FASHIONS AND BEAUTY
People have different attitudes to fashion. Some are indifferent, they do not care, what they wear. Others, especially women, are very choosy and particular about what to wear and like to spend a lot of money on clothes. Some people buy ready-made clothes, others prefer to have them made to measure or buy them at second-hand shops. Some have excellent taste in dressing and are always dressed perfectly, others are slovenly in dressing. There are some people, who want to be dressed according to the latest fashion at all costs even if it doesn’t suit them. For some people fashion is a matter of difference, for others it is a need to equal their ideal model by imitating his or her appearance.
Fashion affairs include not only clothes, but also hair style, make-up and accessories, such as shoes, handbags, gloves, hats, scarfs or jewellery and glasses. Styles, cuts, designs and particularly the length of clothes change very quickly because dressmaking has become a big business nowadays.
Fashion often revert to previous styles. But fashion never repeats itself quite in the same way. There can be a whole range of distinctive features. We could note various types of neckline (high or low, oval, V-neck, with collar or collarless), and various cuts of sleeves. The dress may have a classic line, A-line or be straight, the waistline may be natural, high or low. There is also a variety of materials. The dress can be made of traditional naturals, such as cotton, wool, linen, silk. There are many new fabrics based on man–made fibres. Everybody usually looks for 1st class: washable, non–iron, -crease and -shrink clothes. Their design can be plain or patterned and taken from the whole spectrum of colours running from the brightest and most garish to the coolset and most subdued.
The way we dress also depends on our mood, on the season and the particular occasion. We should know what kind of accessories complements the dress and what colours match each other. In summer we wear light summer dresses, blouses with a low neckline and with short sleeves or without sleeves, skirts, shorts, cropped trousers and T-shirts. On our feet we pull on sandals or plimsolls. When we go swimming, we put on a swim suit or trunks. In winter we need to wear something warm: trousers, jeans, cardigans, sweater, anoraks, winter coats and jackets, sometimes even a fur coat, gloves and mittens, caps, hoods, and winter boots of course.
On special occasions we like to be dressed properly too. When we go to a concert or to the theatre we prefer to be dressed up. Men wear an evening dress – dark suit, a light shirt and tie or a bowtie and pumps and women wear an evening gown or dark skirt and blouse and court shoes.
For sport activities we put on an sportswear, such as jeans, shorts, T-shirts, sportboots and to the mountains a waterproof jacket or anorak.
The most favourite wear of teenagers includes jeans or trousers, shirts and T-shirts of various colours. Blue jeans are worn by people of all generations for many years, because they are always comfortable, practical and they look nice. Blue jeans are a symbol of American West, which were the creation of Levi Strauss. Later the jeans became the basic uniforms of American cowboys. There is a wide color-spectrum of jeans. You can choose the typical blue (dark or light), red, green or yellow.
If we want to know the way of the latest fashion, we should go to a fashion shop. There are the models, who show you the latest fashion style. If girls want to be a model, they must be very tall, thin and beautiful, of course.