Meet the Author - Janet Reed

Janet Reed brings her love for fashion and over 40 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, store management, display, and retail merchandising. Eager to learn, she advanced quick- ly. 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. It has been a robust multifaceted career that spans over four decades of

fashion. Through her field experiences and participation in multiple cycles of fashion, Janet developed an adept ability to interpret social patterns and trends. You will cultivate your own skills and insight using her tools.

In 1985, Janet's entrepreneurial spirit encouraged her to pursue self-employment. With 18 years of tailoring experi- ence and self-taught knowledge of pattern making, she de- signed, drafted and constructed 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.

She used her craftsmanship to design an aesthetically pleasing look for her client that simultaneously conveyed the outward image desired for the event or occasion. This experience influenced Janet's incisive understanding of the elements and principles of design and provided the frame- work for developing the concepts she introduced in Vol. II: Elements of Art in Fashion.

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 merchandising, buying, marketing, and design was aptly suited to becoming a fashion instruc- tor and led to a 17-year profession.

In retrospect, teaching provided the necessary platform

for her to develop, refine, and clarify her material which initially began as supplemental handouts. By the early 90's, she had become increasingly discouraged by the textbook offerings for her courses and stopped using an outside text all together, exclusively lecturing from her own handouts.

This led to the publishing of her first two books which were adopted as required texts. By 2001, restlessness was beginning to set in 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.

The next chapter in her career began with an opportune crossing of paths with a programmer who encouraged her to explore a new developing styling language called CSS. After looking at only a handful of websites using the methodology, she was sold on the idea. She envisioned the freedom to use color limitlessly and to add video, sound, and other interactive features characteristic of the Internet.

And the material could be readily updated 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 became a student again and set out to create a new version of her books. The launch of Fashion Mer- chandising Online marked a culmination of her career experiences and aspirations.

Janet's imagination and love of fashion continue. Stay tuned and evolve with her in the celebration of fashion!

A devotion to teach that resonates

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!