"I do my little turn on the catwalk"....Models!!! (Unite 5 assignment)

Models,let's face it for us average folks they seem as if they are goddesses from another planet.  When we take out the allure and mystique behind the pouty or sultry expressions and the glamorous lifestyle we assume these models live....models are just doing their job and their job is to be beautiful.  The pinnacle of a fashion model's career just so happens to be Fashion Week.  "Aspiring models and veteran models from around the world" are hopeful to be in New York Fashion Week, also known as the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.  (Joseph Chi Lin)  These models are not strutting their way to casting calls with in model mode complete with hair and make up.  They are usually running from one appointment to another in comfy shoes no less and always fresh faced with natural undone hair, but yet somehow (probably because they are just gorgeous) that off-duty model appearance still seem unattainable and we can't possibly believe that they "just woke up" like that!  Fashion Week is also not just about looking pretty, I come to find out that New York and Paris each have their own desired "walks" Paris runway walks are usually slower whereas in New York Fashion Week models are expected to walk more of a fast-paced strut down the runway.  And let's not forget the "it factor" ah yes millions of viewers would tune in each season to Tyra Banks' "Next Top Model" and often hear the echoes of the expert panels saying "she has the it factor" and just what is the "it factor" who can say for sure, but casting agents, designers and photographers just know it when they see it, sure you have to have beautiful skin, being gorgeous is a plus..obviously, having lustrous locks help, and having the body for the clothes.  We also cannot forget that the designers themselves have a particular look or ideal in mind and that changes as quickly as the fashion itself. 

Now that we have acknowledged the 'It factor' there are issues with Fashion Week ignoring the beauty in diversity.  "New York designers dropped the ball on diversity" (Denardo 2015)
We still as a society define beauty in very limited terms, the ideal model is still considered blonde (usually), beautiful and body-perfect.  Gradually the fashion industry is making changes to reflect different beauty ideals by being represented with diverse models.  Chromat was the most diverse of the shows during fashion week featuring five black models, four Latina models, three Asian models and two of the models were listed as "other".  However we are still fighting against the norm, the status quo of modeling with shows such as Monique Lhuillier with only 1 Asian model, the rest were white and "Erin Fetherston only booked white models".  (Denardo 2015)

Of course there is also the issue of body types, Victoria Beckham came under fire for her recent Fashion Show featuring "skeletal" modes.  Social media was in an uproar arguing that these models were young and way too thin.  Are we still promoting the anorexic look in 2015??!  I guess "slow progress is still progress" but I cannot believe that we are still shaming women for being too fat or too thin, it would be nice to have a Fashion Week where the models aren't criticized for being "too" anything!

"Behind the Scenes at a New York Fashion Week Casting" Story and photos by Joseph Chi Lin retrieved from www.content.time.com

"New York Fashion Week is Gradually Becoming More Diverse" by Maria Denardo retrieved from www.thefashionspot.com

Acceptable Rebellion: Kendall+Kylie

Kendall + Kylie

 

Kendall+Kylie is a brand created by the reality TV stars Kendall and Kylie Jenner. 

Their clothes are exclusively sold through Pacsun and Topshop, but are in high demand due to the popularity of the notorious sisters. They use this to their advantage, taking over social media as a way of advertising their apparel, saving costs with in-store and tv ads, as well as billboard campaigns. Their main source of exposure is the beloved social media site, Instagram.

With a staggering 40+ million followers (EACH), this power duo definitely know how to please the crowd and set trends. Although they have a separate page/profile for their brand (kendallandkylie- with a whopping 1 million followers itself), they do use their own pages to promote their clothing line as well with shoutouts and pictures of themselves wearing their own brand.

 The reason I titled this blog 'Acceptable Rebellion' is because they freely choose to let their wild, unruly behavior collide and mix with the image of their brand. Their attitudes portrayed on their profiles influence the attitude and value consumers feel their clothing line objectifies. The air about their clothing has gradually evolved from being viewed as tied to their tv personas and snubbed as another famous pair trying to be bigger than they really are to being perceived as becoming in likeness to the infamous characters these two stars have shaped if, when, and once worn... which tends to either successfully draw in a crowd of wannabe fans or repel potential customers off with disgust.

Personally, I love their brand (guilty of owning a Pacsun credit card myself!). I think their designs are adorable and innovative. However, whenever I try on any items of their clothing, I either feel unfit for a garment designed by models or a sexy bad-ass. I honestly have yet to experience a sense of decency putting on their garments.

Putting the judgements aside though, looking at the products without knowledge of the creators, one can clearly get an impression of the hipster vibes these clothes emit. Hipsters are the small segment of the population who serve as ‘innovators’ and ‘early adopters’ of new trends influence consumer trends for the rest of society. ‘Hipsters’, or young trendsetters, are charismatic, approximately aged 18–35, and ‘possess tastes, social attitudes and opinions deemed cool by the cool'. Influential on mass media and, hence, adolescents and young adults, hipsters represent an important fashion industry target with the power to drive trends. (Tob Control. 2010 Jun. Yogi Hendlin, Stacey J Anderson, and Stanton A Glantz).

I don't usually agree with taking action, such as buying an item of clothing, simply because some famous person has anything to do with it, but I must admit the Jenner sisters were geniuses in taking advantage of their capabilities and their dispositions, and have done a commendable job well done with their business.

NYFW

I chose New York fashion week. It is held in February and September of every year and lasts usually seven to nine days. New York fashion show is known as one of the ‘Big 4’. It began in 1943 by Eleanor Lambert, the press director of The New York Dress Institution, American fashion industry’s first promotional organization. It was originally called Press Week. It was the first organized fashion week and was meant to distract from French fashion during WWII. After, fashion magazines such as Vogue began featuring more American fashion.

New York fashion week costs a total estimate of 865 million economically, although there are different estimates. Costs vary depending on factors such as venues, celebrities, etc. Models pay can range from $150-$1000 and venues can range from $15,000-$60,000. Celebrities can get paid as much as the designer wants to give just to make an appearance so therefore there is no exact known cost estimate. They pay a celebrity to come as an association to the brand of the designer.

Celebrities are always placed in the front row; you will not see someone like Sarah Jessica Parker in the second row. Also in the front row are editors from fashion magazines. Average people can’t buy a ticket to NY fashion week; you can only get an invite from a designer to sit. However, if you have connections you can slip through to stand and watch the event. Some of the people pictured in “street style” are people who purposely dressed and stood out front of the event in hopes that they will be photographed.

Model casting is a process. Hundreds of models come to NYC in hopes of their chance to walk the runway for NY fashion week. Girls must be able to walk in heels and they have head shots done with no makeup so the designer can see them in their natural state. Models generally have multiple castings, sometimes multiple in a day, anything they can for the chance to walk the NY fashion week runway. Most models have an It factor they say, that spark that makes them stand out.

Carrie Hammer strayed from the norm with her “Role Models not Runway Models” show. She featured Danielle Sheypuk, the first model in a wheelchair, Karen Crespo, the first quadruple amputee to walk the runway, and Jamie Brewer, the first girl with Down syndrome to walk. I absolutely loved reading that because it makes us average girls feel good. You don’t have to have the perfect face or body to have that It factor.

         I have chosen Ralph Lauren as my clothing brand. Ralph Lauren, the man, the myth, the designer has successfully created fantasies for his customers to indulge in through his clothing for many years. His clothing is the epitome of classic American style. It gives off a very preppy vibe with many neutral and pastel colors often times paired with khaki bottoms. Ralph Lauren is more about the fantasy the brand represents rather than the actual clothes you wear. Below are two quotes from him talking about his brand:

"It's not about fabric. It's about dreams." -Ralph Lauren

"What I do is make movies with my clothes. Movies via fashion." -Ralph Lauren

            The images used to market the clothing are what I would call idealistic "Americanesque"

The ads almost always have a very scenic, outdoor backdrop

There have been numerous family/group ads

This is most likely to show that there is something for everyone

of course all very fantasy-like

Below Is a Ralph Lauren ad that featured Penelope Cruz

              The visual information given off seems to that she just got back from riding her horse. Some of the aesthetic symbols used are her clothing, which features what looks like khaki riding pants and a belt. The outfit gives off a very equestrian vibe. Her head appears to be resting on a saddle. These aesthetic symbols give off a very wealthy-preppy-American vibe. This specific ad uses a celebrity. Apparently Ralph Lauren reached out to Ms. Cruz after seeing her in a movie. Vogue.com quotes Ralph Lauren saying "She's a unique combination of beauty and intelligence." about Penelope.

GAP

 GAP,is a one syllable name of a clothing store that everyone is familiar with.  Maybe you at one time owned a logo sweatshirt or perhaps a pair of jeans.  This clothing store was originally founded by Donald and Doris Fisher in 1969 because they could not find pairs of jeans that actually fit...I feel their pain (and thanks Wikipedia for the information!).  I even found out that one of the first few stores was in the Echelon Mall in Voorhees, New Jersey, pretty close to home!  A store mainly founded because of the hunt for the perfect fitting jeans became a phenomenon including rainbow colored scarves, skittle-colored sweaters and corduroy pants that were very cool in the 90s despite the annoying rubbing sound they would make.  I chose to write about the GAP because of the resurgence of the 1990s fashion and during this time GAP dominated the mainstream fashion industry.  Frankly any clothing chain that has its own SNL skit (who remembers GAP girls with Adam Sandler, Chris Farley and David Spade?) is famous in its own right.  All kidding aside, consumers would wait for the GAP to tell them what color was in, what sweater to buy and would dictate what "Everybody" would be in that season.  This was done through very clever marketing strategies.  There was endless catchy commercials, with GAP models covering noteworthy songs from "Mellow Yellow" "Just Can't Get Enough" and "Dress You Up", the closing to the commercial would have a tagline such as "Everybody in Vests" or "Everybody in Leather".  The catchy tunes faded away however well into the 2000s and currently, GAP still relies on celebrity endorsements.  Some of the celebrities that have donned GAP attire include Michael J. Fox, Katie Holmes, Sarah Jessica Parker and Audrey Hepburn in an unforgettable commercial which epitomizes what GAP stands for.  Audrey Hepburn was seen wearing a plain black turtleneck and black cigarette pants.  This look will never go out of style and though GAP's commercials are no longer making headlines and in fact there was a recent article stating GAP will be closing stores and having major layoffs, it still will shy away from trends and stick to classics.  GAP Inc. is now a clothing conglomerate including the likes of Banana Republic and Old Navy.  If Old Navy and GAP were sisters, I'd have to say Old Navy would be the Elizabeth Olsen and GAP would be the Mary Kate and Ashley...meaning Old Navy is younger, newer on the scene and maybe a bit more current, but you still look to the GAP to see what it has online or in the windows.  They will be the ones who's outfits will stand the test of time more so than Old Navy.  They stick to their brand and won't even change their logo.  Once they tried changing their logo and received numerous complaints so they reverted back to the original.  GAP's clothing is a tad more understated but that is the appeal for many.  Decades ago jeans were the reason many would flock to the nearest mall offering customized sizes and more variety; many clothing lines have taken a cue and offered more choices for denim realizing it is such a staple and consumers are willing to pay more for jeans.  Again, with the 1990s being immersed in todays' fashion maybe there is hope that the GAP will one day be telling us what "everybody" will be in next season!



 
 
 

 

 

 

 



assignment #4

The popular brand that I chose is Abercrombie & Fitch. I actually learned a lot about the brand that I didn't know.  I chose this brand because when I was in high school, I was obsessed with A&F and Hollister (which is another store from their company), because that's what all the cool girls were wearing. I still remember the first shirt I bought from both stores. Abercrombie & Fitch began in 1892 in Manhatten, NY, originally selling outdoor equipment such as fishing rods and tents. That lasted until 1976, when they filed bankruptcy. Another sporting store took over in 1978 for ten years, then it was sold to the clothing chain The Limited & slowly began producing young adult clothing and more stores. Abercrombie now hold 3 lines ; A&F, A&F kids, and Hollister. Hollister is aimed more towards teens where as A&F is more toward young adults like college kids. Their image slowly proceeded to become popular but hit it big when they opened a store next to Prada in 2005, but not all good things last. In 2013, they took a 15.6 million dollar lost. They are the most expensive brand amongst stores aimed for young adults and competition like H&M are hurting their sales with their cheap clothing. A&F refuses to lower prices stating it would cheapen their clothing.
Their clothing image is upscale casual luxury. They have fine cashmere, pima cotton, high quality leather, and exclusive denim.

They use to use celebrities as ad models, some before they really became famous such as Lindsay Lohan in 1998 and Karlie Kloss in 2007. Some other celebrities who modeled for A&F were Ashton Kutcher in 1998, Chaning Tatum in 2001, Sienna Miller in 2002, Olivia Wilde in 2004, and some others.

 There weren't many celebrity models. I couldn't find any recent celebrity ad's either. However, I did find a funny fact. In 2011, A&F paid Jersey Shore's Mike Sorrentino, "The Situation", to not wear their clothing on the show feeling that his trashy image would hurt their brand and sales.
They actually use store employee's as models for their advertisements, they hold casting calls. They wouldn't call them employee's, they called all store employees 'models' because they were meant to model (look good) wearing A&F clothing rather than act like an employee and help customers.

There have been legal issues over these practices and they have recently been reinventing their image. They've been known for their racy photography of their models in advertisements, pictures in stores, even on the shopping bags.
As of May 2015, these shirtless models have been taken off the shopping bags and stores. They are aiming to reduce their sexualized advertising and improve their customer service in hopes that it will improve sales.

Closet Inventory- Blog 3

For the purpose of this assignment, I have left out clothing in my drawers, and focused solely on items hanging in my closet. The items in drawers are things such as undergarments, cold weather accessories, work out clothes and pajamas. All together I have cataloged 267 articles of clothing that hangs in my closet. To break it down, I have counted 47 sweaters, 4 vests, 8 flannels, 37 long sleeve shirts/blouses, a combination of 106 short sleeve/sleeveless shirts and blouses, 21 dresses, 19 pairs of blue jeans, 13 pairs of black pants and 12 black leggings. These garments originated from a variety of places which I have listed below. I cannot say that I wear every item in my closet often, however I do like to think that I wear the majority of my clothes. With that being said, there are definitely items I wear more often than others. For example, I would say that my most repeatedly worn items are my black pants and neutral colored sweaters. About 80% of my clothing is new that I bought myself. About 15% is new, but given as gifts. About 5% is used from places such as Ebay and yard sales. 

Countries of Origin:

Cambodia

China

Guatemala

India

Indonesia

Italy

Mexico

Pakistan

USA

Vietnam

I cannot say that I was surprised at the amount of clothing that I own. I love to have a variety of clothing to choose from. This may sound silly, but I feel as though I have different styles depending on how I'm feeling or what the occasion is. For example, somedays I love to wear all black and dress more boyish, where as other days I like to dress in flowery dresses as if I'm going to church. I cannot say that I am completely satisfied with my consumption patterns at the moment, but they have certainly improved. About 6 months ago I was reading a magazine and came across an article titled "20 Things I Wish I Knew in My Twenties." Number one on the list was something along the lines of "I wish I paid more for my clothing", which really threw me off at first because...bargain shopping! I began to read and the author was explaining that she would buy tons of clothes at store like Forever 21 and H&M and either wear them once or not at all. She also explained how much more she loved the items in her closet that she invested in. That stuck out the most. I then thought about my wardrobe and the items that I spent the most money/time on, and voila! Those were the items of clothing that gave me the most satisfaction. Since that read, I honestly looked at clothes shopping completely differently. Now, I did not go out and just buy extremely expensive clothing or stop shopping all together, however I did take my time to think about the purchases I was making and if I would actually get use out of them. Since taking this course, I have learned so much more about the fashion industry than I ever could have imagined. This has forced me to dig even deeper into my own shopping/spending patterns. I can proudly say that my shopping habits (or lack there of) have significantly improved in the past few weeks. I have learned to "shop" in my own closet before going out and buying unnecessary items that I most likely already have. Recently, when I was looking for a dress for my birthday, I bought one used instead of new. I am not in the process of strategically going through my closet and trying to only keep what I know I will wear. Although I have made improvements, i still believe there is always room for more (improvements). One main reason why I would like to continue to consume responsibly is the impact that fast fashion is having on the planet. I love the idea that I can reduce my carbon footprint through better shopping habits.