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Size Range
Designers must decide the size range in w hich they w ill make each garment available: XS, S,
M, L, XL or 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18? This choice again speaks f or the designer in terms of
w hat w ill best express their ideas. Does the cut atter a w oman w ho is a size 6 as much as it
does a w oman w ho is a 16? What do limitations say to the w oman w ho is lef t out of the size
range because she is bigger or smaller?
AESTHETICS
Deconstruction
Deconstruction in f ashion design challenges rules and breaks dow n traditions. The aesthetic
includes un nished, decomposed, and reassembled applications that bring the hidden w ork-
ings of a garment to the surf ace. These f ashions show construction details that are usually
removed, such as basting, or disguised, such as inside-out pockets, zippers, pinked edges,
zigzag stitching, and seam w ork.
Minimalism
Bare and of ten bold, minimalist f ashion simpli es the silhouette and of f ers a palette of neutral
tones. Striking sculptural lines paired w ith quality f abrics and nominal details serve a modern
urban customer’s lif estyle. The overall ef f ect is understated and subdued, w ith an undeniable
respect f or f orm, resulting in a sense of timelessness.
Classic
Purist f ashion is all about the practicality of a good cut and a basic color scheme, usually in
monochromatic shades of w hite, gray, and beige. It is a quiet style that dispenses w ith any ex-
cessive embellishment in an ef f ort to keep the design uncomplicated and f ocused on f unction.
Garments that successf ully adhere to this design discipline are of ten reduced to the status of
elegant contemporary classics.
Eclectic
Garments involving a riot of interacting surf ace patterns, ornate embellishments, or con-
struction details represent another aesthetic w hich aims to f ascinate the eye w ith content to
delight the view er in a celebratory style.
Avant Garde
The avant garde is alw ays pressing the boundaries of the status quo in f ashion and exploring
new ref erences, silhouettes, the garment’s relationship to the body and society, and techno-
logical advances in f abrics and production methods.
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SUBCULTURES
Under the current of fashion lies a world replete with subcultures. Each in its own way creates
a sense of belonging for those who worship at its altar of style. In some cases, these niche
lifestyles stem from the desire to rebel, with or without a cause. This banding together around
a common interest like music or politics or cultural identity provides designers with an alterna-
tive arena to the mainstream in which to place their designs. The (sometimes overlapping)
subcultures described below don’t begin to exhaust the possibilities.
Music
Glam Rock
Sexually ambiguous, deliberately arti cial, inherently outrageous fashion de nes the glam
rock image. The source of inspiration is a blend of vintage Hollywood glamour and the glittery
sparkle of science ction imagery.
Grunge
Associated with the Seattle alternative rock scene, this antifashion aesthetic is generally
founded in an unapologetically unkempt look. The ubiquitous annel shirt achieves the right
look when it appears to be a thrift-store rescue.
Heavy Metal
The look centers on T-shirts that celebrate heavy metal bands, punctuated by body piercing,
cleanly shaved heads, and black face paint.
Hip-hop
Hip-hop traces back to African-American youth culture in the Bronx of the 1970s and reached
the mainstream in the 1980s. Brightly colored track suits, sheepskin jackets, and Adidas
sneakers are a few symbols of a look that is now considered old school (old skool: old is kool/
old’s kool). A subculture of hip-hop, gangsta style is identi ed by baggy pants, tattoos, and
bandanas; prison life also in uenced the look with shirt tails worn outside with baggy pants
worn low without a belt and often with one leg rolled up. Hip-hop’s later mainstream version
is much ashier, with jewelry, or bling, becoming a measure of status and central to the look.
Hipsters today wear a slimmer silhouette, with overscale ornamental belt buckles, biker
chains, trucker caps, skull and skeleton imagery, loud patterned hoodies, and snow gear.
Psychobilly
Women’s psychobilly fashion of day dresses and skirts mixes 1950s rockabilly with 1970s punk
and a adds a dash of Indie avor. B-movies, especially horror lms, and hot-rod culture are
recurrent inspirations. Tattoos are a prominent detail of the style.
Punk
Punk fashions are meant to be confrontational, shocking, and intentionally offensive. Rebel-
lion is at the heart of a style that borrows the boldest images from many other subcultures.
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Hip-hop In uence
Photograph by DreamPictures/Getty Images.
Trappings of the B&D (bondage and discipline) and S&M (sadomasochism) lif estyles nd
their w ay into the look. Female punk style is a deliberate combination of the stereotypi-
cally masculine and f eminine: Pairing combat boots w ith a girly tutu is just one recognizable
expression. Heavy eyeliner, mohaw ks and liberty spikes, saf ety pins (holding ripped clothing
together or w orn as jew elry or piercings), torn shnet stockings, and studded or spiked jew elry
have become punk trademarks. Leather, rubber, vinyl, chains, and duct tape also play a part
in punk antif ashion. The modern punk has come to stand f or many things, w ith new sartorial
interpretations by the anarchopunk (anarchist), the crust punk (extreme political/military), the
deathrock punk (goth), the hardcore punk (w orking class), the pop punk (emo), the skate punk
(skater), and the Suicidals (punk-cholo gangs).
Rockabilly
A hybrid of rock ’n’ roll and hillbilly or country music, 1950s rockabilly w as also in uenced by
w estern sw ing, boogie-w oogie, and rhythm and blues. Teenagers emulated the style of music
idols like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lew is. The f ashions meld looks f rom teddy and greaser
cultures, typically slim trousers coupled w ith short-sleeved Daddy-O or Sir Guy shirts and
crepe-soled brothel creepers.
Rock
A grittier evolution of rock ’n’ roll style, rock’s rebellious attitude is of ten expressed in leath-
erw ear, skintight clothing, and w ild hair, intensi ed by sw eat on skin. The rough and raucous
rock scene has also subscribed to the pow er of f ashion, and many perf ormers w ork in close
collaboration w ith designers.
Punk In uence
Photograph by Katja Buchholz/Getty Images.
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Techno
A style that emerged f rom the electronic dance scene, techno f ashions include f unky street
w ear, like V-neck T-shirts and tight pants in neon and uorescent colors (anything that looks
good under a UV black light), accessorized by record bags, canvas sneakers, and horn-rimmed
glasses.
Trance, Ambient, or Chillout
Baggy pants and tight tops in vibrant, happy colors f orm the basis f or another look coming out
of the electronic dance scene. Dark settings, arti cial f og, projected imagery, LEDs, strobes,
and black lights all invite the use of light, bright colors and re ective garments. Elaborate
costumes are also common at raves, w here, under the in uence of club drugs, the ultimate
accessory is a glow stick.
Social Rebellion
Beatnik
Beat w as slang f or beat dow n and beatniks w ere underground nonconf ormists express-
ing themselves through poetry readings in cof f eehouses— a bohemian culture of the 1950s
depicted in the literary output of Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac.
The f ashion cliché of the Beat Generation builds on a f oundation of all black. Turtlenecks and
tapered pants of f er a neutral base f or trademark beatnik accessories like sunglasses, berets,
and cigarettes. Grooming includes at-ironed hair f or w omen and goatees f or men.
Casuals
This style arose w ith row dy and of ten riotous f ootball (soccer) f ans dressing in designer labels
as a w ay to blend in, avoiding their ow n team colors. This is f ashion as camou age, leaving
the w earers f ree to stir things up.
Cyberpunk
Projected scienti c and technological advances, cybernetics in particular, are graf ted onto a
radical attitude in a look that rebels against the established social order. High tech and low
lif e are the terms that best describe the f usion of machine and man that is central to this
aesthetic. The f ashions incorporate dark imagery that is meant to capture a sense of hyper-
reality. Although the clothing is of ten gritty and w ell w orn, glow ing shocks of colors appear
among pieces that emulate computer components.
Eco
Whether one calls it global w arming or climate change, the threat of an endangered planet
has spurred on a movement of sustainable f ashion designs and practices. The ecof ashion
consumer reads labels and w ants to know a garment’s ber content and how it w as made and
w here. For a long time, the look w as de ned by earthy crunchy, hippie gear, but technological
advances have transf ormed organic f abrics. No longer is this customer limited to a w ardrobe
of roughly w oven hemp garments. Bamboo, f or example, the new star player in the textile
industry, can produce some of the sof test and most comf ortable f ashion f abrics available.
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Cyberpunk at Manish Arora, 2007
Photograph by Danny Martindale/WireImage.
New Age
The essence of new age style taps into a conglomerate of spiritual and religious traditions to
provide a f eeling of calm, stress-f ree w ell-being. Natural pigments, stones, crystals, precious
metals, w ood, and shell are incorporated into designs to help the w earers connect w ith their
surroundings, the planet, and universal f orces. The spectrum of chakra (energy center) colors
in clothing and jew elry is of ten meant to prompt a holistic, healing response.
Psychedelic
Altered states of consciousness, perhaps induced by psychotropic drugs, provide the inspira-
tion f or the psychedelic imagery in the music and visual arts of the late 1960s. The f ashions
center around kaleidoscopic patterns and sw irling uid shapes in colors translated by a mind
that’s f ree f rom conventions.
Rocker Biker
Essential to this tough bad boy look built around motorcycle culture is a leather jacket, usually
enhanced by pins, patches, and studs. Lif e on the road is met head-on w ith an open f ace
helmet, aviator glasses, and a w hite silk scarf . A leather biker cap, Levi’s or leather pants, and
motorcycle or engineer boots add to the biker w ardrobe.
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