Dress and fashion

Abstract

Fashion is a contemporary phenomenon, with an increasing role in shaping behavior in contemporary societies. Fashion influences many areas of human creativity, especially mode of dressing. Dressing usually assumes traditional costume, which somewhat stayed static during history. Starting with Renaissance period, Europe experienced frequent changes in fashion styles (all changes came later to Serbia). In its beginnings, fashion was accepted mostly by wealthier classes, but in time, it gradually became available to general population, becoming so a part of the "consumers mentality". This availability of the fashion industry facilitates to many a brief, sharp cut with past in a short period of time. And while costume was characterized by certain stability of forms and materials, fashion represents a completely different phenomenon. That is, fashion is characterized by instability of forms and constant changes, and by relatively short periods of duration of styles and contemporary dressing.