I graduated from NYU Gallatin with a B.A. in Individualized Studies, concentrating in Visual Aesthetics and Consumer Behavior.
People-watching in parks or coffee shops with big windows was one of my favorite past-times. I loved seeing the variety of fashion choices of those passing by. Judging whether or not I liked someone’s outfit wasn’t a factor in my viewing, but I admired the variety of everyday outfits that I would see.
“The best fashion show is on the street. Always has been, and always will be.”
Bill Cunningham
I was curious about what influenced our fashion choices because some outfits I would never put together myself or feel comfortable wearing, while others do and wear them effortlessly. This led me to assume that fashion is mainly influenced by our personalities.
To explore my assumption, I combined the disciplines of marketing, psychology, fashion studies, and later sociology. I wanted to understand why people dress the way they do and how it affects our buying habits.
My studies inspired an academic journey that led me to take courses that broadened my perspective, do field research, start Mode of New York, take an Independent Study (The Self in Fashion), and sit for my colloquium.
Ultimately, I learned that fashion has a lot more to do with sociology than it does with psychology. We are social beings, and our fashion choices are another reflection of our social lives.
If you would like to read my rationale, find a copy here.
List of Works
Here are the top five works that I referred to:
- The Social Psychology of Clothing by Susan B Kaiser
- On Narcissism by Sigmund Freud
- The Fall of Public Man by Richard Sennett
- Presentation of Self by Ervin Goffman
- The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen
Want to chat about this topic? Feel free to reach out to me! I’d be so happy to discuss.