Introduction:
Watch this Youtube video about girls who dress in the Decora style in Tokyo’s Harajuku neighborhood:
Intro Discussion Questions:
- What do you think motivates these young people to dress this way?
- Do you like their style?
- If knew that no one would judge you, would you wear Decora style, even once?
New Words:
Custom-made (or tailor-made) (adj.)- Original, individually designed pieces of clothing fitted to your body measurements.
- My fashionable co-worker always wears custom-made suits that fit perfectly.
Ready-to-wear (adj.) – Apparel that is mass-produced in factories according to standard sizes as opposed to being custom made.
- Most people buy ready-to-wear clothes, but they might get something really special made individually, like a wedding dress.
Hand-me-down (n or adj.) – An item of clothing you get for free from a friend or family member.
- Growing up, I usually wore hand-me-downs from my older sister. This is a hand-me-down dress I got from her.
Retro (adj.) -clothes inspired from a past era of fashion.
- I wore neon clothes in the ‘90’s, and now I’m wearing them again because it’s retro.
Vintage (adj.) – well-preserved clothes from a past era of fashion.
- This wedding dress is vintage; my grandmother wore it in the ‘40s.
Color Scheme (n) – The arrangement or combination of colors to make an integrated whole.
- Example: She wore a subdued color scheme: a grey jacket over a white shirt and beige knee-length skirt.
Fashionista (n) – a devoted follower of fashion.
- She knows who all the top designers are, and always wears the latest trends; she’s definitely a fashionista.
Passé (adj.) – out of style, outdated
- I can’t believe he’s still wearing suspenders; that’s so passé!
Types of fabrics:
Herringbone (adj., noun)= a pattern used on cloth that consists of rows of parallel lines that slant in opposite directions to form V shapes
Jersey = a machine-made fabric consisting of interlaced loops; typically made of cotton and/or a synthetic blend, it is soft, flexible and casual, most often used to make T-shirts.
Prints (n) = Fabric which has been colored in a particular pattern or design
Woven = A fabric made of interlaced horizontal and vertical threads, made on a loom.
Idioms:
Fashion Victim – someone who always wears very fashionable clothes even if the clothes sometimes make them look silly
- Her clothes are in style, but she looks like a shop-window mannequin–what a fashion victim.
Dressed to Kill – to wear something with an intention to stand out/impress people and be noticed.
- I spent two hours designing my outfit, and showed up at the party dressed to kill.
Feather in One’s Cap – An achievement you can be proud of or brag about.
- Another best-seller is a feather in Stephen King’s cap.
Discussion Questions:
- What first springs to mind when you hear the word “fashion?”
- Do you like fashion? What do you think of the fashion industry?
- Are “fashion” and “style” different things?
- How would you describe your personal style? How was your style different when you were younger?
- Where do you like to get your clothes?
- What are your current favorite items of clothing?
- When you went to school, did you wear a uniform? What did it look like? Do you think school uniforms help people study?
- Do you know anyone who is really fashionable? What do they dress like?
- Do you think gay men dress better than straight men? Does gay men’s fashion influence straight men’s fashion?
- How does fashion in your home country differ from fashion in the US?
- What does your mother/father dress like? Would you ever want to dress like that?
- What does your grandmother/grandfather dress like? Would you ever want to dress like that?
- What do you think of fashion in other countries? What countries do you think are the most fashionable?
- What was the best decade or era for fashion?
- What do you think of tattoos and body piercings?
- What kinds of women’s clothes are very fashionable right now? What about for men?
- What kinds of clothes do you think will be fashionable in a few years?
- How do you think your sense of fashion will change as you get older?
- Does your style change with your mood?
- Do you ever buy second-hand clothes?
- What are the downsides of fashion?
- What’s your favorite article of clothing?
- What are some of the strangest styles you have seen?