LET'S TALK ABOUT FASHION!!!!!

Watch this video about fashion (by Misterduncan) and find out how it has developed. 

Now, read the following text and answer the questions:

A FASHIONABLE WEDDING Have you ever been to a wedding? The bride’s dress is one of the most important parts of the event, and most women spend a long time choosing the right one. But what is the right dress?  Wedding dresses, like other types of clothing, reflect the fashion of the time. In Ancient Rome, people believed white was the favourite colour of the god of marriage, so women wore white wedding dresses. But in the medieval period, colourful material was more expensive than plain material. Rich women wore colourful wedding dresses with a lot of cloth to show their status. Ordinary people wore practical dresses from plain cloth. After their wedding, they wore their wedding dress at church and for celebrations. The long white wedding dress of today became fashionable after Queen Victoriagot married in 1840. Many brides saw her wedding photograph and decided to wear similar dresses.   People began using machines to make cloth in the 19th century, so cloth wasn’t as expensive as before and more people had the money to pay for long dresses.  During World War II, people needed cloth to make uniforms, so brides wore short dresses. But when the war was over, long dresses were “in” again.  Since then, the style and length of wedding dresses has changed as different fashions have become trendy or outdated. So what do you think wedding dresses will look like a hundred years from now?

1. Why did some medieval women wear colourful dresses?      

      

2. What did other medieval women do with their dresses after their wedding?                                        

3. What type of wedding dress did Queen Victoria wear?              

4. What happened as a result of Queen Victoria’s wedding dress?

5. How did machines change fashion?

6. Why was cloth important during World War II?     

Then, Click HERE to do an interesting listening activity from the British Council website.

Next, read some teenagers' opinions about fashion, and in groups, discuss if you agree with them:

Sheila: "I'm interested in fashion. I enjoy reading fashion magazines and going to clothes shops, but I can't afford to buy fashionable clothes. They're so expensive!"

Madeleine: "Fashion isn't for me. I don't care about fashion and models. I usually wear comfortable clothes, like jeans, T-shirts and sports shoes or boots in winter."

Marina: "I think fashion is important because it says something about your personality. I'm a confident, ougoing person and I want my clothes to reflect that."

Finally, let's describe some pictures in which you can see how fashion has changed. Here there is some help:

1st. Focus on the main part of the picture at the beginning. 

Useful language:  This picture shows ... / There is / there are ... /  I can see  ...

2nd . Describe as much as you can.  

Useful language: In the foreground / in the background / On the right / on the left ...

3rd . Try to use your imagination to make assumptions. 

Useful language: I think... Maybe / Perhaps... / Modal verbs of deduction: she must / can’t / might be … / She looks…(happy.)/ She looks like …

4th. You can also use personal stories.

1950's

1970's

1980's

1990's

2000's

2010's