The fashion industry is often portrayed to be a world of extravagance,glitz and glamour,and endless excitement.Models and designers are often subject to long hours and high-stress in a demanding and deadline driven work setting.Additionally,the highly competitive and critical nature of the industry,pressure for certain appearances for models and heavy criticism for a designers work.A study conducted by the US Center for Disease Control,which compared suicide rates among occupations,confirmed a strong correlation between working in the fashion industry and developing mental illnesses.The fashion industry ranked seventh on the list.
The use of underage and anorexic(eating disorder) models have been endemic in the fashion industry for year.Fashion giants say that clothes hang better on tall and androgynous women, but this encourages eating disorders.According to the medical survey conducted by model Alliance in 2012,64.1% of models have been asked to lose weight by their respective agencies,while 31.2% admitted to be suffering from an eating disorder.

If the models are of all sizes this issue may curb.”Beauty can’t be defined by size”.I believe this will solve unhealthy eating habits amongst models abroad.Abroad,models start at very young age and they do have to maintain a certain figure to fit into industry stereotypes for runway.In India, we don’t have sickening thin models, which is great.But as an industry we all should encourage better eating habits than get them to starve just to fit into a certain size.Beauty comes in all sizes and shapes,not just size zero.

-SARASWATHI P S

The impact the fashion has on today’s culture and daily life is evident everywhere we turn. Whenever there is a modern development, fashion has always been a big part in it.

“Love it or hate it fashion is here to stay”

Every movie or television program has carefully chosen the look they want to portray. Every advertisement may not be fashion, but the cloths are in such a way for catching the audience. There are endless restaurants, social events, and churches where fashion plays a large role.
Though it can be sometimes seen as a reflection of everyone’s expectations of what to be worn ultimately, fashion is a reflection of inner self.

Janani. D

Use of makeup can be traced back to the ancient times. Unconventional ways have been followed to add color to the face. Khol was used for eye makeup while red clay was used to brighten up the color of the cheeks and lips. Before mascara became popular, boot polish was used to accentuate the eyes.

In the previous blog (ch-1) we saw about different ways of applying lipstick….now let’s see the transition in eye makeup through some pictures.

This is how the transition occurred and now at present, all of the makeups done by makeup artists are amazingly wonderful and people have learnt how to do makeup for themselves from the youtube makeup tutorials put up by famous actresses and other fashion loving bloggers.

Now a days there are a number of cosmetics sellers like Lakme, Revlon, Dazzler, Maybelline etc. These companies have come up with new products that are very much useful for makeup.

-Aishwarya.P.R

In the early 60’s and 70’s make-up was done only by actors and people who put up shows in public…common people were not familiar with this and they didn’t know how to put make-up. Later in the 80’s everybody came to a realization that make-up is not meant only for popular people and artists….it can be done by ordinary people too.

As long as there have been people, there has been makeup and today, cosmetics can be found in almost every society on Earth. So far we discussed make-up in general, let’s now deep dive into the actual evolution in make-up. Applying lipstick itself has changed in lot many ways as years pass by…here are a few pictures of the transition.

This is enough for now…and we shall discuss more in the next chapter which will be the final blog on this evolution of make-up.

-Aishwarya.P.R

There was a time when people went crazy over animal skin on coats and jackets. It made a statement in the world of fashion. It was so costly that only the higher class and elite people could afford it. Later on a question on animal cruelty came up.Killing animals just for the their skin to make clothes? Was it very necessary? PETA slammed many fashion brands for animal cruelty. It made people think nonetheless the sales still kept going. Many considered it royalty to wear animal print. Over the recent years an alternative for fur has taken the industry by storm- Faux fur. What do you think about animal skins as a fashion statement?

–Neha Mahesh

“Our body is an instrument of communication”,it does not just mean that the mouth speaks, hands mold, feet moves.We communicate even further by a non-verbal way. It includes cloths, which expresses a person’s age, class, occupation and manner. We wear different sets of cloths in different surroundings as in parties,weddings and interviews.
Makeup is also a mode for communication. It is a form of self-expression. It is a confidence booster and it is also about wanting to explore our different looks. It makes us feel beautiful inside and out.
Fashion has its own unspoken rules, just as in other languages. It is about what matches, what is appropriate to wear in certain situations or what is not appropriate. Fashion includes hairstyles, makeup, jewelleries, shoes, and other accessories, just as the words which build a language.

~Janani.D

Fashion shows the ever-changing style of clothes worn by the people of different backgrounds.A fashion trend occurs when others mimic or follow this clothing style. Fashion trends vary greatly within a society over time, but also are affected by age, occupation, location and social class.

Let’s take a look at some of the latest fashion trends followed.

JEANS: You can pair it up with anything and look super-duper fashionable.Ripped jeans with a tank top and denim jacket will give a chic look.

KIMONO/SHRUGS:Shrugs can be worn with anything and Shrugs are pretty handy when you want to add a pop to your outfit.

CROP TOP: Tight Crop tops pairs best with looser pants or skirt which gives you a classic look,while a relaxed,loose t-shirt or tank style goes well with high-waisted jeans or shorts for a casual look.

CAT EYE GEEK GLASSES: There isn’t a better accessory that updates your style as fast as a pair of glasses.A must-have part of any fashion lover’s wardrobe, it’s no wonder spectacle trends are so popular.Whether you wear them with prescription lenses or plain, as a fashion statement while strolling the city.Modern eye-catching glasses can seriously give your look a refresh.

SHOES:Shoes have become more versatile than ever in today’s fashion world. The designers of the fashion world have responded with shoes for every occasion,even for those that don’t like to wear shoes. They can make your feet feel like you are floating in the clouds or they can put a punch line on a flashy number. Style is defined by every piece of the outfit including the shoes.

-SARASWATHI P S