How Hollywood Affects Fashion
Fashion and Hollywood have gone hand in hand for many decades now. In the past, Hollywood starlets created fashion trends that have turned into classics. Trendsetters of yesterday include Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Jacqueline Kennedy. They were fully aware of how to use clothes as an extension of their personalities. Designers of that time wanted to dress these icons because they were successful, admired, and respected. It was a way to get their names out into the public (Lee 34).
Today’s relationship with fashion has changed dramatically. Fashion is obsessed with Hollywood. Fashion is represented differently; today’s designers are also businesspeople, celebrities are becoming “designers”, fashion advertising has taken a turn, and celebrity influence has become over the top.
Up until about 15 years ago, fashion was, for the most part, about clothes. Runway shows were not televised; they were only attended by a small number of magazine editors, newspaper writers, and store buyers. The styles of the season could be seen in fashion publications such as Vogue or Harpers Bazaar, but rarely in entertainment magazines. Today, the worlds of fashion, media, and entertainment have collided saturating our lives with images and advertisements of fashion. Designers put a lot of energy into getting stars to attend their shows and convincing them to wear their clothes. If you are a designer, you can make your sales jump through the roof by getting your name mentioned in the media in association with a star or having a garment worn by a celebrity (95).
In the past, designer labels did not exist. Most women of wealth had a dressmaker who would construct garments according to the latest fashions. It was not ...