What is the difference between fashion and fad?
The difference between fashion and a fad is the time component. A fashion fad is short lived, while fashion endures. Fads are characterized by extreme enthusiasm for something that is shared by a large number of people over a relatively brief period of time. Fashions are also characterized by their popularity by groups of people with more consitent enthusiasm over longer stretches of time.
There is an air of novelty to fads. Once they are no longer new and original, they tend to lose popular appeal. Fads tend to be more extreme than fashions, and almost why they do not endure and envolve into long-term fashion.
Popular media tends to greatly influence both fads and fashions. Celebrities and pop culture often instigates fads too.
Fashion trends come and go every year, every season and every month. What is 'trendy' now changes by the second and only the strongest fashion looks survive. Over the years fashions come, go and come again and when we least expect it a forgotten look, whether good or bad, will make an appearance once again - only this time we all thinks it's better!
Thanks to Coco Chanel, the Little Black Dress or LBD, made it's first appearance on the pages of American Vogue in 1929. Eighty six years later the LBD is still the ultimate fashion staple.
Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel's first Little Black Dress design - 1926
Through the past decades, we have been subject to some mind-blowing and damn right ugly trends. The eighties and nineties did not disappoint us. With massive shoulder pads, Lyrca workout wear as outerwear and neon colours that complimented no one's skin tone in the 80's.
The 90's saw the unkempt , scruffy grunge look and women af all ages wearing 'bedazzled' tank tops and slip dresses - just like the supermodels.