📘Part 3: Clothes and fashion

This episode's vocabulary

Sign of the times (idiom) - something that is typical of the (bad) way things are now.

To showcase (verb) - to show the best qualities or parts of something.

Loaded (adj.) - a question that has particular words chosen to suggest the answer that is wanted.

Superficial (adj.) - (of a person) never thinking about things that are serious or important.

Disposition (noun) - the particular type of character that a person naturally has.

To dress up (phrasal verb) - to put on formal clothes for a special occasion

To dress down (phrasal verb) - to wear informal clothes in a situation where people often wear more formal clothes.

Officialdom (noun) - used to refer to those people who have a position of authority, especially in government, usually when they are preventing you from doing what you want to do or are slow or not effective.

To convey (verb) - to express a thought, feeling, or idea so that it is understood by other people.

Attached (adj.) - feeling close to, emotionally, or loving.

Nostalgia (noun) - a feeling of pleasure and also slight sadness when you think about things that happened in the past.

To generalize (verb) - to make a general statement that something is true in all cases, based on what is true in some cases.

Colour scheme (noun) - a combination of colours.

Vibrant (adj.) - energetic, exciting, and full of enthusiasm.

Propriety (noun) - correct moral behaviour or actions.

Questions and Answers

M: Do you think that fashion trends are important?

R: I suppose they're a sign of the times in terms of what materials and looks are popular, showcasing the reasons behind them. So if you're a fashion historian or an anthropologist then it would be pretty crucial for your job. For normal people, it can create a sense of belonging if you follow the trend of a particular community as well, because similar clothes will help you fit in with them. So I'll say yes, but for different reasons and for different groups of people.

M: What can you say about someone's personality based on their fashion choices?

R: That's a loaded question. I suppose it depends on how you feel about how deep people's characters are. I mean, If you think it's all just shallow and superficial then you can probably tell a lot about people. I mean, for example, bright clothes mean a happy disposition. But if you think there is more depth to people, then you might think a person likes the colours but is still capable of having a darker side.

M: When should people wear formal clothes?

R: When the occasion calls for it. That could be on regular workdays which aren't dressed down or casual or in settings where a uniform is essential, like in the army or the police services. If they didn't wear them... Like, if they didn't wear their uniforms, they wouldn't convey the same sense of officialdom or authority.

M: Should people always wear formal clothes at work?

R: I think that will depend entirely on the job, won't it? I mean, I work for myself, so who do I have to dress up for? If you're meeting high-end clients, though, I would imagine formal wear will become a necessity because it conveys professionalism or, at least, it conveys it visually. When you open your mouth, you have to back up this impression.

M: Do you think that people dress more formally in our days compared to the past?

R: Depends where you draw the line between the two, probably. And how you define formality. I mean, it would be easy to say that people are less formal today than in the past. But what's actually happened is what's considered formal wear has become more uniform. You see this in how most politicians the world overdress. For example, it's usually a business suit and tie that they wear. But I really believe people haven't changed that much in terms of the balance of formality and informality. They just changed how it's expressed.

M: When do people in your country wear traditional clothes?

R: Oh, God. People in Scotland are in love with traditional clothing, especially kilts. People often have them on at weddings or special events like work nights out, since there's always a sense of fun and energy when people have them on.

M: Why do some people like traditional clothes?

R: Oh, lots of different reasons. Some people are very attached to expressions of their culture and such clothes represent that. For example, kilts represent Scottishness in a lot of places. Others might also have a sense of nostalgia for simpler times and the clothing reminds them of this. Again, in the case of kilts, they are very old as a concept and have existed throughout Scottish history. So it's easy to fall back on.

M: What's the difference between the clothes, the elderly and the young people in your country wear?

R: Well, if I were to generalise broadly, then I'd say the colour schemes in the areas covered are different. So if you're old then you tend to wear darker shades with fewer vibrant tones and colours, whereas young people often or more often than not have on brighter colours and show more of their bodies. I think it's because older people tend to feel the cold more and perhaps have less body confidence as they age. Though, I imagine they'd argue it's a sense of decency and propriety so they don't sound less cool.

Discussion

M: Hey, thank you, Rory, for your fashionable answers. Wow. Look at you. Rory the fashion expert. So fashion trends, dear listener. So fashion trends for normal people create a sense of belonging, right? So you belong to the fashion world. To the world of fashion. They could create a sense of belonging. People usually follow the trend, so we follow fashion trends in a particular community. And also, fashionable clothes help people to fit in, right? For example, at school, if you wear these clothes, this helps you to fit in. People make different fashion choices. And we can say something about a person's personality...

R: Maybe...

M: ...based on their fashion choices. And Rory goes like, woah, that's a loaded question. What did you mean by this?

R: It is a loaded question. A loaded question is just a potentially controversial question. Because some people think that you can't tell anything about someone's personality based on what they're wearing. Because they should be judging them by the content of their character and not by what they look like.

M: And then Rory gave an example. For example, bright clothes could mean a happy disposition. So a happy personality. If a person wears yellow, or orange, this could mean that they are happy. Well, kind of as an example. And then in more depth, this person could like the colours, could like bright colours, but still... This person might have a darker side, so might be, I don't know, sad or gloomy or evil, yeah? Yeah, I wear yellow, but, you know, deep inside I'm all dark and black.

R: But there are also words to describe personalities here as well. So shallow meaning not much depth to their character. Superficial meaning the same thing. It's only about the surface, nothing else. Disposition to describe personality. Happy disposition. Sad, dark.

M: We can wear formal clothes, informal clothes, casual clothes, yeah? So these days casual clothes are getting more and more popular and, dear listener, make sure that you say clothes are, okay? So formal clothes are popular.

R: Formal clothing is popular.

M: Formal clothing is, right? But clothes are these... These, these clothes are expensive, yeah? But clothing is. About formal clothes. People wear formal clothes when the occasion calls for it. So when the occasion, an occasion like an event calls for it. But for it, “it” you mean clothes or “it” you mean just the situation when people wear formal clothes?

R: When the occasion calls for it could be like the wearing of the clothes, yeah.

M: Wearing, yeah. Because clothes we say they. So I have a lot of clothes. They are expensive. They - clothes.

R: But it is the idea of wearing formal clothes. And it's a whole expression - when the occasion calls for it.

M: So when do I do this or that? Well, when the occasion calls for it.

R: When it's appropriate in the circumstances.

M: On regular work days, for example. So you wear formal clothes on regular work days or in settings where a uniform is essential. So in settings in the places where a uniform is important. Like in the army or police services, yeah? So Rory gives an example, in places, in settings where a uniform is essential, like in the army, like in police services and then conditional, a conditional sentence: if they didn't wear them, if people didn't wear them, but actually they do wear them, they wouldn't convey the same sense of authority. So they wouldn't convey, they wouldn't portray this sense of authority. What did you say before the authority?

R: Officialdom.

M: Officialdom. Oh, my gosh. What kind of word is this, Rory? It's a band 15 word?

R: It's just the idea of being official.

M: My God. Really? Do people use it?

R: Yes.

M: Okay. Give us an example.

R: Well, what? If you're the prime minister, you have to dress in a way that portrays your officialdom because you're like the highest official in the land.

M: And if people wear formal clothes or not, will depend entirely on the job. And then Rory uses a tag question. So I think that will depend entirely on the job, won't it?

R: It will.

M: Well, how did you say? Like won't it... Like, it's not a question, but actually, it's a statement. So the intonation should go down.

R: Yes. Will depend entirely on the job, won't it?

M: And I work for myself. So who do I have to dress up for? Well, your listeners, for starters. Me. Not just all this hoodie. So I have to just watch your blackness every time, you know? Something, I don't know, more colourful would be nice. Rory, maybe next time?

R: I refuse.

M: You see, dear listener? You see?

R: And you don't have the officialdom to make me.

M: So I don't have to dress up, right? Dress up to put on something nicer than a black hoodie. If you are meeting high-end clients, high-end clients like important clients. Formal wear, formal clothing will become a necessity, yeah? Because it conveys professionalism. So formal clothes convey professionalism and authority. But also when you open your mouth, when you start talking, you have to back up this impression. So it's not only about clothes, so clothes and what you say, yeah? So what you... What you portray with your body as well, your body language.

R: And backup means support.

M: People dress more formally or people dress more casually. And again, it depends where you draw the line between...

R: Past and present.

M: Past and present, yeah. So draw the line like when do we have the past, when do we have the present. Well, Rory present is like now, today. Past is yesterday.

R: Oh, that's where you're drawing the line, is it? Well, then I have no idea because I don't have... There won't be any official data to back it up whether people dress more formally today compared to yesterday or not. And I maybe gave a slightly more complicated answer than I'd originally intended to. But I think that's true, I think people do have this idea like, oh, we're much less formal than we were in the past. And I just think it's probably about the same. It's just the shape of it. It's changed. The format's changed.

M: I think we're less formal these days because, you know, these casual clothes are really okay now. For example, trainers with a suit or trainers and a fur coat. So pretty much everybody wears trainers these days and they're kind of okay, like semi-casual.

R: So they've been incorporated into the idea of what's formal then. Because you still can't wear sandals to work.

M: No, no, no, no. But like a jacket and trainers, you know, why not? Sneakers, trainers. So that would be fine. But still, we have some important negotiations and people in the government, they still have this formal dress code. And I don't think that politicians are allowed to wear trainers to work.

R: Yeah.

M: Or maybe like casual Friday and all politicians go, yeah, jeans. Hey!

R: Well some politicians dress down, but then they wear that to relate to people, to have a sense of connection with them.

M: Yeah, so they dress down so they can relate to people. So they don't dress up, they dress down, they wear casual clothes so they can connect to people. So, yeah, you can go philosophical and say, oh, it depends where you draw the line between the past and the present. It depends on how you define formality. So what is formal? What is informal? And it would be easy to say that people are less formal today than in the past. Or they are more formal today than in the past, it depends on what you think, dear listener. And then again, examples about politicians. Like most politicians, usually wear a business suit and a tie. Traditional clothes. Some questions could be about traditional clothes. And in Scotland, happily, we have a lot of traditional clothes like kilts and Rory talked about it.

R: Well, we have different kinds of kilts. We don't have different kinds of traditional clothes. It's pretty much kilts and that's it.

M: That's it, okay. All right. So people wear them at weddings, special events like nights out, because there is always a sense of fun and energy when people have them on, when people have their kilts on. Think about traditional clothes in your country, dear listener. So this would be specific. Please google your traditional clothes and be ready to talk about it. And also traditional clothes in general, yeah? In other countries. But as an example of traditional clothes, you can say, oh, for example, in Scotland many people usually wear kilts at weddings, yeah? And then why do people wear traditional clothes? Or you know what? I'm thinking of Germany and I'm thinking of the region in Germany, Bavaria, you call it?

R: Yeah. Do they wear lederhosen?

M: Yeah. And in this region, Bavaria, traditional clothes are super important. Like, pretty much like young people wear them. And this is kind of like a sense of identity. And still to this day, traditional clothes are really expensive because it's like, I think they are handmade. So if you're from Germany, please educate us on your traditional clothes. So, dear listener, when in doubt, Scotland, freedom, kilts, weddings, a sense of fun and energy. Hey! And you can say, for example, oh, I don't know about my country because I'm not into fashion trends and traditional clothes, but I know in Scotland people wear... So that'll be fine as your answer, dear listener. This is a good strategy. And people wear traditional clothes for different reasons. Some people are very attached to expressions of their culture, so they're attached to their culture.

R: Yeah. They have a strong connection to it.

M: And again, for example, kilts represent Scottishness, okay, dear listener? So how Scottish people are. The elderly and young people. So are their clothes different? And Rory told us, if I were to generalise, so if I were to give a broad answer, I'd say the colour schemes are different. So colours are different, yeah? So the elderly. Choose one colour and the young people might choose some other colours. So if you're old you tend to wear darker shades, fewer vibrant tones, so fewer bright colours, so kind of like darker tones, darker shades, whereas, but, while, yeah? We need a contrast. So if you're old you do this, whereas younger people more often than not prefer brighter colours, yeah? And then you go somewhere and you see all the young people wearing black. Actually, many young people prefer black, like you, Rory.

R: Really? Oh, no, I'm not young, though, I'm old.

M: So I see, like in Moscow, for example, when I go out or I see young people, you know, in some... Like hanging out, they are all wearing black. Yeah, well some people, yeah, surely wear bright colours, but yeah, a lot of black. Well, black is cool, it's always in fashion, you know.

R: Orange is the new black.

M: Not orange. We have green. This, you know, bright green, and also pink is in fashion. This bright pink...

R: Why?

M: I don't know. Some celebrity started this and now this particular shade of pink is really fashionable together with this... What do you call it? Emerald? Emerald green is really popular now. It is kind of fashionable. May not be popular, but it's in fashion. Now my little lecture of what's fashionable or not is over.

R: But follow Maria on Instagram for more fashion ideas.

M: Yeah, and remember, Bernard Shaw, an English author said that what's fashionable is what I wear, what is unfashionable, is what other people wear.

R: I like that.

M: Yeah, I love this, yeah. So pretty much what you wear, dear listener, is fashionable and what other people wear is not fashionable. Hey, sweet. Thank you very much for listening. We'll get back to you in our new episode. Bye!

R: Bye!

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