Clothing is influenced by many factors, trends, and social happenings. Much of what is worn today had utilitarian roots in the past. In the activitiy presented in this article, students will have the opportunity to redesign clothing for new trends, in this case, the explosion of handheld electronic devices.

Investigated the clothing preferences and problems of older women, using personal interviews. Presents results of preferred styles in detail. Discusses implications of the research for gerontologists in higher education and for the American clothing industry. (RC)

This study investigated consumers' valuation of clothing on the basis of aesthetic and utilitarian qualities. Findings indicated that subjects were willing to pay the most for high aesthetic items regardless of utility and the least for low aesthetic, low utility items. (JB)