What Influences Fashion? (2024)

Whether the readers of popular weeklies view red-carpet fashions as the ultimate in aspiration or excess, the trickle-down influence of catwalk couture will inspire the styles worn by Jane Doe.

According to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™, the average female respondent spent $78.05 in the last month on apparel, a far cry from the five to six figure price tags of a red-carpet ensemble. That might explain why many women say that celebrities do not influence their fashion sensibilities. In fact, celebrities rated last as the most influential source of fashion ideas. Clothing that women already own and like was the number one answer among 80.9 percent of female respondents, followed by store displays (67.5 percent), people they see regularly (50.6 percent); only a mere 17.2 percent gave celebs the nod.

Whether or not they are aware of it, red-carpet designs will shape what women across the country and the world will wear. This influence is primarily due to a retail cycle that is turning more and more rapidly, aided and abetted by a couturehappy media; that, in turn, is feeding an increasingly-voracious fashion clientele. Such a hungry consumer appetite is easily explained, says Joanne Stoner, founder of Edressme.com, a chic online destination. “Think of it as a fashion pyramid; the styles favored by the celebs sit at the top and then eventually begin filtering down to a larger and larger base and women are welcome to join at any level that they want, when they want.”

But there is also an apparel sector addressing the 15.4 percent of women who admit being influenced by celebrity style. One such organization is Albright New York City’s Fashion Library, a showroom offering high-end gowns and other garments for rental for special occasions.

“Magazines, such as InStyle and In Touch, and television channels, like E!, give audiences everywhere a front row seat to red-carpet fashion. Celebrities exhibit new fashion ideas, creating the desire for luxury goods through their high profiles and desirable lifestyles,” considers Irene Albright, founder of the business that offers couture labels for a fraction of the cost for a short term. “It is these mediums that bring fashion trends to the mainstream. Designs trickle down from all the various fashion houses, and are recreated for affordable price points or used as inspiration by more affordable boutiques.”

“This is definitely true in evening dresses. Within a day after most awards shows, lower priced lines, like ABS, are selling re-creations of the designer gowns seen on the red-carpet,” explains Erin Crandall, head buyer with ShopBop, an extremely popular shopping web site.

“With the media’s 24/7 coverage of celebrity, and the instant gratification of the internet, trends are turning faster than ever and the female shopper expects to find the latest trends she sees via the media, immediately,” offers Allen B. Schwartz, the designer and founder of ABS. “It is the contemporary designer’s responsibility to stay on top of these trends and deliver the same quality to the mass market, and at a cost that is within their budget.”

According to the Monitor, 56.2 percent of fema l e respondents said that they planned more changes in their apparel in the next three months, indicating that they willingly embrace new trends and styles. And for the most part, women appear to be pleased with what they are finding at retail; nearly one in three and more than three in five female respondents stated that they found the colors that they like and in styles that they found interesting.

As anyone will attest, it’s not what you spend, but how you carry the look that counts. “The money spent on a look never matters as much as how you wear it. A simple dress with one great accessory can look chic,” says Albright. “Confidence is what really makes a look look amazing. When dressing the average woman, we at the Fashion Library encourage her to wear what feels the most comfortable, because only then can she exude confidence, creating a return that is priceless.”

“You most certainly should not be judged by how much you spend and anyone who does judge you by that is simply lacking creativity,” exhorts Crandall from ShopBop.

“Nowadays with the integration of crossover shopping, mixing couture with contemporary, it is no longer about how much you spend,” adds Schwartz.

Women appear to understand that; according to the Monitor, female respondents bought most of their clothing at chain stores (26.7 percent), department stores (20.7 percent), specialty stores (17.7 percent) and mass merchants (17.6 percent). Off-price emporiums, factory outlets, catalogs and other sources rounded out the mix in singledigit percentages.

Whether they are hungry for the red-carpet look or just taking advantage of the latest fashion trends at their favorite price-points, the celebrity influence is playing out to women of all ages in reel time and real time.

This story is one in a series of articles based on findings from Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ tracking research. Each story will focus on a specific topic as it relates to the American consumer and her attitudes and behavior regarding clothing, appearance, fashion, fiber selection and many other timely, relevant subjects.