Hello Parents! The Life Skills class is currently doing a
Clothing/Fashion unit. Last week, I introduced the unit by having students look
up scripture that addresses appearances and modesty. We discussed some basic fashion advice like
caring for your clothes , watching out for trends that are likely to go out of
style quickly (colored skinny leg jeans perhaps), coordinating accessories (belt color-shoe
color), etc…. I also introduced the concept of a capsule wardrobe.
A capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothing which
coordinates together so that one can mix and match to make numerous
combinations. Capsule wardrobes benefit people who are shopping on a small
budget or are limited by space constraints (either at home or on a trip). There
is a growing trend by minimalists and others who want to simplify their
material possessions to live with a capsule wardrobe. Others are tired of
buying clothes that they don’t end up wearing and have found a capsule wardrobe
a helpful approach to shopping. I introduced the idea of a capsule wardrobe to
help students to get a wide variety of outfits out of a few key pieces of
clothing.
Capsule wardrobes are typically made up of 1-3 neutral
colors and 1-2 accent colors. I introduced neutral colors (black, white,
tan/beige, gray, navy, brown, and even olive green) and we looked at a color
wheel to get ideas for choosing accent colors. We talked briefly about
complimentary colors, analogous colors, and triadic colors to help them make
their decisions. I encouraged students to think about colors that they already
wear and that look good on them. I also suggested that they talk to moms and
sisters for advice! Just a note: the guys were having a harder time with this
than the girls. I did spend some time with the guys helping them to finalize
their color choices today, but I think some of them could still benefit from
some parental guidance in this area. For instance black, charcoal gray, and
white make a better combination of neutrals than black, brown, and navy. In a capsule wardrobe, all shirts (and
jackets/sweaters/extra layers) should go with all jeans/pants/bottoms.
Our project for this unit is to put together a
collage/collection to make up a small capsule wardrobe. Students have the
option to cut out clothing from magazines /catalogs or to use online images
(just go to a store’s website). While magazine/catalog pictures are probably
the easiest, many of the students did not yet have any magazines/catalogs. I
think my expectations of their communicating this need (which went into their
planners about a month ago) were too high. I’m sorry I didn’t post this request
earlier. However, I did tell students if
it is permissible with parents) they are also welcome to choose their clothing
online. If using online images, the easiest
way to do that is to copy a picture from a store’s website and paste it into a
Word document. If they already own something that they really want to include,
have them take a picture of it. Students
may need help doing this and they may need help sizing their images so that
they are somewhat uniform in size. Most
students seem to be leaning in direction of online images/digital pictures.
I sent a handout home
that outlines the project steps. Their homework
this week is to cut out pictures by hand or cut-and-paste digitally so that
they will come to class next week with the minimum number of pieces for their
capsule wardrobe. Please encourage your
child to reread the handout completely before starting their collection (you
probably want to read it too and make sure the guys remember to include one
formal shirt, pants, and jacket/sweater).
I considered finishing up this unit next semester, but I think it would
be nice to present their collections at the open house on Thursday, December 13th.
If a student is using magazine/catalog/newspaper pictures, they can assemble
their collection in class next week (all pieces should be cut out individually
before class). If a student is using digital pictures/online images, they must
come with all their items printed already. If you can only print with black ink
at home, students will use coloring pencils in class next week to color in
their items. Their items should be sized so that take up 1-2 pages as a total
collection (one page is preferred but two may be necessary if they include
additional items). If you can’t print at
home (or can’t print in color), students
are welcome to email their Word document (check with me if you want to use
some other format) to me at washburnu@yahoo.com by Saturday night.
I recommend calling or texting me at 913-782-6185 to give me a heads up. I will
print the documents on Sunday. I will NOT have time to print Monday morning, so
please print in gray-scale at home if you can’t get it to me earlier.
Students know to be
prepared to walk into class with most of their work done next week (especially
if using all online/digital images). The students seemed confident that this
would not be a problem, but they need to allow a couple of hours at a minimum,
possibly quite a bit more if they’re not sure what styles they want. The format does not have to be exactly like
the examples I provided them, but it should be orderly. Next week will be spent preparing their capsule
wardrobes to be set up for the open house.
FYI: I told the students they
would be getting a participation grade on this project. That has certainly encouraged in-class
participation and attention!
Please call me if you have any questions. I have encouraged them to think about choosing some of their items to be a bit nicer than what they might normally wear and I look forward to seeing what they put together. Hopefully this project will help them be more intentional in their future shopping.
Jessica Weatherford
