Fashion is an umbrella term for any identifiable style of dressing, which changes with time and circumstances. It can be individualized and represents the myriad of choices available to the user. Fashion can refer to how people dress, to what degree, or for how long.
The Wikipedia definition of the word “fashion” is “A style of dress, Oriental or otherwise, that is worn for everyday life and is associated with a trend for the present”. Fashion is a unique form of individualism and autonomy in a given time and place and at a given context, with regard to clothing, accessories, footwear, hairstyle, makeup, and personal body posture. The word means a particular look defined by the fashion business as what is currently fashionable. The two most common types of fashion are glamour and traditional, but there are many subtypes.
Glamour includes dresses, trousers, skirts, and tops that are overly dramatic or showy. This may include wearing clothing based on the latest fashion trends or just revealing enough to show a lot of skin. High fashion clothes are made to look very expensive and/or very trendy. In modern parlance, “glamour” can mean a mixture of style and substance.
Traditions are the opposite of glamour. A traditional dress, for example, would be something worn for several generations. “Tradition” is an adjective that means a customary way of dressing, normally based on age-old ways or habits. An example of a type of tradition would be the French custom of wearing a shirt inside out after being shirtless for an extended period of time.
When talking about high street fashion design, one of the first words mentioned are “stores”. There are many types of stores – some selling strictly women’s, children’s, or both – while others have both men’s and women’s clothing. Most high streets will have a huge range of products that can be found in these stores. These include: ready-to-wear fashion, which includes: ready-made garments, evening and maternity wear, lingerie, bridal wear, formal wear, sports attire, work wear, casual wear, evening wear, accessories, shoes and so forth. Ready-to-wear fashion is typically bought in “boxes” of differing sizes.
The last two terms are “style” and “branded goods”. “Style” refers to individual tastes or styles in clothing. “Branded goods” are sold as a package with different clothes in them, usually under one brand name. The more common types of brands are: Adidas, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Nike, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Louis Vuitton, etc. The term “Fashion design” is used to describe the process of creating new and innovative clothing by combining the knowledge of the artists and the know-how of dress makers.