Individuality in Clothing Selection and Personal Appearance - Hardcover

Suzanne G. Marshall is an Associate Professor and Area Coordinator of the Fashion Merchandising and Design area of the Family and Consumer Sciences Department at California State University, Long Beach, California. She received the B.S. from the University of Georgia in Clothing and Textiles, the M.S. from Oklahoma State University in Fashion Merchandising, and the M.A. and the Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, in Higher Education/Organizational Change. She has worked in the fashion industry as a manufacturer's educational representative and in retail management, and has taught at Bauder College and Saddleback College. She is one of the authors of Merchandising Mathematics for Retailing and has also published in the areas of women's leadership, organizational culture, assessment, creative teaching, and retail training. She was selected as a faculty intern for the J.C. Penney Company. Dr. Marshall has done research in various apparel manufacturing companies in the Los Angeles area studying the design and manufacturing process, management, leadership, and product development. She is a member of the international Textiles and Apparel Association, the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, the Costume Society of America, Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society, and Pi Lambda Theta Honor Society.

Hazel O. Jackson received the B.S. degree in Home Economics Education from Tennessee State, the M.A. in Social Psychological Aspects of Textiles and Clothing from Michigan State University, and the Ph.D. in Home Economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, and has taught at Morris Brown College, Pepperdine University, Tennessee State University, and The Ohio State University. Currently Dr. Jackson is a Full Professor at California State University, Long Beach. She has published in a variety of areas including aging and apparel consumption; textile legislation, care, and recycling; and advertising and store choice. Her current research includes cultural perspectives of dress and assessment of student learning outcomes. She has served on the ASTM Institute for Standards Research on the Development of Body Measurements, as a peer reviewer for the Family Economics Review, and as a peer review panelist for the USDA's Office of Higher Education Programs. She received the Sphinx and Mortar Board Award for excellence in teaching at The Ohio State University. She is a certified Home Economist. She is a member of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences; the International Federation of Home Economics; the International Textiles and Apparel Association; and Phi Delta Gamma, Graduate, Kappa Omicron Phi, Omicron Nu, and Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Societies.

M. Sue Stanley has the B.A. in Home Economics from California State University, Chico, the M.S. in Clothing and Management from the University of Arizona, and the Ph.D. in Clothing, Textiles, and Merchandising from Oklahoma State University. She has taught at Pima College, Bakersfield College, and California State University, Long Beach. She currently serves as Chair of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at California State University, Long Beach. She has published in the areas of school uniforms, textiles, the role of Home Economists, and children and apparel perception. She has received an Outstanding Service Award at CSULB and the John Skinner Fellowship. She is a member of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences; the American Association for Higher Education; the Costume Society of America; the International Textile and Apparel Association; and Phi Omicron Upsilon, Kappa Omicron Nu, Epsilon Epsilon Epsilon, and Phi Beta Kappa Honor Societies.

Mary F. Kefgen is a Professor Emeritus at California State University, Long Beach. She received the B.S. from Iowa State University in Home Economics and the M.A. from New York University in Home Economics. She also studied at Oregon State University, Traphagen School of Fashion, and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She has done textile research in India and Southeast Asia. She was the recipient of a Ford Foundation Grant to participate in the Oklahoma State University project in Bangladesh. She has taught in Germany and France and was selected to teach in Ethiopa with the Agency for International Development Teacher Corps. Ms. Kefgen is a member of the Costume Council of the Los Angeles County Art Museum, the Textile Group of Los Angeles, and Omicron Nu Honor Society.

Phyllis Touchie-Specht received her B.S. in Home Economics from Oregon State University and her M.A. in Home Economics from California State University, Long Beach. She modeled professionally and had a daily fashion/food/talk show for KIEMTV, Eureka California. Retired from the faculty of Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, California, she has served twice as Academic Senate President and was named Outstanding Faculty Member in 1998. She is Fellow of the International Textiles and Apparel Association and the Costume Society of America. She is a member of Fashion group International, the Costume Council, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Message to Our Readers

When Individuality was first published, it was one of the premier texts to address clothing choice as not merely a "right" or "wrong" choice but rather a way of producing a desired effect with which the wearer would be comfortable psychologically, physically, and socially. This now-classic text has continued to provide general guidelines for individual and family clothing choices through its five previous editions. It has been a major text for four decades by providing a broad base of knowledge at an introductory level for the general education of students—a task ignored by most clothing texts, which typically have either a more narrow, in-depth focus or target the more advanced student. Individuality is unique in that it meets the needs of the student who is interested in taking a single course in fashion as well as the student who aspires to become a fashion professional.

Focus

In this sixth edition, Individuality continues its tradition of providing a concise overview of fashion as it relates to the individual consumer. The primary aim of the authors is to offer students a basic overview of the various influences on individual thought processes regarding clothing preferences, how clothing is uniquely designed for specific target groups, and how clothing purchase choices are made.

Conceptualization and Update

In order to accomplish the challenge of providing students with the latest information in an organized and compelling format, the authors have divided the text into three sections. The basic organization of the text has remained essentially the same with the exception of Part I, in which the chapters were rearranged to begin with a macro view of consumers. Chapter 1, retitled Target Market Influences, is a discussion of the demographic breakdown of U.S. consumer groups and their responsiveness to fashion. It also discusses the impact of Generation Y (tweens and teens) on the fashion industry. Chapter 2 gives a brief overview of the fashion industry, specifically focusing on basic terminology, past and current influential designers, and theories of fashion movement. Chapter 3 covers the influences of an individual's culture on clothing and shows how diaspora has created an international fashion concept. Chapter 4, the sociopsychological influences on fashion, has few changes. Chapter 5 shows the physical influences of fashion with emphasis on the continuation of two conflicting trends: the idealization of the overly thin body and the dominance of processed foods in the U.S. diet.

Part II examines the design elements and principles as applied to clothing. The reader is given definitions of line, shape, color, and texture and then shown how each is applied to fashion items. This explanation of design elements is followed by a discussion of how these elements are organized by emphasis, rhythm, unity, proportion, and balance by designers who create fabrics and fashion.

Part III focuses on clothing selection issues facing consumers. Chapter 11 discusses the fit requirements of individuals in various age groups. This is followed by a discussion of clothing quality and its impact on price in Chapter 12. Chapter 13 updates previous editions' discussion of consumer clothing care including new methods of dry cleaning and care for new fibers. Chapter 14 specifically relates to wardrobe selection, emphasizing industry trends for careerwear such as the beginning of a movement in some companies back to a more traditional look for business apparel. Chapter 15 ends the book with a discussion of the retail environment of traditional bricks and mortar stores compared to the trend toward e-tailing—bricks & clicks.

In general, the content of each chapter has been updated with new data and photographs. Activities have been updated to reflect fashion in the twenty-first century. An emphasis on fashion and the web has been added with a large number of web addresses provided for student usage.

New Features

Several features were added in the fifth edition and updated in the sixth edition to reinforce important concepts to the reader:

• A model introduces each of the three parts and illustrates the topics of that part's five chapters. The model is also featured on the first page of each new chapter to remind the reader of interrelationship of this chapter to the whole part.
• Objectives open each chapter.
• Definitions are boxed to increase visibility.
• Activities that involve students in applying their new knowledge appear throughout the text rather than at the chapter's end.
• A summary of key information ends each chapter.
• Case studies appear in several chapters.
• Charts, figures, and tables consolidate large portions of information.
• Key words and concepts are given for the student to review at the end of each chapter.

The authors hope that we have been able to convey the excitement and fun of the dynamic world of fashion. Whether a student is entertaining the idea of a career in fashion or is interested personally in fashion, we hope that Individuality has introduced the concepts, theories, and pragmatic application of this challenging, ever changing, and never dull field.