FASHION vs STYLE: the distinction between the two 6 years later
In 2016, I wrote an article about fashion vs. style. I wanted to convince people that fashion and style are different. Although I don’t think I need to convince you, I have more thoughts about it now!
I’ve been an admirer of fashion my whole life. I never thought I would ever be able to even make a living in that space because it seemed so unattainable and for the elite. Now, with social media and the world wide web and the climate crisis, the ivory tower that was fashion in the noughties and twenty-tens has been invaded with the advent of the business of style.
In 2016, in the heart of the blog era, I started a blog called Dear Emilie G and I wrote an article about Fashion vs. Style. I wanted to convince people to think differently about fashion as I always heard people saying how they don’t get it, like it, care for it. I wanted to make a case for style over fashion. Although I don’t think I had any role to play in changing this misconception in the zeitgeist, I do, however, think that style has taken on a whole new meaning since then.
The 2016 Distinction
This article was one of my favourites at the time and now that I read it back, I’m still very much into it. I wrote that:
“I like to make a distinction between fashion and style because to me, fashion refers to a business and an industry that seems foreign. Unattainable and superficial, even. I am sure that many of you have said or heard people say that they didn’t care or like fashion. I get it. Fashion is what you see in magazines. It is the beautiful branded clothes that are there to inspire you to consume and to tell you what the next trends will be.
Style, on the other hand, is the interpretation of fashion. It is how you pull yourself together on a daily basis. It is what you feel comfortable in. It is how you express yourself on a daily basis and how people interpret who you are. Style embodies a lot more than just the clothes you put on your body, it is also the way you carry and present yourself. It is through style that anyone around you can get a sense of who you are. The best part about style is that anyone can have it – men and women, old and young, big or small. What it all comes down to is confidence.”
The 2022 Analysis
What I find interesting now is that although the top-down fashion industry is thriving with high-end designers and runways still bringing forth some novel ideas on how we should dress at the start of a season, the way we consume fashion has changed. As an avid consumer of social media, I am finding that I am consuming my clothing-related content through the business of personal style.
Although I look at some runway looks and magazines, that is not where I find my inspiration. I find it in the TikToks and the YouTube videos and the Instagrams that stylish people create. I’m also finding that I am even seeing the stylish people on my feeds wear pieces that inspire the designers in Paris, Milan and New York for future collections. It’s making me believe that the fashion inspiration hierarchy has been flipped on its head - to a bottom-up approach. Influencers that sell style get paid to show their interpretation of the fashion pieces to then inspire future looks that will be sold at a higher price.
The fashion platform was democratized with the advent of social media and where the money is going. Fashion companies are now craving the attention of the stylish influencer to make their fashion piece stylish. It used to be that designers would build the style of a famous person to dictate what was going to be stylish. This isn’t the case anymore.
And this gives me hope. With small creators like me and so many extremely stylish people in the sustainable fashion space showcasing how they interpret clothing and create style, we are starting to see that sustainability is becoming more important in fashion companies. With personal style being the main driver in selling clothing now, and with a large part of the fashion discussion being about sustainability, I am seeing that sustainability and style will become synonymous soon enough - at least I’m hoping.
Maybe we can do this again in 6 years and see how this fashion vs style discussion has changed?
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MARKETS & EVENTS
Blackfoot Diner Market on October 15th from 10am-4pm at the Blackfoot Truckstop Diner in Inglewood!
We are organizing a 90s Pop Up Party @ Bù Vintage Shoppe on October 22nd from 11-6. There’ll be lots of blazers as they were extremely popular in the 90s. Mark your calendars now!
SHOP IN REAL LIFE
Bù Vintage Shoppe in Chinatown in Calgary on Tuesdays-Sundays
Le Freak in Crescent Heights in Calgary on Tuesdays-Sundays
Roadrunner Vintage on Macleod Trail in Calgary on Wednesdays-Sundays
Chat next week xx
Émilie