Fashion Zodiac

What is your sign — and does it dress you? The zodiac is the circle of twelve divisions behind astrology, and fashion has happily borrowed it: colours, looks and jewelry are all prescribed by sign, whether or not the stars deserve the credit.

The Twelve Signs

In both Western astrology and historical astronomy, the zodiac is a circle of twelve 30-degree divisions of celestial longitude centred on the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The twelve astrological signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

Horoscopic astrology uses a horoscope — a visual representation of the heavens for a specific moment — to interpret the meaning of the planets' alignment at that moment, on the idea that their placement reflects the nature of anything born then. The zodiac remains the basis of the ecliptic coordinate system in astronomy, but the names of the twelve signs are today mostly associated with horoscopic astrology.

Birthstones and the Real Stars

Zodiac fashion advice usually runs through birthstones: January garnet, February amethyst, March aquamarine, April diamond, May emerald, June pearl or alexandrite, July ruby, August peridot, September sapphire, October tourmaline or opal, November topaz or citrine, and December tanzanite, zircon or turquoise. Understanding your birthstone is the most concrete style guidance the system offers, since a stone can actually be worn.

As for blaming poor outfit choices on the stars — if stars means celebrities, the case is strong. Celebrities and fashion influencers certainly affect our sense of style and our perceptions, often whether we want them to or not; the famous YouTubers linked from this page influence clothing choices daily. Celestial longitude may have slightly less importance. Fashion horoscopes nonetheless promise the best colours, fashion and beauty looks for each sign, and they are read in that spirit: entertainment with a small chance of a good colour suggestion.

Using the Zodiac Lightly

Fashion's zodiac content works best when held at the right weight. Taken literally, it is astronomy doing a job it cannot do; taken as a prompt, it is a harmless machine for variety — a reason to try the colour assigned to your sign, to wear the birthstone you own twice a year, or to read a familiar wardrobe from an unfamiliar angle. The fashion industry republishes zodiac features every season because the twelve-part structure is a gift to editors: twelve audiences, twelve looks, twelve stones, endlessly recombinable. Readers can enjoy the machinery without buying the metaphysics, in the same way they enjoy fashion horoscopes' confidence about colours they were already considering. The genuinely useful item in the whole apparatus is the birthstone list, because it points at real jewelry with real traditions attached — a garnet in January is a fact about custom, not about fate. Enjoy the signs as fashion entertainment, spend money only on what suits you in the mirror, and let the celebrities — the stars with the demonstrated influence — do whatever influencing is actually going to happen.