The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in
New Orleans, LA
February 27 - 29, 2012
at the Ernest Morial Convention Center
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The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in |
Dressed to Sell By ANN PRICE GOSCH Reaching Out to Fashion-Sewers It's true that fashion sewing began a downhill slide in the 1970s. But more recently the popularity of fashion competition shows such as Bravo-TV's Project Runway —combined with today's uncertain economy — has once again made sewing one's own clothes an attractive alternative. Miller can help you open, or reopen, your doors to these fashion-sewing customers. Or maybe you are reaching fashion-sewers through wearable art patterns and classes. But do these customers enjoy wearing the garments they make — so they keep coming back for more? If not, Miller would like to show you a better way. She says that a lot of sewing store owners and teachers make the mistake of thinking that wearable art garments can't have darts or tucks or seams. But boxy is not for everyone, so the key is to start with a pattern that suits the wearer. This is what students learn in her classes — so they are pleased with what they create, and want to create more. Who is Darlene Miller? She's the owner of Clothes for You, a wardrobe consulting business that she established in 1985 to help men and women discover and develop their best looks. Along the way, she began conducting classes, seminars, and workshops in fabric and sewing stores and for sewing and quilt guilds around the country. In the process, she delivers a win-win for her students and the sponsoring store alike. The "Shape" of Sales to Come Libertyville (Ill.) Sewing Center is one example. Says owner Linda Mosier: "We have had Darlene teach her fitting classes in our store for three years. All of our students have been so thrilled with getting their patterns fit, they are telling their friends and asking us for more classes before we even know when she will be back in our area. Darlene is a wonderful teacher and an expert at what she does." Here's how Miller explains the popularity of her concepts: "Sewers love to work with fabric and their machines, but they tell me they're running out of room for more quilts! So then they try wearable art, but if they don't enjoy wearing the finished garment, they say, 'I made one and I'm not going to do another one.'" And then the store loses an enthusiastic customer. "I bring those customers back," says Miller, "by showing them how to create 'designer' looks they'll love to wear." The Body Shape Concept Karen Scholl, a personal wardrobe consultant in Crystal Lake, Ill., who has worked with Miller in her booth at many trade shows, puts it this way: "Women are inundated with fashion ads touting the latest design, and instead of celebrating the beauty of clothing, they are often intimidated and discouraged because they are convinced they could never look beautiful like the women pictured. Darlene's model of matching the shape of the clothing to the body type frees women of that indecision and lack of confidence." That Miller's system includes just four basic body shapes — triangle, square, circle, and oval (see sidebar) — may look simplistic at first glance, but when students apply the system to their own bodies, they realize how useful it is, and appealing in its simplicity. Miller teaches that the four shapes are equally attractive and that each body type can dress with style and elegance. Her book, Your Shape, Your Clothes, and You: Secrets of a Successful Wardrobe, is filled with photos that illustrate her points. "The reaction was instant in one of my recent classes," Miller recalls. "When the students saw a 'circle' [body shape] wearing a short, fitted jacket instead of her shirt worn out with a boxy jacket over it, immediately they said she looked better." Moreover, Miller says, time-consuming complex alterations are lessened or eliminated when women start with a pattern that is designed specifically for their body shape, rather than trying to work with a pattern that's not their ideal. And if they are able to spend less time altering, they will spend more time sewing, and will be happier with the results. Selling Sewing via Wearable Art After one of Miller's guild presentations to Mountain Top Quilters in Prescott, Ariz., an audience member had this to say: "I purchased two of [Miller's] patterns. This is not unusual; I have purchased patterns before. The unusual part is that I was so enthused about their proper fit and ease of construction that I made up one of the patterns right away. I enjoy making wearable art and just hadn't found patterns that worked. Darlene's patterns fit with little or no altering, and they are flattering." Miller believes that if a store owner and the staff were to embrace this concept, they could become a wearable art center for their area. "Women really like what we have to offer. I taught a machine quilting class recently, and you wouldn't believe how many patterns [the students] purchased after only a 15-minute explanation — in a class on machine quilting! This happens all the time. It is so fun to teach and watch the light bulbs go on; people go home so energized. They come for one thing and go home with way more than they anticipated." Debbie Snow has found this to be the case in her store Quilter's Quarry in Missoula, Mont. "Many of my customers used to sew garments and make a lot of their own clothes, but then they got into quilting. [From Darlene's classes] they instantly see the possibilities of how they can incorporate their love for quilting into garment construction. They leave the store with patterns, books, batting, and even tables for their sewing machines." (Miller always promotes the merchandise that the hosting store has in stock.) Miller says her free-motion quilting workshop is very popular right now. It includes preparing and basting a quilt, planning the stitching, and practicing some very simple designs. But she also introduces the body shape concept and teaches students how to select patterns and quilt designs for themselves and others based on body shape. "When the students understand this, they can make garments for themselves or others that are always favorites," says Miller. "Their finished projects look artistic, with a 'boutique' look, rather than just having 'stuff' on them." What's in It for You? Peg Gowen was introduced to Miller's presentation at Schoolhouse at Quilt Market and thought it might make a good special event for her store, Ultimate Sewing Place in Titusville, Fla., She was right. "While Darlene and her assistant were fitting the students one-on-one in jackets and pants," says Gowen, "my staff and I were in and out of the classroom filling the waiting time by demo'ing notions and machines. With fabric sold, machines sold or upgraded, notions sold and more, I more than paid Darlene's expenses to come. I brought her in to teach two more times." Yet another way that Miller's classes benefit stores is something that's spoken about less often but is growing in importance — what marketing gurus call "relationship marketing." After all, in the typical sewing store, there is very little for sale that people really need. So the personal relationships that you build between your store and your customers are all the more important. The sewing machine they purchase may be dazzling and the project they'll make with it may be stunning, but probably most important are the intangible good feelings they associate with the whole experience, including shopping in your store. In his book Hug Your Customers, Jack Mitchell advises, "Know more about your customers than your merchandise," and then you will focus on what they want to buy and not just on what you want to sell. When Darlene Miller teaches, she shares plenty of "hugs." "When I teach, I can reach a woman's spirit, and she is instantly grateful for someone to validate her importance, wisdom, intelligence, and beauty." Wouldn't it be great if your customers associated these good feelings with your store? ANN PRICE GOSCH has been freelancing in the sewing industry since 1986, when she resigned her position as corporate educational manager for a major sewing machine company. She went on to be a columnist for Sew News magazine for 15 years. Today her primary focus is copyediting books, magazines, and collateral materials for clients inside and outside the sewing industry. The 4 Body Shapes Darlene Miller says you can change your size, but you can't change your shape. The good news is, there isn't any reason to — the four different body shapes are equally attractive. She teaches her students that no matter what your body shape, you can always dress attractively. When the shape of your clothes matches your contours, you have style, and beauty comes from dressing with style. Here are the four body shapes: Triangle. The triangle body is characterized by dramatic angles and proportions.
Square. The square body is straight and solid.
Circle. The circle body is rounded, with graceful curves.
Oval. The oval body has a smooth, graceful flow.
—from Your Shape, Your Clothes, and You, by Darlene Miller Reprinted from SQE Professional, September 2009 |