I tried to avoid a course where I would have to study fashion, unfortunately for me, I am about to start 'Fashion Promotion' as my next module on my visual merchandising course...good one Shelley!
The main problem I have with fashion is that I am not fashionable.
The second is I can't keep up with it at all! I find it tedious reading about fashion, very intimidating watching catwalk shows, and depressing when I realise I'll never be able to afford what's 'IN'.
I've spent the last week trying to get through a mammoth Elle magazine and found myself frantically searching for an article to read...page 83 was the first article available, 83!! I cannot believe the amount of advertising pages needed to fill a magazine, and they are ALL fashion. Or perfume.
And then there are the trends...I can just about keep up with the next season's trends, ice cream coloured skinny jeans, ok got it. THEN there are another 20 pages or so of other trends, how the hell do girls keep up with it?? Seriously, I'd love to know, please!
Is this worrying that I am so not in touch with fashion at my age? I cannot see me passing this module with any thing better than a pass. Don't get me wrong, I love clothes and I love shopping, I also love the powers of the pyschology of shopping (hence the visual merchandising), but I would rather eat my arm than trawl through another fashion magazine...I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for! HELP
Nice post. Magazines are working on ever tighter budgets and offer adverts at ever-reduced rates. I guess they have to have more pages to get the same amount of advertising revenue as they would have a few years ago. That said, women's fashion magazines in particular are ridiculous vehicles for commercial messages.
ReplyDeleteAs far as merchandising goes, I find it fascinating when I walk in to a shop; the psychology that has gone in to the layout, colours, smell... everything designed to make me 'know' what the brand is and who I will be if I wear their clothes. I don't think your answer is in the magazine itself - it's in how the merchandisers use their space to reinforce the messages given in the magazine adverts.
Hi Andy,
DeleteThank you for your comments, this is really useful and I'm glad someone else has similar views. It has been a while since I've picked up such magazines so it came as a bit of a shock the extent of advertisements, but I do understand perhaps the reasons behind this.
I particularly like your comments on the merchandisers reinforcing the magazine's advertisements.
Hi Shelley, Have you tried Company magazine? It has a lot more text and fewer designer photo shoots. I know what you mean about the price of the clothes being depressingly expensive (Glamour mag is pretty bad for this) and it does make me a bit angry sometimes but Company also do a high street edit every few months which is pretty cool. I sound like I work for them but I don't just want you to find something that works for you otherwise you won't get the most out of this module!
ReplyDeleteNice one for starting this blog I shall be reading it with interest :-)
Hiya,
ReplyDeleteThank you that's a good comment, I will give Company a go. :)
I do like the way Elle and Vogue design their magazines etc, but I need something more from a magazine than just pages of advertisements. A high street edit section could be really useful too.
Thanks alot, I will keep you posted once I start on Wednesday! eeek