VISUALS

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

I am proud to say that my internship really did allow me to achieve my goals and learn about many aspects of what it takes to run a small boutique. My greatest accomplishment from my internship involves what I have learned about visual merchandising. Once per week, I have to change the window display during my shift. With the guidance of my advisor, I have developed a strategy for updating this display. I first analyze the new merchandise in the store to decide what color scheme would reflect the season, trends, and new arrivals that are featured in the store. For example, during the end of summer when Lynne bought new merchandise for autumn, the store received clothing in maroon and burgundy, olive green, mustard yellow, and burnt orange. I choose one or two of these colors, along with a neutral color such as tan, gray, black, or white, and begin pulling out the new clothing in these colors and putting outfits together. I typically like to show an assortment of outfits, varying in how dressy or casual they are. Next, I put these outfits on the mannequins and begin accessorizing them with scarves, necklaces, sunglasses, and shoes. Finally, I thoughtfully layout merchandise on the floor the window to make the display more interesting. In order to obtain quick feedback from Lynne, I take several pictures of the displays, being sure to capture every detail of the window.