Teach Yourself to Drape Patterns: How to Get Started

 
Let's Talk About: Fashion Design
When you have fashion design ideas, one of the first skills you need to have is creating an original pattern.  If you cannot take a pattern design class, it can be very frustrating to learn how to make a pattern.  There are two main ways to produce a pattern.  The draping method uses a professional dress form, laying fabric on it to create the desired garment style.  The flat drafting method uses measurements to create a drafted pattern.  Often the draft is actually a manipulation of a pre-existing pattern.

Most students begin with pattern draping.  After learning to work with fabric on the 3-D form, their pattern can be traced onto paper and used for future patterns.  The following information will be based on learning how to drape patterns.

Before you start: the first purchase must be a dress form.  While these can be costly, they are essential for all types of design and sewing, so it is as important to own as your sewing machine.  What size to buy?  If you plan to create designs that might later be sold, you should consider a sample size "8" to start.  This is generally considered a basic size.  If you have a specific target market, get your dress form in their 'average' size and shape.  If you are sewing for yourself, then that size would be best.  If you are looking at an older dress form, brands such as "Modern Model" and "Wolf" are common.   "PGM" is a more recent brand that is imported.

Professional dress forms will have the following:

strong, sturdy base with wheels and adjustable height pedal
collapsable shoulders (used to pull off skirts)
princess seam lines in the muslin cover
shoulder plates where the armholes should be
pin-able surface
 
Tools and Supplies for Pattern Draping:

Pins: long pins are best for working on a dress form
L ruler, aluminum:: 24" x 14", this is a metal ruler with a right angle
Clear ruler: this "C through" 18" long x 2" wide ruler has a grid mapped on it.
Measuring tape: plastic

Marker: many students use 'sharpie' brand markers
Pencil: a standard desk type pencil can be used
tailor's chalk: a chalk that is thin and flat for sharp lines
Shears: you will want 8" sharp fabric shears for cutting your yardage
Muslin: 100% cotton is required.  A medium weight is best (don't use a thin, cheap muslin)
Twill tape: 1/4" wide tape will be used to wrap around the dress form to mark specific body areas

Tools and Supplies for transfering muslin pattern to paper:

tracing wheel or pattern wheel: sharp needle point wheel with wooden handle
awl: to punch holes in the paper
French curve: clear plastic curve to draft smooth lines around curves
hip curve: 24" long, a larger gentle curve used to draft smooth lines
pattern notcher: 1/16", used to mark pattern edges
dot paper
manila paper or other heavy paper such as 'butcher paper'
heavy scissors: for cutting paper

Tutorials for learning Pattern Draping:

Before starting a draping program, the student should have a good understanding of sewing and some experience working with patterns. Before beginning a drape, it would be a good idea to purchase the same style pattern first, then cut and sew it before learning to drape it.  

A series of tutorials for 10 garment processes along with how to prepare the dress form is available online through Cornell University, HERE.  Each process is shown in a step-by-step format.  The entire set of tutorials equals about one or two semesters of classroom projects at the college level. A draping text is recommended as a guide.  This series assumes the student is an intermediate level sewist, who has experience in sewing the garment being draped. 

Videos: With so many videos available online, it's tough to select tutorials that are well planned and accurate.
Craftsy.com has a full series of pattern draping tutorials taught by Paul Gallo.  They are well priced, and appear to be comprehensive enough to get a student started in the draping technique.  On youtube.com this short video on draping by PandemicApparel is also a good place to start if you don't want to spend a cent before you get a 'feel' for this process:



References:  You can never have too many good books.  These are typical titles used in fashion draping courses:

Draping Basics, by Sally Di Marco.  I recommend this first due to the great tutorial photos.  She works with gingham fabric, which clearly show the grainlines while working.  There is a pdf preview online:  HERE
The Art of Fashion Draping, by Connie Amaden-Crawford
Draping for Apparel Design, by Helen Joseph-Armstrong
Draping for Fashion Design, by Hilde Jaffe

Shopping Resources: Most tools and supplies can be found online if you aren't located near a fashion college's student store.  One popular vendor is IDS International Design Supplies, Inc., Los Angeles and student kits are available: HERE

I hope this helps you to get started learning pattern design. If you have any questions--just ask and I'll get back with an answer!

This original article on fashion is part 10 of a series called "Let's Talk About:" that is posted only here at Pintucks. The contents of this article are the intellectual property of this blog. Please do not copy any content or images 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 or images for a research paper or project, please link back to this page in the traditional academic format, thank you!

Let's Talk About: Chanel Metiers d'Art, 2013 & Historical Inspiration

The Chanel Metiers d'Art for Fall 2013 has been buzzing big online this week. In part, it was the lush use of Scottish textiles and heather colors that caught the eye of everyone who has seen it. But another facet of this collection are the direct references to Elizabethan era fashion, men's apparel in particular. This slide shows both a runway look and men's doublets from the late 1500's that could have inspired it.

Lagerfeld has always shown an interest in using historical references to inspire his work, and this design from the early 1600's is a great example of how skillfully he can take a strong historical silhouette and create modern fashion that feels new and exciting.

The three slides shown include several runway ensembles along with original historical portraits. I hope they help to demonstrate how closely Lagerfeld used the late 1500's to mid-1600's as design inspiration. The women in black dresses with white lace accents from 1600's were obviously used to inspire this black dress on the runway. It also is easy to see where he worked with current trends for line, silhouette, color and texture to produce dramatic and new design ideas that are clearly derived from the past.

It is brilliant and creative collections like this one that drive fashion forward and give us something to talk about and try out for ourselves. Keep your eye on Fall 2013, we may see more of styles like these as other brands modify and copy Lagerfeld's lead.


This original article on fashion is part 9 of a series called "Let's Talk About:" that is posted only here at Pintucks. The contents of this article are the intellectual property of this blog. Please do not copy any content or images 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 or images for a research paper or project, please link back to this page in the traditional academic format, thank you!

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 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.

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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: Target Customers

the Target Customer

One of the most critical moments in designing fashion is creating a concept that will sell to a specific shopper. This person or group is called the Target Customer. It is for them that designers struggle to find the perfect idea that will make up into the accessory or garment that this shopper cannot pass up and must buy. Without this center figure, the fashions would hang forever, unsold and neglected.

So how does the design room define this person or group? They are different for each company. Every brand has its own ideal shopper. The personality profile includes: age, income, size range, personal style and preferences, lifestyle and location, career and hobbies.

By defining these details, a customer type can be identified. With that in mind, it is easier to eliminate designs that aren’t suitable, and to develop designs that are. Will the customer like this? Will they wear that? These are the questions that the designer will be asked when they present their line to the company manager or owner.

Let’s start with an imaginary target customer. We can easily think of a real person who loves fashion that we know. From this we can identify their age range, financial profile, size and build, likes and dislikes in style, color and trend, what they do for a living, where they live and how they like to spend their free time. This is the core of a target customer profile.

But we need to look further. Where and how they shop is a key issue. What type of retail stores do they buy their clothing and accessories from? Today shoppers go to more than one source, so your target customer might have several stores, both online and ‘brick and morter’ that they like to shop at. They may also be loyal to several brands (and these might be your competition). Identify the brands they like for several garment categories. Also include the price range they pay when they shop.

Our next step is to determine why they are shopping. This can give us clues as to what they will want and how much selection they need to have. Someone whose only coat has torn will be looking for a coat because they NEED one. This is not an impulse buy, it is a requirement of their climate and lifestyle. Whether the coat has an on trend look, or is more conservative would be affected by the target customer’s income, lifestyle and preferences. One example might be that men by their socks because they need them, but women by their socks because they like the style and want them.

Other target customer purchases could be impulse based and might be an item that is attractive but not necessary to the target customer’s survival or life style. So, shopping patterns are important to the design room staff. By understanding these needs they can design a product that will fit the customer’s desires and be easier to sell.

Target Customer Profile

1. Sex and age range:
2. What type of community do they live in?
(Rural/country, small town, urban, large town, City/large town, or other )
3. U.S. region and climate that they live in? Are there climate extremes?:
4. What type of Figure do they have, including their height.
5. What do they do for a living? What is their Job or Career?
6. What is their level of Education or Training?
7. Annual Income, household, what is their income range?
8. What is their marriage status?
9. What is their family status, do they have children?
10. What kind of home do they live in? Do they rent or own?
11. Free time: Do they travel or take vacations? Does this affect their wardrobe?
12. What do they like to do in their free time? Do they have a favorite recreation or hobby?
13. Colors: What are their favorite colors for clothing? They may wear more than one color group, depending on the season
14. Personality type: How does this person relate on a social level? (Outgoing, confident/Quiet, shy/Intellectual, thoughtful/Sexy, social/Classic, traditional/Experimental, innovative)
15. Fashion type: How does this person adapt to trends and new fashion ideas? (Early adopter/Trend setter/ Trend follower/ Late trend follower / Not a trend follower
16. Stores and Shopping: where do they shop for apparel? List those stores. Fashion type: How does this person adapt to trends and new fashion ideas?
17. Brands and Designers: Do they look for certain brands or designers? List those for the top categories of apparel that they wear.
18. Information and Media: Where do they get their information on trends and styles?


The advertisement for Pendleton is from 1956 and shows their ideal target customer at that time, including her car and accessories.

This original article on the Target Customer is part 7 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!

Let's Talk About: Mood Boards

It looks like summer is winding down. Not that the weather is changing, but September is almost here, and those leisure free days are at a premium. It's time to start thinking about dressing again: wearing more than a brief dress and flip-flops.

This wonderful photo of the 1940's "New Look" is so inspiring. It's a "Vogue" cover from 1948, and so much of what we see here is on trend for the coming year. The overtones of gray, the slightly Victorian air to her look, the vintage mirror and cool men's hat, gloves and umbrella all tie this theme together.

Why not make a mood board showing a current fashion trend you like. Start by gathering up photos of inspirations, colors, fabrics and trims to create a design direction for your own 'look' or wardrobe. It's fun to start with a photo you like, then bring in elements that support the look you are going for.

Here is the original 1948 photo with my fashion inspiration from it. I used current color and style trends to put this together. I found the coat design at Butterick 5824 This coat is a new retro style designed by blogger Gertie. The wonderful soft orange-red tea rose is from FairytailFlower on Etsy. The jewelry photos are of vintage pearls, necklaces and other accessories that helped me to visualize this 'look'. I also included a velveteen swatch in black to complete the design direction.

Mood boards are an important part of the design room. They help to show everyone involved the 'story' or 'concept' for a single item or a whole line. This is a perfect example of non-verbal communication. Originally these were created from magazines and newspapers, but as digital media has grown, so has the available image pool. More designers are using digital technologies to create their mood boards. The added bonus is that these can be easily sent by email or text, and can be printed up when several copies are needed.

While Adobe Photoshop is more commonly known, other technologies such as PowerPoint can be used to compile a mood board. To use PowerPoint, simple create your collage on a single slide. You can even add print. Save this image as a jpg, rather than a PowerPoint presentation and you can use this in your own work, blogs and other media.


This original article on mood boards is part 5 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!

Let's Talk About: Color Trends

Once we have a line on what fashion influences will be used for style inspirations, it’s important to turn to color selection. You have probably noticed that nearly every designer and brand shows a color group each season that seems very controlled and carefully edited. A quick look at the Elie Saab illustrations shows examples of this color control. There are times when one color or group seems to be popping up in every line, store and brand. How does that happen? How can a designer find colors that will become popular?

In fashion, color is usually arranged in groups that may have from six to a dozen or more colors. Usually these colors are all related in brilliance, shade from light to dark, and clarity. This means that they will all look great together. When looking at a color group, it is usually possible to find each basic color represented: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. These may not appear clear or bright, but usually they are all present in a color group. This slide of Pantone colors from 2010 shows how each color can be part of a color group.

Color groups also reflect traditional color selections for each season. While it is possible to show new directional color for a season, it is important to provide colors that the customer wants to wear during that season. Most consumers have expectations for each season of the year, and often won’t venture into new color territory until they have seen that color worn and are comfortable with it. Most often, nature influences what the customer wants to wear. Generally spring colors relate to new floral and nature tones. Summer colors can be bleached out or very bright and pure. Fall colors also call on nature with many autumn leaf tones and darker colors. Winter has the darkest colors, but jewel tones are also present for color clarity.

Color trend prediction can be found through major global resources such as “Pantone”, “Premiere Vision”, “Lenzing”, and “TFL”. They evaluate new found color groups and make selections for future trends in apparel, home décor and other industries. Usually color trends can be found about two years in advance. Because this information is costly, the general consumer has to wait until about one or two seasons ahead when that information is no longer ‘new’ to find it cost free.

Probably the first place for us to look for new color trends is to check out a few websites. FashionTrendsetter.com has a great overview each season of the color trends that have been predicted. Pantone is an American color service that originally determined how to label colors so they could be co-ordinate internationally without error. When you do color research, you will often notice that each color has a Pantone reference number. Each major season they predict a color group. Pantone also recommends one strong color each year.

For 2012, the color is Tangerine Tango.

By noticing color when you shop the market and collecting information on color trends, you will start to notice how color comes and goes in fashion as well as styles. Try looking back to colors from a year or two ago. Are these colors still for sale? What price bracket sells which colors? High end apparel often has color choices that are rare at the lower price brackets. Often these colors are expensive to produce, so they never make it to the budget level fashion product. Seeing fashion in person will help you to learn more about color selection, since the computer monitor does distort and betray color information.

Color Trend Resources:
FashionTrendsetter.com
Pantone Fashion color report
TFL
Lenzing color trends

This original article on spotting fashion trends is part 4 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 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: Fashion Design

Fashion Design? Lately it seems like almost everyone has ideas for a fashion line or business. And why not, since the media showcases fashion entrepreneurs and designers for us to see up close and personal, and it looks pretty easy to do. But I think there's room for a little information here. Something to explain 'what's going on' in a way that makes the industry a little bit easier to understand.

So, I am going to be posting topics each week that relate to fashion design and merchandising. The information here will be similar to what you would get if you were enrolled in a fashion course at a college or trade school. Maybe this is something you would love to do, but don't have the access, time or money to achieve. Well, drop by each week and I'll have a new topic for you to read up on. Who knows, maybe you'll jump right in and start your own business some day, but you'll be a bit more prepared after reading these articles.

To start, I thought that we should all take a look at how fashion evolves. I hope it answers your questions about where fashion styles come from and how can you find out 'what's next' in fashion.

Fashion Cycles

How does fashion change and evolve? One of the terms used is to call a new style a trend. A trend occurs when a shoppers like a similar silhouette with the same type of details, color and fabric. When they wear this new look often, it becomes a trend.

How long does a trend last? That can vary. Some classics can last ten years or more. Flashy and unusual trends may be fads. These short lived trends are wildly popular for only a year or so. In general, fads are worn by younger shoppers who do not require durable, long lasting investment clothing. They are happy with very affordable styles that can be worn immediately, then discarded at the end of the season.

A trend can be viewed as a cycle that usually has a bell shape curve. On the lower left end we can see the trend when it is worn by only a few people. As it becomes popular, the curve arches to the maximum number of people who like this trend. Then as time goes by, this trend begins to fade away. This is often because it has saturated the market place and has become very cheaply imitated. A saturated market is a sign for more upscale retail buyers to stop carrying this trend. It will eventually drop to a discount price range, and be available widely before dropping from the market entirely.

Fashion Trend Stages:

Introduction: The start of new trend when it is worn by fashion innovators.

Growth: The development of this trend by fashion leaders and high end stores.

Peak Saturation: When the trend is most popular and widely available at all stores.

Decline: The trend looks tiresome and dated to most consumers.

How do fashion buyers and designers know when a trend is going to be popular? Most fashion industry offices subscribe to trend services. A trend service will complete a wide range of surveys before each season to determine what trends are gaining popularity. This includes looking at not only social scenes, but viewing other cultural effects such as the economy, politics, and current events. Technological advancements also affect apparel, introducing new textiles, colors and trims.

Traditionally, haute couture fashion in Paris was designed for a wealthy customer with a high social status. As fashion developed each year, the older clothing was handed off to her staff or servants. They would wear those second hand styles later, when it was no longer important fashion. The practice of providing new fashion styles only to the wealthy was maintained by the couture system. This was an expensive and time consuming practice for the customer. With the invention and adoption of photography, modern print media, film and television, and the internet, current fashion information has become available to everyone.

Although the traditional haute couture market in Paris is still very expensive, today styles are also derived from other sources such as media events, sports and celebrity endorsements. The traditional method was called the trickle down theory, meaning that styles would trickle down from the upper classes to the lower classes. During the late 1960’s this system was broken by a large young consumer group who designed and made their own looks, independent of Paris and New York designers. Today you will find the trickle down theory still happening when we spot high priced styles being copied and sold at lower prices. These items are called knock offs and are important styles for many mid-range and low priced retailers.

In looking at new styles, most apparel companies like to keep certain styles that will be popular with their loyal customers for more than one season. These are called staples because they are always available. Having staple products is an important feature of brand recognition.

Once a fashion designer understands the current trends in the market, the next step is to research and adopt a trend for their collection.

In thinking about this, have you noticed any new trends lately? The flip-side is to spot out-going trends or styles that seem dated and tired. Keeping an eye on these in your daily life will start to train your design sense to notice new looks when they crop up.

Next time I'll look at where these ideas can come from. What sources do designers use to come up with their ideas? That will be the focus next week. I hope you like this new series of mine on fashion and design. Feel free to request topics for future articles, I'm open to what you might want to learn about or discuss.

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!

Pricing Fashion: Costing a New Shirt

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article that detailed the journey one new fashion start-up went through to produce their initial product: a polo shirt. What they found were costs that resulted in a $155 price tag.

The new business owners are Katherine and Jared MacLane, both entered the manufacturing arena after sufficient experience in retail. It was their goal to create a company that offered the most perfect polo shirt: in fit, style, comfort and performance.

The article follows their journey to source the best textile, trims and labor to produce their design. This wasn't easy, as simple cotton became expensive cotton, and performance issues were many in the selection of that textile and the trims to put on it. Would you believe that the knit cotton yardage they wanted was $9.00 per yard, and mother of pearl buttons were $1.00 each? Clearly, adaptions had to be made.

Another hurdle was locating a manufacture in the U.S. This turned out to have its own barriers to entry. After that were the little details, hang tags, garment tags and packaging: each one requiring costs beyond what you might imagine.

As for that $155 price tag: The cost to actually produce the top was $29.57, with labor costs just a fraction over $11. The retail price is a bit more than double that, $65. The profits are used to cover other expenses, such as marketing, shipping, product development and the owner's salaries. The retail store more than doubled that cost to cover their expenses, so the final price the consumer pays is $155.

Right now, fashion is an easy 'whipping' child for several groups who feel their viewpoint is politically correct. There is the 'why is fashion so poorly made?' group, and the 'Why can't I find ____ made in the US?' and finally 'Fashion is so overpriced, those designers are making huge profits' group.

If anything, this article dispels any notions of grandeur on the part of the higher priced manufacturer. Good quality materials, local labor, manufacturing and retail have their costs. The consumer has recently been treated to apparel at costs far below any in the history of the peopled world. With this has come an expectation that everything should reflect this cost downturn.

Part of turning around the consumer's way of thinking, along with their buying habits, is educating them to see that US made products will cost more. Having them accept that reality is another thing entirely! As a start, this article is a great intro to costing and product pricing.

The full Wall Street Journal article, "Polo Puzzle: What Goes Into a $155 Price Tag?", Feb. 2, 2012 by Christina Brinkley is HERE

Don Loper & a Green Silk Jacket

This jacket is worthy of a complete stop in converation. An open mouth gape at the pure luxury and blatant exhibitionism of the collar.


It encircles the neck like a scluptured cape. With dramatic notches far back near the shoulder seam line, it is truely regal in the crown shape of the crescent shaped roll line around the shoulders.


This masterpiece was designed by Don Loper. Probably better known now for his appearance on "I Love Lucy" during the mid-1950's, where he presents a showcase of his fashions, and poor Lucy is morose, unable to wear fashion, having a severe sun burn.


Don Loper had a brief career as an actor during the previous decade. His resume reads like a survey of TV and film positions. There was little in Hollywood that Loper didn't give a try to.


But it is the glamorous fashions he created that put his name on the map. Working with the best textiles, he demonstrated a skill and understanding far beyond what might be expected from someone with a lack of training or mentorship.


This simple green jacket, with its small bodice and 3/4 length sleeves from the mid-1950's departs from the norm in a way that sets it apart from just about any other jacket of its era.


To copy this would be quite a challenge, but the result might be fantastic.