Thursday, 30 January 2014

Research: Casual Wear in Pakistan







Casual wear in Pakistan is inspired by the western culture. Which includes jeans,trousers,tights, Capri with a long or short top depending on the weather is.  In Pakistan casual wear is becoming very common especially in the ages of 16-20s. Casual wear has become very popular in females. Weather, you are going to college or going out for dinner. The reason being its comfortable and can be worn at most of the occasions. The clothes worn do not expose too much skin. Sleeveless tops are worn. But, spaghetti straps and strapless are not worn. Skirts, shorts and mini-shorts are not worn either. This is because the social norms of our society do not allow this.

Casual wear is popular in the people from the middle class and upper class in Pakistan. Pakistani fashion magazine defines a woman's look from an employment perspective. Understanding the workplace's environment and culture is emphasized, and checking the company's dress code guideline is highly recommended. Outlining clothes which unstained and wrinkle-free with non-loud and non-bright colors that reflect the woman's age. Too fancy or too casual dresses are inadvisable as well as the use of extreme make-up, such as using dark, glossy or chalky shades, or applying too much eye shadow. Black or brown heels are preferred by women and advise to correctly select appropriate shoes for a workplace's environment.






Thursday, 26 December 2013

Research: Characteristics

Below I have mentioned some of the major characteristics that are seen in a Fashion, casual wear magazine for Women.

  • Clothes:
 Plain, simple and decent and not that extravagant.
  • Make up:
Follows the contemporary trends. Natural or light make up or according to the clothes worn by the model.
  • Hairstyle:
A variety of hairstyles used, tied hair, open hair or semi-tied hair. Whatever, hairstyle best fits the clothes.
  • Typography:
The font style used is sans-serif to give a casual impact.  
  •  Background/Settings:
The setting is usually indoor and the background is most of the time plain in very rare cases the shoot is done in an outdoor location.
  • Expression:
A serious expression or the model could be smiling.
  • Body Language:
Is casual and spontaneous.
  • Accessories:
Delicate and light jewellery worn. A necklace, studs or bracelets worn. Bags could be used.
  • Colour scheme:
Too much bright colours or too much light colours are not used a balance is maintained.
  • Props:
Could be a chair, sofa,bench or pets.
  • Masthead:
The font used is sans-serif as it is curvy and gives a casual impact.
  • Puffs and pugs:
Are used to catch the attention of the audience.



The content the magazine contains:
  • On clothes
  • The latest fashion
  • The hairstyles
  • Make up
  • Where to get outfits from
  • Shoes

Thursday, 19 December 2013

Research: Similar Magazine Research

Here are some magazine similar to my genre (Fashion) I will look at these for help to better understand the codes and conventions when it  comes to fashion magazine.



Thursday, 12 December 2013

Research: Genre

Genre: Fashion
Sub Genre: Casual Wear for Women

A genre adopts the codes and conventions of other texts in that similar genre and the content and style tells us what genre a media texts belong to. 

The genre I have chosen is fashion and the sub genre is casual wear for women. Fashion is of great importance in our society and our appearance is greatly affected by the clothes we wear. Fashion matters in our day-to-day lives. As, we see casual wear attire has become very popular in Pakistan especially in the teens and young adults. Teens want to experiment with their looks. According to the statistics the Pakistan's youth population is 30%. 

The casual wear is the Kurta with Jeans and Trousers. Tight half sleeve and sleeveless shirts with Capri trousers and a top and jeans have also been adopted. The casual wear is inspired by the American fashion. The youth feels that casual wear is comfortable and gives them a freedom of expressing themselves. There are no magazines on casual wear to guide the women and keep them up to date on the latest fashion. I have a general knowledge on this sub genre. But, I will have to do a lot of research and conduct  a survey in order to understand my audience. I am going to take this as a challenge as it does not belong to my culture, but to a foreign culture adopted by our society. But as it is becoming dominant in my society I want to help the audience so they could have the right guideline on casual wear. A lot of Pakistani fashion designers are launching their casual wear collection. Which shows that casual wear is becoming dominant in our society.