What will women be wearing this fall? Style-savvy experts say that clean and conservative looks are back in vogue.What will women be wearing this fall? The style-savvy experts at Chadwick’s, the nation’s first and largest value fashion catalog, say that clean and conservative looks are back in vogue. Skin-baring outfits are out and layering is in. Volume and textured fabric are fashion’s buzzwords, and rich colors like black, red, purple and gray ruled the runways. Chadwick’s offers the following tips on how to be fashionable this fall:

Sleek Silhouettes

The “new suit” features fitted jackets paired with slim pants and skirts, for a polished, tailored look. Consider a mandarin collar or washed wool plaid blazer with a favorite pair of pants for sophisticated style. Or menswear-styled suit jackets, softened with feminine details and gentle draping, create a look that works in a boardroom or a bistro.

Give your pants some pizzazz by wearing cropped or wide-legged styles. Several top designers explored this trend with contrasting looks-pairing loose with tight and long with short. Anyone can wear this look by balancing the silhouette with heels or an appropriate top.

Touchable Textures

Luxurious velvet made a comeback this season. Chadwick’s designs feature crushed and jewelry-close velvet blazers that create a modern look.

From chunky cable to fine gauge, there’s a knit for all occasions. For a cozy option on chilly fall nights, choose a sweater-knit. For a feminine spin, try a twin set lined with ruffles or a beaded cardigan.

Au Courant Accents

For tasteful fall layering, it’s all in the details. Pieces trimmed in lace or ruffles create a romantic touch under shirts and jackets.

Wound along the hem of a skirt or down a pant leg, embroidery adds a splash of style. Paisley and floral designs are classic twists on this modern trend.

One signature snapshot is a jacket cinched at the waist with a belt. Pair it with a boot of any height for an up-to-the-minute look.

McClellan Pierce

Fashion School

An old and reclusive art, glove making has been intertwined with human culture since the days of the caveman. The first gloves resembled crude mittens. As the years passed, glove making became more of a refined art. Articulated fingers were stitched in to provide more dexterity and ease of movement. While glove makers’ guilds once dominated in a society obsessed with a covered hand, today very few remain. Fewer still are the patterns available for hand-made gloves. Machine sewn and hand-finished gloves are mostly what you’ll find in the market.

Gloves are seen in ancient writings, such as Homer’s The Odyssey, in which Laertes is said to wear gloves in his garden so as to avoid the brambles. There is some debate over the translation of this text. In The History of Herodotus, written in 440 BC, Herodotus describes how Leotychides was given a bribe in the form of a gauntlet overflowing with silver, which later incriminated him.

As years passed, the complexity and versatility of gloves grew. Plated gauntlets are dated back as far as the early 14th century. Before that, mail gloves were worn. Some knights were cited as wearing mail gloves under their plated gauntlets for added strength.

Now, if we look to the fashion world, we see a marvelous array of styles. Cloth and leather gauntlets displayed intricate embroideries. Ladies in the 19th century adored opera gloves. One peculiarity is that they tried to fit their hands into gloves a size too small! This forced one’s hand to rest in a half cupped position – perfect for greeting, but not for kissing. If you have ever attempted to don a glove you are too big for, you realize what a task these women undertook! Buttonhook and powdered alum provided some lubrication, but still, before an opera, determined women would sit for hours, coaxing their hands down into tight gloves.

Few tomes remain that give us real insight of early gloves. One of the more revered in existence today is Le Gant. The book, while entirely in French, reveals many patterns and divulges a brief development and history of the glove. Also included are passages telling us of the period’s social relevance and sexual significance pertaining to the glove.

Insulation from the heat or cold. Protection from scratches and cuts. The instigation of duels. Bold or minute fashion statements. Gloves have worn many hats, so to speak, throughout history. They continue to be a wholly integral part of many jobs today. Conversely, there has been a sharp decline in the use of gloves as fashion accessories over the past several decades. Fewer and fewer girls attend their proms with gloves. Fashion is a fickle thing, and only time will tell the future of the glove.

Glove enthusiast, Taylor Hartley, conducts and posts research regarding all types of gloves. For more information regarding industrial and personal use gloves, visit http://www.unitedglove.com.

glove manufacturers, work gloves, glove history, hand protection

Spring is just around the corner, which means it’s the season for children’s formal wear. Weddings call for flower girl dresses and boy’s tuxedos, as well as for First Communion dresses and boy’s suits. What’s in this season? Read on to find out!

Flower Girl Dresses

When it comes to flower girl dresses, you have several options that will bring smiles to the faces of your attendees, and make your flower girls feel like little princesses. A sleeveless satin bodice with a satin skirt and organza overlay is a simple but stunning combination. Scattered colored stones with a matching band at the waistband coordinates well with the attire of others in the bridal party. Depending on the age of the flower girl, choose either tea length or floor length.

For a feminine yet upscale look, choose a flower girl dress that is tiered in the back. A full peau satin skirt with one tier in front and three tiers in back, accented with a large bow with tails and fabric roses, will make the day special for both the flower girl and the bride.

If you’re budget conscious, don’t overlook some of the discount flower girl dresses that are available online. Just as beautiful as the pricier flower girl dresses, you can find satin and organza dresses, as well as tiered dresses, for between $35 and $80.

Communion Dresses

Every little girl will remember her First Communion for the rest of her life, so Communion dresses are an important part of the ritual. An organza scalloped princess style gown with coordinating veil will make her feel special, as will the simple lines of a satin Communion dress with lace and a removable bolero jacket.

Boy’s Suits

This season, there are many choices for boy’s suits. Whether it’s his First Communion or whether he’s attending in a family wedding, he’ll be thrilled to wear a traditional five-piece suit. Double-breasted jackets are back in style, and come in white for the perfect First Communion outfit. For a more formal occasion, a boy’s tuxedo – with or without tails – is always appropriate.

Christening Dresses

When it comes to girls’ christening dresses there are many choices. An all-white batiste dress with smocking on a bodice dotted with white pearls, along with matching bloomers, is adorable. For more traditional christening dresses you can choose a length of up to 32 inches with intricate embroidery and a matching bonnet. Keep in mind that a christening dress is something that can be handed down for generations, so choosing a timeless style may be in order.

Christening Outfits for Boys

For boys, christening outfits are usually five-piece sets that consist of a shirt, pants, bowtie, vest, and hat. The typical pant length is either shorts or knickers. Some sets feature brocade, while others have satin trim.

How to Buy

With the Internet, a wide variety of children’s formal wear is available at the click of a mouse. Plus, you’re more likely to find discount flower girl dresses and bargains in children’s formal wear at an online store. When ordering online, look for a company that not only offers flower girl dresses, boy’s tuxedos, Communion dresses, and christening dresses, but that also asks you for the date of the event. Before ordering, check out the sizing charts, and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Then, on the big day, make sure that your little ones enjoy themselves, and feel as special as they look!

McClellan Pierce

Fashion School

Through the years, more and more people have shown a great deal of interest in venturing into the fashion industry. Its popularity may be attributed in part to success stories of famous fashion designers the world over, like Tommy Hilfiger’s.

It was told that Hilfiger drove to New York, bought trendy clothes, and sold them to his townspeople for a huge amount of profit. This story is very inspiring, knowing that Hilfiger is now one of the most expensive and sought after brands out there. However, not everyone who is interested in the fashion world was born with a sharp business knowledge and outstanding fashion sense like Hilfiger’s.

Here is where education makes the difference.

With this rising interest of people in the fashion industry comes a rise in the competition, but then, so as with opportunities. It is getting easier to enter a fashion school and obtain a degree – may it be in fashion design, fashion merchandising, or fashion marketing.

These industries may focus on various aspects of the fashion industry, but they do overlap in numerous ways, including the need for knowledgeable instructors in the chosen industry. The competition may be stiff, but if you will be educated and trained in the proper way, you are sure to get an edge in the competitive fashion world.

First of all, you must determine which field you want to specialize in. As enumerated, the three – fashion design, fashion marketing, and fashion merchandising – are the top choices as far as the best opportunities in a fashion career is concerned.

Here are some of the basic information about each:

Fashion Design. If you are a fashion designer, you are considered as the artist of the fashion industry. You are expected to be a highly creative individual who has the eye for an array of colors, lines and textures and has a good sense of style.

As easy as it may seem, a fashion designer’s job does not start and end in bringing visions into paper and doing sketches of masterpieces. Based on the final sketch, a designer must still sort through different textures and materials, and then predict how it will fit a fashion model or consumer’s body. Once the material has been chosen, the pattern must be cut from the textile, and finally, sewn together. After numerous considerations, it is only then that the “vision” or final product will be seen.

Fashion Marketing. This is an aspect of fashion that basically operates behind-the-scenes. If you will become a fashion marketer, you will have to keep yourself side by side with the ever changing consumer purchasing habits and fashion trends; come up with advertising campaigns that will attract the attention and appeal to the tastes of specific types of consumers; and mind the various innovations that are introduced to the field every so often.

The visionary that is in every fashion marketer should foresee what would be successful and interesting to specific groups, as well as making sure that the apparel would be bought. Fashion marketers should be able to link fashion designers and the consumers.

Fashion Merchandising. Fashion merchandisers and marketers go hand-in-hand. Just like marketers, merchandisers must be able to foresee what is going to be the next new trend and style and determine the specific needs of a target consumer group. However, if the marketer is responsible for the advertising stints, a merchandiser actually buys the apparel and presents them to the various boutiques.

If you are going to be a merchandiser, you will aid the consumers in the selection of the right clothes – may it be through proper lighting, presentation, or simply giving valuable suggestions.

There you have it! Do you want to get high with a new career? Find yourself a school and choose the course that is best for you! Submit yourself to the lures of school and the fashion industry.

McClellan Pierce

Fashion School

Attending to fashion merchandising schools is not only about learning the basics. It must also deal on the process of recreating fashion to move your own way. Well, that might give an initial shock on you but you see, an artist like you would not break grounds if you would only follow the works of those who have preceded you. The fashion industry hungers for innovative ideas that would keep the trends flowing. You might be having it with you but lacking the school to merchandise and sell your ideas and concepts, your efforts might be done in vain.

Fashion designing is more than creating new stuffs and sewing these stuffs together to cater specific fashion senses.

Fashion merchandising schools specialize in sending consumers the idea that your own line of fashion is good, it will help you drive the people’s interest towards your works. The assistance that may be had from such schools will also help you pick up new trends while creating a name for yourself.

There are various factors that you should be looking into when searching for a fashion merchandising school. Central to these is the optimization of your merchandising skills and capacities to practically push you into the trade.

Services must also be considered when looking for a fashion merchandising school. These cover a number of things including scholarships, facilities, the provisions teachers may give and the assistance that could be given to both the students and the graduates.

a. Scholarships- These services are probably one of the great helps when your exact problem is your budget for the school. Most of fashion designer schools provide scholarships of some sort. These would help spare you from a number of expenses.

b. Facilities- The equipments and the resources of a school must be well studied before you decide to enroll yourself. While it is true that you can use your own equipments, provisions from a school would perfectly help you in sharpening your skills.

c. Teachers- Who can deliver education and learning more but the teachers? See to it that the school you are about to enroll in has credible staffs that are recognized in the fashion industry. In this case, you will have the confidence to let them influence you to some degree.

You must also check into the number of students per teacher. The basic truth in classroom education is that the bigger the population of the class, the lesser focus a teacher can provide. Be wary though with too small classes as these might imply the struggle of the school towards delivering trustworthy instruction. Besides, if the class is too large, it is more likely that hands-on and face to face teaching methods would suffer basically because one cannot attend efficiently to a large number of people at the same time.

d. Job Placements- The assistance of a fashion designer school doesn’t stop on classroom education alone. Graduates must be given enough assistance as to provide them with enough guidance after the training. The school of your preference should have programs for landing you a job after you finished your course with them. This might not be your greatest consideration for now. But in the end, you would not want to find yourself between waiting for a company to call you back or toiling for a job vacancy.
Wait til waiting realizes its vanities.

McClellan Pierce

Fashion School