WHAT'S FASHION?

The English term for anything being “in style” derives only from the 16th century, but the French word mode, which means “fashion,” dates back to 1482. There are other words that refer to the style and appeal ideas that come before mode. The idea of elegance first appears in Old French in the 12th and 13th centuries in the context of aristocratic preferences to enhance beauty and demonstrate refinement. Cointerie, the concept of making oneself more attractive to others by style or artifice in grooming and dress, also first appears in a 13th-century poem by Guillaume de Lorris who advises men that “handsome clothes and handsome accessories improve a man a great deal,” or “handsome clothes and handsome accessories.”

According to Susan B. Kaiser, a fashion expert, everyone is “forced to appear” in front of others. Everyone’s appearance is judged, and this judgment takes into account factors like colors, fabrics, silhouettes, and how clothes look on different body types. Depending on the wearer’s body shape, the way the garment has been cleaned, folded, repaired, or whether it is new, clothes that are identical in style and material might also look different.