Costumes and Fashion: Is There a Difference?
Fashion, amongst other things, is a form of self-expression through the different clothes you wear partnered with a variety of accessories and footwear to choose from to help accomplish the look you are trying to achieve. Although outer appearance isn’t the end-all-be-all of how you are defined as an individual, it does certainly have a certain level of impact on others. Unfortunately, it has become part of human nature to immediately judge someone based on what we see.
How is this any different from wearing a costume? What are the reasons why people put on costumes? Is it because they were paid to do so? Is it because they just wanted to for the heck of it?
Typically, costumes are worn during special occasions like Halloween, Christmas (Santa Clause), and themed gatherings. Yes, people do wear costumes during these times to follow suit and have certain guidelines to follow, but were they instructed to wear specific pieces of clothing from head to foot? More often than not, it is still their decision as to how to go about fulfilling the theme of the occasion. It is still an avenue for them to express themselves in a way they know how.
During a Great Gatsby-themed party for example, what should a man wear? For as long as he’s formally dressed and looking dapper, he can essentially wear anything he wants. Personally, I would go for a navy 3-piece suit with a crisp, plain white button-up shirt, a blood red knit tie and pocket square (in different patterns, of course), and mahogany wing tips as a final touch.
Don’t let today’s society dictate how you should and shouldn’t dress. Let your fashion sense and costume ideas express, not oppress.
