Since the fig leaf was first worn, clothing and fashion has been used to display one’s personality, whether it is conforming to the accepted standards of the day or of a more individual nature.

Clothing was originally used for warmth and also, as civilization developed, modesty. Through time, the clothes one wore indicated status, such as the togas worn only by Roman citizens, and the purple worn by the emperors.  Clothing was the obvious means of distinguishing between classes and rank, which eventually developed into the various uniforms worn by specific groups to indicate responsibility (such as police or judges) and rank (officers’ uniforms).

Because the dyes used to produce bright colours were very expensive in ancient times due to the distances they had to be transported, bright garments indicated status and wealth. However, it was the Renaissance period (14th – 15th centuries) in which planned fashion with inbuilt obsolescence first appeared.  As the range of available textiles and dyes rapidly increased with the opening of the Far East to Europeans, it became more and more difficult for ordinary people to outdo their peers in the clothing they wore.

The way that garments were made changed to more of a patchwork technique, and fashions could then change continuously.  This was the beginning of the designer fashion era which has probably not yet reached its peak today.  The 16th century saw clothing become more padded and formed, rather than free flowing, and the hooped farthingale made its appearance together with tightly cinched stays, or corsets.  This was a period of change, and as the seventeenth century approached, the austere outlook of Protestantism and the Catholic backlash resulted in a more austere form of fashion, especially in England with the Puritan influence of Oliver Cromwell.

The next two centuries saw little significant change, although in the 18th and early 19th centuries women were expected to dress according their class. It was not acceptable for a woman of lower class to dress above herself, and clothes prices were set to make this difficult. In 1858, when the first French haute couture house was opened by Charles Frederick Worth, fashion began as we know it today. The designer became much more influential in the fashion of the day.  The 20th century saw true fashion as we know it, with the frivolity of the 1920s perhaps displaying a relief at the end of the Great War. The flappers certainly wore a style of dress that is immediately recognizable as representing its era, and no other decade, apart perhaps from the 50s ‘teddy boys’, is more recognizable from its fashion.

Clothing fashion through the 20th and into the 21 centuries came increasing under the influence of the media, and the era of the supermodel began.  Today, fashion is largely a combination of art and design coming together to produce creations, many of which are not practically wearable anywhere except on a catwalk. However, it is also the era of the designer label and logo, and that frequently is what the buying decision is based upon, rather than looks or practicality.

Nevertheless, this is also the era of designer fashions being made available to the general public at affordable prices. ShopSupermarket can put you in touch with these stores that can provide you with the latest fashion at discount prices.  Whether you are shopping from an online store or a top class fashion house you have the same rights to quality, and that is what we provide for you with our online fashion store comparison site.  Discount or not, we offer you the latest fashion at affordable prices.

A Clothing and Fashion Buying Guide.

Anybody shopping for clothes these days, whether online or off, have a massive range from which to choose, and can do with all the help they can get.  Unfortunately, clothing fashion is so much a matter of personal taste that there is not much we can do in the way of recommendations, but there are some pointers to follow and things to look out for.  Here are some of them.

1.  If you are looking for cheap deals then an online discount store is what to look for, because you can secure many of the latest clothes fashions at very good prices.  However, make sure that you take the advice below since it is easy to trip up with online fashion purchases.