Overview
To write this short essay (about 500 words) you can, or should, use your fashion letter that you had posted in the discussion board and also your discussion board answers about Simmel’s theory of fashion. The essay should be on whether your observations about fashion around you today (from your letter) weakens/strengthens Simmel’s theory (from your discussion board answers and your understanding of his theory). To this end, your essay could follow the following structure:
1) A summary of Simmel’s theory of fashion in your own words written for an audience who is not familiar with his work (around 125 words)
2) Your observations about fashion written in a more formal language than in your letter (around 125 words)
3) Why and how you feel that your above observations weaken/strengthen/confirm his theory (around 125 words). For instance, observations that suggest that the working classes dress differently or that the rich are not setting fashion trends anymore would weaken aspects of his theory. Observing that everyone dresses alike or that fashion changes faster now more than before would strengthen his theory.
4) Your conclusion where you could touch on what you think we should do with Simmel’s theory. It could address one of the following questions for instance: should the theory of fashion be modified to take into account new developments in society, or are there instances where it does not really do much to explain what you observed? (around 125 words)
BONUS: Invent a new phrase, concept or analogy (parallel) in order to accurately describe what you think is going on? In other words, if you think that a new social phenomenon is impacting fashion in a way that weakens Simmel’s theory, what do you think it should be called? Conversely, if you think that his theory is now truer more than ever, can we think of an adjective or new name that would really reflect that Simmel’s theory of fashion is more relevan