Its hard to keep up with fashion sometimes, especially women’s fashion. I really don’t know how some women do it. And different countries subscribe to different fashion ideologies so women who travel have to adapt to that, if they want to, that is. But it must be said that fashion is something subjective. One woman’s fashion sense is the butt of another woman’s joke.

Hairdos
A woman’s coiffure is said to be her crowning glory. The late 90’s saw everyone going bonkers over Jennifer Aniston’s hairstyle in the hit comedy series Friends. In the early to mid 2000’s it was Victoria Beckham, former Spicegirl and wife of former Manchester United midfielder footballer David Beckham, who made waves with her hairdos and shades. The torch has now been passed to Katie Holmes, the wife of Tom Cruise, to influence women all over the world with her hairstyles. So far some of the styles have been met with mixed reactions but its still early days.

Clothing
So many factors influence this particular segment. This would include culture, religion, geographical location, weather and usage. Usually, Middle Eastern women are more conservative but there are fashionable designs that satisfy their needs as well. Western fashion preferences are more varied but that does not mean it is fully accepted. Take for instance beach wear. The bikinis they wear in Brazil are regarded as exotic lingerie in other countries. I have heard people comment that they have seen dental floss that have more surface area than some of the beach wear they don in Brazil.

Accessories
I read a report that women in Japan are ready to pay up to $6000 for a handmade designer handbag from certain fashion houses. Mind you some of these accessories have a waiting period of up to 5 months. Thankfully, these items aren’t made in sweat shops by underage kids from third world countries. Instead they are crafted by 80 year old geriatrics in a remote village on a mountain near the Alps. I may have exaggerated a wee bit but you get my drift. But that adds to the appeal of the product. The exclusivity. The uniqueness. But the reality of it is that no matter how expensive it may be or how exclusive it is at the moment, it will still end up being yesterday’s news once the latest line rolls in.

Knock Offs
They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery but many fashion houses would think otherwise. They would say that purchasing their products would do just fine. Who can blame them. They spend countless hours sourcing the finest material, coming up with the best designs and they do not appreciate unscrupulous parties who copy their designs and reproduce their designs at just a fraction of the cost.

Whether we are slaves to fashion trends or not, it still amuses us nonetheless. In the end, its just another thing to talk about while waiting for Katie Holmes latest hairstyle.