The Seduction Principle at Work: Sorority Formal

This Saturday night I attended my sorority formal and I was struck by the clear distinction between the men's and women's outfits. Obviously, guys wore suits and the girls wore dresses.  I couldn't help but think back to what we spoke about in class in regards to the functions of clothing for men and women.  This social practice of attending a formal created the perfect setting to illustrate Laver's theory of the seduction principle vs. the hierarchical principle in men's and women's clothing.

The seduction principle states that "women's clothes are intended to make the wearer more attractive to the opposite sex because, throughout history and prehistory, men have selected 'partners in life' based on women's attractiveness," (Barnard 57-58).

This could not have been made more clear as I observed the outfit choices of the people who surrounded me at formal.

For the most part, girls chose skin tight, cleavage-bearing dresses and heels.  This is in keeping with Laver's theory.  Girls dress to accentuate their feminine features and attract males with their bodies.

In keeping with men's fashion standards, the guys opted for suits which is a perfect example of the second part of Laver's theory:  the hierarchical principle.

"Men's clothes however, are intended to display and 'enhance social status' because women 'for the greater part of human history' have selected their life partners on the basis of their ability to 'maintain and protect a family," (Barnard 58).

 
Former SU student, Nicholas Ross, sported his favorite Hugo Boss suit.  The male suit is an image of power, stability, and financial viability.  I could not help but think about the difference in these two types of outfits.  What if women were covered virtually from the neck down in a loosely fitting suit not accentuating the female form?

The answer?  None of us probably would have had dates.

Syracuse Trends

One of the first topics we discussed in class was fashion trends.  In class we defined trend as a "real accelerant to moving a look/style."  The topic of trends is one that is very intriguing to me personally.  In part, because trends have always seemed to elude me,  I'm always just a step behind.  But beyond that,  because trends impact pretty much everyone in some form.  People can choose to follow trends, they are aware of trends, or they consciously decide to reject trends.  In any case, trends are an integral part of the fashion and beauty industry.  Some have a relatively short lifespan (the silly band) and some have staying power and seem to evolve and change over the years (denim).

In the past, gatekeepers or trendsetters in the fashion world have set the fashion agenda for the rest of the world.  The trendsetters/gatekeepers are the buyers who attend fashion shows and editors of fashion magazines such as Vogue editor Anna Wintour.  In Marian Frances Wolber's book "Uncovering Fashion" this is described as a top-down or trickle-down trend.  This top-down adoption also refers to celebrities such as pop singer Rihanna.  In 2008 she introduced a unique hairstyle for women:  shaved on the sides and long and spiky on the top. 

Today especially, trends can quickly be set by a different group of people like fashion bloggers and pretty much any group or person who has use of a cell phone camera. With the instantaneous nature of today's media consumption, images and reports on trends can be consumed much more quickly and are able to spread much faster.  This is an example of a second type of trend.  It is the bottom-up or trickle-up trend.  These trends start within an exclusive group and trickle up into the mainstream.  The grunge look is an example of this.  In the early/ mid 90's the grunge rock/alternative rock group sported flannel and faded baggy ripped jeans.  This style eventually penetrated the rest of culture as bands like Nirvana and Bush became popular in this era.  This look is still popular today, as shown below, worn by Mary Kate Olsen, illustrating the idea that trends always seem to come back into style at some point, but with a modern twist.

In the past week, I couldn't help but pay attention to one trend on the SU campus: the Hunter boot.  The wet, slushy, snowy weather has brought this trend to the forefront of Syracuse University fashion.

Above, Syracuse University junior, Laurie Parish, sports this campus-wide favorite.  The Hunter wellington boot has actually existed since 1817 according to welllie-boots.com.  Their origins lie in men's fashion as an answer to the changing style of breeches.  Men needed boots that could go over the the newly popular trousers as opposed to formerly popular, shorter breeches.  Originally made in Europe, the boots were leather, however as the trend spread to America, American shoemakers began to explore the use of different materials in shoe making, such as rubber.  

Today,  the boot has moved away from their original function as men's footwear to a popular fashion trend for both genders.  Style bloggers such as Emily of Cupcakes and Cashmere have written about the boot making it very popular in mainstream fashion.

The fact that the Hunter boot has been around for so long and is still a relevant fashion staple today, tells me that this trend isn't going anywhere anytime soon.  The Hunter boot is still in the maturity stage of its trend cycle.  I know I wear my Hunters all the time- even when the weather doesn't call for it.  

As I was coming home today I caught my neighbor, Allison Stuckless, walking into her apartment wearing her own fire engine red Hunters.

Dressing Against the Grain: Fashion as Separation

I have always both loved and envied people who make bold fashion choices.  You know who I'm talking about.  Those people who can create an outfit out of seemingly unrelated items, and who make things look amazing that you know would make you look like a circus freak.  Since I began this project I have been on the lookout for someone who pulls off alternative style with ease.  I found that person in SU Junior, Hannah Greenblatt.  This LA native says she shops mostly vintage and isn't afraid to mix and match patterns, colors, and fabrics.

"My personal sense of style definitely pushes the boundaries with current fashion trends," Hannah said.  "I'd like to think my style is unique, mostly a jumble of vintage pieces I picked up over the years."

In his book "Fashion as Communication" Malcom Barnard says "Every day we make decisions about the social status and role of the people we meet based on what they are wearing."

Barnard refers to this as social hieroglyphics which is "determining role/status based on clothing."  This concept refers to the way we assign people roles socially.  When one looks at Hannah, or anyone for that matter, they automatically make assumptions about a persons occupation, social status, class, etc. One would probably describe Hannah as alternative, listens to a certain type of music (probably moody indie folk rock), that she is edgy, maybe somewhat intimidating.  Silly as it sounds, when I showed some people this picture, those are the types of answers I received.

"People think I dress like this to fit into a certain group, that I'm a 'hipster' or whatever Hannah said.  "I dress like this because it appeals to me.  I don't like going with what everyone else is doing."

When Hannah said this, I immediately thought back to one of our first classes where we discussed Georg Simmel.  He says 2 key elements are needed for fashion to exist.  The first, is the need for union.  People dress to fit into a certain group, so as not to be looked at as an outcast and to stay in keeping with certain social norms.  The second is the need for isolation.  This is were unique style comes into play.  Hannah is clearly setting herself apart with her unique style choices and yet seems to belong to a certain subculture of people defined by others as "hipsters." Although this may not be her intention.

 It seems that no matter how unique or different, people will attempt to group or categorize people.  Also, as in this example, it seems that although people may be willing to explore fashion and explore their unique style, there will always be elements of social pressures influencing fashion choices.  Hannah does still fit in with social norms, although unique, her style is still considered to be "cool."

Whatever group she is in, her style is eclectic and enviable.  I'd like to take a few pointers.

Luxury Brands

Sunday evening as I was trudging through the snow on my way to the library I decided to stop at Starbucks, not only for a much needed caffeine jolt, but also to observe the types of customers Starbucks attracts and to see what they were wearing.

As I sat at a corner table observing the shivering customers, I couldn't help but think about myself.  Why did I choose to grab a cup of Starbucks as opposed to getting some coffee in the library?  First of all, the library coffee is gross.  But more than that, there is something about carrying around that cup with the little green logo on it.  The decorated holiday cups seem to warm me up more, their contents somehow better and more sophisticated.  This made me think back to the luxury brands we discussed in class.  Other luxury products people buy to portray that high class image to the world are BMW, Fiji water, and Chanel.  There are even luxury activities like yoga and tennis.

I ran into one Syracuse student, junior Lydia Shahmoon,  who wasn't only buying her favorite Starbucks treat (a grande pumpkin spice latte) but was accessorizing with other luxury brands.  She looked put together, sophisticated, and a little more on top of things than the average college student.  She was successfully using these brands to portray a mature, adult, sophisticated image.

"I refuse to drink anything but their pumpkin spice lattes," Lydia said.  "Their holiday cups make it extra cute."

Beyond the stylish coffee, Lydia was sporting quite a few other luxury accessories as well.  A black Marc Jacobs bag (you can see it on the chair, although not too clearly), and a black Longchamp scarf.

"You can't really tell it's Longchamp," Lydia said "But if you look closely the Longchamp horses are embedded in the fabric.  It makes it a bit more unique than just a plain black scarf."

After my conversation with Lydia I realized that is what luxury brands are all about.  Not only are you exuding an image that says "I have class.  I have style." It's that little bit extra that makes you feel special and that you are worth every penny.

Function: Protection From First Snow

Syracuse University students were bundled in their winter's warmest today as the first snow of the season laid a white blanket over campus.  SU Junior, Jared Newman was no exception.  I chose to photograph Jared over the throngs of other students I passed walking to class today because his outfit serves one purpose: protection from the elements.  While some students sported Northface jackets paired with Uggs or Hunter boots (and I saw A LOT of Northface jackets paired with Uggs or Hunter boots) Jared opted for a less fashionable but equally as cozy option.  When I asked him how he picked his outfit for the day, Jared gave a colorful response:

"I don't even know what brands I'm wearing, I just wanted to be warm.  Its freaking freezing."

Jared is demonstrating what Malcom Barnard calls the "material function" of clothing.  One of the aspects of this function is protection from the elements. In chapter 3 of his book "Fashion as Communication" Barnard quotes Ted Polhemus and Lynn Proctor as they describe the basic need for clothing as protection.

"This basic need for bodily comfort prompts people throughout the world to create various forms of shelter."

Jared's jacket and snow pants function as a shelter from the cold and snow.  His L.L. Bean boots envelope his feet from the cold wet ground.  His hood is a sort of "roof" over his head.  

For these reasons Jared's outfit is a example of Barnard's material function of clothing.