[Lapin de Lune]

I think an increasing susceptibility towards consumerism plays a large part in this, too.
Nobody seems to be interested in challenging the 'establishment' either, which characterized several of the previous decades youth culture.
Media manipulation? Some strange apathy? I dunno.
The world is certainly changing, we're at the dawn of a new age (internet), for sure. This sense of homogeneity encompasses so much, not only fashion. Interesting to see where it will lead us...

[emanuelle]

I agree with whoever said this has more influence over young people. When I was in high school I practically copied outfits from fashion magazines. By college I was just starting to try adding my own touches to my outfits. By now I have my own fully developed sense of style. People who are influenced by the fashion blogs aren't necessarily going to become lifelong slaves to it, but it's fun for them to get to try it out while they figure out what works for them. It isn't just the blogs people have instant access to, it's the actual fashion shows as well. I think the blogs are appealing because it's just a normal girl, just like them, putting together outfits they might be able to wear too. I think that, along with flash sale sites, make high fashion seem more accessible. But before the bloggers people said the same thing about celebrity stylists, and retail stores like zara & h&m making instant knockoffs of the runways. Personally, I find it exciting that the Internet is a great equalizer. Anyone from Tunisia, or Botswana, or Peru with a flair for fashion could start a blog and show off their stylings as easily as the LES/Brooklyn or LA girls can.

[Tinetush]

I sort of had a small epiphany while on holiday a month or so ago with a friend. We would make it into a game to 'scout' the danes around us. And we were actually quite succesfull in doing so.
The few danes we ran into, about 5, we were able to 'declare danes' before hearing them speak. We were pretty good at telling who the german, british and swedes were as well.

My point is that even though I agree that we are becoming more and more homogenized, I still think that people from all countries or areas continues to have a specific look or aura them. Meaning that our different personalities still dictates how we look to some extent. And while people from all over the world might wear the same pieces, they are still wearing them in slightly different ways.

[tran]

I agree with Tinetush. I work in central London and I play the 'Guess the Nationality' game too with the tourists on the tube. This does suggest that while the way we dress is more homogenized than it was ten or twenty years ago, there are still noticeable regional differences. The big question is are these differences slowly going to disappear?

Another point that, I don't think, anyone has made as yet is that surely technology is making the design and manufacture of clothes easier and cheaper so, ultimately, maybe this will lead to fashion becoming more regional! You may not need such a large expensive infrastructure to run your fashion house.

[BerlinRocks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrissyM I think you bring up a good point... the internet makes it so that we're all looking at and being influenced by the same things... i can't decide if that's a good or a bad thing... it probably homogenizes things to a certain degree, but I can't help but think it's a good thing for some areas that have probably been improved by access to inspiration and information about what people in other parts of the world are wearing.

this is fun that this topics' first reply is by another mod ...
it looks like you guys are selecting topics altogether and then open it to discussion ...

for what subject and purpose, I don't know ...
but thats not the subject here ...

this is interesting to read that you say internet drives people to look at the same thing, since i always thought internet, such as a giant library, was a tool that allow people to open their a priori narrow minds to different opinions and inspirations and stories, and histories ... search and reach an un-official un-institutional lines of telling, search and reach an "edgy" (ie away from centre, whatever is the side) discussion and way of thinking ...

now if we center the discussion to Fashion, well this is true that people may look at the same things, regarding streetstyle, since as softgrey said, 90% are followers, and only 10% are leaders ... but some leaders sometimes disappear to the profits of the other leader's followers ...

the problem to me is not a globalization of style, but mostly a proteiform-globalization (i like this paradox i just made ahah) of taste and gaze at style and taste.

Quote:

I think an increasing susceptibility towards consumerism plays a large part in this, too.

Im not sure to understand quite good what you're saying, but to me the streetstyle blogs and pictures really serves consumerism... today, at least.

and look at Sartorialist who first seemed, at least to me, to shoot people on the streets because they were (supposedly) different from people seen in Fashion magazines or runway (i.e. models, from the raw definition of being a model to Fashion models), and yet they were people working in the industry, or close to, and then he went working for the industry and shoot campains ... from the unofficial voice, he went to the official voice.


I think probably these streetstyle snaps, that are very close to the democratization of Fashion (with stylists as celebs, the stream of international editions of Vogue, Numero, Dazed and Confused, L'Officiel, etc.), are just another illusion of this current big democratisation of Fashion ...
I think it's time for Fashion to go back to its secret and sect-ish form.

but if this is not possible, i think, for the least, streetstyle should ONLY focus on details, accessoiries or color combinations ... it should only become a tool to get inspirations (as it actually is and was always in trendsetting offices) that could correspond to your persona, and not be used to build your fashion-personnality to, in the end, dress all the same.

someone should abstract streetstyle. (i.e. get its purest form - without the person, the brand names, just focus on the interesting shapes,, lines colors, and details)

or, for hanging once in a while with a stylist , maybe stylists should be the streetstyle hunters ... professional eye, i swear is what is needed in this old-spare-time-activity-turned-into-now-industry ... not just a stupid person who likes fashion.

geez this is long ...

[ChrissyM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BerlinRocks this is fun that this topics' first reply is by another mod ... it looks like you guys are selecting topics altogether and then open it to discussion ... for what subject and purpose, I don't know ... but thats not the subject here ...

the fact that another moderator was the first to reply in here was purely coincidental...
no need to try to read any sort of ulterior motive in it...

part of the reason that a lot of us are moderators is because we enjoy taking part in thought provoking discussions such as this one. we're members of this forum who want to participate and express our opinions just like everyone else.

by that same token... as you may have noticed, anyone can start an interesting discussion thread in here. topics are not preselected by the mod squad.

[ChrissyM]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinetush My point is that even though I agree that we are becoming more and more homogenized, I still think that people from all countries or areas continues to have a specific look or aura them. Meaning that our different personalities still dictates how we look to some extent. And while people from all over the world might wear the same pieces, they are still wearing them in slightly different ways.

Tine I think you make a really good point.... even if we're being influenced by street style looks from all over the globe a lot of us are still most directly influenced by those around us and the cultures we've been brought up in.

Sometimes it can be easier to just blend in rather than indulge in a street style look you might want to try that makes you stick out or seem too "other"
It can take a brave soul at times to take a risk and try something new in an environment where most people won't "get" it and it won't be well-received.

[ssgghh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tran I agree with Tinetush. I work in central London and I play the 'Guess the Nationality' game too with the tourists on the tube. This does suggest that while the way we dress is more homogenized than it was ten or twenty years ago, there are still noticeable regional differences. The big question is are these differences slowly going to disappear?

I work at a place where alot of tourists come too. I also played the game. But my game is called "are they croatian or not" because i sometimes need to speak to them so i take a look at their clothes to know wether to speak in croatian or english. And my score is almost 100%. I have more difficulties if im bored and want to guess the exact nationality before i speak to them or hear them speak but its still not that hard. I think that prooves nothing relevant to this topic though

[fashionkitten7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lapin de Lune Nobody seems to be interested in challenging the 'establishment' either, which characterized several of the previous decades youth culture. Media manipulation? Some strange apathy? I dunno. The world is certainly changing, we're at the dawn of a new age (internet), for sure. This sense of homogeneity encompasses so much, not only fashion. Interesting to see where it will lead us...

I totally agree and it makes me said if I think of it. When I was a younger kid, I was used to perceive clothes as a self-statement of a sort and that's what it actually was back then. Now, I just don't see it anymore.

Internet brought exposure to a wider broad of inspirations and you'd expect variety to grow from there, but it just seems to go the opposite way. So, talk about consumerism.

[fashionista-ta]

I recently was looking at Parisian street style pictures and was disappointed, thinking, Every single one of those girls look like they could be in the US.

I'm sure there are still differences, but we seem to be moving in the direction of homogeneity--which I don't like at all. Nyet.

[MulletProof]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BerlinRocks the problem to me is not a globalization of style, but mostly a proteiform-globalization (i like this paradox i just made ahah) of taste and gaze at style and taste.

That's an excellent point, Berlin. And I concur 100%, I think that once the so-called democratization was established, at least the guidelines for it, there's been a continual effort to blend all the leftovers of subcultures (at least those in the West, which I feel, at this point struggle to truly qualify as such) and build a uniform of what's characteristic of fashion, which in a way is mostly one gigantic trend streetstyle photographers are after in order for their work to qualify too as 'streetstyle', same dilemma of current publications and whether they're able to survive or not by resisting to glossiness and the perfect or perfectly messy appearance (produced in both cases).

I agree with what Tine mentions in regards of the approach to fashion depending on culture. I was talking (as a joke, but partly serious) about this not long ago, about how every country has its own haircut, and in a way I stand by it, but not just with haircut but sense of proportion, body emphasis, importance of individuality, style, traditions, beauty perceptions, etc. These minor details make a major difference for me and I feel that, like ssgghh, I can still venture into guessing someone's nationality (even region when it comes to countries I'm familiar with) just by seeing the shoes they chose for a specific pair of trousers, or how they're wearing their hair.. fashion is acquired from one day to another but almost automatically adapted to cultural standards/aesthetics. Obviously I'm not talking about fashion, Tommy Ton-obsessed divas but regular people with a low/normal/considerable interest in fashion.

psst, I liked your theory on thread-start conspiracy.. like an anti-conglomerate strategy secretly financed by WGSN to maintain hope in trend forecasting via informal social networks (tFS).. you're still suffering elections syndrome, and so am I . We're all proud of FID, it's not meant to have crazy action but definitely be active enough.. in my case, I feel like making an effort of contributing to new threads right away and be supportive and injecting something (not often but I try, and not always with good results..). And then it was born out of a thirst for discussion, hence the vulture-style arrival.

[seahorseinstripe]

i agree with this, i do think since the internet is more reachable day after day and then people got influences easier. their perspective of what's in or not, what's cool or not.
i remember i used to admire sweden and some part of europe's street style because they're different and more individual but it gets more uniform now in a way.

but i also like to say i think people did dress more uniform in the 60s and 70s but they have very distinct style back in the days while i can hardly see there's a distinct style in the 90's and the 00's. people are expected to be more individual now i guess