How to Write a Fashion Report
A fashion report is a forecast based on a show, collection, or trend that provides information about what will be fashionable in the upcoming season. By attending a runway show, viewing a soon-to-be-released collection, or paying attention to trends, you gather the data. Then, after following some essential guidelines, you will be able to express that fashion information in a focused, well-written fashion report. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Writing the Report
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Choose a focus. Your focus is whatever it is you are reporting on; you may have attended a runway show and are giving an all-encompassing report for the next season, or you may be reporting on one particular trend like the use of sequins or the upcoming popularity of knitwear.
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Know your fashion terms. For example, fashion "seasons" are the same as calendar seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. Fashion reports make their mark up to a full season before the one in question. Categorize your fashion report by specifying the focus as well as the season and year. If you are creating a fashion report about the must-have "it shoes" for spring, you may entitle your piece: "Must-Have 'It Shoes': Spring 2010." A fashion report needs to be written with authority since it is an informative piece; make sure you are familiar with fashion terms so that you can fully communicate the details of upcoming fashion to those who are already fashion-minded. As a resource, utilize the well-known book, The Fairchild Dictionary of Fashion.
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Provide all details. If you are writing about upcoming fashion for a season, realize that this includes clothing, accessories (like jewelry and handbags), footwear, and even beauty (hair and makeup). If you are writing a more specific fashion report like one about accessories, the details become even more important because they provide the explanation for what makes particular pieces "on-trend" compared to ones that are not. Think about the following components within fashion: fabrication (what the item is made out of), color, silhouette (the shape of the item), trend (a very specific detail that makes a piece fashionable, like the use of beading or an overall "theme," like menswear for women). Remember to cover all bases, as every aspect is significant to your knowledge-seeking reader.
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Compare and contrast to the previous year. A main purpose of a fashion report is to show what has shifted in fashion and what is still wearable. In a trend fashion report from Women's Wear Daily's site WWD.com, Alex Badia writes in the article "Spring 2010 Men's Wear Trend: Fresh Prints" the following introduction: "This season, designers are moving away from traditional men's wear patterns of pinstripes, checks and the ever-popular plaid into more daring --- and sometimes wild and crazy --- territory." Fashion is ever-changing; inform your readers about what is new, and what is still going strong from the previous year.
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Cite specific examples. Let your readers know where you are finding your information, and what makes it legitimate. Reference things you have seen on the runways, trends you have noticed in catalogs, and make note of common themes among designer collections. Your trend report is only as strong and believable as the factual examples you provide your readers.
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Organize your fashion report. Make an outline before you write to categorize the different aspects of the information you have gathered. Aim to write a cohesive piece that leads smoothly from one idea to the next. For example, if you are writing about a collection, consider breaking your piece up into the following topics: Tops, Bottoms, Footwear, Accessories. If there is one aspect that is present in more than one area of your report, like color, refrain from mentioning it in every section, and give it its own category; for the remaining sections, focus on the other important details of each category.
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Tips & Warnings
When possible, add photo images to your fashion report. Images enhance what you have written and allow your reader to get a realistic understanding of the impact of trends; also, details that may be hard describe in writing are easily communicated through a visual image.
