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As you buy clothing
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AS YOU BUY CLOTHING
Clothes are a basic need of all people. Different people give differ-
ent value to clothing. For some, its most important function is to
protect them from the weather or just to meet the needs of modesty.
Others choose clothing to match the demands of a job. Some people
may use clothing to fit a mood, to build self-confidence, or to play a
social role. Choosing and making clothing are often outlets for creative
expression.
Meeting both the physical and the psychological clothing needs of
each family member requires thought and planning. This booklet will
consider plans for family clothing expenses, the clothing needs of fam-
ily members, and things to consider when buying clothes. It will also
discuss stores that sell clothes, the methods they use in selling, and ways
of paying for clothes.
PLAN FAMILY CLOTHES SPENDING
People often look for a set formula to determine how much of their
family's money should be spent for clothing. But just as individuals
place different importance on clothes, families will spend different
amounts of their incomes on clothes. Some things that influence how
much of the family income will be spent on clothes are the amount of
money the family has, the number of people in the family who are
earning money, where the family lives, and the needs and desires of
different family members.
Buying clothes can be part of an overall spending plan or budget.
Ways of developing such a plan are discussed in Illinois Extension Cir-
cular 996, How Your Family Can Live Within Its Income.
The most useful kind of spending plan seems to be the one which
is made up by the family that will use it. Each family sets the upper
limit for the major areas of family spending (food, rent, clothing, etc.) .
Within these major areas, you will need to do more planning as
you go along. The budget is really a long-run spending plan to allow
you freedom of choice and adjustment in the short run.
In developing the part of the master plan that deals with clothing,
a record of the kind of clothes your family needs and buys will be help-
ful. In most families, these expenses are different from season to season.
You may need to purchase major items, such as coats and suits, only
once every two or three years.
You may wish to plan so that expensive items like suits and coats
will not all have to be bought at the same time of year (or during
the same year). You might plan to save ahead for purchases that are
very expensive and will require a large amount of money. Your plan
needs to allow for emergencies (such as having a child outgrow his
shoes before you thought he would) and for special events such as
weddings and vacation trips.
It is a help if all family members who buy family clothing take
part in planning how to use the family's money. Having everyone
plan and agree together in advance will help prevent arguments later
about conflicting desires of the various family members.
To decide how the clothing dollars will be assigned, it is necessary
to determine the needs of the individual family members.
ANALYZE FAMILY CLOTHING NEEDS
KNOW WHAT IS ALREADY ON HAND
At least once a year, each family member's clothing should be in-
spected. A good time to do this is at the changing of two seasons (such
as summer into fall ) when some garments are being taken from storage
and others are ready to store. Teenage children can try on and exam-
ine their own clothes, but may need to consult with parents in making
final decisions as to what to keep and what to discard. Young chil-
dren can have their clothing needs decided for them.
As garments are checked for fit and state of repair, they can be
sorted into three stacks. One stack will consist of clothing that is wear-
able as is. The second will be clothing that can be made wearable by
cleaning, alteration, or repair. In the third stack will be clothing that
cannot be worn and should be thrown out or given away.
PLAN WHAT TO BUY
Make a list of the wearable clothing belonging to each family
member, and think of various ways in which those things can be worn
together to make different outfits. Then determine what additional
items are needed for each person. The clothing budget can be
stretched by gifts of clothing, by hand-me-downs, and by making
clothes at home.
Consider the possibility of making some clothing as a way of cut-
ting costs. A seamstress should be skillful enough so that family mem-
bers will find her work attractive and will wear the clothes she makes.
Some items, such as pajamas and children's play wear, can be bought
for about as much as it costs to make them, so if time is short these
garments may as well be purchased.
Suggest to relatives and friends that certain items be given as gifts
on the occasions when they might be giving presents to a member of
the family. They will probably appreciate some help with their gift
shopping, and this is another way to meet both clothing needs and
clothing wants beyond the basic level of need.
When planning what must be purchased, be sure to remember
articles of clothing that will be handed down from one child to another
within the family. This clothing reduces the need to purchase new
items. Often some clothes come into the family from outside, but the
kind or amount can't be counted on ahead of time.
We have been talking about how to decide what the clothing needs
for each family member are, and how to plan for clothing purchases.
Does this mean that you can never buy something you happen to see
when you are shopping, or substitute another kind of purchase for the
one in your plan?
Sometimes spur-of-the-moment buys may meet a need that can't
really be defined, but you know it would make you feel happy or self-
confident to have that particular item of clothing. This type of buying
may be the result of a need you didn't foresee or can't explain. As long
as the purchase is used later, and no one is deprived of a more basic
need because of it, an occasional quick decision to change your plan
can be made.
KNOW HOW TO BUY CLOTHING
FASHION AND FAD
After the decisions are made as to what articles of clothing will be
purchased, it is time to begin shopping. To be an effective shopper,
every consumer should be familiar with the terms fashion and fad, and
be able to recognize the apparel that falls into each of these groups.
Fashion consists of the prevailing styles or designs at any given
time ( for example, pleated skirts, A-line skirts, or gathered skirts ) . New
styles are introduced constantly by fashion designers, and when a style
is widely accepted and followed it becomes the current fashion. A
fashion usually lasts for at least three years, then it may be replaced
by a new one.
A fad is a "mini-fashion." It may begin as some novelty which
arouses interest or surprise. Fads last only a few months and are
adopted by only a small group of people.
The length of time you expect to wear a garment is an important
factor in deciding how much to spend for it. Most people would pre-
fer to invest more money in a dress or suit that will be fashionable for
several years than in a faddish item that will be outdated after one
short season.
QUALITY IN CLOTHING
The quality that you will need in a particular garment is deter-
mined by how many times it will be worn, the occasions for which
it will be worn, and how durable the garment must be to take the use
it will get.
Individuals in your family will want to wear some garments (such
as coats or suits) as long as possible. For such items, you need to buy
the best quality available at the price you can afford. Some specific
points which indicate quality in apparel are : the design of the garment,
the fabric used, the construction of the garment, and the suitability of
the garment to the wearer.
Design
Look for a garment which fits your needs and is attractive, but
which is also in a style that will stay in fashion for the life of the
article. Newness of design is not a sure guide to excellence. A garment
should be chosen with regard to color, texture, and design lines that are
becoming to the individual who will wear it.
WHAT'S ON THE LABEL?
For many years, the law did not require garment manufacturers
to state the fiber content of a garment on its label or hangtag. Also,
the many synthetic fibers and blends of fibers we have today were not
available. The consumer learned through experience to select ready-
to-wear clothes by the feel and appearance of the fabric used in the
garment. Today, because of the variety of fabrics available, those guides
are not enough. The best guides are the tags and labels which give in-
formation about the articles to which they are attached. Some of the
facts that should be listed on a label are :
fiber content shrinkage control
finishes used colorfastness
care requirements size
manufacturer's name and address
Fiber Content
The Textile Fiber Products Act makes it mandatory for all major
apparel textiles to have a label stating the percentage of each fiber
that makes up 5 percent or more of the total fiber weight.
A general, or generic, name is given to all members of a fiber
family. A label must tell the generic name of each fiber present. The
specific trade name given a fiber by the manufacturer may not appear
on a label without the generic name, and it may not be in larger print
than the generic name. An example of this is Dacron (trade name)
Polyester ( generic name ) .
If the item is imported, the country of origin must appear on the
label unless the product is changed. An example of change in product
would be a dress made in the United States of Italian silk. In such case
the origin of the fabric doesn't have to be given.
The Act also includes the following provisions about labeling
clothing :
• If a garment has two or more parts, information showing the
fiber content of each part can appear on only one label.
• The face and back of pile fabrics must be labeled separately,
and the proportion of face to back must be stated. For example, the tag
may say: "100% acrylic pile, 100% cotton back. The back is 60 per-
cent of the fabric and the pile is 40 percent."
• Articles, such as girdles, which are made in sections of different
fabrics, may have one label identifying the fiber content of all sections.
• If the trim is 1 5 percent or less of the surface of the garment, its
fibers need not be identified.
• Piece goods must be labeled on the end of the bolt or on the
hangtag, but remnants do not have to be labeled as to fiber content.
• Generic names of fibers used in advertising of textile products
do not need to be listed if no reference to fiber content is made. If an
assortment of items are advertised together and space is limited and
doesn't permit a complete listing, generic names need not be given. If
generic names do appear in ads, they must be listed in order of weight
at least once.
• Deceptive use of fur names or symbols used in labeling or adver-
tising non-fur textile products is prohibited.
Care Requirements
Directions should be given about how to care for the garment,
whether it can be laundered (and if so, the appropriate method to use)
or whether it should be dry cleaned only. Information about care is
complete and well presented on some labels, but consumers do not al-
ways keep labels.
It has been proposed that the Federal Trade Commission pass a
rule on permanent (sewn in) care labels for textile products. This rule
would require proper instructions for the laundering and cleaning of
such a product, as well as any other instruction about the product,
which, if not followed may impair its utility or appearance. At this time
the FTC has not issued the final rule, but consumers should be aware
of this legislation and request such labeling.
Finishes and Shrinkage Control
A label should tell if a special finish has been used, the performance
to be expected from that finish, how permanent it is, and how to care
for the garment in order to protect the finish and get full benefit
from it.
Each manufacturer gives a special name to the finish used on his
fabric, which is why there are so many names for the same kind of
finish.
Some of the finishes which make fabrics wrinkle-free are Koratron,
Permanent Press, Durable Press, Penn-Prest, Machine Wash 'N Wear,
Perma-Prest, Dan-Press, and Sta-Prest.
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