Fashion in Society: Contemporary Sociological Explanations

Rad se bavi društvenim određenjima i funkcijama mode, jednim od najintrigantnijih fenomena modernog života. Moda je postojala oduvijek, a posebnu proliferaciju doživljava nagomilavanjem viška vrijednosti, tj. luksuza. Sve do nedavno smatrala se klasnom modom, razdjeljujući više slojeve od nižih (i obrnuto), te služeći kao sredstvo povezivanja pojedinaca istog položaja. U modernom se društvu granice klasa ublažavaju, dolazi do demokratizacije mode, pri čemu modne stilove počinju diktirati i široke mase, ulična moda. Razvojem industrije, potrošačkog društva, marketinga, moda ulazi u sve slojeve društva, stalno ubrzavajući ritam modnih promjena. To je dovelo do toga da ne postoji više jedna moda, već postoje samo mode, što se poklapa i s porastom individualizacije: pojedinac se smješta u društvo gradeći svjesno vlastiti stil i image života, upravljajući dojmom o sebi, koristeći modu kao kulturni kod komunikacije i dajući svoj osobni pečat dobu refleksivne modernizacije.This text is dealing with the social definitions and functions of fashion, which is one of the most interesting phenomenons of modern life. The fashion has always existed, but its rise is connected with the concept of luxury. The fashion was till recent years a synonym for class fashion, separating the upper classes from lower and connecting people of the same classes. In modern society the class borders are slowly disappearing, the fashion becomes “democratic” – the tendencies in fashion are dictated by masses and street fashion. The progress of industry, consumer society, market, involves fashion in every corner of our lives, constantly accelerating the rhythm of fashion changes. No longer exists only one fashion, there are now fashions, vogues that came along with the increase of individualisation; people build their own image and lifestyle, manipulating with the impressions of others. Therefore, we use fashion as a cultural code of communication, leaving our own trace in this time of “reflexive modernisation”