Ask Fashion Girl

Dear Jessica:

It's true: Sometimes it seems like everything in the mall looks the same! So what's up with that? Who calls the shots with regard to style?

Basically, the answer is that there is a lot of cross-pollination in the fashion world, both intentional and unintentional. Style ideas are not"owned"by the person who designs them, so they are free to be imitated. Initially, the biggest Fashion Designers send wild creations down the runways of Paris , London , Milan , and New York , and sometimes these ideas catch on to the extent that other designers copy them. In the past, trends were started by films, when studio costume designers designed original creations for stars such as Joan Crawford, Audrey Hepburn, and Marilyn Monroe. Lots of current Fashion Designers use historical fashion to inspire their designs. Other trends are started by celebrities such as Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne. Increasingly common are trends that come from what is referred to as"the street,"meaning styles that start among creative regular people setting trends in their own lives."Stylewatchers"such as Fashion Designers and trend forecasting services take note of these innovations and incorporate them into fashion products. Trend forecasting services are firms that research trends around the world and then sell this information to Fashion Designers and clothing manufacturers. They are becoming increasingly influential in the fashion business. There are trend forecasting services for colors, fabrics, and styles. That's why it can seem like a lot of different clothing lines are following the same style and color guidelines. It's because they are!

One consolation about the sameness of fashion: if you don't like a style, wait a season or two, and it'll be gone, with something else in its place!

Also, try creating your own style by shopping at thrift stores and at local stores and boutiques which may buy from small but creative local designers. You don't have to be a slave to what the mall offers.

Sincerely, Fashion Girl