Aesthetics

Fashion Studies I
Concept of beauty..
Beauty is the characteristic of a person,
place, object or idea that provides a
perceptual experience of pleasure,
meaning & satisfaction
a good looking person, place or
object is always perceived as more
beautiful than a shabby looking person,
place or object …..with respect to time,
place & environment
Although beauty exists naturally….but there’s always a
deliberate attempt by humans to beautify itself & the
environment around.

Much of it depends on
- the availability of resources
- utilitarian significance
- socio - cultural significance
- symbolic aspect
…beauty …beauty
the characterization of a person as beautiful is based on
inner beauty & outer beauty and is subjective in nature

inner beauty includes psychological factors like

personality, intelligence, grace ,charm,
elegance

outer beauty includes the physical factors like health,

youthfulness, complexion
Scarification….. Adornment…
Tatooing & Ornamentation then …
Tattooing now..

Body painting
 Is beauty ?
• tattooing… adornment
• Shape .. form .. texture
• Use …function
• Feel ..emotion

or simply everything
 Beauty exists in everything
nature to
around us….from
architecture …to
….then what is the source
art….to human
of beauty ? beings…. to painting
to apparel…

it is imbibed within..
The human tendency to look beautiful has existed
from the past….

The context may have changed with

time but the content remains the
same…beautification
As a cultural creation beauty has been extremely
commercialized.

Everybody wants to look good...feel

good.
What do you understand by

aesthetics ?
….going by the dictionary meaning

Aesthetics is the study of beauty & its

appreciation
In other words it is also…

new way of seeing and

the

perceiving the world

You may like it..

or simply don’t like it…

You may appreciate it….or may not !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Would you like to

wear it?
What’s your reaction ?
 Thusappreciation of
aesthetics is a very
individual perception

Two people can look at

the same object and can
have different opinions
about it.
Aesthetic examines what makes something beautiful,
sublime, disgusting, funny, silly,
entertaining, pretentious, harmoniums,
boring or tragic

Judgment of aesthetics clearly rely on our ability

to discriminate at a sensory level
 sensitivity to aesthetic qualities can be
However

well groomed by training the

senses & the mind
 Aesthetics qualities can only be appreciated if an individual
enjoys the experience of it

Therefore ‘the feel good factor’

attempting to
becomes extremely important while

appreciate the aesthetic

qualities

Thus pleasurable experience one goes through in

appreciating design qualities is aesthetic experience
Aesthetic experience
Aesthetic experience is not only
about liking or disliking, its about the
interaction between the product,
consumer and the environment.
 aesthetic experience is the

sensitive selection of formal,

expressive or
Going by the definition.. symbolic qualities of
product or environment
pleasure or
resulting in

satisfaction.
 What is this product ?
Aesthetic
experience can
What is environment ?
come from product &
environment

But…
Products are material goods with physical
properties
What is environment ?
multi sensory setting that
It is the

surrounds the body & interacts with the

apparel
Multi sensory factors affecting aesthetics

Visual
sight

kinesthetic
tactile movement
touch

olfactory
smell
auditory
sound

gustatory
taste
It is the most obvious source of aesthetic experience
for the individual.

We treat visually attractive

bodies better than we treat
less attractive individual

Interpersonal interactions are susceptible to the

visual appearance of others.
 It is the experience resulting from touch

Human have sensory receptors all over the

body that register the sensations of

touch

Pleasurable experience can result from touching and

from being touched
When it comes to apparel, the focus is the feel or
hand of the fabric
interacts with various
While wearing the fabric literally
parts of the body and registers sensations

lofty & soft character of

wool provides warmth

soft silky nature of silk

gives pleasurable
experience to the body.
KINESTHETIC It is the perception of one’s own body movement

sound of the music

our senses registers the

& starts reacting to the beat of the

music.

apparel also contributes to the kinesthetic

experience.
during dance the floating fabric reinforces the graceful
movement of the body
Pleasant smell also has an impact on the aesthetic
experience

From brushing our teeth …to bathing…to getting ready..

we tend to use so many products that have got

fragrance.

Retailers like JC Penny have are filling their stores with pleasant,
mood evoking odor to stimulate the desirability of product
Sounds filing the environment facilitates
aesthetic environment

The effect of music on the apparel

product may be found in retail stores, fashion
show and TV advertisements
Taste has little to do with aesthetic
appreciation of apparel

But there areother products used on the body that

are flavored to add to the appeal
Environment possesses

• Social qualities
- geographic location
- ethnicity
- religion
- sexual orientation

• formal, expressive & symbolic qualities

Aesthetics in movies
…Aesthetics in films

…different expression of various characters

lead to aesthetic experience
Aesthetics in two dimensional art
Aesthetic consideration within the visual art is usually associated with
the sense of vision.

…Juxtaposition
 …Creation of 3 dimensionality

….in two dimensionality

…..Creation of depth
…repetition …movement
..perspective
Aesthetics digital art
Aesthetics in Maps
….represents the symbolic aspect of aesthetics
like the expression of terrain, landscape etc.

…this forms an imagined visual experience of

aesthetic
….symbolic aspect of maps
Content forms a clear direction of themes….style of ornamentation in
antique maps
…symbolic representation of the
political boundaries
Aesthetics in marketing
….marketing is concerned with the ‘trade dress’ of a
branding, its commercial
product such as its
representation or the reputation of the
producer.

….marketing drives human mind to think in a

direction where they would have not previously.
…..product commercial
….commercial launch of a product
….commercial advertisement of a product
Product branding
…product dressing
…catchy jingles
Aesthetics in music
….aesthetic elements expressed in music include
lyricism, harmony, emotions, volume
dynamics, resonance, playfulness,
color, depth & mood.
…lyricism as aesthetics
…harmony in music
Volume…playfulness…dynamic resonance
….emotional expression in music
Aesthetics in performing arts
….expression of grace, balance, timing, beauty, drama & sensuality
….expression of balance, strength & timing
…sensuality, balance, rhythm
Aesthetics in literature
Author uses a variety of techniques to appeal to the
aesthetic value of the reader… like

rhythm, illustrations, imagery, suspense,

drama, analysis etc.
 Mind Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up

into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards

perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason

has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead
habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening

thought and action---

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country

awake.
short stories, novels, non fictions, fiction,
poems appeal to the aesthetic value of the
reader.
Lajja is a response of Taslima Nasrin
Anti Hindu riots which erupted in parts
of Bangladesh, soon after the
demolition of Babri Masjid in India on
6th December 1992. The book subtly
indicates that communal feelings were
on the rise, the Hindu minority of
Bangladesh was not fairly treated, and
secularism was under shadow.
…suspense, adventure, fantasy, drama
Aesthetics in gastronomy
Gastronomy is the study
of relationship
between culture & food.

Although food is the basis & frequently experienced

commodity, careful attention to the aesthetic
possibilities of food turns eating into gastronomy.
careful and a visually appealing arrangement of food
inspire our senses of smell & taste leading to
aesthetic experience…
Aesthetics in information technology
Aesthetics in information technology focuses on used friendly
devices, software applications