[nabs-l] Techniques for shopping and trends

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Arielle,

Well I can't speak for always being blind since I didn't lose my sight
until I was 22, but though I understand color and style from a visual
perspective, I can no longer make a judgment based on my own visual
understanding. I've had people tell me something looks really good on
me, but it just didn't feel right or comfortable. So it can be tricky,
and frustrating, to really determine independently if something looks
good.

The friends and family I shop with don't mind if I feel them up in the
fitting room or at home. I can obviously touch clothes and shoes to
discover texture, detail, cut, etc., and once on a person, I can get a
rough idea of how it "looks" on a person. I can feel how long or short
something is, what it's like once filled out, what the neckline is like,
etc. Of course, this requires you and the person you're with to be
comfortable enough to quite literally feel up.

Of course, the only guy I do this with is my husband! Smile. And
usually, when at a store, I'll just check length on pants and tops, how
tight or loose the waist is, and how a shirt fits across the shoulders.
Though we may be confortable with it, other shoppers may not appreciate
the blind couple feeling each other up in the fitting rooms. Can you
imagine? Although, having worked retail for years, I encountered some
crazy situations when it came to fitting room behavior! LOL

Anywhoo,  I don't think it's necessary to have a visual to understand
how something fits and "looks." Touch will show you a lot, and again, if
you learn certain terms and types of styles and fabrics, it may help you
better understand things. Regardless, as long as the person you're with
doesn't mind, touching can provide you with a ton of info when it comes
to clothes.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 1
Date: Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:54:45 -0600
From: Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com>
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
	<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] techniques for shopping and trends
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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