Fashion is a powerful cultural feature that means different things to different people. To some, it is a strong emotion bordering on fanaticism while to others it is a non-event. People the world over - just like you - have often wondered why they find themselves thumbing through fashion magazines, concerned about the seasonal wardrobe revamp and why it has to be done every three months. Those in the Fashion business create clothes and styles for all sorts, and their market depends on consumers replacing their wardrobe periodically. Interestingly Fashion is rarely an original creation. Rather it follows a periodic cycle with styles constantly repeating over the decades.



While you may not be fortunate enough to be able to hop from city to city or from country to country to pick up high-end fashion from your chosen designer, you can pay attention to the reviews and ratings posted in the news, and find advice on creating your own high-fashion wardrobe. Most trends in women's high-end apparel fashion start in the ever popular Paris, London, Milan, and New York City. These hubs of the fashion industry are great forecasters of the cutting edge styles and materials that will be adapted for mainstream shoppers years down the road. For a long time, Paris was the Mecca of fashion for cutting-edge couture. Now, several cities throughout the world have earned just about the same respect and provide eye-popping fashion-forward designs. In general, as long as the designer and district has caught the attention of forecasters, the industry and a market, the designer's work can withstand competing with nearly any big name in the world.

Pants, for instance, came into vogue in the Middle Ages and their invention stemmed from women farm workers. Traditionally they wore long skirts, and in order to prevent them from getting muddy, the back of the skirts were pulled up between their legs and tucked into their waist. And so pants were created! Much later, pants came to Europe and became the normal choice for men. Pants are usually referred to as a "pair of pants", for until the 17th Century they were made using a separate sheath of fabric for each leg, then tied by a belt at the top. Each legging was called a "pantaloon". The Americans coined the term "pants" in 1840's and it was considered a vulgar term at that time. In the early 1900's, Denim Pants came into vogue to act as tough coveralls for mine workers. It was only in the 1940's that demin became fashionable.

No fashion forecaster is naive or vane enough to predict which clothing designs are sufficiently influential to change how the entire industry makes apparel. Or how long today's fashion will last. In fact, few fashion forecasters are willing to bet on what direction apparel fashion will take even for the next season...

Whether you sport blue jeans and a tee shirt or a power suit and tie, you can be sure that it was a fashion statement in the past and will be a again soon. Fashion is here to stay for as long as man has bodies and culture. Our need will be ever present to drape our frames in fabrics, add color to our faces and nails and futher decorate ourselves with stones attached to precious metal chains and ringlets. Many will see fashion as the way to reflect their identity and position in the community.