The Difference Between Fashion and Style
It’s easy to consider fashion and style synonymous. They both refer to clothing, trends (more or less), and beauty. Yet there are some pretty stark contrasts and differences between fashion and style in meaning, application, and industry.
As Iris Apfel, popular fashion blogger and public figure so poignantly said, “Being stylish and being fashionable are two entirely different things. You can easily buy your way into being fashionable. Style is in your DNA. It implies originality and courage. And the worse that can happen when you take a risk is that you fail, and you don’t die from that.”
So, what is fashion?
Fashion is a multi-billion-dollar industry driven by our emotions and ability or inability to keep up with changing trends, costs, and body types. While there are many beautiful aspects of the fashion industry, its ultimate aim is to bring value to consumers to make money. We – the consumers – nevertheless fall for the fashion industry’s constant churn and often our emotions are very tied to what the industry has told us to care about. This is particularly true of trends and sizing.
Every year, approximately 12 – 25 trends come out for women and slightly less for men. That’s a lot to keep up with, especially if you don’t like every one of them or can’t afford to purchase clothes every new season. On top of this, many of us identify with our “size.” But size is an approximate and rather arbitrary number. Many retail clothing sizes are generated by computer systems based on the average of many aggregated body sizes. It does not consider the fluctuations and variations in different body types and somatotypes (body curve and angle) because it would be nearly impossible and quite expensive. Moreover, certain fashion houses and brands have been known to tag the wrong sizes on items to ensure they sell. Size also differs by brand, and one size may not be another at a different store. As a collective body of consumers, we’ve been rather tricked into believing our sizing is finite and definite. Truthfully, size is but a number.
Not until a few years ago has the fashion industry become more inclusive of different bodies, qualities, and characteristics. While the models and trends have always changed (think curvy 1950’s and 60’s models versus 1990’s and 2000’s tall and thin models), it’s difficult to keep up, especially if you don’t identify with or can’t achieve the model look. Recently, there has been a positive and refreshing shift in the fashion industry with many more brands hiring models who represent the diverse consumer populace.
What about style?
Where fashion focuses on the external and material, style is about the internal. Style is a curated closet of clothes based on an individual’s lifestyle, tastes, and preferences. It’s unique to the person, and can include various recent and late trends, but is not exclusive to fads. In 2022, most trends are “in” from the past 60 years and someone can have pieces from the 1960’s to 80’s to 2010’s and still be stylish. Personal style reflects the individual and is rooted in their characteristics and personality.
Personal style accounts for individual body type and somatotype so an individual can build their distinctive closet based on what best suits them. Most likely, a person with a strong sense of personal style will have a variety of clothing sizes in their closet because they acknowledge that size changes are based on brands, not body types. Style includes selective trends based on the individual, and expands on them. As former What Not to Wear co-host Clinton Kelly said, “Fashion is the buffet, and style is what you put on your plate.”
Style can “break'' certain fashion rules. While it's easily possible to be both fashionable and stylish by following particular fashion trends and rules, it’s not necessary to have a personal style. Style, at the end of the day, is about what makes a person happy, confident, and radiant based on who they innately are.
Fashion is an art form (just look at the Met Gala), and offers creative approaches to clothes and gorgeous pieces that suit different people. Runways can be a beautiful array of eclectic models, clothes, and accessories. Style pulls from the beauty of the fashion world and makes it personal. It says, “yes and…” instead of “no.” Cultivating personal style is a way to identify self to the world and style is a non-verbal way of communicating who you are to others. It creates a platform for an individual to put their best self forward while also allowing plenty of room for those who love to follow trends and keep up with the fashion industry.
Fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg’s words echo to all: “Style is something each of us already has, all we need to do is find it.”
“Stylishly” yours,
Leah Whetstone and Anthony Bolognese
