Fashion in the United States

Apart from professional business attire, fashion in the United States is eclectic and predominantly informal. While Americans' diverse cultural roots are reflected in their clothing—particularly those of recent immigrants—cowboy hats, boots and leather motorcycle jackets are emblematic of specifically American styles.

History

Fashion norms have changed greatly between decades. The United States has generally followed—and in some cases led—trends in the history of Western fashion. It has some unique regional clothing styles, such as western wear.

Blue jeans were popularized as work clothes in the 1850s by merchant Levi Strauss, a German immigrant in San Francisco, and were adopted by many American teenagers a century later. They are now widely worn on every continent by people of all ages and social classes. Along with mass-marketed informal wear in general, blue jeans are arguably U.S. culture's primary contribution to global fashion.

Fashion industry

The United States is also home to the headquarters of many leading designer labels such as Ralph Lauren, Victoria secret and Calvin Klein. Labels such as Abercrombie & Fitch and Eckō cater to various niche markets. The t-shirt worn throughout the United States by many types of people. It can be plain and white, or colored with company logos or funny messages. T-shirts are arguably the most-worn type of shirt in the United States. A new trend in the United States toward sustainable clothing has led to the emergence of organic cotton T-shirts from labels such as BeGood Clothing and American Apparel.

Regional and cultural variation

Dress norms in the United States are generally consistent with those of other post-industrial western nations, and have become largely informal since the mid-20th century. Clothing in the United States also depends on a variety of factors including location, venue, and demographic factors such as ethnicity. Jeans are a consistent fashion trend among all classes.

The western states are commonly noted for being more informal in their manner of dress than those closer to the eastern seaboard. Individuals belonging to ethnic groups such as Native American tribal members and individuals of Scottish descent may wear clothing to represent their ethnic identities. Conspicuous consumption and a desire for quality have also lead to a strong preference for designer label clothing among many in the middle and upper classes.

The tolerance of body expression that deviates from the mainstream, such as complete body tattoos or nudism, is strongly linked to the sub-culture and location in which an individual may find him or herself. Generally, the United States tends to be less tolerant towards nudity than Western Europe—even in more tolerant areas such as California. The tolerance shown for personal expression such as cross-dressing and piercings varies greatly with location and sub-culture, and may be completely appropriate in one venue while being taboo in another.