Lifestyle Statement

While everyone isn't as fortunate as the above woman who can hop from city to city or from country to country to pick up high-end fashion from any designer of her choosing, you can pay attention to the reviews and ratings posted in the news and find clues for a wardrobe that is sure to rate ultra hot. Most high-end women's apparel fashion trends start in the ever popular Paris, London, Milan, and New York City. These hubs of the fashion industry are great forecasters of the cutting edge styles and textiles that will be adapted for mainstream shoppers years down the road. For a long time, Paris was the Mecca of fashion for cutting-edge couture. Now, several cities throughout the world have earned just about the same respect and provide eye-popping fashion-forward designs. In general, as long as the designer and district has caught the attention of forecasters, the industry and a market, the designer's work can withstand competing with nearly any big name in the world.

Some of the current big names in the high-end ready-to-wear apparel fashion industry include New York's Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. However, the upcoming designers in this category are several talented Asian designers who flaunt their "Hiroshima-chic". Some of these Japanese, Korean and Hong Kong designers included Peter Som, Derek Lam, Jeffrey Chow, Anna Sui and Vera Wang. As for the haute couture category, Milan and Paris are still the powerhouses including designers such as Prada, Versace and Gucci.

Some Fashions are timeless, for example, the long cloak. The cloak has been prevalent since prehistoric times as an unadorned skin hanging across the shoulders. In Rome and Scotland the cloak doubled up as a blanket to protect against the skin while in the Middle East, the cloak was used to counter the cold winter nights. Although gender preferences for the cloak have waxed and waned, it is evident in the prevailing years, that women wear them more than men. The style is varied ranging from simple circular cuts of fabrics to elaborate garments with hoods and multiple pleats.

Whether you sport blue jeans and a tee shirt or a power suit with a tie from the 1980's you can be sure that it was a fashion statement in the past and will be a statement of the future. Fashion is here to stay for as long as Man has bodies and culture, the need to drape them in fabrics, paint faces and nails in colors and attach stones to precious metal chains and ringlets will be ever present. Fashion statement will always portray our identity and our place in community.