You're So In! Careers in Fashion

You're constantly sketching clothes. You always notice how color affects the mood of a room. You can't stand the perpetually frumpy, and you've predicted about a dozen trends before anyone else has.

PLEASE help this woman.....

Why not help the fashion-impaired and share your sense of style?

Degrees that have to do with fashion include:

Fashion Merchandising (how to sell fashions to the public)
Apparel Design
Marketing (Advertising)
Business Administration
Textile Science and Engineering
Fashion Design

Huh??

There is a wide variety of different ways to work in the clothing and fashion industry:

Visual Merchandising (displaying the clothing so as to tempt people into buying)
Pattern Making
Sales
Buyer (you decide which clothes the store will buy for selling to the public)
Computer Aided Design
Management
Entrepreneurship (having your own line of clothing and/or shop)

As well as
Fashion Writing
Graphic Design
Illustrating fashion for magazines or pattern makers for home sewing, such as Vogue, McCalls, Kwik-Sew, etc.
Accessories-gloves, scarves, small leather goods
Clothes Historian
Children's Fashions
Sportswear

Pretty sure these are going to be "in" again soon. Although I wasn't aware that you wore a suit with a skirt for archery.

 

 

Princess Diana's Wedding Dress

 

Evening Gowns, Wedding Dresses, Swimsuits  

                                                 

   Men's Fashions

Shoes
Purses/Handbags
Personal Stylists
Fashion Photography
Fashion Forecast
Hats

And can also expand to include working with the entertainment industry:

Set Design
Costumes
Technical Advisor (making sure the costumes are appropriate to the time the film occurs)

                                                      costumes for the film "Les Miserables"

You might be fascinated by the history of fashion and become an expert on fashions of different eras. What influences fashion? For instance, in the 1890s, womens' dresses were full and floor length, with long sleeves, no matter what the temperature was outside; most clothing was in a dark color because bright colored dyes weren't developed until later on. This was considered proper 'ladylike' attire. In the 1920s, short dresses and short hair were chic. In the 1940s, there were shortages of everything; women's dresses were not as full as before, so as to use less fabric, and nylon or silk stockings were in short supply (silk and nylon were being used to make parachutes). A fashion historian is crucial in what is called 'period' entertainment (stage shows, opera, ballet, musicals, etc. taking place in a particular period).

Wait, her neck and waist are the same measurement???

Because jobs are not that easy to find in the fashion industry, you may be ahead of the game to 'specialize,' that is, find what is it that you like the best; if you can become expert in one area, you can become a sought-after designer or advisor.

There is a need for specialized clothing for people with disabilities or physical limitations. Could you design a fashionable garment that allows for someone who has difficulty dressing herself or himself? How about something that would fit over a leg brace or a cast on an arm?

Be sure to learn how to sew--this gives you an understanding of how clothing is made, as well as the qualities of different fabrics. Take advantage of sewing classes if they are offered in middle or high school, or find a sewing machine and ask someone you know to teach you how, and you can make clothes for yourself or others---great experience for anyone interested in fashion. Sewing lessons can also be found at fabric stores or through Community Education. You'll start with something simple and work your way up to clothing and other items.

You'll also need to be expert in communicating, able to work with deadlines, and excited by constant change in your field.

 

 

Another discussion: Who actually looks like this? Could you design for an average size person instead of a toothpick?

 

 

Check out these designers to get an idea of how to make fashion your career:

Designers:

http://www.chocolatecity.cc/2010/02/03/an-interview-with-fashion-designer-terri-stevens/

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/How-Ralph-Lauren-Began-His-Fashion-Career-Video

Costume Design:
http://style.mtv.com/2013/02/20/colleen-atwood-costume-designer-interview/

http://clothesonfilm.com/young-victoria-costume-designer-interview/7769/

These schools offer degrees in fashion:
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities:

http://apparel.design.umn.edu/

and check this out, about having a minor in apparel: http://www.design.umn.edu/prospective_students/programs/fashionstudiesminor.html

Stout University in Wisconsin also offers Fashion degrees:

http://www.uwstout.edu/programs/bsadd/index.cfm

What can you fashion into a career?