Discovering the Theory in a Documented Practical Design Activity and Using It as Inspiration in One’s Own Design Work: A Graduate Level Course

A graduate level course was developed to teach students to discover the theory in a documented practical design activity and use it as inspiration in their own design work

Delicate Target: A Multi-Dimensional Representation of Woman using RIP Digital Printing Software to Enlarging Half-scale to Full-scale

Inspiration. The author previously investigated the use of flowers in advertisements targeting women. This connection between women and flowers implies that the ideal woman is delicate and beautiful like a flower. The exploration outcome was a gown that made the wearer look like a rose (McKinney, 2006). The current design\u27s purpose was to create a multi-faceted representation of the female target market. The visually strong black and white target side exterior was juxtaposed with a delicate floral side collaged from apparel, makeup, perfume, and jewelry advertisements. The wearer\u27s self-representation may be controlled by how the reversible vest is worn. Whether she chooses to show her strong side or her delicate side, the other side will always be peeking out from the inside. Garment Pattern Development. The designer of this piece participated in the halfscale Forum, attended the presentation, and subsequently produced the design in full-scale using the following process

Partnering with a University Garden for a Non-traditional Materials Fashion Design Assignment: Collaboration, Creativity, and Community Engagement

The innovative teaching strategy was partnering with a University Garden to obtain non-traditional materials for advanced fashion design students\u27 creative projects. Situated on a 17-acre site, the University Garden is a year-round attraction features distinct gardens both indoors and outdoors on a 17-acre campus, a Conservatory with seasonal displays, a 2,500-square-foot Butterfly Wing, and a Gift Shop. Benefits of this partnership included: (a) unique materials for students to work with, (b) improved cross-departmental relationships, and (b) opportunities for students to engage the local community with their creative work. The purpose of this teaching strategy was to find a new source of materials for students to work with for an existing non-traditional materials project in an upper-level Creative Design class for fashion design majors. The teaching strategy was effective in fostering the desired teaching/learning outcome of getting students to engage in innovative thinking about apparel design

A framework for classifying the content of online reviews of formalwear rented online

While online reviews are regarded as a key ingredient in product success, little is known about the content of online reviews of apparel products. This study focuses on online reviews found on Rent the Runway (RTR), a very successful firm, which provides consumers who want to wear designer formalwear for special occasions the opportunity to rent at a fraction of the retail price. Researching content of online reviews is important as it allows understanding of the evaluative criteria consumers use and report in online reviews. However, there has been no study to date to investigate online reviews of formalwear rented online. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the textual information generated by female consumers about formalwear rented online. The research question was: What are the key themes underpinning the content of online reviews of formalwear rented online

Proposed Typologies for the Dress Needs of Nursing Mothers and Babies and Available Nursing Dress: An Evaluation of the Relationship between Concepts in These Typologies

In the U.S., the majority of babies are weaned from the breast by the time they are three months old (CDC, 2007) in contrast to the recommendation of “exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months. . ., with continuation of breastfeeding for 1 year or longer” (Eidelman & Schanler, 2012). Women who feel comfortable feeding in public breastfeed longer than women who are not comfortable (Allen & Pelto, 1985). Practical advice on carrying out life roles while breastfeeding is important and requires consideration of clothing (Mulford 2008). The purposes of this study were to (1) identify and organize (a) dress needs of nursing mothers and babies and (b) available types of nursing dress, and (2) provide practical advice by considering the relationship between currently available dress and needs of nursing mothers and babies. Part I: Concept analysis of the dress needs of nursing mothers and babies. Sixteen scholarly and consumer publications related to breastfeeding or pregnancy were analyzed for dress needs. The unit of coding was any passage on nursing. Using constant comparison, we identified and organized the following needs around the Functional (F) Expressive (E) Aesthetic (A) Model (Lamb & Kallal, 1992): (a) milk production & transfer (F), (b) fit, comfort, and support (F), (c) easy access (F), (d) normal appearance (F, A), (e) non-communication of breastfeeding (E), (f) style and fashion (E, A), (g) aesthetically pleasing (A), and (h) tactile experience for the baby (A, F). We described each need in-depth with representative quotes. For example, “You’ll want to be sure you can easily unfasten and refasten the bra with one hand, since you’ll need to do so regularly for feedings” (Kutzin & Marchant, 2001, p. 54). The created typology of the needs of nursing mothers and babies will help mothers recognize, prioritize, and meet the needs they face and designers create useful items for this target market

Female Consumer’s Fit Strategies and Fit Perception of Formalwear Rented Online: Content Analysis

With the advent of Internet technologies, consumers today have extensive opportunities to evaluate products online. Because “consumer reviews, word-of-mouth on the products, could be the most powerful force in the market place” (Silverman, 1997, p. 34), investigating consumer reviews is crucial to understand potential aspects of clothing that consumers may use to evaluate clothing fit. Given that apparel is a highly body-related product, the body-absent online apparel shopping environments is problematic for consumers’ fit problems and sizing inconsistency. Indeed, 62% of women could not find clothing that fit well, and 57% of women did not fit into today’s standard sizes (NPD Group, 2010)

Investigating Online Reviews of Formalwear Rented Online: Information Generated by Female Consumers in Rent the Runway Sites

With the explosive growth of e-commerce, consumer online reviews as a type of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) have become increasingly important. Because online reviews come from the consumer perspective, they are perceived to be more influential on consumers’ choices and more helpful in reducing consumers’ perceived uncertainty than seller-generated information. Despite this, no research to date has investigated consumer-generated information in online reviews of formalwear rented online. This study is the first attempt to understand consumer-generated information in online reviews of formalwear rented online

On the Level: a Minimal Waste Bias Evening Gown Achieved through Creative Pattern Draping, Seam Angles, and Grain Placement

The goal was to create an evening gown that included the stretch and beautiful drape of bias cut fabric on the body while solving some problems associated with bias cut: (1) fabric waste and (2) seam rippling caused by inadvertently stretching bias grain piece edges while sewing seams

Barong Tagalong

The barong tagalong, also known as the barong Filipino or simply the barong, is the national men\u27s shirt of the Philippines. It is a long-sleeved, collared shirt, buttoning halfway down the front. Traditionally, the barong is made of white, transparent cloth with embroidery around the buttons. The shirt is usually woven out of pina fiber, which is harvested from the leaves of the pineapple plant

Why Do They Sew? A Need to Discover the Motives of Young Women to Sew Their Own Clothing

The interest in home sewing has seen a resurgence over the last decade, with the fastest growing segment of sewers being young women (IBISWorld, 2014). These women are interested in interested in do-it-yourself fashion and creating unique items for themselves. It has been over 20 years since motivations of home sewers have been studied and this young segment has yet to be researched. This proposed study aims to investigate the motivations that drive these women to sew clothing when ready-made clothing is cheaply available. Pilot study results indicate interesting motivational changes from previous research reveling emerging themes associated with garment fit, confidence, and self-expression. This confirms the need to further investigate the motivations of young women to sew garments for themselves