Inspired by the Fashion Icons- A Designer’s Guide

Fashion is defined to be the popular or latest style of clothing and apparel. Fashion has been a part and parcel of our lives since the evolution of civilization. Fashion depends on trends. One thing that is trendy today may not be so in a few months. But one thing designers know is that fashion is cyclic. There is a return of fashion trends and these days it's as close as two decades. 

A piece of design starts with an idea or a concept. And to get this idea or concept one must find inspiration. Now there are a variety of elements from which one can find inspiration. But while drawing inspiration and pursuing it, a designer has to take into account their geographical location and availability of raw material needed to design that inspiration.

Let's take an example. In ancient Greece, light loose clothes were in fashion due to the hot climate. Ancient Greek fashion trends have inspired designers forever. Feminine dresses with sashes and masculine tunics draw inspiration from these ancient civilizations. 

But how can one find inspiration in the modern days?

In India, there is a very popular look called the Indo-Western look that combines the looks of Indian wear like a saree and western wear like a dress resulting in saree dress. Designers like Sabyasachi and Manish Malhotra take pride in the flairs of Indian elements in their designs. 

Pinterest is a very artistic and great way to start for dummies. Also, Fashion icons; old and new; like Zendaya, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Princess Diana or Harry Styles can give a lot of inspiration for recreating their style according to our likes, comfort and preferences.

We have to take into account that all body shapes and sizes are different and fashion trends are for everyone and in everyone’s comfort zone. Mirroring a look is very different from recreating the same 

And there are some steps to recreate the looks

1. Check the silhouette of the look.
2. Check the material of clothing.
3. Look at the colour combination.
4. Then, look at the arrangement.
5. Finish, by considering all details.
   

Now let’s get into each one of these steps.

The silhouette of the look

As they say, there are body shapes-
the hourglass

the pear

Round 

Diamond

Rectangle

Fashion icons ensure that the silhouette of the look highlights their best assets. The best modern example would be Kim Kardashian. She chooses looks that highlight her hourglass figure in every way possible.

B) Material of clothing

It's equally important to consider the material of clothing used because not every material suits every person and geographical location. Let's consider materials like georgette and satin. These materials are great if we want to subdue some of the features and these materials make our silhouette appear smaller. On the other hand, materials like loose cotton, Camo pants make our appearance look bigger. Kpop star and fashion icon CL has used the loose cotton pants ample times to appear casual yet highlights her powerful legs 

C) Colour combination

Skin tone and colour of clothes matter a lot. The presence of warm and cool tones in clothing and skin makes a lot of difference in change of look and being trendy yet comfortable. People with warm skin tones should go for warmer colours and people with cooler skin tones must go for a cooler one. However, the element of warm or cool colour must be paired with a neutral colour. 

Warm colours are tints and shades of reds, greens and yellows (except pinks)

Cool colours are tints and shades of blues and purples.

Neutral ones include some tints and shades of blues, purples, greens and reds.

Also, the clothing must have the best colour in the places you want to highlight or accentuate.  We will explain this further in the next point. 

D) Arrangement

Highlighting the best physical features by aligning different types of clothing apparel, material and colours is called arrangement.

Let's imagine you are a female who has a warm skin undertone and you have powerful legs. So, it would be best if you wear a dress with a side slit which is probably coloured mustard or coral. If you are a male who has a beautiful cool undertone, you might look very trendy with a seafoam coloured shirt and beige coloured trousers. 

If one wants to wear baggy clothing to be comfortable but does not want to lose the figure, one has to either tuck in the upper garment (shirt) into the baggy lower garment (pants) and probably wear a jacket and accessorize their look with chains (like Billie Eilish or Rihanna). A tank top under a cropped baggy shirt might also look.

E) Details

These are the small things like patterns and embroideries that come into the picture. For example, Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India had a habit of pinning a rose in his pocket and that became iconic in men’s fashion. 

The occasion of clothing has to do a lot with the choice of clothing. For example, in a swimming pool party, it's generally expected that members of the party will wear a swimsuit and in a formal event, it's expected that the people will wear formal apparel. 

Also, the occasion may change our preference of silhouette, choice of colours or line up. Bright, popping colours with body-hugging silhouettes will not create a good impression in a serious event. Blacks, whites and light pastel colours and baggy or semi baggy clothes are recommended for the same.

Imaginary or real icons like Betty Boop, Jessica Rabbit, Audrey Hepburn, Debbie Harry and Madonna have considered these factors while choosing and wearing their outfits. 

But all these can be very difficult as a beginner. How to overcome that? Well, upscaling is always an option. You buy not so valuable stuff from thrift stores and then you look at the points above and redesign the dress. But even that is too much stress. One has to be vigilant about the material of the clothing, the hygiene and most importantly the price.  

This is where Fashinza helps everyone- a designer, an aspiring fashionista or a fashion newbie who wants to explore more. You are connected to the best manufacturers of apparel. You can get a variety of clothing and apparel from them starting from lingerie to jumpsuits and formal wear. Also, with fast fashion comes the risk of environmental issues but Fashinza only offers you sustainable options through a transparent web platform.

And the best part? You can have your own design. Drawing inspiration from models and icons and then having your design customized just for you at a finger click, isn't it amazing? So what are you waiting for? Create an account on Fashinza and start creating or sourcing for your apparel right now.