From various emojis, the icon of the browser on your screen to the side signs on the streets, iconography encompasses every aspect of our daily lives. Fashion is closely associated with it, or we can say it's just another word for it because fashion aims to make a statement.
Gothic Iconography
Goth subculture is marked with mysterious, eerie and complex, dark and tragic elements. Towing the line gothic fashion uses exotic hairstyles, dramatic makeup, and often genderless features. Gothic iconography became popular in the twentieth century. Social media has given it a new life and made it less of an “organic movement and more of a calculated brand.”
Male and female goths try to create a dystopian look by carrying extravagant costumes, deep nail varnishes, and lipsticks, fishnets, chokers, body piercings, tattoos among other things. Goth fashion is also fused with heavy metal fashion and punk fashion. Clothing often portrays icons like femme fatale, vampire, Dracula, fetish fashion, etc.
Religious Iconography
Religion has played a big role in the evolution of art, be it theatre, music, paintings, or fashion. Since times immemorial religious motifs and elements have been incorporated in attires, embroidery, and accessories. It is a key example of iconography. When people think of religion they immediately think about symbols associated with it: cross, star of David, Islam’s crescent moon, etc.
Using religious symbols, especially in a distasteful manner, has always been controversial. Fashion labels have been accused of diminishing the spiritual values of those holy details. Nonetheless, using religious tokens has been a staple of fashion cycles. Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring 2007 collection showcased a runway religious experience. A more recent example is the Catholic imagination-themed Met Gala of 2018.
Aquatic Iconography
Fashion has always been obsessed with Ocean. Almost every other piece of children's clothing comes printed with a starfish, seashells, waves, seagrass, sharks, or other marine creatures. Deep-sea is mostly associated with the feminine form. Plus, the sea is vast, mysterious, and yet not fully explored, this gives ample imaginative possibilities. Designers make patterns with fanned lines of shells, shimmering scales of fishes, and gauzy movements of jellyfish to give a surreal look (remembered Ariel the mermaid).
Aquatic representations have often returned to the catwalk, they are a staple of children's clothing, and have played a part in evoking sentiments for environment conservation. Moreover, it is one of the few themes in a fashion that is still uncontroversial and gives a wide range to designers to experiment with.
In this post of ours, we have only taken up three prominent examples of iconography in fashion. But there is much more, singers, and performers such as Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Dolly Parton became icons of their times and their type of music. Who can forget Marilyn Monroe and her notoriety as a sex symbol. Even brand logos, pop culture, bridal attire, etc all are types of iconography. Iconography has played a vital part even before the word ‘Fashion’ got coined. So, next time you want to dress like a celebrity, remember you are also a part of the icon mania.
