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Outerwear; Fashion or Necessity
Why do you wear a jacket? Is your decision making process based on the weather, or your appearance?
If we poll the nation, my guess is that the answer would depend on financial status and living location of the individuals that have been polled. If shoppers are making minimum wage and have a family to support, it is likely that they are making their buying decision based on necessity rather then fashion (using the assumption that fashion items cost more than basics). In conjunction, if shoppers live in Alaska or Siberia, it is safe to assume that they are most interested in warmth rather than fashion. Therefore, finance and extreme location, both lean toward the side of necessity.
Okay, we can all agree that people with insufficient funds and people that live in extreme cold, should make judgments based on "necessity". However, what about the rest of us? Should we follow our urge to fit in with our fashion conscience society, or should we go back to our cave man roots, and dress strictly in accordance with temperature?
The design houses would certainly like us to purchase outerwear with all of the latest bells and whistles, but do we truly need this excess? Does an $800 jacket keep us warmer than a $300 jacket?
In fairness, we can also make arguments for purchasing an $800 jacket. If someone told you that appearance is not important in business, they lied to you. If someone tells you they think you look good in your dirty old jacket you bought in 1982, they are lying again. Unfortunately, in modern society, appearance "does" matter.
Are you a sheep that needs to follow the herd, or are you an individual
that makes decisions based on practicality? Good luck with your decision
Who is in charge, Mother Nature or Vogue & GQ ?
Written by Apparel Search 11/17/00
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You may want to learn the difference between coats & jackets in our fashion questions and answers section.
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