard that too! We do have clothes to wear, but the dilemma is that we are unsure and worried whether someone will consider our attire “inappropriate.”

Oh, what tension fills our daily lives as we face the task of putting on clothes! Is there any other area in our life that dominates so much of our thought time? Is there any other area where we have so many masters, with designers, retailers, and magazine writers all telling us what to wear?

Sometimes it feels like Mother is hovering over us, telling us exactly what to wear, making us feel like little children who just “don’t know”! This invisible fashion voice can make us question our own wisdom. Dare we suggest that this “invisible, authoritarian voice” direct some respect, interest, and action towards our aching bones, our tender feet, our sagging breasts, etc., and design comfortable, quality clothing?

Yes, fashion designers should take a course that clearly describes the shape of the average woman (not the average model!) at all age levels. Let’s push for fashion shows that model older people, feature ethnic clothes, and display clothing used by a variety of minority religious groups.

Maybe, just maybe, we could develop more tolerance for differences in clothing, and less reliance on “this is in, that is out” rules?