Summary by Carrie Chambers

 

Celebrities are synonymous with fashion.  The public eye is drawn to this “other race” of people and sees their each and every move, especially when it comes to who and what celebrities are wearing. Jennifer Lopez, one of today’s most recognized stars, wore a revealing dress by Versace to an awards show and the next day her photograph was on every tabloid cover.  The stars have immense power to influence fashion and consequently designers, magazines and stores are looking to them to sell their products.  Traditionally, models have been the medium used to sell clothes, but recently celebrities have taken over the covers of magazines and can be seen daily in television commercials. Americans are more influenced by celebrities and what they are wearing than by supermodels.  In general, celebrities make a bigger impact than models and people are more likely to respond.

 

Couture is no longer the highlight of fashion magazines and RTW is taking its place.  This can be seen especially with designers such as Ralph Lauren, whose celebrity model is Penelope Cruz.  People want to see outfits they can actually afford and wear out without looking like they belong in a freak show.

 

Celebrities like Regis Philbin and Tiger Woods have drawn attention to the men’s fashion recently. Corporate America is dressing down and businessmen are clueless as to how to make this fashion change.  Stores such as Gap and Banana Republic are helping men to adjust to this casual business world via celebrity ads. 

 

K-mart, Wal-Mart and Target were once stores not associated with fashion, but recently celebrities have been hired to promote their lines and reach out to the people at home watching TV.  The Mary Kate and Ashley line has come out at Wal-Mart geared to the pre-teens.  These pre-teens never would have stepped foot in K-mart, but because these “Cool” girls are on the tag than it’s cool to buy. The celebrities are creating a brand image.

 

Fashion icons of our time also have an impact on what we wear and the styles that trickle down to the average consumer.  Madonna was one of the most influential women of our age group.  As she changed her hair, so did every girl who was watching MTV.  Today we have Brittany Spears, who has taken this country by storm with her controversial navel-baring outfits which every teenage girl wants to copy, much to their parents’ dismay. 

 

Brooke’s research showed how powerful stars are and how impressionable we are.  Fashion no longer begins with runway shows, but rather the people in the public eye have become the forecasters of the newest trends.

 

Course Description

About the Future of Fashion

Schedule of Speakers

Speaker Summaries

Our Class