Or do you consider fashion as merely a superficial industry that creates and decimates trends on its own for the sole purpose of generating literally billions of dollars each year?

The impetus for this poll? When I noticed that the death of style icon, fashion editor, and internationally reknown visual iconoclast Isabella Blow (see photo) received not even a scant mention among the Buzznet news blurbs, but tabloid topics like “Does Britney look like a hooker?” were. I'm sorry...but isn't the web already overpopulated with sites debating who's "fugly" as it is?

One thing's for sure: unless we're hidden away "letting it all hang out" in a nudist colony, clothing is a necessity for our day-to-day.

Moreover, since personal style and one's chosen "appearance" unequivocally bears great importance on this site-- not to mention its gravitas among countless others-- I thought it'd be more productive and insightful to instigate a discussion on what we choose to wear and why, rather than stumble upon another internet argument over who is allegedly "ripping off the looks" of whom.

For the record: I have strong beliefs on my own answer to this question. Call me pretentious, an asshole, a snob; I don't care. What is, however, insofar as I'm concerned is that before you pipe in with an answer, you take a moment to consider the question in both a personal and universal context.
 
142 people have taken this poll

Comments (18) Responses (142)
cilriaco: 06/01/2007 1:14 AM
Oh do I fucking love you or what. If only you could select more then one response.
misscorrosive: 06/01/2007 6:33 AM
well i dont know about the result,but i m sure i have a good sense what should be on top of my skin ;-)
mychemgrl: 06/01/2007 6:49 AM
Clint you rock babydoll...just thought you should know!
thankgodforesteban: 06/01/2007 7:27 AM
this one kind of took me a while to think about because at the same time, fashion must have something to do with history, because the people during those times are the ones choosing the fads and designing the clothes. each decade has a definitive [atleast somewhat] style. but i'm not sure if that makes fashion completely linked to history. hm. i chose 1. and this is getting too long! haha. ily Clint.
jillypeppa: 06/01/2007 7:33 AM
i choose the 3rd one...believe me i had to take a class for 3months and write a finial about it. Fashion and History go hand in hand. best buds hhaha
artfan13: 06/01/2007 7:43 AM
thats a great question makes you think carefully about what you put and hell yeah fashion is defitnetly related to whats going on now
Clint Eastwood: 06/01/2007 8:01 AM
I chose the third one after some consideration, because if you think about fashion has changed to encompass the times- in Victorian times women were supposed to be modest and feminine, and corsets added an element of control over women in an already restrictive society. Or the Baroque period, where everything was extravagant and over the top and flowery- even the men's, but especially the women's, clothing reflected this. Also, by studying the elements of the costume, you can find out a lot about culture. For example, an outfit in Elizabethan times would be vastly different from, say a typical outfit in India or Sudan even in the same time period. Still now, fashion is reflective of the strained times we live in...remember a few seasons or so ago (I don't really know for sure, but it was recently) when there was a big trend towards more Gothic elements in fashion, and a lot of the more conservative designers had even explored the trend, so I think that they really are inextricably linked. We can learn so much about a people and their culture and history simply by looking at what clothing was popular.

...Haha, that was probably far too rambling and long. XD Much love, Mr. Catalyst.
evelynblack1955: 06/01/2007 11:06 AM
"Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new."
-Henry David Thoreau
misslolasorrow: 06/01/2007 11:12 AM
number 3.
♥ Lovely Heart ♥: 06/01/2007 12:47 PM
Hello Clint have a lovely weekend :)
angelxofxdeath: 06/01/2007 12:51 PM
ehh. it has little to do with whats going on in the world.
halerac69: 06/01/2007 1:28 PM
I did a report on Fashion and the 1940s. Its amazing how fashion affects the world and what affects fashion. Did you know due to lack of Nylons in WWII a cream was developed for the legs instead? Or Pants? Women didn't start wearing pants until the 1940s because they began working jobs usually offered to men. So much has changed in fashion because of that Era.
vanee: 06/01/2007 7:48 PM
awesome, XD
tragicunicornsiren: 06/01/2007 9:06 PM
Often we overlook those who have passionately worked to rise from being a dreamer to accomplishing life as a "do-er". It almost always takes a tragedy for people to realize the life one has lead to influence others in various industries and genres. People like Judy Garland, Greta Garbo, Rita Hayworth, Julie Newmar, and many others are rarely ever mentioned as much as Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hephburn, yet they were a great part of our history. May Isabella rest in peace in a place where she will find that even in teh darkest corner her world brought light. Xo, Cynthia
cruella: 06/01/2007 9:22 PM
you're so right...xo
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Clint Catalyst wants to know...Do you think that fashion trends are in any way related to what’s going on in the world (or at least a specific designer’s “little corner of it”) at that moment?
Or do you consider fashion as merel…
Comments (18) Responses (142)
Clint Catalyst wants to know...Do you think that fashion trends are in any way related to whats goin...
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