[nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
Chris Nusbaum
dotkid.nusbaum at gmail.com
Wed Nov 16 01:58:57 UTC 2011
Hi everyone,
There's an article in the fall edition of the Student Slate
entitled "Dress for Success," which gives us some great tips on
clothes shopping and what to wear when. If you haven't read it
yet, I encourage you to do so. You can download the Slate at
nabslink.org.
Chris
"The real problem of blindness is not the loss of eyesight. The
real problem is the misunderstanding and lack of education that
exists. If a blind person has the proper training and
opportunity, blindness can be reduced to a mere physical
nuisance."
-- Kenneth Jernigan (President, National Federation of the Blind,
1968-1986
P.S. The I C.A.N. Foundation helps blind and visually impaired
youth in Maryland say "I can," by empowering them through
providing assistive technology and scholarships to camps and
conventions which help them be equal with their sighted peers.
For more information about the Foundation and to support our
work, visit us online at www.icanfoundation.info!
Sent from my BrailleNote Apex
----- Original Message -----
From: Ignasi Cambra Díaz <ignasicambra at gmail.com
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:56:11 -0500
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
I generally give advice to my girlfriend only :). Somehow it's
quite easy for me to decide whether I like how something feels on
her or not. In the end she always ends up choosing though, but
she keeps asking for my opinion. That's probably why I've
developed some kind of personal taste, which will probably not
work for anyone other than her¡¦ I would definitely not know how
to give advice to some other friend or just a random person...
On Oct 28, 2011, at 7:54 PM, Arielle Silverman wrote:
Hi all,
I'm curious whether anyone who has been blind since
birth/childhood
has figured out how to give people good feedback on clothes they
try
on, etc. and if so what techniques do you use? I too enjoy
shopping
with friends and family and I would love to be able to help them
pick
out stuff but I don't really get a sense of what looks good or
not
based on a description, I think because I have never actually
seen
colors etc. Do you guys get a sense for whether something fits
right
by feeling it on someone who's wearing it?
Best,
Arielle
On 10/26/11, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
Ah, I wish we had a Belks up here. We shop at Macy's most often
and a little
at bloomingdales.
When I was down south to see relatives, I liked Belks and
Dillards; good
selection and well laid out.
Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: Lea williams
Sent: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 9:48 PM
To: Debbie Wunder ; National Association of Blind Students
mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
Hey I shop a lot with the help of the workers. I went a couple
of
weeks ago to get some shoes and an outfit. I first went to the
shoe
shop and just walked in and asked for help after walking through
the
store to hunt someone down. NP. I knew that i wanted sneakers
or tenis
shoes, whatever you call them and got a pair. But if your not
sure,
just tell them what stile of clothes you would wear with them,
dressy,
casual, fancey etc. You can also ask what color close the shoes
would
best work with. I got a pair of heels and I told them I
primarily wear
dark blue dressy geans and black slacks or dark kackey and they
were
able to tell me what color would go best with the colors. They
took me
to an ile to let me loose alone in my size while the lady went
and
found a helper for me. The worker came and I told her kind of
what I
was looking for and she picked out things that was around that
would
have worked and i chose from there.
I have found telling them and asking a lot of things helps the
both of
you. If your not sure or understanding what they are saying,
then ask
loads of questions. It is your money your spending and if you
buy it,
it is you who takes it home not them.
After this i went to Belks and had the lady there help me find
an
outfit. That one was a bit more tricky because she took me to
the back
and was trying to get me to pick from two tops that were hanging
up on
the wal. I did not like them and just started to wonder off and
saying, "so whats over here or there"? We then discoverd that
the
store was filled with loads of clothes that were not on the
wall.
Waow!
I did find a nice outfit, something that was on sale and cost
less
than the things on the wall by the way.
Something you could do is to find out what your colors are,
google. I
Google a lot of things. You can put in Google,
What style and color of clothes works best for me?
and you can find bloggs that says, if your dark haired with
whatever
skin, wear this and that. they usually say spring, wenter,
summer or
fall colors, but the give good information. Then when your
shopping,
you have more of an idea of what colors to pick.
If your not shure if something will fit, Ask them what do they
think,
will it fit you or not? I do this all the time , Sometimes a
small is
really a medium etc...
They will help, and if they have small children or kids at home
or
even have raised them, they do a great job because they do it
with
their own children and it is second nature for them.
If your still not sure, take a few sizes and hold on till you
have a
few things and then go try them on. The worst is to get home
and not
like what you buy because it's to tight or loose.
And like I said, google, google google.
Not just
What is in season?
But also
How to choose shoes for an outfit?
Or Will a blue shirt go with kackey pants?
or
What color tops to wear with dark/lite/etc bottoms?
What kind of tops to wear with (fill in the blank)
pants/skirts...
Be kind of spisific but not spisific. If you know your body
shape, google
What style of clothes looks best for my body shape?
Man if i had money to spend on clothes and not bills, I would go
shopping more often.
You could also do this with hair styles etc...
If your worried that they might be to busy to shop with you,
call them
and tell them your blind and interested in shopping there and
when
would be the best time of the day to come in. Some places will
say mid
day because they have more workers, and some will say earlier or
later
because their is less custermers. It is the prefrence of the
store. If
you find someone you really like shopping with, get their name
and ask
them when they normally work. I do this and then the next time
I went
I asked for them. this is a wonderful thing for them and they
get high
marks from there bosses for being requested.
I would too ask if there might be someone close to your age who
could
help you shop for clothes because their style would be better
than
someone or is either a lot older or younger than you. I had an
older
women helping me and she did not try to pick out anything to old
fashion , but what i got was so much better than what she was
trying
to get me to by.
a lot of it does come from expirience and confidence though.
Know what
to ask and not being easily timpted to get whatever they hand
you is
good and try to ask yourself and be aunist with yourself if you
really
like the stuff. I know if i am nervous, I am more likely to buy
something I do not like because I am more influenced than when I
fill
cunfirtable.
HTH
On 10/26/11, Debbie Wunder <debbiewunder at earthlink.net> wrote:
Hi Ashley, I find that if I am shopping alone, and not with a
friend or
one
of my daughters, if I go to the counter and ask for assistance,
mostly
people are very willing to help. It of course depends on the
store, I have
had good luck at JC Pennys or Dillards, also some smaller ladies
shops. If
you develope a relationship with a store manager, they seem to
enjoy
helping.
It is important to me to have some one that I value thei
opinion. The one
thing that I have found that my youngest daughter is quick to
tell me is
that some things do not feel cute, and some feel cute that are
not.
Sometimes I here from my daught,No, mom. smile
Debbie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net
To: <shogle at students.kennesaw.edu>; "National Association of
Blind
Students
mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 9:58 PM
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
Sam,
Thanks. And that's the technique I was thinking of! As we know,
shoes are
laid out on racks, in rows. I figured I could go up to one, for
instance
the sandles if that interests me, and feel them. Then get a
sales
associate to help me pick the size, color, etc from there.
Actually, they
are supposed to help anyone; they will measure your feet to find
out the
right size.
We've gotten assistance for shoe fitting before, but family has
done the
browsing. Glad to know another blind person does this. I have
a little
vision, so may be able to see the colors and that will aid me in
going to
the right shoe row.
My shoes are wearing out. I want some new blue easy spirit
shoes to go
with slacks. And I need new sandles for next summer. So I
definitely can
do some shoe shopping. IMO, since shoe department staff are
expected to
measure feet and pick out shoes from the stock room my
impression is they
have more sales staff on hand. I notice when shopping with my
mother that
its easy to get help in the shoe department typically, but if
you have a
question in the clothes department, you'll be waiting a long
time!
Sighted
people need help finding a size or a particular brand sometimes;
after
all
department stores are huge! But since the coporation wants to
keep all
the
money, they are stingy about hiring adaquate sales staff to
assist
customers. Another good thing about shoe departments or shoe
stores is
I've noticed their customer service is overall better. If you
need to
order shoes, they take care of that well. Clothes stores aren't
the
greatest; they may take your order, but fail to notify you when
its in or
enter the rong thing in.
I wonder if new balance shoes or Niki are more popular.
Ashley
-----Original Message-----
From: Sam Hogle
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 10:39 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
Hi Ashley. I've gone shoe shopping before, and to me, they are
some of
the easiest items to pick out. When I go shoe shopping, I find
out where
the shoes are, and go down the line feeling each one. Some may
find that
weird, but if they were to say anything, I would respond with at
least
I'm doing it independently. Anyway, if I find any that I'm
interested
in, I then ask someone to describe those to me. The description
would be
stuff like brand name or color. Then, based on what I like and
what I
know from others about what the trend is, I make my selection.
Hope this
helps.
Sam
On 10/25/2011 9:59 PM, Ashley Bramlett wrote:
Thanks Chris.
Maybe others will chime in later. I heard that personal
shoppers is
one technique. I wonder how that works though. Do they select
clothes
based on skin tone and size? I wonder if some stores will
measure you
for size. I would expect you'd need an appointment which is
fine, but
I wouldn't want to pay for a service just to pick out clothes.
Also what about shoes. Usually if I'm with family, they browse
and try
and pick for me. Is it okay to browse by touching the shoes?
Maybe get
a shoe salesperson to bring me to the right type of shoe and
then I
see what is there? Sighted people just look around and say oh
that
shoe looks good. But I wonder a better, independent way even if
its
with sales staff.
Ashley
-----Original Message----- From: Chris Nusbaum
Sent: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 7:03 PM
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
Hi Ashley,
I can't help you very much with techniques for shopping for
clothes, perfume and jewelry, as most of these questions would
be
better answered by ladies, which I'm not. But I can give you
one
resource for finding out the fassion trends. There's a lady
named Lynn Cooper who started an initiative called the Mirrors
Project, to make fassion more accessible to people with
disabilities. She comes on ACB Reports, which can be heard on
acbradio.org, twice every season to give her Fassion Report,
describing
that season's fassion trends for both men and women. This is a
good resource to find a detailed description of all the trends
spesifically tailored for blind people. Lynn's Web site is
www.lynncooper.us and you can find the 2011 ACB Reports shows on
www.acb.org.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ashley Bramlett" <bookwormahb at earthlink.net
To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
<nabs-l at nfbnet.org
Date sent: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:47:40 -0400
Subject: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
Hi all,
What are techniques for clothes shopping? What do you need to
know when going to shop? Of course, the size and brand you wear
are important. What else?
I know how to shop for regular items like groceries; you just
ask
a clerk in the store. But clothes are different. You need the
right thing and often need to try things on. I?¤Ô¤µ¤Å¤º
sure picking
out something like jeans, sweat pants, or a casual shirt is
easier than picking out something more dressy. Personally, I
grew up using JCPenney and Hects before they were bought. We
also use Macy?¤Ô¤µ¤Æ¤¢ too.
Also, how do you pick perfume out? What about jewelry? We cannot
see it in the case.
I know some stores have personal shoppers. Do they charge for
their service? If you used one, how did it go? How long do you
have with them? Some blind people always shop with family so
they
can get feedback on how they look. I;?¤Ô¤µ¤Å¤ª rather pick
my own
things and pick out something independent from my
mother?¤Ô¤µ¤Æ¤¢
taste though, sometime.
Also, I?¤Ô¤µ¤Å¤º not into fashion much, but its good to be
aware of
trends and the latest stuff so we can pick them if we want. How
do you find out about that stuff? Are reading magazines such as
Seventeen a good idea even though we can?¤Ô¤µ¤Æ¤£ see the
pictures?
Thanks.
Ashley
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info
for nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/dotkid.nusbau
m%40gmail.com
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/bookwormahb%4
0earthlink.net
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/hogle.sam%40g
mail.com
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/bookwormahb%4
0earthlink.net
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/debbiewunder%
40earthlink.net
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/leanicole1988
%40gmail.com
--
Lea Williams
Phone;
704-732-4470
Skipe;
Lea.williams738
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100001775297080
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/bookwormahb%4
0earthlink.net
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for
nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/arielle71%40g
mail.com
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
info for nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/ignasicambra%
40gmail.com
_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info
for nabs-l:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/dotkid.nusbau
m%40gmail.com
More information about the NABS-L
mailing list