what is an accessory? Its something some people say is nonessential. Its something some people would say is very necessary and an outfit would be nothing without it. To be exact, an accessory can be jewelry which includes bracelets, earrings, necklaces, belling rings, or anklets.An accessory can be your shoes. Yes, shoes is something everyone needs but there are certain types of shoes that are only worn on certain occasions or shoes in a variety of colors.Now those would be considered accessories. A purse of the "it" bag is also an accessory.Recently, in my consumer and retail studies class, we talked about what accessories mean to us. One girl from the back of the room said having a new expensive purse is like having a boyfriend! Another girl said having the right bag, shoes, and jewelry can make or break an outfit. I find that to be very true. Even if its something as simple as putting on a pai of studded earrings, it definitely makes a difference for the better. I guess i am one of those people who believe accessories are neccesary and should be taken seriously. I wouldnt say my boyfriend doesnt mean as much to me as my new purse! but i totally understand.

Challenges in Apparel Retailing

Apparel retailing is constantly being presented with challenges. The number on challenge now is the economy. Our economy is very weak and people are losing their jobs. Because of this, people are not doing as much shopping. In the picture to the left, there is an next to empty mall. Stores that were once booming with business, are now empty and filling bankruptcy. Since people are not shopping much, competition is very huge. Yes, stores have always been competitive but now retail stores that are in the mall have to go up against stores such as walmart and kmart which sell cheaper clothing.

There are many different types of stores such as department stores and specialty stores. A challenge department stores face is their prices and being considered "boring." When i think department store i think older, better off financially women, not young fashionable, but on a budget women. The biggest issue a specially store may face is that they don't have a large variety of items. But i don't think its that big of a problem because a specialty store will be a store where a consumer can always find that particular item their looking for.

Another challenge that apparel retailing is going through, stores specifically, is e-tailing. E-tailing is a place where pople can buy clothing online. Alot of retailers have closed thier stores because thier online shop was doing alot better tan the actual store. Though this is easier for the consumer, i would think it would be frustrating to recieve the clothing you ordered in the wrong size or color.

The apparel industry is at a low right now but i do believe it will pick back up within the next 2-4 years.

Sweatshops

When the term sweatshop is brought up, a lot of things come to mind. Sweatshop workers are not paid enough to live at least somewhat comfortable. They work in unhealthy, harsh conditions. They often work over time but are not rewarded for it. these workers are also abused by, i guess you could call them, their crew leaders. I also think that these type of things happen in counties other than the USA. After doing some research, i found this to be false.

Sweatshops generally began in apparel in the USA when the need for ready to wear clothing was at a high. People from other countires moved to the USA in hopes of a better life. While men got jobs in factories, all that was left for women and children to do is work in apparel since sewing was something they knew. At these places, women and children were forced to work in hazardous conditions and was also common for women to be sexuallu abused in sweatshops. The people did not know how to fight back. But there was a group who did. Recently, Forever 21 was sued for thier use of sweatshops in Los Angeles. The workers were seperated by race and gender and sent to seperate factories where the conditions were unbearable. A group of workers were fed up with the poor conditions and decided to do something about it. They won the case. Forever 21 was forced to make the conditions better for thier workers and they also granted to workers the money they were suspose to be recieving.

Sweatshops do exist all over the world. I do believe that they are terrible places but at the same time, its imperative that they exist. Companies dont want to pay large amounts of money to have thier apparel made so they have it done in sweatshops where they save thousands of dollars. I do believe the conditions should be much better than they are. If your going to be paying these people next to nothing, you can atleast have the facility they work in a pleasant place to be. I guess you could say im in between on the thought of sweatshops. Im not completely for them because of the conditions but im not completely against them because i know they are extremely important to the industry and economy.

Fashion: Art or Usability?

Is fashion an art or should fashion be based on usablility? I think it is necessary to have both. Actually, i believe you cant have one without having the other. Take a look at the picture on the right. It is a Fendi design. You would not see anyone wearing anything like this walking down the street but there maybe be something similar and more acceptable that will be worn. Designers set the standard for what the new looks are and they are made into simpler designs that people will actually wear.

Fashion is an art that can be usable. That is shown in the picture in the upper left corner. It is a Derecuny design. It is not you average dress suit that would be worn to an meeting but it is chic and artsy bacause of the beading, shear material, and the color ensemble.

Both of the pictures are from Milan fashion week. Milan fashion week is usually full of mainly are and not things that are actually wearably. But this year, i found that ALOT of it was wearable. The Just Cavalli line was the most wearable line i saw. The mens clothing reminded of Chuck Bass from the hit show Gossip Girl. One thing about the mens clothing in this line that i notice was that it was an art because of the bright colors and prints. Usually mens clothing is very wearable. The other lines that i saw that i felt were very usable were D&G, Derecuny, Giorgio Armani, and Emporio Armani (for the men).

Design Inspiration

When I was about 8 or 9 years old my mama, little brother, and I moved back to my hometown, Shelby, NC, from Charlotte, NC. We moved in with my great grandma so my mama could be working and saving up money for us to get a house. While my mama was at work, I spent alot of time helping my grandma out around the house. My great grandma could sew and crochet and I liked to watch her work. One day, she sat me down and gave me a crochet needle and a roll of yarn and taught me the basics. I was really good at it and I made a cute scarf! ( I have no idea where that scarf is now). She would give me her scrap fabric and I would attempt to make clothing for my dolls with hand sewing ( I wasn't great at that).

That was when my interest in fashion design, just fashion period, began. I began to sketch things (mind you I was only about age 10 at this point) and try to make them on my beginner sewing machine. Over the years, I began to lose interest in being a fashion designer mainly because I was so young and you know kids change their profession everyday! But I did not lose interest in fashion.

Every now and then I sketch some designs. I am usually inspired by something really cute I saw in a store but I switch some things around and make it my own. I guess I'm into knock-offs! It sometimes depends on my mood. If I'm happy, I will probably make a puffy yellow sundress. If I'm upset, my designs and color comes out kind of Gothic. I usually like to take neutral colors and add just a hint of color. i honestly don't know how to get all my thoughts out on paper in a sketch so my sketches are never complete. The picture I am using in this blog is something I did on the computers "paint". Sorry about how small it is!

ethnic influences on apparel design

Ethnicity definitely influences apparel design in the fashion world. Designers constantly use ethnicity, maybe without even knowing it, when designer their collections. Ethnic means to belong to or derive from the cultural, racial, religious, or linguistic of people or a country. Seen in the photos are tradition costumes from the Indian culture (left) and the Spanish culture (right).

Designers are all over the world; so to see cultural influences in design isn't a surprise. Some designers travel the world to be inspired by cultures other than their own. for example, A designer from America may travel to India and Mexico to be inspired for a spring collection because of the bright colors and prints those cultures use. Apparel design is a beautiful thing because designers can spread their culture around the world through their apparel design. This is especially important in America because so many different type of people live here. In such a diverse country, it is important to meet the needs of every person. Asians in America need to be able to purchase tradition wear here as well as Africans, Pakistanis, and Latinos. Ethnic influences have also been tweaked but not insulted by RTW designers and high fashion designers so that it can be worn on a regular basis more casually.

A great example of a designer who has taken her designs to the next level by using cultural influences is Anna Sui. In her spring 2009 collection, you can see very clearly the Spanish, Indian, and Egyptian influences. She uses bright colors and prints in shocking combinations that are absolutely stunning. Here is a clip of her spring 2009 collection:

http://video.style.com/?fr_chl=3f446c54d37d361491f30e80f2407b4fcd7bc65f&rf=bm

New York Fashion Week Trends

I must say, i have never been a follower of fashion week, that is until now and i think it is fabulous! To see all the magnificent designers come together for such an event is just an amazing thing to watch. Some of the trends that i saw myself from watching many shows over the net include the following:

• Metallic
• Embellishment
• Hats
• Geometric Structure
• Waist Emphasis (Belts)
• Bubble Sleeves
• Bell-shaped dresses
• Ruffles
• Sheer Materials

Monique Lhuillier's designs stood out to me the most. She used three of the above trends: sheer material, bubble sleeve, and waist emphasis and used them to perfection. While watching her fashion show, i couldn't help but fall in love, or maybe lust, with every dress i saw because they were all so beautiful. Speaking of gorgeous dresses, Oscar De La Renta did a fabulous job. I felt his line was very classic. He used the bell-shape that was also very popular on Betsy Johnson's line, seen in the above picture. Betsy Johnson was my second favorite just because her designs are so creative and different and they bring so much life to the fashion world.Another popular trend were ruffles and lots of them! Betsey Johnson definitely topped that list with the bell-shaped skirts with flowing ruffles all the way down. Catherine Malandrino also did a lovely job in the ruffles department. The waist emphasis has been used for many years and is still going strong showing up in the designs of Monique Lhuillier, Catherine Malandrino, Marc Jacobs, and Oscar De La Renta. I found the sheer material used to be elegant and not to revealing. Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier and Catherine Malandrino all used sheer fabrics. Hats were very popular on the runway. Almost every model for Marc Jacobs and Betsy Johnson were rocking one! Metallic and geometric structure was also very popular and both were used by Calvin Klein.

Another designer i found interesting was Anna Sui. She would have to be my third favorite of all the designers at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. I love a lot of color and she definitely used a lot of color! The designs were Mexican, Indian, and Egyptian inspired and they were very beautiful pieces. Might i add, the shoes were killer!