The Fashion Businesssqueezed and padded women into an approximation of the ideal shape (and
men were covered with boxy grey flannel suits), by the end of the twentieth
century women could simply pull on a leotard and leggings. Meanwhile,
young men cruised through the urban landscape wearing lycra bicycle shorts
and sleeveless undershirts. New fabric technologies provide impetus for
fashion-forward styles. Along with various stretch fabrics, there are an
increasing variety of “smart” materials that can do useful things, such as
providing warmth with minimal bulk and weight. Today many designers in
both Europe and America cater to the sculpted bodies of fashion trendsetters.
It is, however, incumbent upon men and women alike to internalize the
corrective aspects of fashion, and to mould their bodies into a fashionably
muscular shape.
As the culture of fashion has changed, so also has the fashion industry
and the image of fashion. But fashion itself remains alive and well, always
new, always changing.