Beauty and Fashion

Abstract Beauty and fashion are closely intertwined, both playing significant roles in shaping dressed appearances, inequalities, and the processes of inclusion and exclusion. However, this chapter argues that beauty is not inherently linked to fashion—either conceptually or in terms of how fashion reflects changes in dressed appearances. Drawing on classical philosophical literature, the chapter examines the distinct ways beauty and fashion relate to time. It further explores how the temporal dimensions of beauty and fashion are mobilized within a politics of time, which profoundly influences the meanings assigned to different segments of the fashion industry, as well as the class-based dressed appearances and identities that circulate within it. A case study on the fashion media discourse surrounding “quiet luxury dressing” illustrates the chapter’s arguments, offering a critical perspective on the implications of this discourse for the sustainability goals necessary to mitigate the environmental and humanitarian impacts of the fashion industry.