Blog 23: Final Lesson Reflection~

1. I'm really proud of the amount of of time and work that I put into the block presentation as well as the senior project.  As soon as we got the final contract, I started brainstorming and writing down ideas that I could use during my presentation. A lot of time was committed to making my project nice and to gaining enough information from my mentorship 

2.   a. AE
      b. AE

3. In my presentation, my activity gave students the opportunity to use the skills I taught them. My activity started out really vague and when they were finished, I didn't explain the purpose. I went through some more of my research and then that led up to another activity that correlates with the first activity. I liked the way that I explained it because I saw a lot of heads understanding the poin tI was trying to get across.

4.  Through this project, I felt that the notes that I took in teh beginning were very off topic and werent focused. Because I didn't have my answers to guide me, I was looking up stuff that wasn't really going to help me later.

5. This project has opened up many doors for me and has shown how committed I am to some thing I love. Right now, I 'm on the road to gaining a paid intenship at Kellwood in Jolt tops. I really want to stay in this industry because of the variety of things you may end up doing. 

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Blog 22: Mentorship

Literal

• Senior Project Hours
• Kimi Grady or Shantell Rodriguez at Kellwood Company, Western Region

Interpretive

The most important thing I gained is that i know I want to go in this field. I really like the group dynamics employees would have with each other and I loved the fast paced environment that started and ended every month. 

Applied 

My experience has mostly helped me come up with my first answer design and my third answer execution. It showed me what really goes on behind-the-scenes and gave me the chance to go beyond learning from a textbook. I got real answers and whenever I had questions I can always ask.

Blog 21: Exit Interview

Content: 

1. What is the most important process of fashion merchandising to make the product most appealing to the consumer?

• Design
• Store environment 
• Execution

My best answer is design because the appearance of the garment is what the consumer is going to be looking at. It's the first and most important process done and affect everything that follows it. It is the product and it needs to be in and trending. The design of a product is the first thing a consumer will see and that moment is where they will decide if it’s appealing or not.    

2. When I first formatted my question, I knew I wanted an answer to be something about the appearance. My experience from working at a design company, showed me how important everything was and how everything needed to be thought out and put on for a reason. After researching design principles and taking an Apparel Analysis class, I felt that good design was the most important and most effective in pleasing a consumer.

3. Problems:
         During the summer, I started working with my mentor. She was really nice and advised me through everything I was doing. When school started, she resigned and the sportswear director took over. At that point I didn't know if I could still be an intern there and what was going to happen in the department. In October, MyMichelle hired a new head designer and I got to stay. She has helped me a lot with my project and when I was having trouble finding a third answer, she helped me find one.

4. Significant Sources:
          Two sources that really helped me with my essential question are my experiences from Kellwood Company and a college textbook from a college class I took, Understanding Aesthetics for the Merchandising and Design Professional. My mentorship has given me hands-on experience that I couldn't get from an article. Whenever I had any questions, I could always ask and get the professional industry answer. My textbook goes though the process a garment goes through, and along the way it shows you how it leads to a successful garment.

Spring is springing

Spring is around the corner and that means fashion is changing. Color schemes from winter are taking a lighter turn and shape and forms are taking less structure. The current style has been inspired by music festivals and indie trend. But while this style is being sent to stores now, designers are starting to design for Spring '16. Modern structure is coming back and soon available to the consumers. At my mentorship, we're starting to bring out our spring inspiration, color standards, and fabric swatches.

This is some inspiration based on indie music festival that you would've found
in a designer's studio last year when they were making this season' s clothes.

Spring mood boards and fabric

Spring Fabric Swatches

Spring '16 color standards

The fancy color worksheet I made to put all the color swatches in.

Taylor Swift is the perfect inspiration for spirng's posh and modern look.

Independent Component 2

Literal

1. I, Malorie Wolfe, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 31 hours and 30 minutes hours of work.
2. A source that helped me out a lot was my mentorship at Kellwood company in the MyMichelle. Watching them put together a line everything month has shown me more than any book or article could. All the people in our department have taught me what really goes in the industry and by using the knowledge they gave me, I was able to make a line of my own.
3. Senior Project Hours
4. For this component, I designed my own line, finding inspiration, sketching garments, and picking out the small details that make a big impact on the physical appearance of the garment.

Interpretive

• Designing a line of my own is a lot of work. I went through the process of designing, following every step and making sure what I produced was attractive, and it took time.Everytime I had to make a decision, I had to think if it would catch my eye as a consumer and I would base my decision off of that.  Here is the product of my findings and work:

8872 - A loose thermal henley (hunter green and plum)

7832 - HIgh waisted denim (hunter green, black, and light blue)

9475 - Layer tunic (black and ivory)

9424 - Swing tunic (hunter green, maroon, floral, and black)

7852 - Low-rise boyfriend jeans (light wash and black)

9488 - Tent dress (black and blush pink)

7829 - Paneled pants (black and navy)

9771 - Small knitted sweater (heathered grey, maroon, and black)

9498 - Loose babydoll dress (blush pink, maroon, and small floral)

Applied

• Designing a line for component 2 helped me put to work all that I have learned from mentorship and from articles I found. Just like professionals in the industry, I had to work with trends and deadlines, while still giving appealing, quality work to would attract the customer. When a design is done well, the consumer will be attracted and want to buy it. By goign through the design process of researching and sketching, I was able to personally go through my answer 1 and solidify my answer. 

Do Your Thing . . . On The Runway

This month I had the opportunity to go to two fashion shows. #blessed 🙏

I was invited to the FIDM Debut 2015 show at the Santa Monica Airport hanger. This is a showcase for FIDM students to put hteir look on the runway. Before each students line caem out, teh designer woud talk about tehir inspiration and how they got started. I used the analytic skills I learned in my old Cal Poly classes and I saw where the designs came from andwhat  the designer was feeling.

I was also invited to show an outfit from Nodstrom at a BP. Fashion Board fashion show. I had to put together an outfit from the BP. department and describe it. I paired a thin olive sweater over a chiffon tunic with a big rock pendant over skinny jeans with a black leather bucket. At the end of the show we voted on the best look and mine won! The prize was a $50 gift card to Nordstrom. What made that day even better was having my friends there with me for support. 

Blog 18: Fourth Interview Questions

1. What do you think goes into designing?
2. How do you see colors changing? 
3. Why do you think not all designers make it big?
4. Where do you start when making clothes?
5. How does fabrication play into fashion?
6. How you determine the cost of garments?
7. How does demographics play into clothes that are in a store?
8. How do you find out the trends for the seasons? 
9. How much merchandise usually comes in?
10. How often?
11. What differences do you see in name brands and off brands?
12. What goes into a visual setup?
13. What do you feel grabs a customer into a department?
14. What are some things that shoppers look at when they're buying clothes?
15. Because this is a higher end store, how important is advertising?
16. What do you do with damaged clothing?
17. Where do displays originate?
18. If you get a plan for the the setup, can you change it to fit your store?
19. What are some examples of good environmental setup?
20. How does visual merchandising apply to nordstrom? 
21. What is the most important part of fashion merchandising that makes the product most appealing to the consumer?

Blog 17: Third Answer

1.  What is the most important process in fashion merchandising to make the product most appealing to the consumer?

2.  I believe that execution of the garment will determine how it will look and fit on the consumer and it will affect the customers decision to buy it or not.

3.  Support:

• If a garment doesn't look right on the customer, they won't buy it. They're not going to buy something that doesn't make them look good. This is where knowing  body types and shape helps.
•  Let's say a garment was sewn crooked or the length was too short or long, it would turn off the customer to the garment.
• If a garment's fabrication and coloration doesn't come out right, it could ruin the whole look of the garment and the line.

4.  Fiore, Ann Marie. Understanding Aesthetics for the Merchandising and Design Professional. New York: Fairchild, 2010. Print.  

5. My mentor said that if a garment is not executed properly, from the pattern to the factories, if the fit is wrong, that consumer isn't going to buy it.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like ..... February

Holiday 2015 

We finally finished our holiday line for December 2015. A lot of effort was put into this line and has taken over 2 months to complete. Because we spent so much time on this line, I got to take a deeper look at everything that goes into the line. Every little detail has a reason behind it and those small things are what's going to attract a customer. But those small things coean add up and it can affect the cost of the garment. MyMichelle has a good price range, but my mentor said she feels limited in her designs sometimes. She migh want to use a better fabrication or a nicer zipper but she has to keep to her price range.

We also talked about this at my Norstrom BP. internship. Nordstrom's BP. department's price range is from $18.99 to $59.99 and that shows us the upscale brand that Nordstrom represents and how good their products are. 

Blog 16: Answer 2

1.  What is the most important process in fashion merchandising to make the product most appealing to the customer?

2.   The Development Process is the opportunity where you can decide how your product is going to look and the consumer will decide if they like it based on the design, which includes color, shape, and style.

3.   Your visual placement can give your customer a feel for your brand, guide your customer, and present your product in an appealing way.

4.  

1. The displays in a store can attract a customer into a department to look at clothing.
2. A junior department could carpet their floors and have cool fixtures to make a teenage girl feel like she's in her room and not at the mall.
3. When pieces are hung together, it helps the shopper see a garment as an outfit, and they would be more likely to buy it.

5.   Underhill, Paco. Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping: Updated and Revised for the Internet, the Global Consumer and beyond. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.

6.   Green, Penelope. MIRROR, MIRROR; The Anthropologist Of Dressing Rooms. The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 02 May 1999. Web. 18 Sept. 2014.

7. I feel that this is a very important step that an average person takes a part of. This is what grabs the consumers attention and make the product visually pleasing. 

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

1. I want to make a line of my own clothes and try to get as close as possible to actually following the  industry standards. I'm going to sketch my design and try to make them in Adobe Illustrator. Once that is done, my mentorship has already agreed to help me pattern, mark, grade, cut, and sew some of my designs. once my samples are done, I can make the tech pack for production and set up a layout for how I would want my line to look like in a store.
2. I would take pictures of reach step I go through. Some might be of my sketches, the pattern, and possbily the final product.
3. At my mentorship I have been assisting wit this process and with this component I can actually be in charge of the outcome and feel the responsibility of my mentor.
4. Senior Project Hours

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

• Literal
• I, Malorie Wolfe, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 77 hours of work.
• Fiore, Ann Marie. Understanding Aesthetics for the Merchandising and Design Professional. New York: Fairchild, 2010. Print.
• Senior Project Hours
• I took two college classes at Cal Poly Pomona (AMM 112L Digital Illustration for Fashion and AMM 210 Apparel Design Analysis). In AMM 112, I learned how to sketch using the new standard in the industry. For my final project, I had to create my own line, complete with a theme and everything. In AMM 210, I learned the fundamental elements used in design and how fashion is seen and worn by consumers.
• Interpretive
• These classes helped me better understand what I was doing at mentorship and how important it is. I learned the industry drawing standard in my Adobe Illustrator class and how to analyze fashion with basic fundamentals of design. Because of the experience, I was able to do more advanced work at my mentorship and learn more from it. My AMM 210 class was on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00 pm and my AMM 122L class was on Tuesdays and Thursday from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. 

My textbook for AMM 210.01 Apparel Design Analysis

My denim jeans for my final portfolio that I worked for hours on.

We drew our garments on croquis to show the dimensions of our clothes.

This is a color-blocked, princess seamed sheath
 dress with a custom patterned fabric made by me.

This is the sheath dress on the croqui to give
it depth and appeal.

• Applied
• Because the classes I took were prerequisites for other classes, they went over the basics and fundamentals of fashion. We went over industry vocab (CADS, techpacks, etc.) and I learned a lot about color and line and how it s affects a consumers perspective . Both classes talked a lot about design and how the detail in the physical aspects of a garment are what sets each apart and makes it unique. 

Good Girl Faith and A Tight Little Skirt

Can you believe that were already working on our holiday line? There's so much to prepare and it all has to be done by the end of March. There's four themes and they each have about 15 dresses each. I've been helping with the fabric choices for each dress and I must say, I wish I was a little girl because the dresses are super cute. As well as working with the beginning of the process, I've been working with the end, in retail. I'm also interning at Nordstrom in the juniors department and I've been learning a lot about visuals and how they affect the store. A front set-up will attract the customer and is led by a hero piece and because a retailer doesn't want their customer to just buy one thing, they put other layering pieces out to complete an outfit. #HeadToToe

The most current Nordstrom set up highlighting their hero piece, distressed denim, and adding layering pieces next to it so a customer can complete an outfit.

This is a  sketch I made of the top of a cross rack of clothes that shows how each garment is placed in a certian spot for a reason. My mentor showed me this and this affected what color and fabric she's going to make her line.

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. I'm most proud of all of the information I included and the way I flowed all of the info I had.

2. I would give myself an P+ because I made time, I cited my research, and felt that I met all of the requirements on the rubric. I think that I did more and it ended up being a really good presentation. 

3.  I felt that all the preparation I had worked for me. Because of all the research I did and the experience from mentorship, I knew what I was talking about and I felt confident about what I knew.

4. In the beginning, I thought I was doing fine and then I started getting ahead of myself and forgot to mention some key points that I had practiced saying.

5. I think my second answer is going to be store ambiance and set up.

Blog 12: Mentorship 10 Hours Check

1. MyMichelle Girls Division at Kellwood in the City of Industry.
2. Kimmie Grady will be calling in.
3. Total hours: 78 hours 25 minutes
4. I've been assisting with the production process of design doing the pattern tickets, cutting swatches, making techpacks, and pickign up things from different departments.

Blog 11: Holiday Project Update

1. Over break, I wasn't able to go to mentorship due to the holidays. But, I was working on sketches for the Nordstrom B.P program I'm in. These sketches will be submitted to a corperate office and have the chance to be produced in Nordstrom stores.
   
2. The most important thing I learned is how to put together my own line and understand cohesion. This gave me the opportunity to use the skills I learned in my independent component college classes, AMM 210.01 Apparel Design Analysis and AMM 112.01 Fashion Illustration and from seeing my mentors do it every month.
3. Since my question is about fashion merchandising, I want to ask my mentors at MyMichelle and our supervisor as Nordstrom B.P.