What I Love About Urban Street Fashion

Clothes are art. Like art, they have changed through time and generations. They have filled a place in human studies: psychology, sociology, and anthropology. While worn out of necessity, clothes have also been a representation of human beliefs, and social class system. They have also represented revolutions in these areas. Clothing choices in the past few decades have changed both rapidly and dramatically. The 1800′s started out with flowing dresses, Hermes Birkin bags 30 changed to more top-fitted dresses, which began to show more skin in the front and back, which turned into more bottom-fitted dresses in the early 1900′s. This time line continued. The 1930′s brought in two piece skirt sets. Things picked up from here: the poodle skirt of the 1950′s-60′s, the short dresses of the 1960′s-70′s, the short-shorts and bell-bottoms of the 1970′s-80′s, leg warmers and shoulder pads of the 1980′s, the mini-skirts of the 1990′s. The 2000′s have also had their share of craziness: the butt-out pants, the thong-out pants, and so on.Even more interesting than the general fashions of the times is the emergence of the more dramatic contrasts in subcultures of fashion. This began to occur more dramatically after the fashion revolution of the 1980′s. This decade served as an extension and exaggeration of the movements that occurred in the 1960′s. It was a decade of 'Me!Me!Me!' While the flower power parents were becoming responsible adults, while the generation's mother's worked extended hours out of the home, while it became more accepted for children to be increasingly independent in their actions and attire, the children were expressing these new found freedoms in various ways. One of the most prominent ways was through clothing. It was at this point that individuality and group representation began to form more drastically than at any other time in history. There were preps, goths, mods, skaters, schoolgirls, party girls, punks.This contrast continued to evolve into almost infinite subgroups over the decades following. Finally, urban street fashion emerged. Like its predecessors, punk, then skater, it is a form of fashion that represents the lives of its creators: inner-city youth looking for a voice, and looking for attention of their efforts to change the world around them and express their views of it. Calling people who wear urban street clothing is like calling an artist a person who uses a brush. People who wear urban street clothing are artists themselves. It is their application of clothing and accessories that creates their artwork. Urban street clothing is a complex mix of textures, shapes, placements, and other styles and forms. It is a representation of ideas, of values, morals, culture, and history. It is a representation of the individual. It is a form of expression that is constantly visible for others to see. Like any other artist, these people are putting themselves out there at the risk of rejection, judgment, and dismissal. It is a way of putting what is inside a person's heart, mind, and soul, into public view. It is making oneself vulnerable. And this is a direct representation of the people and the generation wearing them.Like any attire, urban street fashion has also been utilized as a tool for the purpose of unity. While there are many, many forms of individuality found in urban street clothing, there are also striking resemblances as the clothing of a state, city, or neighborhood is witnessed. This is largely due to peer influence and exposure to similar social events, environments, media, view points, and other social influences. Ironically, urban street fashion's intention is to show individual expression, rebellion, and viewpoints, but in doing so, it illustrates major and minor cultural differences from one place to another. The rapid progression of fashion after the 1960′s is a reflection of the progression of society. In this case, it has been the thoughts, morals, views, and opinions of social interactions. In the 1960′s, the clothing revelation was linked to a sexual revolution. As seen in attire dating back to the early 1800′s, this revolution was a long time in the making. The 60′s however, broke through that barrier and beyond, paving the way for other changes in clothing and society. It provided a platform for female liberation, heterosexual experimentation. These freedoms opened the door for all sorts of self expression and even pride. It is upon this idea that many subcultures of fashion were formed, mirroring their progressive social counterparts.Urban street fashion is a huge incorporation of several sub(sub)fashions. These fashions can be anywhere from an edgy, punkish look, to an intellectual, artistic look, to a hip-hop look, to a more structured, Eastern look. The common factor is having the elements put together in a way that it represents a person, in an artistic, cutting edge manner. Some types include:Bicycle Urban Fashion: Lightweight, practical clothing made for biking. It usually includes a fanny pack or pageboy kelly handbag and bicycle gloves. May include sunglasses.apanese Urban Fashion: Became popular in the 1990′s and is made up of various sub(sub, sub) fashions that have their own subs. Includes versions of versions of hundreds of different fashions from cute to Gothic (within the same sub, sub, sub, sub) category. They have taken the idea and multiplied it. Hip-Hop Urban Fashion This fashion became dominant in the 1980′s and evolved within the rap community. Rap itself was fueled by Black Nationalism. With the rap and Black Nationalism intertwined, the fashion surrounding this part of the music industry created a form of fashion based on traditional Black influences. Du-rags, baseball caps, baggy pants, and basketball sneakers dominated this market and encouraged further evolution.Surf and Skate Wear: These birkin bags were the founding fathers of Urban Street Fashion. Based on the subcultures of their respective sport, they introduced a form of sportswear that evolved into the various categories of urban street wear visible today. Surf wear often includes t-shirts with logos of surfboards and the various brands associated with them, surfer shorts, and flip-flops. Skate wear often includes t-shirts with skateboard brands, jeans and jean shorts, skater shoes, and baseball caps.Fashion gives us an amazing insight into sociology. It is as intriguing, if not more so, than its artistic counterparts. In fact, it is a form of art itself, displaying an infinite number of cultural, social, and individual ideas. This is what I love about urban street fashion.