Monday, November 11, 2013

Principles of Design

Some Rules of thumb to remember:
A collection should have 1 or 2 major silhouettes
Details should tie the collection together
Choose 3-5 colors for the color story and weave them throughout your collection.

Using Design in Fashion

THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN are color, shape, line and texture.

THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN are balance, proportion, emphasis and rhythm.

The elements are put together in different ways to form designs.
The principles are guidelines for using the elements.

Color

HUE: The name of the color

VALUE: How light or dark it is

INTENSITY or SATURATION: How bright or dull it is.

THE COLOR WHEEL

TERMS:

Primary
Secondary
Intermediate

COLOR SCHEMES:

NEUTRALS VS COLORS
Some Rules for Color in Fashion

Light colors advance, Dark colors recede.
Bright or intense colors are best in small amounts



Black: Black often symbolizes power or control. It’s widely regarded as a formal color (e.g. black-tie affairs). In contexts, it can mean mourning or death (funerals), or submission (priests). For our purposes, black is a weighty color that signifies power and commands respect.

White: White represents light, purity, and innocence. It is notably clean and light in weight. Other connotations include simplicity and reverence. Very much considered a summer color (via the “rule” don’t wear white after Labor Day), though it can also be very formal (especially when paired with black) as in weddings, or from the fact that the most common shirt worn with a suit/tuxedo is white.

Red: Red is likely the heaviest of the hues. Its color is very bold to the eye, though not necessary displeasing. A range of meanings include love, anger, fire, power, respect and leadership. One of the most noticeable colors, even a small amount of red is easily noticed. Photographers are rumored to carry red soda cans with them to add a flash of red to pictures. Studies have shown that red actually has a physical effect, increasing heart rate and breathing rate.

Blue: Blue is one of the most popular colors, both in and out of the fashion world. Important meanings include calm, cool, cold, confident, and loyalty. The last of these is an oft-cited reason to wear blue to job interviews. Blue can, however, be interpreted as cold (in a sad/emotional way), so we should be careful to ensure that enough energy is present in the color to avoid this (if we wish to avoid it, that is).

Yellow: We often think of yellow as a happy color, associated with sunlight and optimism. However, its hue is the most “annoying” to our visual system. This may be the reason that yellow is actually the color which makes people angriest. In general, this effect can be tempered by reducing how striking the yellow appears by choosing lower values and saturations.

Green: Conversely, green is the easiest color for the eye to accept, likely due to the abundance of it in nature. This color is associated with growth, relaxation, fertility, and vigor. Of course, we also know it can symbolize jealousy, though I think this is more figurative than literal.

Purple: Often symbolizes royalty, ergo, wealth and success. Can also refer to delicacy in light shades (high value), or sensuality in darker shades with high saturation. Given its relatively infrequent appearance in the natural world, which accounts for its connection to wealth and rarity, purple can also seem unnatural or artificial.

Orange: One of the least used colors, orange is a tempered red in terms of intensity from a purely physical perspective, but its rare use also makes it easily noticeable. Similar ties as red; anger, desire, fire, danger, autumn, earth. People often connect “brown” most closely to orange.

Brown: Element of the earth, related to nature, stability, simplicity and tradition, and dependability. A very nonoffensive color, making it a common safe choice for fashion, especially with men.

Pink: Despite being technically red, pink, which is just red with very high value, is viewed very differently. Often represents femininity, softness, spring, flowers. Emotionally can represent love, admiration or gratitude. A very peaceful color, unlike the powerful and sometimes angry “red.”

Gray: Often viewed as a lack of color like black, when in reality it is just a lack of saturation. Commonly, gray will actually be a red or a blue with very low saturation. The difference is noticeable in some cases if you hold up the gray to some red or blue items. Depending on the underlying color, there are additional “readings” of the gray, but in general it represents wisdom, respect, neutrality, formality, or balance. Also interpreted as dull or boring." - From the fashionablemathmetician

SHAPE or SILHOUETTE

Wedge, tubular, bouffant, hourglass, A-line


LINE

Structural or Decorative
straight, curved jagged


TEXTURE

BALANCE

Proportion


Symmetrical (formal), Asymmetrical (informal)



EMPHASIS

RHYTHM

HARMONY

THE FASHION DESIGN SEGMENT:

Licensing

Design Timetable

Sources of Inspiration

WORLD FASHION CENTERS

United States

France

Italy

Great Britain

Canada

Central and South America

Japan

China and Hong Kong

Taiwan

South Korea

Names in Fashion Design

Homework: Pick one of the main Fashion Design Centers that we have talked about. Research 3 designers that work in that country. Do a presentation board or powerpoint with a brief profile of the designer and some examples of their work. Discuss what makes them representative of their country's fashion industry. No using the US!


Week of November 12-14th

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 12:

Speaker: Fashion Design student from China

DUE: QUIZ on Apparel Specifications - QUIZLET IS HERE



THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH:

Speaker: Elissa Bloom from  Fashion Incubator

DUE: Filled out marketing sheet


Saturday, November 2, 2013

Apparel - Women's, Men's and Children's



WOMEN'S WEAR

 

Product Classifications

 


Sportswear - separates
Knitwear - sweaters
Activewear - workout clothes
Coats/Suits - coats and business suits
Daytime Dresses - high end dresses
Evening Wear - formal wear
Intimate Apparel - underwear and sleepwear

Price Points

 


Couture - $10,000 for a jacket, $20,000+ for evening dresses
Designer - $750 - $1500 for a jacket, sold in high end stores and boutiques
Young Designer - $300-$800 for a jacket, specialty stores -Cynthia Rowley, Anna Sui
Bridge/Better - $400-$600 for a jacket, DKNY, Anne Klein II, Ellen Tracey
Contemporary - $150-$225 for a jacket, Liz Claiborne, Jones New York
Upper Moderate - $100-$120 for a jacket, Chaus, Evan Picone, JCrew
Moderate -$70-$150 for a jacket, Guess, Gap
Budget - Target, Kmart, Kohl's, Walmart
Private Label

Size Specialization

Misses - 2 to 14, even numbers
Juniors - 0-13, odd numbers
Petites - 5'4" and under, odd numbers 1-13
Women's - 14-24, even numbers
Tall - 8-20
Maternity

Selling Seasons

 

Fall

Holiday
Resort

Spring

Summer


Menswear

Product Classifications


Tailored clothing (Bespoke) - suits
Friday wear - casual yet work appropriate
Men's Furnishings - ties, socks, etc
Casual Wear -shorts, casual shirts
Active Sportswear - athletic clothing
Outerwear - coats
Work Clothes - coveralls
Rainwear - raincoats

Size Specialization


Tailored Clothing
•Regular
•Long
•Short
•Extra Long
•Portly/Stout/Big and Tall



Children's wear


Size Specializations

Infants
Toddlers
Children's
Girls
Boys
Preteen



Tuesday, October 29, 2013

More Careers in Fashion!

Promotions and Other Fashion Related Careers

Communicating Fashion

 

Modeling

• Runway Models
• Fit Models
• Photographic Models

Fashion Photography

• Photographers Assistant
• Photo Stylists

Fashion Writing

• Fashion Journalists
• Fashion Reporter
• Copywriters
• Editors

Fashion Illustration

Audio Visual Work

Web Site Design

Visual Merchandising

Display Managers

Display Designers

Fashion Advertising

Advertising Directors

Account Executive

Media Buyers

Art Director

Graphic Designers

Layout Artists

Public Relations

Entrepreneurship and Other Fashion Related Careers

Entrepreneurial Opportunities

Home Based Business

Independent Sales Representative

Owning a Retail Shop

Dressmaking or Tailoring

Apparel Production

Trading Company

Freelancing and Consulting

Theatrical Costuming

Textile Preservation

Costume Curators

Educators

Here is a site that will help with basic resume structure:

http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/careers/opia/toolkit/resumes/resume-layout.html

And this gives some tips to people fresh out of college:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/05/10/how-to-write-a-resume-when-youre-just-out-of-college/2/

HOMEWORK: Due Thursday, October 31 - 4 designs for your mood board collection. They should be completed and colored but do not have to be on a board.

Due Tuesday, November 6th, Bring a copy of your resume, and your designs mounted on your board.




 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Careers in Fashion

Careers in the Fashion Industry

Overview of the Industry

Fashion offers some of the most exciting, challenging and fascinating careers. It also demands hard work and dedication. Few positions offer a 9-5 workday.

The seasonality of the industry can result in hectic periods followed by relatively slow times.

Employees tend to change companies frequently, but this is also a way to climb the career ladder.

Career Planning

Entry Level
Management

Selecting a Career Path

Strive toward needed training

Gaining Experience

Textile and Apparel Careers

A Career in the Textile Industry

Research and Development

Textile Design


Fabric Designers

•print/repeat artist
• colorists

Grapher

Converter


Dyer

Production Manager

Textile Sales Rep

Fashion Design

Designer

Design assistant

Merchandiser

Stylist

 

Patternmakers

Pattern Graders

Markers

Spreaders

Cutters

Assorters

Sewers

Finishers

Inspectors/trimmers

Pressers

Product Managers

Quality Contril

Manufacturers Sales Rep

Retailing

General Merchandise Manager

Divisional Merchandise Manager

Buyer

Assistant Buyer

Product Developer

Store Manager

Regional Manager

Department Manager

Fashion Director

Advertising Manager

Visual Merchandiser


HOMEWORK: Bring in 4 designs, finished and in color. They do not have to be mounted on a board yet. Due Tuesday, October 29

READING: Chapter 7 - Careers in Fashion. There will be a quiz!

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Thursday, October 9th - Midterm Review

Due Today: Quiz on vocab - Fashion and Acceptance

Quizlet is HERE

MidTerm Review

Fashion, The History

• Rose Bertin, Charles Worth
• Industrial Revolution - inventions
• Fashion now - challenges and opportunities

The Powerful Consumer

• Demographics
• Psychographics
• Family Life Cycle
• Income Level

Multicultural Consumers

• Market Segments
• Growth Potential

Fashion and Acceptance

• Fashion Vocabulary
• Fashion Cycles
• Fashion Leaders - Essay Question

Quizlet Vocabulary Terms are HERE


Midterm Exam will be on Tuesday, October 14

Mood Board is due on Thursday, October 16