caftan pattern: how to design

Let's Talk About: Categories of Women's Fashion

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUaYlh60-8Lnjw67Obpx5BV9F-fRc19qDgfu472icwqhrsLg2a-cHImfiSKW7r4gMdHJbZ7GsQj_OIrWQnDhATc9tOIu8wNNbbmMct4GyxAEdK6XlwDG8ygxqc70Gn2FaQlAqktC5lFMS/s1600/IMG_0584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUaYlh60-8Lnjw67Obpx5BV9F-fRc19qDgfu472icwqhrsLg2a-cHImfiSKW7r4gMdHJbZ7GsQj_OIrWQnDhATc9tOIu8wNNbbmMct4GyxAEdK6XlwDG8ygxqc70Gn2FaQlAqktC5lFMS/s400/IMG_0584.JPG" width="260" /></a></div> Women's Fashion Categories When a designer works, are they making fashions for themselves? Rarely. More often the business is focused on a specific target customer and what she wants to buy. It is this person that the designer will produce designs for. Most fashion companies have a specific type of garment that they are best known for. They don't 'jump' around and produce all different kinds of fashions. They will work hard to become well known in a certain category of fashion that is based on style and price. This is will be available at a limited type of store or web site where the target customer will shop. How the ideal target customer plans their wardrobe, then finds and pays for it influences the design business. The kind of styles that are being made should fall into a category of fashion that relates to price, quality and where it is to be sold. In women's fashion there are several major customer categories where most apparel is found. The most common categories are: Designer: This is an affluent shopper with little or no budget restraints. They are looking for unique fashions that are often introduced before most trends. They commonly want designer labels that demand a high price and are sold at high end boutiques or exclusive department stores. Contemporary or Ready-to-Wear Bridge: This is also a higher priced fashion, but it is more available and less expensive than a designer's top label. This is the category where a famous designer's ready-to-wear fashions can be found. Department stores and boutiques will sell this product to a wider range of customers than the high end designer labels. Some of the types of apparel found in this category are: sportswear items such as tops and bottoms, career wear, dresses, lingerie, knits, sportswear, after 5 and special occasion dresses. Missy : The missy shopper wants styles that are current in fashion, but not too outrageous or unusual. She loves fashion but doesn’t want to experiment with ideas that are unfamiliar, too sexy or dramatic. She may think the styles she buys are the latest designs because she often too busy to keep up with fashion week, runway reports or high fashion magazines. She has a budge so her price range is moderate and the labels she buys may be a well know brand’s more affordable product. The missy customer also looks for apparel that is easy to maintain, clean and wear. Most women’s apparel is available in this category: careerwear, sportswear, dresses, knits, denim, lingerie, special occasion and active wear. Budget: This customer is looking for current fashion trends at a low price. They are not concerned with fine fabrics, expensive details and construction elements that might require a higher price. They want styles that look like what they see in the media, but are copied to be less expensive. These are the styles that are popular and favored by many people and could be fads that are happening at the time. Fashions in this category may be sold in chain and discount stores. This price bracket usually offers a more limited product selection: sportswear, tops and bottoms, casual dresses, work-out, knits, maternity, active wear, lingerie and sleepwear. Junior: Although this is an ‘age’ category, it tends to attract a wide range of target customers who are from the early teens through adults in their fifties. The main criteria can sometimes be fit because the junior category usually has a shorter waist, smaller bustline and more narrow hips than the missy customer. The fabrics, colors and styles in this category are usually not classics. Styles are often those trends in high demand for a short time (fads). Because of the short term of use, this type of apparel may not be practical, durable or functional enough for long term wear. Seasonal apparel is most common with juniors who buy tops and bottoms, knits, casual dresses and special occasion during the holiday and prom season. ------------------- Finding out more: Now that you have read this article, what do you already know about the categories of women's fashions explained here? Try expanding on this article by listing brands, stores and websites for each category. It's also interesting to compare similar products. For this, select one type of apparel (white "T" shirt or denim jeans is good) then go online to find fashions for sale in various categories and price ranges (don't use sale items, find them at their full price). After looking at this, what category do you feel you would like to work in? Start making a file on this category with the top brands you see selling there and begin to study their product so you can become very familiar with the styles in it. This original article on women's fashion categories is part 8 of a series on fashion design that are posted here at Pintucks. The contents of this article are the intellectual property of this blog. Please do not copy any content to another blog or digital media without contacting me first. I will ask that you link back to this article and give reference to this source within your feature. If you are using content for a research paper or project, please link back to this page in the traditional academic format, thank you! the photo shown here is from the mid-1980's

Let's Talk About: Categories of Women's Fashion

Women's Fashion Categories When a designer works, are they making fashions for themselves? Rarely. More often the business is focuse...

12:58 PM

Let's Talk About: Pantone Color Report for Spring 2013

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLgzsKUoziigHwQY2FTEgEQ3JT4wwPNF_5A0JgP40sT2NrzI9T_lruVF3QweLfER2EpkjD3qbRWA80tu-GSWElKN0Ugkc_sCRFYEN6LPxPBop0K3UuRxIDzqLGTTOIiAqxPG9oCfWVIuO/s1600/Slide2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLgzsKUoziigHwQY2FTEgEQ3JT4wwPNF_5A0JgP40sT2NrzI9T_lruVF3QweLfER2EpkjD3qbRWA80tu-GSWElKN0Ugkc_sCRFYEN6LPxPBop0K3UuRxIDzqLGTTOIiAqxPG9oCfWVIuO/s400/Slide2.JPG" width="500" /></a></div>Now that the Spring 2013 Runway shows are over, Pantone has released to the public the courtesy version of their color prediction for next spring. These colors look alot like a bright rainbow crayon box, with clear versions of the basic colors we are familiar with. It has the primaries: red, blue, yellow. And there are the secondary colors: orange, green and violet. The deep "Monaco Blue" you see here was also predicted to be "the" color for spring. It looks like denim to me, and that's about the way it was described. In the past their prediction shows up in the season's most popular items, so start looking for it now. I created this 'crayon box' layout so that you can see the whole rainbow group. If you click on the image, you will see it full size. You'll notice that all of the central colors we use are here, along with a few accents. Now it's your turn to design a color mood board that show one of these colors and how it is seen fashion, accessories or home decor. How will you use these color influences? This original article on Pantone color for Spring 2013 is part 6 of a series on fashion design that are posted here at Pintucks. The contents of this article are the intellectual property of this blog. The Pantone logo and colors are the property of Pantone. Please do not copy any content to another blog or digital media without contacting me first. I will ask that you link back to this article and give reference to this source within your feature. If you are using content for a research paper or project, please link back to this page in the traditional academic format, thank you!

Let's Talk About: Pantone Color Report for Spring 2013

Now that the Spring 2013 Runway shows are over, Pantone has released to the public the courtesy version of their color prediction for next s...

5:00 AM

Let's Talk About: Sources of Inspiration

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaE2wVMv6w4-U20kqWZjgANTrfRAsod8zbK4snnnTycNClDY7UvPEeypcpiya4kWOYBaP4_6_JGy2RYoLfB4s93FCUjP7jyhTFHtOqPFBd-m-4QT-CGeImQS8t62sKnotXxxAiizcQCVd/s1600/Sailor+Influence.titled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOaE2wVMv6w4-U20kqWZjgANTrfRAsod8zbK4snnnTycNClDY7UvPEeypcpiya4kWOYBaP4_6_JGy2RYoLfB4s93FCUjP7jyhTFHtOqPFBd-m-4QT-CGeImQS8t62sKnotXxxAiizcQCVd/s400/Sailor+Influence.titled.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>Sources of Inspiration For several centuries, women’s fashion has borrowed ideas from existing sources to inspire new design ideas. While some of these style influences are obvious, other examples are very subtle and may go unnoticed. Understanding where inspirations can be found, and how they affect new styles will help to create a strong designer. Inspirations provide fresh, new design ideas that may include, silhouettes, trims, textiles and other details for the design process. The most common areas where fashion designers look for ideas are: Historical Costume: Men’s and Women’s fashion from Egypt to the 1990’s create a huge range of styles to choose from. The practice of going back in time to find fashion ideas has been occurring for centuries. One recent trend influenced by historical costume is the “Goddess” look that is inspired by Greek and Roman gowns. Regional or Ethnic Costume and Textiles: Apparel, fabric, embroidery and trims from a country or culture can give new life to classic or popular silhouettes. Sarong wrapped skirts in fashion are inspired by the wrapped garments worn in South East Asia, India, Africa and other regions. Men’s Wear and Military Uniforms: Suits, coats, buttons and braid from the history of men’s fashion and military uniforms provide tailored details, silhouette and textile ideas for both current women’s and men’s fashion. Military styles vary from the fitted jackets of the Victorian era to current camo looks. Active and Team Sportswear: Apparel for activities and sports such as football, tennis, cycling, swimming and yoga can provide new looks in fashion. The Olympics can help to jump start a trend in color blocking and fitted knit garments. Review current trends to locate examples that are derived from the styles listed above. What seems to be popular now? Find one popular inspiration and locate a image or photo of the original style that is is a good match to the current fashion trend. The original style might be found in a painting, photo, book illustration or other source. Both garments should have obvious similarities that depict how the original source inspired the current fashion. The slide for this article is an example of “Sailor Inspiration” in fashion design during the 20th century. Try creating your own collage or digital group. Some current examples might be Scottish tartans, Silk Road Ikat fabric, English riding costume, 1920’s flapper dresses. Collages such as these are often called “inspiration boards” and are used in design rooms to show in what direction a collection is going. It helps to give the group a theme that will identify the brand or designer’s new line. Now that we can see where fashion trends get their inspiration from, next week we’ll look at how to create original inspiration mood boards that you can use for your own designs or blog. This original article on spotting fashion trends is part 3 of a series on fashion design that are posted weekly here at Pintucks. The contents of this article are the intellectual property of this blog. Please do not copy any content to another blog or digital media without contacting me first. I will ask that you link back to this article and give reference to this source within your feature. If you are using content for a research paper or project, please link back to this page in the traditional academic format, thank you!

Let's Talk About: Sources of Inspiration

Sources of Inspiration For several centuries, women’s fashion has borrowed ideas from existing sources to inspire new design ideas. While s...

10:13 AM

caftan pattern

Let's Talk About: Categories of Women's Fashion

Let's Talk About: Pantone Color Report for Spring 2013

Let's Talk About: Sources of Inspiration

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