BA1 CLASS VISUALS - INTRODUCTION TO FASHION THEORY - CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION (THE REGULATION OF FASHION)
KEY TERMS
sumptuary laws
conspicuous consumption
mercantile
sumptuary laws
conspicuous consumption
mercantile
KEY POINTS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Sumptuary laws as dress regulation by controlling expenditure, style and material...
2. Dress regulation as a means of preserving class distinction and social order...
3. The growth of spending power and leisure time amongst the working classes...
4. The failure of dress regulation and the desire for prohibited items...
5. Contemporary examples of dress regulation i.e. uniform, brand names...
1. Sumptuary laws as dress regulation by controlling expenditure, style and material...
2. Dress regulation as a means of preserving class distinction and social order...
3. The growth of spending power and leisure time amongst the working classes...
4. The failure of dress regulation and the desire for prohibited items...
5. Contemporary examples of dress regulation i.e. uniform, brand names...
1. Sumptuary laws as dress regulation by controlling expenditure, style and material...
Sumptuary laws were legislated rules designed to limit conspicuous consumption, in particular, that of clothing and modes of dress …
Sumptuary laws were therefore of two types: on the one hand, the imposition of expenditure limits and, on the other, the reservation of particular kinds of cloth or styles for certain groups - either as a privilege or as a negative prohibition. (Craik, 2009, p.49).
2. Dress regulation as a means of preserving class distinction and social order…
Restrictions might be placed on the type of garment that certain groups or people could and could not wear. Gold and silver fabric, jewellery, and ornamentations were often restricted, and expensive fabrics (e.g. silk, lace, velvet) might be restricted ... sumptuary laws also existed in antiquity - for example, in ancient Greece (600BC) and ancient Rome (300 BC - AD 300), and during the T’ang period in China (AD 618 - 906) and the Tokugawa period in Japan (1600 - 1868) ... (Craik, 2009, p.49).
Kate Middleton
http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2011/06/07/style-file---catherine-duchess-of-cambridge
http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2011/06/07/style-file---catherine-duchess-of-cambridge
Kate Middleton and Prince Harry
http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2011/06/07/style-file---catherine-duchess-of-cambridge
http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos/2011/06/07/style-file---catherine-duchess-of-cambridge
Le Charmeau wellington boots
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/oct/02/duchess-french-boot-marwyn-chameau
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/oct/02/duchess-french-boot-marwyn-chameau
3. The growth of spending power and leisure time amongst the working classes…
As wage labour grew, workers were exercising their right to behave as they pleased. Furthermore, they had the capacity to purchase goods and the leisure time to enjoy them. Previously, the ability to buy luxuries were restricted to the elite … (Craik, 2009, p.49).
4. The failure of dress regulation and the desire for prohibited items...
Yet there is little evidence that such legislation worked. Prescriptions and proscriptions fuelled a desire for the prohibited or illicit items, leading to waves of panic as prohibited items became fashionable and imitated by the lower classes. Instead of removing status differences, sumptuary laws provoked competition and imitations and put a high price on evidence of symbolic distinction … (Craik, 2009, p.50).
British school girls
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/19/school-uniform-policies-bad-students-girls
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/19/school-uniform-policies-bad-students-girls
Japanese school girls
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/08/why-do-japanese-children-lead-world-numeracy-literacy
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/08/why-do-japanese-children-lead-world-numeracy-literacy
5. Contemporary examples of dress regulation i.e. uniform, brand names...
Modern fashion systems have created similar informal mechanisms of instilling conformity … In contemporary culture, brand names epitomise this process. (Craik, 2009, p.50).
Michael Kors handbag 2014
(My daughter and her bestfriend both must have one of these for Christmas)
(My daughter and her bestfriend both must have one of these for Christmas)
REFERENCES
Craik, J. (2009) Fashion - the key concepts. Oxford: Berg.
Craik, J. (2009) Fashion - the key concepts. Oxford: Berg.
See also...
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2014/jul/22/prince-george-dungarees-rules-traditional-style-childrenswear
