RYERSON’UNIVERSITY’•’SCHOOL’OF’FASHION’•’COURSE’OUTLINE’ 1″
Wardrobe Assignment Guidelines
Overview
Wardrobes are more than physical storage systems for clothing. They can tell personal histories, express
identities, embody consumer practices, and be analyzed as complex systems of meaning. This
assignment aims to introduce you to methods of researching and analyzing fashion through the study of
an individual’s wardrobe. This wardrobe must be owned by someone who belongs to one or more
different identity categories from you; these categories include someone who is a different gender,
sexuality, race/culture, generational cohort, disability, and/or size (i.e., straight size or plus size). The
individual must have given you permission to write about their wardrobe and photograph it.
Due Date: Week 10—Wednesday March 26th at the beginning of class
The assignment is worth 40% of the final course mark
Requirements
There are four components to this assignment. Please use subheadings to clearly identify each part
The four components of the assignment are:
1. A 2-page close reading of a garment or accessory. Include a clear photograph of the
object that you are describing. This is to be written in essay form (Intro, Body,
Conclusion)
10%
2. A 4-page critical analysis of the wardrobe to which this garment or accessory
belongs. Include a clear photograph or photographs of the wardrobe and/or place(s)
where the clothing is stored. This is to be written in essay form.
15%
3. A 1-2 page inventory of the wardrobe in graph form. Divide garment types and
their origins into percentages. Include a paragraph explaining your findings.
5%
4. A 2-page annotated bibliography in APA format that consists of at least 4 annotated
academic print sources and summarizes the most important sources for your
research. Images and a Reference page (APA) should follow the annotated
bibliography (they do not count in the total number of pages).
10%
Assignment Length
The first four parts of this assignment should be 9-10 pages in total (excluding title page). You may use
additional pages at the end for the Illustrations and References pages. Over-length assignments will
not be read and marks will be deducted for under-length assignments.
Detailed Summary of Parts 1-4
PART I—Introduction and Close Reading
Select one garment or accessory from the wardrobe that you will be working on. Use the method of
“reading” objects suggested by Valerie Steele in her article “A Museum of Fashion is More than a
Clothes-Bag” (PDF available under assignments). Follow the three steps proposed by Steele:
RYERSON’UNIVERSITY’•’SCHOOL’OF’FASHION’•’COURSE’OUTLINE’ 2″
1. Description
2. Deduction
3. Speculation
Conduct additional research into the particular type of garment or accessory. Academic fields from
which you might find this information include history, gender studies and marketing. You must consult
at least 2 academic books and/or journals for this section. Steele’s article can be one of these sources.
PART 2—Critical Analysis and Conclusion
Conduct an interview with the owner of the wardrobe about their relationship to and/or understanding
of their clothing and accessories. Analyze one societal or psychological issue raised in the interview in
this section. This could be an exploration of gender, sexuality or body image etc. It could also be an
exploration of branding, sustainability or consumer culture etc. Also explain how the garment/accessory
from the close reading fits within this theme as well as the overall wardrobe. Is it typical? Unusual?
You should use quotations from your interview to help support your argument. In addition, consult at
least 2 academic books and/or periodicals for this section of the assignment.
PART 3—Wardrobe Inventory
Statistically summarize the wardrobe by category. Use pie charts or graphs to illustrate this analysis. I
also recommend using the statistical information from this section in your analysis of Part 1 and Part 2
to support your arguments. There should be at least 2 aspects to the wardrobe inventory:
1. How many of each garment type is in your wardrobe? Garment categories can include shirts,
jeans, socks, etc. You can select the category types, but be as thorough as possible. You can
estimate the underwear!
2. How were the garments acquired and what percentage was acquired in each way? Specifically,
were garments purchased new or used; were they borrowed or gifted; or did owner create them?
Feel free to add additional categories where relevant.
PART 4—Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a list of selected sources on a particular subject. After each source is
referenced, a brief summary of the source is provided. Annotated bibliographies are created is to help
researchers remember the most important topics/arguments from a source as well as to help other
researchers select the most useful sources for their research.
Each reference in your annotated bibliography must contain:
1. Full referencing of the selected source using APA style.
2. A short annotation paragraph (5-10 sentences). This includes a summary of the key
content/topics, a description of its format and style, and a critical evaluation of its relevance and
value to your own project.
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You must include a minimum of four sources (maximum of 6) from the following two categories in the
following order (use subheadings please):
1. Two academic books: books published by a university (e.g., Yale University Press) or
academic trade press (e.g., Berg Publishers). The course textbook, any other textbook or
reference works (i.e., encyclopedia, dictionaries) do not count.
2. Two peer-reviewed academic journal articles: search reputable academic journals in fashion
(e.g., Fashion Theory, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Journal of Fashion Marketing
and Management). Use the Ryerson Library electronic journal database to locate these journals
and then find specific articles on your topic. Newspaper or magazine articles do not count for
this section.
APA Style
The items in your bibliography must follow the APA style of citations. The rules for this style are found
in the study guide listed below. APA is the preferred form of referencing in the social sciences.
Style Guide
*The following guide can be found at the Ryerson library (see call numbers below). They can also be
purchased at most university and/or scholarly bookstores if you would like your own copy. This guide
does not have to be read in its entirety; rather it should be used as a resource for the successful
formatting of your paper (citation of research, formatting of paper and bibliography, placement of any
additional visual materials, etc.)
Concise rules of APA style (6th ed.). (2009). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Reference (2nd Floor) BF76.7 C66 2010
You can also go online for a condensed version: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Formatting Guidelines
Include page numbers for the entire project. The assignment should be in 12-point Times New Roman
font with 1-inch margins. Close Reading and Critical Analysis (pages 2-7) should be double-spaced.
Inventory, Annotated Bibliography and Final Pages single-spaced. Papers should be stapled together.
Do not use folders.
Page 1: Title page with your name, my name, student class I.D. number, student number, course,
assignment title. Give the assignment your own title.
Page 2: Full paragraph Introduction and 1st page of Close Reading.
Page 3: Close Reading page 2.
Pages 4-7: Critical Analysis and formal Conclusion.
Page 8-9: Wardrobe Inventory (this may include graphs, bullet points and be single-spaced).
Page 10-11: Annotated Bibliography entries.
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Final Pages:
A. Figures: These are clear photographs of the selected garment or accessory (and details of it if
desired) as well as the overall wardrobe. The images should appear in the order that they are
referred to in the first two sections. You may include relevant additional images provided you
refer to them in the essay. Each photograph should be numbered and have a caption explaining
it.
B. References: Include all sources consulted for your assignment in alphabetical order by author
and in APA format (see guidelines for References on Owl Purdue website).
Assessment
You will be evaluated based on:
• Thoroughness of your object analysis.
• Relevance of the approach that you take to your critical analysis.
• Originality and depth of your research.
• Coherence of your argument.
• Content and form of the assignment.
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THROUGH THE WARDROBE ASSIGNMENT MARKSHEET
Include this mark sheet loose with your final assignment (slide in the body of the essay)
FSN 223 – Introduction to Theory and Concepts – Dr. Ben Barry
STUDENT NAME:
STUDENT CLASS I.D. #:
STUDENT I.D. #:
TITLE:
Age and
Gender
of
Wardrobe
Owner:
INTRODUCTION AND CLOSE READING (2 pages)
! Clear introduction that describes the wardrobe and its owner (age, race/culture, size, profession
etc.) and introduces your overall approach to the themes raised by your close reading and
critical analysis.
! Close reading according to the method of description, deduction, and speculation.
! At least 2 academic sources correctly referenced in APA format in the body of the close reading
and in the References page at the end of the paper.
! Image(s) of object with figure numbers in-text and reproduced with detailed captions in
Illustrations at the end of the paper.
/10
CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION (4 pages)
! A clear theme raised by the contents and/or storage of the wardrobe.
! Evidence of your interview with the owner of the wardrobe in order to determine the subjective
meaning of the wardrobe for its owner. Interview information may be directly quoted or
paraphrased and must be referenced in APA format both in the body of the essay and in the
References page.
! At least 2 academic sources correctly referenced in APA format in the body of the critical
analysis and in References page at the end of the paper.
! An insightful conclusion that relates the close reading object back to the overall theme.
/>! Images of the wardrobe and supplemental material with figure numbers in-text. These should be
reproduced with figure numbers and detailed captions in the Illustrations at the end of the paper.
! Last page of the assignment should be the References page in APA format. It should have an
alphabetical list of all of the sources and interview information that you have conducted in your
research for this assignment.
/15
WARDROBE INVENTORY and PRESENTATION (1-2 pages)
! An inventory clearly illustrated with a minimum of 2 graphs (colour preferred) to visually
convey the garment types and how garments were acquired.
! A 5-10 sentence paragraph summarizing the findings from your inventory.
/5
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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY (2 pages)
! 1. Academic book
– Citation /.5
– Annotation /2
! 2. Academic book
– Citation /.5
– Annotation /2
! 3. Academic Periodical Article
– Citation /.5
– Annotation /2
! 4. Academic Periodical Article
– Citation /.5
– Annotation /2
! Potential Bonus Mark for up to Two Additional Sources
/1
/10
OVERALL COMMENTS AND TOTAL MARK
/40
