Choosing and Caringfor

Clothes

Influences on Clothing Choices• Physical Needs *Lifestyle• Psychological Needs• Social Needs

*Group Identification *Dress Codes *Status *Conformity versus Individuality• Special Needs

Buying clothes can take a big bite out of your budget.Deciding what to wear can take time out of your day.

Physical Needs

• Clothes protect your body from *weather *environmental dangers *occupational hazards

Lifestyle

Many of your physical needs for clothing are determined by your lifestyle.

The majority of clothing choices are likely to be dictated by your daily activities.

Psychological Needs

Any garment might meet a physical need.Clothes must have certain characteristics to

meet psychological needs.Certain colors, fabrics, and styles of clothing can

affect how you feel.An example: Bright colors might make you feel

happy or excited.Soft fabrics can make you feel relaxed.

Choosing clothes you find appealing gives you a sense of well-being by helping to meet your psychological need for attractiveness.Wearing clothes that enhance your appearance can boost your self-esteem.

Social Needs

The social need for acceptance plays a big role in the clothing choices most people make.

Group Identification

People who identify with a group often use clothing as a sign of belonging.

Members of certain groups wear uniforms as marks of identification.

Uniforms are distinctive outfits that identify those who wear them with a specific group.

Dress Codes

Dress codes are standards of dress that areenforced in a social setting.Formal dress codes are based on the belief thatthe way people dress tends to affect theirbehavior.Informal dress codes exist in society.Societal dress codes reflect people’s beliefsabout modesty.

Modesty is the proper way to cover the body invarious settings.Modesty can vary among different people,cultures, and societies.Some religious and ethnic groups have stricterinformal dress codes than the societies in whichThe people live.

Status

• Status is a person’s rank within a group.• People often use clothes as signs of their

status.• Certain garment, styles, and brands carry a

higher status than others.• Clothing with company logos, identification

symbols can give a person a feeling of prestige or importance.

• People who desire a certain status may feel they must wear clothes that reflect that status.

Dolce e GabbanaFendi

Giorgio Armani

Oscar De La Renta

Halston

Conformity versus Individuality

• What other people wear greatly influences clothing choices.

• For most people, choosing clothes is a balance between conformity and individuality.

• Most people choose some garments similar to those worn by their peer group and some that are unique.

Special Needs

Who might have special clothing needs?*Older adults*People with disabilities*Children learn to dress themselves

Specific Occasions

We need different clothes for different occasions.Some occasions might include;*formal*career (interview)Choosing the right clothes for the occasion caninfluence how others see you and what they thinkof you.

• Clothes can be used to point out your best features.

• Clothes can drew attention away from problem areas

What Affects the Way a Garment Looks?Elements of Design

• Color (hue) blue red green violet

• Line• Texture (soft, stiff, rough, bulky, dull)• Form full, tubular, bell-shaped

Exciting Element in Clothing Selection

Color – The color used in clothing is pigment.Color has three distinct characteristics.1) Color can be defined in terms of hue. Hue is the name given to a color. Hue is what distinguishes one color from another.2) Value –the lightness or darkness of a color *tint *shade3) Intensity – the brightness or dullness of a color

LineLine gives direction to a designThe most common types of lines used in

clothing design are:*vertical*horizontal*curved*diagonal

Structural & Decorative Lines

• Structural lines are seams – created when various pieces of a garment are sewn together.

• Decorative lines are added to fabric or garments to make them visually appealing.

Texture

• The way the fabric looks and feels.• Fabric texture can be:

*rough or smooth*shiny or dull*crisp or soft*bulky or silky

Each texture gives a garment a different overallappearance.

Texture

• Fabrics with dull texture absorb light