To think that caring about what is fashionable is childish?

[QuertyGirl]

Or at least portrays a massive lack of confidence?

I can understand it in teenagers- you're still developing both physically and as a person and conformity is safety.

But for adults? Why would an adult choose clothes because they're "in" as opposed to whether or not you, personally suit them?
That they make you happy, comfortable or make you comfortable?

See plenty of threads on here asking exactly that.

You're talking about dressing well. I'm talking about following fashion. Not the same thing at all.

I don't think it's childish in any way, but do I do it? No, because it's a rare day that I see anything supposedly in vogue that I think looks remotely nice and I refuse to wear it just because a woman editing a glossy magazine tells me I should.

I'm not a particularly big follower of fashion (as you'd know instantly if you saw my dress sense!), but I'm interested in it from a kind of objective PoV: I'll pick up a copy of Vogue every now and again and it's always fun to see somebody dressed stylishly.

I'm interested it in from an artistic / socio-political perspective, as PPs have said. Humans have always, no matter when or where or who, strived to look the best they can.

And even if I wasn't? Well, I'm not particularly interested in trampolining or rock-climbing or orchid cultivation, but I can see why other people might like those things without deriding them as 'childish'.

I asked recently on a thread about what was coming for spring summer 2023, so think this was aimed at me.

I'm old enough to dress in a timeless way, however a nod to current trends brings your look up to date and can take years off you.

If you enjoy and are interested in clothes, then novelty and seeing what designers come up with next is going to be a big part of that for many people. I’m not really into it, but I love eating out and am always interested in trying new restaurants, cuisines and dishes. This is the same.

I also see the appeal of simply wanting to be part of what’s going on in the world right now.

It’s only a negative if driven by an anxiety of being left out/behind. That could be seen as immature, I suppose. If motivated by positive enjoyment of fashion, absolutely not.

But that's not what fashion is. Fashion is a form of history and sociology. It's absolutely fascinating to me to see the way the world impacts fashion (and vice versa). So many fashion 'trends' are actually a reflection of broader changes in society. You see that really clearly in the post-WW2 period but throughout history too. And a lot of that is actually linked to issues like feminism, for example. I am interested in fashion for those reasons. 99% of the time, I'm dressed very boringly because that's what suits me although I do like that sometimes 'fashion' gives me the opportunity to express myself or experiment with a new look because I sometimes get bored of leggings and oversized jumpers!

I’m literally talking about fashion. You clearly didn’t read what I wrote at all (or simply chose to empty it from your mind between reading and replying). That, alone, is “childish” of you.

Fashion does annoy sometimes but I also accept it's existed for thousands of years and is just part of the human condition at this point.

This is such a boring stereotype. Do you feel this way about cooking?

“What’s fun about wanting your food to taste like everyone else’s?” 🙄

So you think having an interest in something is childish?
Do you think people who earn a living from the fashion industry are childish too?

I’m a jeans and t-shirt girl. Always have and always will be. I make an effort to look smart for work but I can’t be arsed to check I am following the latest fashions. I agree with the posters who say it’s like a hobby for some people. It takes time, effort and money to do it well - none of which I have and when I do then I have better things to be doing and thinking about.

I think some women get very insecure around attractive or fashionable, well groomed or well dressed women. It makes them chippy and they cope by judging these women as vain or childish. Have never seen someone be judgemental without an undercurrent of jealousy

Is this really a thing though? I think it’s actually just a smug outlook.

*But for adults? Why would an adult choose clothes because they're "in" as opposed to whether or not you, personally suit them?

That they make you happy, comfortable or make you comfortable?*

Who actually wears clothes they don’t like or feel happy in for the sake of it being on trend though? I really don’t think this is the case for 99% of people.
Most people wear clothes they like; maybe it’s a trend maybe it isn’t.
Who are you to say whether it suits them or not?

Fashion is, literally wanting to look like other people.

It has nothing to do with dressing well. I love clothes. I love the history of them. I love dressing up! I don't love the idea of copying or looking like other people.

I just understand why anybody would choose clothes based on what's "in"?

But what’s fashion then?
It’s a mad argument that just goes round in circles. I might turn up in a cashmere jaeger jumper from 1984 and a pair of Italian silk Palazzo pants from the 70s. So I’m not wearing the latest line at Boohoo but my clothes are sustainable , the look is cool enough, the sentiment (I pick and choose what suits me from everything ever ) is in itself fashionable.
Its ‘fashionable’ to say that people should wear what suits them rather than wear fast fashion. Deborah Meaden wrote an article about it just this week (40 mil in the bank loves a chazza).
Sustainability is fashionable.

I don't agree that it's childish, I think it's conformist.
It's great to see people wearing what they love rather than being slaves to what some fashion house decides is 'in' that season.

And oh yeah what do you wear OP? Sackcloth and ashes perchance? Absolutely not influenced by fashions or trends at all, not a lick of makeup, just a light coating of self righteousness maybe?? Grow up and stop starting bitchy threads

I used to think this when I was young and really interested in fashion, though I think it’s overstating the case rather: fashion is a bit different to art because of the sheer extent to which it’s a capitalist industry that’s highly exploitative. Every art is a little bit. But when I bright fashion was akin to art I hadn’t really appreciated the sheer extent to which the capitalism and labour and resource exploitation of the fashion “industry” dwarfs that of any other art form, and causes a huge amount of environmental degradation and waste, from dye and chemical runoffs to child labour, shipping industry profits and chemical and pesticide use in producing textiles in developing and industrialising countries - a production process that we’ve exported to ruin the lives of other less fortunate people than ourselves, and which causes a huge amount of global wastage and environmental change that will affect our children’s lives in the future.

So whilst I might have agreed with you when I was 15, 20, 25 or 30, I can’t say I find it as an industry harmless fun anymore.

Your outfit sounds great!

Fashionable does not automatically equal well dressed.

Totally agree with you on this

*when I thought, not when I bright - blooming autocorrect!

No fun in paying a fortune for overpriced labels made in sweat shops in China

I couldn't care less what's fashionable, but I don't think that people who do are childish. It's an interest, just like any other.

I disagree, fashion can be a huge part of someone's identity. What we choose to wear tells others who we are. Even you OP as someone who "rejects" fashion - that tells us something about your personality and values, whether you like it or not.

Look at the V&A - the fashions of an era can tell us so much about how people lived, what they valued. I think in 100 years museums will be displaying "fast fashion" and using it to illustrate the global economy, labour usage etc.