Can Fashion Customers be Educated?

[aldn]

i need to have my blazers dry cleaned.

 

[sambatsas]

Yeah I do have my blazers dry cleaned but sometimes they do such an average job that I feel like i have been cheated of my $$. I could complain and vow to never return but who am I kidding? I go to these dry cleaners because they are local and convenient.

It's interesting though because very rarely to retail assistants discuss how to wash and care for the garment which is how I thought I would be educated...

But seriously, do you think that by having a label that says "dry-cleaning only" brands can add another $50 to the price? (not stating this, just throwing it out there)

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I think a lot of them would rather you ruined it and return to buy another And of course now I'm in the position of being older than a lot of SAs and in the position to tell them things they don't know But you're very right, it's something that very rarely comes up.

Something that impressed me was buying a pair of heels (from Bottega) and finding that they came with a pair of spare heel caps. Which I haven't needed ... so many of them wear out immediately and have to be replaced.

I have these Dries shoes ... and he is a guy who you'd think would have good values ... that have silvered wood beads. Apparently it's real silver in the paint or whatever, because they tarnished. Not so bad on the shoes--I can use a silver cloth to polish them. (Not so much while they are on my feet, I learned ...) But the same beads were used on a silk scarf and I think other things as well. That would be a considerably more difficult process ... now maybe some people will be happy with the tarnished beads. But that's very much the kind of thing I would have liked to be warned about ... I wonder did no one even think about it? I would love to be told.

I did have a shoe guy explain the best way to wrap the ribbons ties on a pair of espadrilles--that was helpful.

 

[Lela London]

I think the label thing is for safety. If they don't say it and don't enclose proper washing instructions, any damage could be put down to THEIR misinformation, you know?

 

[rosiecheeks]

^ Good points, designers may not want educated and discerning customers because that may not actually play out in their favor.

It certainly wouldn't, not in the way things are working now. But I think most customers don't even want to be educated. It makes things a lot more complicated. I know not a lot, but a little about fabrics, ways of weaving or things like that, and have become rather picky as a result.
But it's also a case of education that is decreasing in every field of the world today, we don't have to cook for ourselves if we don't want to. Both of my grandmothers knew how to make lace, none of my sisters even know how to hold a needle and thread (not that I'm good at it, but I want to improve).

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ It's an interesting thing, though ... it seems like these interests kind of skip generations sometimes.

You make a good point ... it wasn't that long ago that middle-class people made their own clothes. They certainly gave thought to the colors and fabrics and styles and how they would wear ... it's a helluva investment when the labor is your own--not just the pattern-making and sewing, but all the cleaning and maintenance.

Contrast that with today when not only do we not know how to do it, a lot of name designers don't know how to make a pattern

PS Re lace making, the book Lark Rise to Candleford explains really well how important lace-making was economically prior to machine-made lace. It was truly an important skill that made the difference between scraping by and comfort. The invention of the machines turned it into just a hobby (and created a lot of hardship). I think you'd like it ...

 

[rosiecheeks]

^ It's an interesting thing, though ... it seems like these interests kind of skip generations sometimes.

You make a good point ... it wasn't that long ago that middle-class people made their own clothes. They certainly gave thought to the colors and fabrics and styles and how they would wear ... it's a helluva investment when the labor is your own--not just the pattern-making and sewing, but all the cleaning and maintenance.

Contrast that with today when not only do we not know how to do it, a lot of name designers don't know how to make a pattern

PS Re lace making, the book Lark Rise to Candleford explains really well how important lace-making was economically prior to machine-made lace. It was truly an important skill that made the difference between scraping by and comfort. The invention of the machines turned it into just a hobby (and created a lot of hardship). I think you'd like it ...

Thanks, it's on my amazon wishlist now .

I do feel that there's this tendency to want pure craftsmanship and perhaps even make your own stuff (or part of it). But I don't think it'll be en vogue ever, as it's not a sign of 'welfare'. Whereas I see it as welfare of the mind to be deliberate and put thought in what you wear.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I agree ... why would you not want to be mindful about everything? To me, it's the only way to live ...

 

[aldn]

working at h&m everyone is like i'll just buy another one when it falls apart. even worse is the customer who buys something and expects us to replace it because it feel apart in the wash or something. ummmm. it's made in china. and cost 9.95. how could you expect it to last?