When we think about fashion, it’s easy to dismiss it as just clothes. But fashion is more than what we wear; it’s a reflection of society. Scholars like Herbert Spencer, Ferdinand Tönnies, Thorstein Veblen, and Georg Simmel have long studied how fashion works. They all agree that fashion is about imitation. People in lower social classes tend to copy the styles of those above them, creating a “trickle-down” effect. Herbert Blumer later called this the “class-differentiation” theory.
To see this in action, let’s look at a famous scene from “The Devil Wears Prada.” Miranda Priestly, the powerful editor-in-chief, explains how fashion trends spread:
*”This stuff”? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select, I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets?
I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores, and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs. And it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room… from a pile of “stuff.”*
The Trickle-Down Theory of Fashion: From Runways to Your Closet
When we think about fashion, it’s easy to dismiss it as just clothes. But fashion is more than what we wear; it’s a reflection of society. Scholars like Herbert Spencer, Ferdinand Tönnies, Thorstein Veblen, and Georg Simmel have long studied how fashion works. They all agree that fashion is about imitation. People in lower social classes tend to copy the styles of those above them, creating a “trickle-down” effect. Herbert Blumer later called this the “class-differentiation” theory.
To see this in action, let’s look at a famous scene from “The Devil Wears Prada.” Miranda Priestly, the powerful editor-in-chief, explains how fashion trends spread:
Miranda Priestly: “This stuff”? Oh. Okay. I see. You think this has nothing to do with you. You go to your closet and you select, I don’t know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance, because you’re trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back. But what you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean. And you’re also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns. And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn’t it, who showed cerulean military jackets? I think we need a jacket here. And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. And then it, uh, filtered down through the department stores, and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin. However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs. And it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room… from a pile of “stuff.”
This monologue is a great example of the trickle-down theory. High-end designers like Oscar de la Renta and Yves Saint Laurent create new styles and colors, which are then picked up by other designers and eventually make their way to department stores. Over time, these trends trickle down to more affordable stores and end up in clearance bins, where everyday shoppers find them
Even if you think you’re making a unique fashion choice, you’re often influenced by decisions made by fashion elites. That cerulean blue sweater you picked out isn’t just any blue; it’s a color that started on the runway and made its way to your closet through a series of trends.
Fashion is a way to understand society. The trickle-down theory shows how social hierarchy plays a big role in how styles spread. It’s not just about what you wear, but about how social status, economic power, and cultural influence all come together in the world of fashion.
However, the trickle-down theory is just one perspective. There’s also a view that fashion can trickle up, where the upper classes imitate the styles of the lower classes. This “trickle-up” theory suggests that fashion trends can start with streetwear, youth culture, or subcultures and then be adopted by designers and the fashion elite. For instance, many trends in contemporary fashion, such as distressed jeans, sneakers, and streetwear, have origins in lower social strata and have been embraced by high fashion over time.
Both perspectives highlight the dynamic nature of fashion, showing that it’s an ever-evolving dialogue between different levels of society. Whether trends are trickling down or bubbling up, fashion remains a powerful indicator of social change and influence.
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