Fashion is a system of dressing that varies from place to place, time to time, and between groups of people within a culture. It is also a way of self-expression. The style that one wears is often a direct reflection of their personality and inner values. The choice of a dress can have a positive effect on a person’s mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
In modern times, clothing has been a powerful symbol of status and wealth. It is not uncommon to see people wearing designer clothes, especially in wealthy societies. It is a form of semiotic distinction that marks people as members of a group and serves to distinguish them from those who are not in it.
When someone is fashionable, they are in the current wave of popular taste in terms of the clothing that they wear. This wave of popularity can be a result of marketing, advertising or word of mouth. A fad can become fashionable by its being worn by many people, but it will also fade if too much of it is worn. This is why it is important to be careful when buying new clothes and accessories, as there are always new trends in the market.
The start of continual and accelerating change in European clothing styles is usually put at the end of the medieval period, although scholars dispute this. The fashion cycle of clothing is a 5-stage life cycle, where it starts with an idea, then becomes popular and copied by others because of its popularity, then goes out of style due to too many people wearing it.