Fashion Education Books
teaching manuals ▪ reference handbooks ▪ resources for creative inspiration
Janet
Reed brings her love for fashion and over 45 years of experience to you. By
the time she reached high school, Janet knew she wanted to go into fashion. She loved
clothes. She loved dressing up. And she loved sewing. She also loved to write though
twenty more years would pass before she would begin work on her first book. In 1972,
she left Ohio and off to college she went. After earning a B.S. in Fashion Merchandising
from Florida State University in 1976, she promptly pursued her life's vocation. Soon
after, she fulfilled her dream of moving West and established roots in California which
has been home to her since 1977.
During her first decade in the field, Janet explored many avenues of fashion: buying, retail store management, and visual merchandising including wall, shelf, and storefront window display. Eager to learn, she advanced quickly. By her mid 20's, she had attained the position of district store manager and during the second decade, she added regional account sales and custom clothing design to her growing resume. In 1985, Janet's entre- preneurial spirit encouraged her to pursue self-employment.
During her first decade in the field, Janet explored many avenues of fashion: buying, retail store management, and visual merchandising including wall, shelf, and storefront window display. Eager to learn, she advanced quickly. By her mid 20's, she had attained the position of district store manager and during the second decade, she added regional account sales and custom clothing design to her growing resume. In 1985, Janet's entre- preneurial spirit encouraged her to pursue self-employment.
With 18 years of tailoring experience and self-taught
knowledge of pattern making, she designed, drafted and con-
structed made-to-measure garments for private clients. It
was through this experience that she was able to study a
multitude of body types and to master the art of creating
proportion and line illusions in dress. The endeavor in-
fluenced Janet's incisive understanding of the elements
and principles of design and provided the framework for
developing the concepts she introduced in "Elements of Art
in Fashion", her first book.
Concurrent with her design business, Janet taught pat- tern drafting and design classes through a private firm. There, she self-published and sold books on the subject to her students. This compelled her to pursue teaching more rigorously. By the late 80's, Janet had taught for two com- munity college districts and two fashion trade schools. Her well-rounded career in retail, merchandising, buying, sales, marketing, sewing, and clothing design was aptly suited for being a fashion instructor and led to a 17-year profession. She continued to work in the field bringing relevant experi- ence into her classroom lectures and project assignments.
Discouraged by the textbook offerings for her courses, Janet stopped using an outside text and exclusively lectured from her own handouts. This led to the publishing of her first two textbooks. Teaching with her own course books allowed her to develop, refine, and clarify the material. In just over a decade, she had progressed the content to a detailed, comprehensive level. The books encompassed all she wanted to say regarding the design, promotion, and commercialism of fashion - and how the industry's subfields
Concurrent with her design business, Janet taught pat- tern drafting and design classes through a private firm. There, she self-published and sold books on the subject to her students. This compelled her to pursue teaching more rigorously. By the late 80's, Janet had taught for two com- munity college districts and two fashion trade schools. Her well-rounded career in retail, merchandising, buying, sales, marketing, sewing, and clothing design was aptly suited for being a fashion instructor and led to a 17-year profession. She continued to work in the field bringing relevant experi- ence into her classroom lectures and project assignments.
Discouraged by the textbook offerings for her courses, Janet stopped using an outside text and exclusively lectured from her own handouts. This led to the publishing of her first two textbooks. Teaching with her own course books allowed her to develop, refine, and clarify the material. In just over a decade, she had progressed the content to a detailed, comprehensive level. The books encompassed all she wanted to say regarding the design, promotion, and commercialism of fashion - and how the industry's subfields
work together harmoniously.
By 2001, restlessness was churning once again. She wanted to begin a third title about the history of fashion and she could no longer ignore a yearning desire to reach others beyond the confines of her classroom. So she relinquished her teaching post and redirected her career to pursue writing full time. As "The Evolution of Fashion" developed, it became a series collection itself and the final installment in her fashion education series.
The next chapter in her career began in 2006 when by a chance crossing of paths, she met a programmer who encouraged her to explore a new developing styling language called CSS. She was immediately sold on the idea for the ability to incorporate video, detailed fullscreen examples of designs, and a limitless usage of color. And she could update the material at will to reflect the changing fashion environment. A textbook on fashion that's always current. "Hmmm", she thought, "Now that's a good idea". So she set out to create a modernized version of "The Fashion Industry" and thereafter employed the digital format for all titles in her fashion education collection.
It has been a robust and multifaceted career that spans over four decades and five cycles of fashion. As she enters the golden years of her career, Janet's three-volume fashion education series reflects a half century of consistent engagement in a subject she loves and knows very well. The collection is a work of mastery, wisdom, and love denoting the pinnacle of her knowledge, cultural perceptions, and experiences. And yet the books are not yet finished for fashion today is history by tomorrow.
By 2001, restlessness was churning once again. She wanted to begin a third title about the history of fashion and she could no longer ignore a yearning desire to reach others beyond the confines of her classroom. So she relinquished her teaching post and redirected her career to pursue writing full time. As "The Evolution of Fashion" developed, it became a series collection itself and the final installment in her fashion education series.
The next chapter in her career began in 2006 when by a chance crossing of paths, she met a programmer who encouraged her to explore a new developing styling language called CSS. She was immediately sold on the idea for the ability to incorporate video, detailed fullscreen examples of designs, and a limitless usage of color. And she could update the material at will to reflect the changing fashion environment. A textbook on fashion that's always current. "Hmmm", she thought, "Now that's a good idea". So she set out to create a modernized version of "The Fashion Industry" and thereafter employed the digital format for all titles in her fashion education collection.
It has been a robust and multifaceted career that spans over four decades and five cycles of fashion. As she enters the golden years of her career, Janet's three-volume fashion education series reflects a half century of consistent engagement in a subject she loves and knows very well. The collection is a work of mastery, wisdom, and love denoting the pinnacle of her knowledge, cultural perceptions, and experiences. And yet the books are not yet finished for fashion today is history by tomorrow.
Janet's approach to higher education has
always been quite different as she both em-
braces and challenges its traditions. While she
believes there are multiple paths to an end
goal, she firmly adheres to the essentiality of a
sound, structured foundation. And from that
foundation, she will demand your participation
in the assimilation of the subject matter - to use
it in a way that is your own - because without a
purpose, information has no value.
She will guide you to see, understand, and apply topics to things you can relate to, to the people and events around you, to real-life situations. In this, the information has personal meaning. And without a doubt, she will touch a chord with you. In fact, there will be times when you think she is speaking only to you.
As you are mentored and tutored, it is with an authority that imparts collective knowledge gained through decades of field and classroom experiences. At the same time, she has moved and evolved with the times. In this, you truly benefit from her teachings as the information reflects wisdom yet is always relevant. And unlike the formality of educational textbooks, you will enjoy the warm undertones of Janet's writing style. The information is structured yet interesting and enjoyably pleasant to read. She makes learning fun - just the way it should be.
Her unbounded enthusiasm for fashion is ir- resistible and catching. You can feel it through her words as well as in her devotion to share her knowledge with others. It's a benefaction that results from one who sincerely loves to teach. Over the years she has reached many, inspiring them to visualize, explore and pursue their dreams. She will excite you, engage you, challenge you, and motivate you as she guides you through the exciting world of fashion!
She will guide you to see, understand, and apply topics to things you can relate to, to the people and events around you, to real-life situations. In this, the information has personal meaning. And without a doubt, she will touch a chord with you. In fact, there will be times when you think she is speaking only to you.
As you are mentored and tutored, it is with an authority that imparts collective knowledge gained through decades of field and classroom experiences. At the same time, she has moved and evolved with the times. In this, you truly benefit from her teachings as the information reflects wisdom yet is always relevant. And unlike the formality of educational textbooks, you will enjoy the warm undertones of Janet's writing style. The information is structured yet interesting and enjoyably pleasant to read. She makes learning fun - just the way it should be.
Her unbounded enthusiasm for fashion is ir- resistible and catching. You can feel it through her words as well as in her devotion to share her knowledge with others. It's a benefaction that results from one who sincerely loves to teach. Over the years she has reached many, inspiring them to visualize, explore and pursue their dreams. She will excite you, engage you, challenge you, and motivate you as she guides you through the exciting world of fashion!