Fashion vs. Style

By: Jacqueline Maloney

Gigi and Bella Hadid, Harry Styles, Zendaya, Billie Eilish, Timothee Chalamet, and Lizzo. These are some of the biggest style icons of today, but what is it that makes these celebrities stand out? Sure, these people have millions of dollars in their bank accounts, but that isn't what defines them. It’s their personality, their self-expression, and their creativity, that makes them unique. There is a fine line between spending all that money on what the world deems as “fashion” and developing your own style. 

Fashion, according to Dictionary.com, is defined as “a prevailing custom or style of dress...”. In other words, fashion is what is most popular at a specific point in time. Fashion trends fluctuate a lot, going in and out of popularity very quickly, and is very dependent on what everyone else wears. The decision of what is fashionable at a time is almost never our own. There isn’t much room for creativity and individualism in fashion, because it is wholly dependent on what the industry decides to advertise the most.

Style is not explicitly defined by fashion because, unlike fashion, it is unique for each individual. Style is where we gain control: it's a means of self-expression. It is about how each person takes fashion and makes it their own. Transcribing today’s fashion into their own style is what makes certain celebrities stand out as fashion icons. It isn’t dependent on how much money they spend on their clothes, but on how they coordinate each outfit to reveal a little bit of their own creativity in unique and individualized ways. 

Style is not only used as a display of creativity, but it can also be used to counteract fast fashion. Fast fashion is cheap clothing that is mass-produced by industries in response to the latest trends and often results in an insane amount of waste as well as the inhumane exploitation of workers. In developing and maintaining a unique style, you become a trend-setter and not a trend-follower. The best place to find unique pieces that fit your personality isn’t unethical brands, but thrift shopping and choosing more niche stores are not only better for creating a specific style, but for the world.

Of course, integrating trending fashion into your style is what really catches other’s attention. The strategic combination of fashion and style is what makes these celebrities such big style icons; They know how to take the trends of today and integrate them in a new and innovative way.