A new trend called authenticity
Welcome to a digital era in which bloggers have positioned themselves as writers and where "likes" determine trends and even affect the seasons' collection. Those days when styles were determined by shows like Sex & the City, movies like Zoolander or The Devil Wears Prada are long gone.
So, who is the real fashion star today? Just look yourself in the mirror, or even better, on your phone's screen. A new trend called "authenticity" is here, and it has intensified with the current hectic times we're all living. The reason for this is that difficult times awaken this instinctive desire for originality. This implies the freedom to vindicate our vision of life and society, freedom to dress how we want, and what makes us feel good. The latter, regardless of whether people criticize us for wearing something unconventional.
A unique language through clothing
Experts in the communications field affirm that 65% of the messages we convey to others are not verbal. In other words, they are based on gestures, expressions, and physical appearance. Of course, everything you wear reveals something about yourself! Every person creates a language through clothing that is born from their experiences and their influences.
It all comes down to what message you wish to put out there. Ask yourself, are you sending the wrong one, only to follow the crowd? Is your outer look compatible with your character, or at least today's alter ego? Believe it or not, the clothes we cover our bodies with profoundly impact our mood, drive, and creativeness. Entire universes can blossom from a pair of night loafers and a solid black pair of dress pants Just as whole personas can spring from a retro jacket and a cool leather belt
Good taste is relative
In the end, there is no such thing as bad or good taste, only different tastes. In our daily lives, we can see how there are two well-defined trends. Some want to dress as the market proposes, which implies an imitation; others seek to distinguish themselves from the first group. It could be because they identify with a particular brand's DNA, belong to a group, or express a specific position or opinion with their way of dressing.
Set your own rules!
Many people think that dressing extravagantly, in such a way that a person stands out in a group, is not an attitude that ensures social praise. Nonetheless, as you may already know, not all of the masses preconceived notions are true. According to a study by Harvard University, colorful and daring clothing can make a person come off as superior or a master of their own rules. Or, as the authors of this investigation put it: "nonconforming behaviors can act as a particular form of conspicuous consumption and lead to positive inferences of status and competence in the eyes of others. A series of studies demonstrate that people confer higher status and competence to nonconforming rather than conforming individuals". To summarize, when it appears deliberate, a person may appear to have higher status and a sense of competence. At this point, the question is: how can you intentionally achieve an inappropriate or alternative look with swag?
How can you pull a striking look of?
You can start with subtle changes, like integrating other color palettes into your wardrobe, for instance. There's nothing wrong with black, but a "larger than life" style mixes tones that scream eccentricity. For a confident style, get acquainted with bold colors and unusual textures.
Using fluorescent colors, atypical symmetries, combining prints, old school shapes, and cartoon-like illustrations https://barabasmen.com/collections/t-shirts/products/graphic-t-shirt-tshirt-cruel-ts17 are all part of a modern look that turns heads. On the other hand, the combination of Haute Couture with fast fashion garments are the most exciting fusion of this scandal. There's a balance here between contemporary fashion and the classic.
Who would have thought it would be okay to mix royal style jewelry https://barabasmen.com/collections/belts/products/stealth-gold with today's oversized figures. Let's remember that before "street style" became the trend on the scene, this combination was inconceivable in the world of fashion.
Kitsch fashion
Kitsch style can come up in many forms, such as art, decoration, architecture, fashion, etc. There is a debate about the use of the term “kitsch”. At first, it was a term associated with pretentiousness, something old-fashioned or of horrible taste. Today, the concept implies a secret contempt for the "high art" and the desire to differentiate.
To sum up, kitsch does not equal an aesthetic error; it's a concept that satirizes the relationship between cheap art in all its forms, and consumerism. Kitsch is, therefore, a reduction of the air of wealth in art and fashion. What´s most
interesting is it was mass production and the aesthetic paradoxes of modernity that created this trend.
How kitsch transforms
In art, you'll find it, for example, in the works of Andy Warhol. His art pieces were full of false emotions, which are distinctive of this style. That "false emotion" that Andy Warhol portrayed is the same that kitsch seeks to achieve from fun footwear, emotional accessories, and lavish textures. Kitsch transforms everything it touches. Religion becomes fanaticism; the trivial becomes ambiguous, asymmetry becomes an abstraction, and originality, a challenge. That's the reason why this style is a favorite among the curious and the bold.
So, contrary to what many believe, kitsch fashion is not about getting lost in bad taste. Nor is it based on buying cheap items to use all at once. This style, like so many others, is a gamble that you can only achieve with intelligence. Besides telling a story, kitsch is the reflection of a global reality. Mass consumption, mass production, large corporations' transforming into almighty actors, and the digital era are some of the situations that influence fashion and its conception these days. Let's summarize "kitsch" by stating that it´s on the boundaries of flashy, due to its patterns, colors, and textures. Still, it's also unusually enjoyable in all its peculiarity.
