Black Dress Case Study

The client needs a black dress for an upcoming Benefit event. In a previous meeting with the client, Mrs. Starnes requested to emphasize her legs and hide the stomach area while also keeping the garment at a low price. The group went to three different retailers to search for a black dress that complied with the client’s request for the upcoming Benefit. The group visited a department store, a specialty store, and a discount store, and was able to pull a dress from each store that adhered to the client’s guidelines.

The first store the group visited was Belk. The well-known department store is operating more than three hundred stores in sixteen states. Thomas Belk Sr., the original store owner reported that, “Each Belk store is unique by catering to the community and the personality of the people there, unlike JC Penney or Sears, which tend to be the same everywhere.” Belk stores offer customers services including gift wrapping, alterations, and a Belk Rewards credit card that earns a customer one point per one dollar spent, or charged, on the card.

The group chose a black dress with an A-line silhouette along with sheer bell sleeves. The MSK dress was constructed of 96% polyester, 4% spandex, and the sleeves were 100% polyester. The black dress can be easily

Other than these issues, the dress was made of great quality and received the highest score of a ninety-five on the group’s analysis of the three different stores’ apparel. Although this was the highest quality for the group’s analysis, the group did not choose this dress for the client to purchase. The dress was out of the client’s price range by approximately $30. The product must be hand washed in cold water and laid flat to dry with no ringing or twisting. A cool iron may be used if needed. As a result, purchasing the garment would entail additional time to properly care for the garment, though is less time consuming than utilizing a dry-cleaning