Fashion is something we deal with everyday. Even people who say they don't care what they wear choose clothes every morning that say a lot about them and how they feel that day.

One certain thing in the fashion world is change. We are constantly being bombarded [bom’ba:did ]with new fashion ideas from music, videos, books, and television. Movies also have a big impact on what people wear. Ray-Ban sold more sunglasses after the movie Men In Black. Sometimes a trend is world-wide. Back in the 1950s, teenagers everywhere dressed like Elvis Presley.

Who dictates fashion?

Clothes separate people into groups. Fashion is a language which tells a story about the person who wears it. "Clothes create a wordless means of communication that we all understand," according to Katherine Hamnett, a top British fashion designer. Hamnett became popular when her T-shirts with large messages like "Choose Life" were worn by several rock bands.

There are many reasons we wear what we wear.

- Protection from cold, rain and snow: mountain climbers wear high-tech outerwear [верхняя одежда] to avoid frostbite [обморожение].

- Physical attraction.

- Emotions: we dress "up" when we're happy and "down" when we're upset.

- Religious expression: Orthodox Jewish men wear long black suits and Islamic women cover every part of their body except their eyes.

- Identification and tradition: judges wear robes, people in the military wear uniforms, brides wear long white dresses.

Fashion is big business. More people are involved in the buying, selling and production of clothing than any other business in the world. Everyday, millions of workers design, sew [шить], glue [клеить], dye [красить], and transport clothing to stores. Ads on buses, billboards [рекламный щит] and magazines give us ideas about what to wear, consciously, or subconsciously.

Clothing can be used as a political weapon. In nineteenth century England, laws prohibited people from wearing clothes produced in France. During twentieth century communist revolutions, uniforms were used to abolish [упразднять] class and race distinctions.

Fashion is an endless popularity contest.

Popular fashions are close to impossible to trace. No one can tell how the short skirts and boots worn by teenagers in England in 1960 made it to the runways of Paris, or how blue jeans became so popular in the U.S., or how hip-hop made it from the streets of the Bronx to the Haute Couture fashion shows of London and Milan.

Fashion is something we deal with everyday. Even people who say they don't care what they wear choose clothes every morning that say a lot about them and how they feel that day. One certain thing in the fashion world is change. We are constantly being bombarded with new fashion ideas from music, videos, books and television. Movies also have a big impact on what people wear. Ray-Ban sold more sunglasses after the movie Men in Black. Sometimes a trend is world-wide. Back in the 1950s, teenagers everywhere dressed like Elvis Presley.

Lay out your clothes before putting them on and check the proportions. Juggle jackets, scarves & belts to re-arrange the clothes to get the look you want.

- Thinner fabrics are more slimming.

- Tops and bottoms of one color will make you look thinner.

- Wear clothes that fit.

- Wearing too large clothes will exaggerate your figure not hide it.

- Avoid belts unless you have a slim waist.

- Use accessories carefully.

You can make your wardrobe impressive with mix and match jewelry. Shoes depend less on you body shape than you height. Do not buy clothes on impulse. Plan before you buy a blouse or pants. Be somewhat scientific about shopping, consider your body type, and colors.

Ask yourself some questions:

- Do you have anything you can mix and match with it? Does it match your lifestyle?

- Will it be comfortable and easy to wear?

- Is it machine wash or dry clean only?

- Will it fit your budget? Is it appropriate?

- Is it a fad, can it be worn more than one season?

- Is it of good quality? Quality counts, it is better to have four or five mix and match outfits of quality, than 8 or 10 'steals.'

Think in terms of outfits when you shop, and be practical. When you buy a new dress, be sure you have shoes and other accessories to go with it. May be a jacket or scarf to wear over it to give it a different look.

Clothes Styles and Body Shapes:

- High collars shorten necks.

- Shoes with straps shorten your legs. The torso can be shortened or narrowed with seam lines, belts, bows, and collars.

- A short necklace can shorten your neck.

- A scarf or belt that hangs down toward the legs will make the legs appear longer.

- Thicker vertical lines lengthens and slims.