Elements of Design: TEXTURE

There are several elements of design that go into making wearable art we know as fashion. Some of the main elements include texture, color, shape and line. One of the best ways to make an apparel item stand out is through its texture. Texture refers to the properties held and sensations caused by the external surface of objects received through the sense of touch. Adding fur, flowers, wrinkles, ruffles, feathers, glitter, studs and beads to clothing creates texture. The type of fabric and the way it is draped also determines a fabrics texture. Here are a few examples of how texture in fashion emulates everyday items we are surrounded by.

1. Lanvin dress & lettuce

photo courtesy: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009RTW-LANVIN?event=show1862&designer=design_house54&trend=&iphoto=48

photo courtesy: http://www.harvestwizard.com/lettuce4.jpg

Lanvin's creation for his Spring 2009 collection looks identical to a head of lettuce. The drape of the fabric creates poufy twists emergering from various directions similar to that of my least favorite food.

2. Christian Lacroix dress & cupcakes

photo couresty: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009CTR-CLACROIX?event=show1902&designer=design_house29&trend=&iphoto=20

photo courtesy: http://img.timeinc.net/recipes/i/recipes/sl/04/07/cupcakes-sl-653448-l.jpg

YUM! Christian Lacroix's latest designs screams edible, vibrant, fun detail. Christian Lacroix's texture of the garment looks identical to that of a cupcake with jelly beans sprinkled on top.

3. Elie Saab dress & Shar-Pei puppy

photo courtesy: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009CTR-ESAAB?event=show1902&designer=design_house183&trend=&iphoto=46

photo courtesy: http://www.shar-pei-orlando.com/images/liza-6.jpg

Wrinkles, wrinkles, and more wrinkles can describe this Elie Saab creation. This season ruffled, wrinkled, exaggerated items are hitting the runways. What else is abundant in wrinkles? None other than a cute Sher-Pei puppy :)

4. Valentino dress & origami rose

photo courtesy: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009CTR-VALENTIN?event=show1902&designer=design_house67&trend=&iphoto=24

photo courtesy: http://blogs.gnome.org/xan/files/2007/04/origami.png

This Valentino dress appears as though it is made out of paper, similar to that of origami. The dress looks stiff and conducive to any number of paper cuts. The flowers lining the bottom of the dress appear to be specially crafted origami roses.

5. Louis Vuitton dress & teddy bear

photo courtesy: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009RTW-LVUITTON?event=show1862&designer=design_house59&trend=&iphoto=22

photo courtesy: http://img.alibaba.com/photo/12202625/Teddy_bear_with_jumper.jpg

Who does not love furry things? Perhaps Louis Vuitton played on his inner 5 year old when creating his Spring 2009 line. The texture of this jaw dropping dress is that of fur, fur that is identical to a teddy bear's.

6. Versace dress & glitter

photo courtesy: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009RTW-VERSACE?event=show1862&designer=design_house69&trend=&iphoto=24

photo courtesy: http://www.luremaking.com/catalogue/images/metal_glitter-photo.jpg

One of the most popular textures on apparel we have seen this spring is glitter. This Versace model looks as if she walked straight out of a glitter shower.

7. Badgley Mischka dress & blackbirds

photo courtesy: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009RTW-BMISCHKA?event=show1862&designer=design_house256&trend=&iphoto=18

photo courtesy: http://s3.amazonaws.com/camiles_WebImages/2007_ADTCAM/0710+Flocking+Blackbirds.JPG

Feathers are also a big hit for spring! Here Badgley Mischka utilizes as many feathers as possible to make this dress truly stunning. The feathers look as though they are straight from blackbirds.

8. Elie Saab dress & flower

photo courtesy: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009RTW-ESAAB?event=show1862&designer=design_house183&trend=&iphoto=41

photo courtesy: http://www.fabiovisentin.com/photography/photo/9/flower-wallpaper.jpg

Elie Saab uses fluffy flowers to emphasize texture in his Spring 2009 dress pictured above. His flowers appear to be incredibly realistic, much like the purple flower above.

9. Valentino dress & beach

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009CTR-VALENTIN?event=show1902&designer=design_house67&trend=&iphoto=29

photo courtesy: http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Peter-Hendrie/Tropical-Beach-Cook-Islands-Photographic-Print-C12895325.jpeg

Valentino is known for creating smooth, sleek, and beautiful dresses. His Spring 2009 couture dress above emulates the water you would find off the coast of a peaceful beach.

10. Betsey Johnson dress & wedding cake

photo courtesy: http://www.style.com/fashionshows/complete/slideshow/S2009RTW-BJOHNSON?even=show1862&designer=design_house14&trend=&iphoto=46

photo courtesy: http://www.wedding-flowers-and-reception-ideas.com/images/fountain-wedding-cakes05.jpg

Betsey Johnson is known to be a risk taker. Here her dress has been graced with ruffles emulating layers of a wedding cake.

Location, location, location

http://changeonesmind.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/kroger.jpg

Location is the most important part of considering the placement of a business. While home on Spring Break (in Atlanta), I started to take note of all of the different businesses along my travels. One of the most vital ones to my family and I is Kroger, which is approximately five minutes away from my house.

I live in the town of Lilburn, which is about 15 minutes outside of Atlanta. Lilburn is a fairly large city surrounded with families which is why there is a Kroger or a Publix on almost every street corner. Why is this great? CONVENIENCE!! With the average person having to run out to the store multiple times throughout the week for groceries or small items convenience is important.

I especially took this into account when I had to run out to grab ingredients for dinner. Taking a five minute drive to the store was excellent :)

Sharper Image: A Failed Retailer

http://www.businesspundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sharper-image-closing1.jpg

Sharper Image was founded by Richard Thalheimer, an American retailer that specialized in high-end electronics and gifts. Sharper Image had been in business since 1977 up until its bankruptcy in 2008, and at one point employed 2,500 people nationwide. The company had 184 locations nationwide, which represented close to 60% of the total company revenue. According to an article by the "San Francisco Chronical," Sharper Image filed Chapter 11, liquidating 96 of its stores, leaving only 88 stores still functioning under the company's ownership as of May 28th, 2008. As of August 23, 2008, all retail stores had been closed, and the company vacated its former corporate headquarters. What caused bankruptcy? Several factors.

According to an article by Mark Huffman, of consumerreports.com, "For the last few years, Sharper Image has suffered from a lack of liquidity, stemming from its legal action. The trouble began in 2003 when Consumer Reports published a report claiming the expensive Ionic Breeze air cleaners don't clean air. The magazine later claimed its tests showed that Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze Quadra Silent Air Purifier and four other units also release potentially unhealthy levels of ozone. Not only did the company lose the lawsuit against Consumer Reports, investors mounted a class action suit against Sharper Image, claiming fraud."

Not only did the lawsuit hinder Sharper Image's success so did the lack of consumer spending. High oil prices, high food prices, lack of employment and the collapse of the substantial housing bubble have all helped spark the ongoing financial crisis. Consumers just are not spending what they used to, they can't afford to. Causing numerous business to file bankruptcy :(

Citation:
1. Huffman, Mark. "Sharper Image Closing All Stores." 03 June 2008. Consumeraffairs.com. 02 Mar. 2009.

2. Colliver, Victoria. "Sharper Image wants to close 96 stores." 08 Mar. 2008. SFGate. 02 Mar. 2009 .