Photography and Text by Jessica Moh, Copyright, 2017
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STATEMENT IN ONE PIECE
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I chose the theme statement because I wanted to portray the power of a single accessory or clothing item that can completely transform an outfit. Many people think that making a bold statement might be standing up for one’s beliefs verbally, but quite frankly, visual fashion statements are just as striking as verbal remarks.
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Common trends seen throughout fashion are outfits that “fit” together, ones that are cohesive and in unison. However, those are not the outfits that are memorable. Outfits that use audacious colors contrasting against neutral colors stay in people’s memories forever. Outfits that are daring and unconventional spark controversial conversations between fashion critiques. Those outfits are the ones that stand out in a crowd of people and are the ones that should be recognized.
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This trend of using “statement pieces” often uses clothing items such as the shirt and pants as the backdrop to the expressive accessory. Neutral colors are often seen contrasted with bold warm and cool colored items. These outfits show off the accessory making it known that the whole outfit was created around this single accessory.
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However, it is interesting how fashion seems to make the audience think and believe that colors such as red or green are seen as “bold” and “expressive”. Why is black or white not treated with the same regard? Yes having a black, white or neutral toned outfit is expressive in its own terms, but adding a bold red bag to the piece automatically makes the audience think the outfit is more interesting. Has this notion been engraved into our minds to perceive that bold colors are only seen as “accessory colors”? For example, if someone wore red pants and every other article of clothing was black, would people consider that a statement piece of clothing or just part of the outfit? To think that the pants are considered “bold” because they are red is falling into the opinion that colors that are not white, black and/or neutral are expressive and audacious. But to think in the other perspective, how would we determine which outfits are “fashion-forward” and are controversial?
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About The Author: Jessica Moh is a sophomore enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2020.