dress and performance
TRANSCRIPT
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.