Comparison Chart for Women's, Men's, Children's & Teen's Apparel

A Good Retail Store

Call me cheap, call me old fashioned. Or perhaps just a creature of habit. Whatever name you give me, I shop at Wal-mart, as I did as a kid with my mom, and I enjoy it, too! Now, I know Wal-mart has been getting some negative attention recently. I however have always had positive experiences with it. Wal-mart is a discount store as well as a department store.
I really like that Wal-mart has low prices and good products. I often find just what I need for class or fun. It is convenient, having a clothing section, an outdoors section, a games section, and a food section, all in one place. I can go to one store and find everything. It is also nice and convenient to have a McDonald's or other small chain restaurant inside.
Wal-mart meets the needs of a poor college student with no car; I can go to one location and find everything I need. So far, my experience has been positive. Let's hope it stays that way!

Fashion: Superbrand Chic

I watched an interesting video from the BBC Three which investigates the power of brand labels. It's only about an hour long, very interesting. Here is a short worksheet I completed about it and a link to the film. Enjoy!

Fashion Industry Practices: Business Leadership and Organization

Here's a brief overview of the three main ways businesses are owned and operated:

Mood Board

Here is an example of how fashion companies and designers determine trends. They collect pictures of a certain item or style (in this case: designed jackets) and evaluate what old and new styles are.
Enjoy!

Gender Interview

I interviewed my older brother to get his opinion about clothing. Here are the results (note: all answers are direct quotes):

Q: How important is clothing in your life?

A: I’d rather not be naked. Utilitarian approach, is what I would say. As long as it works and doesn’t distract from other stuff.

Q:How much time and thought do you give to what you will wear on an average day?

A: Like 30 seconds.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish from being dressed in a particular way -- now or in the future?

A: Not to draw attention to my clothes.

Q: Do you dress to please yourself or others?

A: Does comfort count? Sure, I like comfortable clothes.

Q: How are do you think a guy’s opinion of clothes differ from a girl’s?

A: Girls are more concerned about how they look than guys, whether they realize it or not. Probably because of cultural things. There are a lot of guys that care too much about how they look.

Q:Anything else?

A: Modesty is important on both guys and girls. Because immodesty is distracting.

Summary of my thoughts: I agree with a lot of what my brother said. It is the style of our family to dress more for comfort than for fashion. As my brother said, it seems that girls care more about their appearance than boys do, yet there are an increasing number of guys who focus on what they wear and how it affects others' opinions of them. I believe everyone has their own opinion and idea of fashion that fits their style. That is different for everyone and this uniqueness is part of what makes us human.

Historical Influences of Fashion

1980s Leg Warmers

1950s Full on bottom, strapless on top. A common choice of Prom dress!

1920s Classic men's polo