A Study of Formative Characteristics and Symbolic Meanings of the Exaggeration Type in Modern Fashion

현대패션에서의 과장형 복식의 조형적 특성과 상징적 의미에 관한 연구

Exaggeration is to express an object or a situation in an excessive way. As the desire for aesthetic expression grows greater today, we tended to focus on the exaggerative expression as a means to acquire other's attention and praise. Also people more actively express their own intention or opinion in an exaggerated manner. The purpose of this study is to identify the social and cultural functions of modern fashion via exaggerative expression, one of the formative characteristics, and its meaning. To do so, the exaggerative features of modern fashion have been analyzed, and the social and cultural meaning of those have been examined through the background of the times and aesthetic sense. The formative form in the exaggerative expression shown in the modern fashion was classified into a body priority type emphasizing woman's body contour, a body disregarded type shown oversized silhouette regardless of body contour and a body distorted type expressing free and diverse form in various shapes of asymmetry and imbalance. The symbolic meanings of those include the changing of the body consciousness and the notions of feminity, and the desire fur formative and playable expression. The exaggeration of the costume in history meant aesthetic value of the woman's body in the society led by men. However, the exaggerative expression shown in the modern fashion is a method to express more actively, as compared with the costume in the past.