Fashion is another trend where we can see drastic changes from the olden days to modern times. Fashion is defined as a popular trend specifically in clothes, footwear, accessories and makeup. Generally, it is about how people dress themselves so that they are presentable to others.
One of the biggest difference is definitely because of the changes in technology of textiles. Textile in general has evolved in many unimaginable ways during early of the 20th century and this includes how fabrics can be used and shaped. Aside from that, the choice of fabrics used in the olden days and modern days also varies. For instance, people of the olden days often prefer silk whereas in the modern days people use cotton, polyester and even leather to make clothes.
Another important aspect that led to the difference in fashion trend is the changes in society. People nowadays will prefer to wear something simple, casual, comfortable and effortless. In the olden days, many clothes required complicated wearing methods and some might also caused discomfort to the person wearing it. For example, the corset trend which became famous during the 16th century is difficult to wear without the help of another person. Furthermore, it’s tight structure and the material used to make it will caused pain and discomfort. Modern trend nowadays are mostly t-shirts, jeans, sneakers and they are easy and comfortable to wear.
However, despite the differences, there are also some similarities between the old and modern fashion trends. Fashion is said to be a form of art which recycles itself. This simply means a trend from the past may still become a trend again in the future. One good example is the high-waisted pants trend. This trend was popular up until to 1990s and today we can see that this trend has been reignited. On the other hand, another trend nowadays is going vintage. Thus, anything old or looks old may just be considered in style. Another similarity between the old and new fashion trend can be seen when there are some fashion designers who gets their inspiration from traditional clothing. Thus, their designs will carry some elements from traditional clothing such as the chinese’s cheongsam, indian’s saree, japanese’s kimono or korean’s hanbok.
On the contrary, all these trends bring it’s own advantages and disadvantages despite modern or old. One of the advantages of the modern trend is that the fashion items are more durable and last longer. This is because with the improving technology, labels now have more machinery to produce something with better quality. Besides that, modern days fashion are also more convenient such as the invention of zippers. Next, modern days fashion also have a large variety to choose from. With more varieties to choose from, it can satisfy the needs of more people. Furthermore, modern days clothes and accessories are made from fabrics and materials which are easier to care and handle. Most of the clothes now can be easily cleaned and washed using the washing machine. This saves a lot of trouble and also time.
However, with the rapid growth of the modern fashion industry, many people are forgetting about the importance of preserving the traditional clothing especially the younger generations. If this continues, the art of our traditional clothing and culture will slowly vanish and disappear. This will result in the future generation won’t be able to appreciate and learn about them. In addition, fashion trend these days might be misleading to teenagers. There are many inappropriate clothes being sold. For example, t-shirts with prints that mention sensitive and controversial issues or clothes that are too revealing or skirts that are too short to be worn. In contrast, fashion trend of the olden days are more conservative and appropriate to be worn. Besides that, modern fashion trends are considered unsustainable. This is because fashion trends are moving very fast and so most of the products have a short life cycle.
