International Fashion

International Fashion – Brazil

Posted on January 23, 2015 by thewalkingopen

When discovering fashion of different cultures and countries, I have decided to come across all the continents and to talk about fashion in at least one country from there. I want to talk about fashion in Brazil right now – the country is located in South America and has its own conceptual style. Brazil is the country where fashion industry is just developing. There are no particular designers who have modified the view on Brazilian fashion, or there are no specific ideals in it. But fashion is highly developing right now in Brazil. People there pay a lot of attention on what is going on in the world of fashion on the global scale. The designers in the country are divided into two groups: cheap and expensive. the only main difference between those two are quality and price. But still, there is a certain style or traditions present.

A lot of the fashion outfits and looks are brought back to the cultural and ethnic aspects of the culture and the country. There are a lot of patterns that connect the modern people with the past, as well as they express the inner part of the culture. Many of the clothing has different floral patterns, but at the same time there are ethnic drawings. A lot of natural and fresh colors, like orange, yellow, green, red are present throughout the designs and in street style.

The street style in Brazil reminds me of the Australian one, but with a little more natural touch. As the weather is rather hot and humid, there is not a lot of clothes that can be worn. But Brazilians find a way to look good – a huge amount of different types of skirts, dresses and shorts are present in every wardrobe. Bright colors own everything – from blue to green, from red to yellow and beyond. Accessories, shoes and clothes create something like a confetti blast that sparkles from street to street and carries the fashionistas from place to place.

International Fashion – Germany

Posted on January 21, 2015 by thewalkingopen

Looking at fashion internationally opens people’s eyes. It doesn’t keep them in borders and frames – it allows them to see differences and similarities, evaluate, learn something new and inspire. That is why I am looking at fashion in different countries and cultures. This time I will be looking at German fashion!

German fashion is not like fashion in France, Milan, London or New York. It is different with it’s vibe and attitude, feel and final touches. The thing that comes first is comfort. Always. Even on the runway, models always need to be and look comfortable – no mega-high stilettos and super-slim and tight dresses. That is what German people are looking for the most in clothing. Even if it is an evening attire outfit, Germans will not go for something that makes them feel troublesome.

But what is their style like? It is all about minimalism. There are no overcomplicated and layered looks, everything is smooth and simple. Brands like COS, Marni and Acne Studios can fit German fashionistas, as they don’t create something that is sparkle, bright and fancy. It might seem like they are not putting a lot of effort into what they are wearing, but it is not true. To create a polished and smooth look, it actually takes much more effort that people imagine. Everything needs to mach and fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, which is actually hard to create.

There is no exaggeration in German fashion – everything is very straightforward. Some of the people dress in very urbanist looks. They prefer stuffed coats, skinny pants or jeans, lightly laced skirts, t-shirts, silky shirts, mid-high heeled shoes. All of these garments create a look that reminds me of tumblr and coffee – relaxed but complicated at the same time. These looks can be mostly seen on teenage-early twenties girls that are always in a rush. What about male fashion? Men sometimes decide to wear something funky mixed with classic: shirts with leather jackets, t-shirts with casual jeans and shoes and many other options that just a simple guy from the neighborhood would wear.

Even if it seems like German fashion is too simple and relaxed, it still is something that people use to express themselves. They are used to comfort, so they are bringing it into fashion to not only make a fashion statement, but also to feel and look good in the clothes.

Posted on January 21, 2015 by thewalkingopen

Fashion definitely depends on the culture that it is coming from. It is very influenced by country’s traditions, moral views, beliefs and of course, climate. Same is in Australia -the country is located in Oceania, where there is summer all year round. It is impossible to wear not only coats and sweaters, but even clothing like leather jackets and bombers. So fashion has to turn and twist around what is there – flip-flops, sandals, shorts and t-shirts. It might seem like it is complicated or even impossible to craft something interesting out of it, but Australians try and make amazing looks.

People tend to say that Australian fashion is very much alike to the European fashion, but they are actually very different. When European fashion is very tailored and glamorous in a way, Australian fashion is causal and relaxed. This links back to the climate, as they can’t really experiment with layers and complicated clothing. In a little-colder weather, some people can pull off light pants and jackets, that will not make them too hot, but will be stylish. What Australians like to experiment with is instead different patterns and textiles. There is a lot of silk present, as it is type of cloth that keeps you cool in hot wether. This doesn’t only make the designs practical, but also adds a lot of texture and high-class touch.

Another very important element present in Australian fashion is a variety of colors. As it is almost all-time summer, there is always a blast of vibrant colors in all the textures and patterns. There is everything – pink, blue, red, yellow, magenta and so much more. It is like a kaleidoscope, which is usually present there. Hairstyles are usually simple and relaxed, just like the whole feel of fashion there. There is no overdressing or overcomplicating – everything is very chill and feels like you have just dropped at a casual party of a group of stylish people.

Style in general, of course, depends on everyone’s personal preferences, but most of the women like to dress in romantic and girly clothes – a lot of white, pink and other light colors. There are no ‘heavy’ attributes that make the look sharp. Some others, like to mix in different edgy elements with simple minimalistic ones, to make a creative combination and to express themselves through it.

But in general, Australian fashion is very alike to the one that we see in Europe. It might happen because a lot of fashion traditions were inhabited by the australians, as they travel around the world. But what I have to say is different, is that their style is much more relaxed – people are thinking proportionally about fashion AND comfort, which is a part of their self-expression.

Posted on January 20, 2015 by thewalkingopen

As we live in the Global World, we get an opportunity to know what is going on on every part of the globe. But did you ever think about what fashion is like out there? It doesn’t even matter where, because everywhere it is so different but at the same time the same. Fashion is like a sponge – it absorbs cultural and social aspects of the culture and portrays them, even if people do it not consciously. Therefore we can observe how fashion is different there and here, but in the end – it is all the same old vogue, that just transforms depending on it’s location.

So to start the topic of International Fashion, I would like to talk about fashion in Japan. We all know that it is not the most typical way of dressing that is present there (Just think about all those Hello-Kitties and Kawais). But what is it really like? Maybe it is something special for the japanese, something that makes them feel happy and inspired? It is!

Yes, in Japan there are many ‘crazy’ types of fashion present. There are such types as “cosplay” – when a person dresses up as their favorite character from a video-computer game. This type of outfits is mostly popular throughout gamers, but there are sometimes even flashmobs and fashion shows created!

Except from Cosplay, Japan has another very popular style that is called “Lolita”. It is mostly popular among females. The inspiration for the style comes from the Victorian era, as they dress up in long dresses and bright accessories. There are many different types of Lolita dressing: Gothic Lolita (dark and gothic clothes mixed with the doll look), Sweet Lolita (childish and pastel-coloured clothes in the doll’s look) and Classic Lolita (plain and simple colours, more adult look). All of these, though, are very popular and spread throughout the Japan.

But what about regular clothing? Japanese are very fond of following the trends and making their looks creative. Not a lot of people prefer normal clothing – most of them go there all the way for the most interesting ways to dress. If you want to see all of the trends, even the micro ones, live – go to Japan! Everything there is so detailed, bright and nicely weird, but isn’t it what we love Japan for?