When I open at my work I usually get to redress the main mannequin that we use as our "Outfit of the Day." It's what we use to showcase a cool look and then we post it to the Instagram. A lot of the time I do outfits I would wear so it brings variety to the store since each of us that works there has our own sense of style. Mine is a little bit of everything but I think it works pretty well. Most of the time I start my look by picking out the shoes and then going from there to construct the rest of the outfit. If there's something I've been debating about buying for myself I try to include it in the hopes that someone will see it and buy it (thus saving me money and room in my already very full closet). I've been doing this for a while but it's only been recently that I thought, "You know, I should be documenting these looks." I wasn't sure what to do with them, but it is a good idea of visual merchandising and styling so why not take a few pictures for records. The following are all the looks for the Outfit of the Day that I've done since I've been taking pictures of them.
For the first one I loved these black boots even though they're ridiculously tall for me to justify them as a reasonable purchase. I went from there using a two tone denim and a cozy striped top. You can't see the back of it but the back opens up and is a black and white polka dot. Then I chose a grey denim button up and a silver skull necklace to add layers. I really liked the mixing of materials (of course!) and the simple color scheme.
For this look I did choose the jacket first. I saw it, was disappointed it's too small for me, and then proceeded to think up a look that would be perfect for a more casual holiday dinner or party. The look consists of a funky embroidered jacket, maroon cotton and lace long sleeve, and a pair of boyfriend jeans. For the accessories I chose a shiny black tote, cut out oxford flats, and a multi strand pearl necklace. I figured it was comfortable and casual, but still fun with the colors and printed jacket.
This look is very me :) I wanted to pull from our "Mad for Plaid" wall and create something that someone shopping might not have considered putting together in a look. I started off with the black and white striped turtleneck and then snagged a pair of grey denim jeans with details on the knees. I paired it with a red and black checkered short sleeve jacket, 90s reminiscent black ankle boots, a BCBG black handbag, and a pair of white rimmed glasses. I really enjoy mixing patterns and I think this is a really good example of that.
Here's a look where I started with the shoes (my size and practical!) and then created a look around them. It's difficult to see the details at the neck but I started with a black and white gingham button up sleeveless top and then layered a sleeveless cotton dress over it that says "Aimer C'est Vivre" (To love is to live). Then I chose a comfy green cardigan for warmth and color and a silver and white necklace to top it all off. I figured someone would pair the look with leggings or tights to stay warm with the winter season.
Lastly, is my most recent look that is a little more funky. The buyers did a mall visit a few weeks ago and we were supposed to be deciding on what trends we saw that we thought would be most popular and what we should be watching for to buy or not to buy. I did start with the red suede shoes for this look but then I decided to go with some of the trends we were seeing in the other stores to create the rest of the look. The boyfriend jeans have a lot of patchwork and embroidery and the top has some sequined patches. I chose the red bomber jacket because we saw them everywhere and I thought the color was a perfect match for the ankle boots. To finish it off I chose a small rectangular cross-body in a neutral brown. It's not something I would probably wear together (I love the boots and jeans) but it pulled the trends we've been seeing together and it's a great color combination. Plus someone bought the jacket too!
I enjoy dressing the mannequins at work and I hope I'll be bale to keep creating some neat looks that work for the store and that I can write about at the same time.
As for social media posting with the displays, I haven't quite done a blog piece with any type of "final" piece that I've posted to the work account. To the right is one of the posts I've done and uploaded to my work's Instagram (and other platforms). It features the outfit of the day and a few Parisian cafe and pastel images I drew inspiration from on Pinterest. It's a very "Me" post with the pastels and French inspiration, but the outfit is not really my typical style. I like working with pieces I would never wear (i.e. crop tops) because I think it helps me think outside of my comfort zone for styling. I can't really dress all the mannequins in black and white and lots of patterns. I try to work with more styles I'm not typically drawn to so that I can expand my ideas of the different fashion styles and what works together in my mind for future combinations. I will miss all of the access to different styles when I leave.
