Well this sixth blogpost is a continuation of the latter ones since fashion really hooked me up. One reason maybe is that I like fashion, I like exploring its overall and I wanted to know more about it.
From the article, I realized that social stratification is highly expressed by the clothes one wears. Clothes became a nonverbal communication of someone to depict that he/she belongs to a certain group of people. One's clothing also creates an impression. Example, if you wear something smart casual when meeting someone for the first time, a good impression of you coming from a middle class will probably the case but if you wear something like street wear in meeting someone for the first time creates a bad impression and more likely to be judged as people coming from the lower class. And though sometimes people wear smart casual attire, brand names are what others are looking for. Well, for me branded stuff never matter though at some point I am guilty for buying astronomical priced items. But not everyone are fond of buying overpriced items, some celebs choose to buy from the nearest thrift shops rather than in boutiques. I remember my high school friend who's really bothered of the dress she will wear for the debut we will attend to. So we bought some lace dress which really looked good to her but she ended up not wearing that because her older sister told her that she looked Jejemon in her dress. Being called as Jejemon is really heart breaking. Does the price really matter? Does buying in stores without brands or tags really matter?
Tips from this articles are very helpful and through this I was convinced that buying from those consignment shops and other thrift shops are more likely not only to save my money but of course give adventures for me. It also gave me the idea that order to keep your wealth you should thrift shopping or go for things which are unbranded. Since whether it is branded or not, they have the same purpose, to clothe our body. I remember the comment I saw one time that some rich people do thrift their bucks to keep their wealth. Well the point of this blog post is to tell people that they should not stick to the notion that if you wear something like this, you would be like this; if you buy that, you will become like that. I remember during our Public Speaking 1 class, our professor, Mr. Jaime Daroy explained to us one marketing strategy. They would target a certain lower class and buying the item they are endorsing makes someone in the lower class feel or look like they are part of the higher ones. Well this is a notion everyone thinks, that if you buy something from Divisoria or local malls, which doesn't have any tags or trademark, you are already considered a Jejemon. You're considered poor. Simply because since Jejemons are mostly made up of those in the middle and working class, they would rather prefer imitation garments, footwear and accessories than those of the overpriced designer ones. Sometimes, thrift shops are they’re friends.
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| Difference between upper class and lower class women during the Victorian era |
In the site Sew in Season by megandefinney one of her blog posts entitled "Fashion vs. Class" tackled about how one’s class is determined by the way you dress. From her post she stated that from the book “Fashion and Its Social Agendas” by Diane Crane, since the Victorian era, ones clothing can determine their movements and more likely, the smaller their movements the upper the class they belong. It is because only those people with much wealth can afford to buy several pieces of clothes worn at the same time. Victorian fashion is also associated with wearing of several outfits per day. Different outfits for different occasions like visiting, dinner, riding and balls. Also doing those times, middle class women who desired to look like those of the higher class would sew their own garments and clothes which last for a long time. In addition to that, they would only wear simple dresses while the upper class who can afford to buy several pieces of clothes would wear elaborated and restrictive dresses. Compared to the new era of 21st century, one’s social class is depicted by the brands one I wearing. Examples of which are the Prada, Michael Kros, Coach, Dolce and Gabbana and other designer items. The article ended with her thought of why people would even care and pay dollars to portray an image others think they are.
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| Common ritual of how Victorian upper class women wear clothes |
From the article, I realized that social stratification is highly expressed by the clothes one wears. Clothes became a nonverbal communication of someone to depict that he/she belongs to a certain group of people. One's clothing also creates an impression. Example, if you wear something smart casual when meeting someone for the first time, a good impression of you coming from a middle class will probably the case but if you wear something like street wear in meeting someone for the first time creates a bad impression and more likely to be judged as people coming from the lower class. And though sometimes people wear smart casual attire, brand names are what others are looking for. Well, for me branded stuff never matter though at some point I am guilty for buying astronomical priced items. But not everyone are fond of buying overpriced items, some celebs choose to buy from the nearest thrift shops rather than in boutiques. I remember my high school friend who's really bothered of the dress she will wear for the debut we will attend to. So we bought some lace dress which really looked good to her but she ended up not wearing that because her older sister told her that she looked Jejemon in her dress. Being called as Jejemon is really heart breaking. Does the price really matter? Does buying in stores without brands or tags really matter?
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| Celebrities fond of thrift shopping |
From the article "$20 in my pocket: Celebs also hit the thrift shops" by Mesfin Fekadu in Yahoo! Music, some celebrities like Debbie Harry, lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie, would sometimes visit one of the thrift shops when deciding when to wear to an event or photo shoot. She describes that it’s like an adventure to hunt for the perfect one she would purchase. Another celeb is an international singer, Miguel who described that clothes from thrift shops are clothes with character. Elle Varner is also considered Thrift Queen. Also on the list is Ryan Teddy, OneRepublic singer, who uses his clothes which was brought in the thrift shops when he was still a teen. Last on the list is Janelle Monae, who shops in thrift shops because buying from those gets her one-of-a-kind stuff which others don’t have.
The article "The Pros and Cons of Resale Shopping" by Debbie Roes in the site Recovering Shopaholic supported the latter with the pros and cons of buying into thrift shops. The pros include a) sustainability where one can help our environmental issues because he/she buys a stuff that has been already used by other; b) style selection wherein one has a wide range of varieties and styles to choose from; c) designer styles at bargain prices; d) better quality pieces since the items sold here are already used and were made back then, its quality is way better than those produced now; and e) "treasure hunt" since you will be unearthing piles and racks of clothes and will feel satisfaction the moment you find the piece you wanted. Well of course the cons include a) impulse buying due to popular price; b) limited size selection because it's not a retail shop, what do we expect?; c) "this will do" since sizes are limited we ought to buy the clothes which is a little bit loose or tight; d) poor fitting room conditions or no fitting rooms at all; and e) final sale wherein returns are not an option meaning you can never give back the clothes and expect your money to be back.
Tips from this articles are very helpful and through this I was convinced that buying from those consignment shops and other thrift shops are more likely not only to save my money but of course give adventures for me. It also gave me the idea that order to keep your wealth you should thrift shopping or go for things which are unbranded. Since whether it is branded or not, they have the same purpose, to clothe our body. I remember the comment I saw one time that some rich people do thrift their bucks to keep their wealth. Well the point of this blog post is to tell people that they should not stick to the notion that if you wear something like this, you would be like this; if you buy that, you will become like that. I remember during our Public Speaking 1 class, our professor, Mr. Jaime Daroy explained to us one marketing strategy. They would target a certain lower class and buying the item they are endorsing makes someone in the lower class feel or look like they are part of the higher ones. Well this is a notion everyone thinks, that if you buy something from Divisoria or local malls, which doesn't have any tags or trademark, you are already considered a Jejemon. You're considered poor. Simply because since Jejemons are mostly made up of those in the middle and working class, they would rather prefer imitation garments, footwear and accessories than those of the overpriced designer ones. Sometimes, thrift shops are they’re friends.
For me, fashion is never determined by price. One is never fashionable just because he/she wears a thousand-worth tops or bottoms. We don't really need to spend much just to look good or feel great, confidence is what we really need. In my opinion, Jejemon fashion is very practical because they didn't bother to buy those branded ones and just settle for the cheap ones like those found in the streets of Divisoria and Baclaran. I, myself, is a great fan of those. I sometimes prefer quantity than quality but I make sure I get things I deserve. I pay for the quality not the brand. It's true fashion has become one's expression of lifestyle and status but not everyone. Some would prefer to wear simple casual attires than those of the elegant ones though the belong to the middle class. So next time you see a Jejemon, don't judge their clothes. Maybe the reason why they dress like that is that they wanted to save money or things which are more important than showing off an image you are not.
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