Hanger Appeal

I very often sketch out styles that can never exist as I imagine them.  They defy gravity and the laws of physics sometimes, or maybe I just haven't found the right materials to make them exist.  But I still I find myself wanting to get as close to those ideas as possible, so I work with my pattern maker to make it happen.  Sometimes, things just look much better as a sketch, but sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised with the result, and other times I'm appalled by the way a sample looks when it's handed to me on the hanger.  

This happened to me yesterday.  I had a dress in mind which was heading toward disaster before it was ever cut and sewn.  First I couldn't track down the right fabrics, then the right zippers, and then I had to change the design slightly to make it work, etc.  So yesterday when I looked at this sample, my heart sank.  But maybe I'm too close to the designs.  I have the ideal in my head so when it doesn't look like my vision, I panic a little.  I took the sample home, and tried it on - its actually pretty cool- but even so, a garment has to have hanger appeal - or nobody will buy it.  This got me thinking from a marketing point of view.

I'm a designer and an avid shopper and I fall victim to hanger appeal regularly.  I know better, I know that sometimes clothing can never look as good on a hanger as it does on a person.  I do sometimes see something that looks bizarre and decide to try it on, just to give it a chance, and I would say about half the time what i've tried on is actually a great piece.  But what if it's not great?  What if it's just nice, or ok?  Chances are you wont buy something that's just ok, especially if its a more expensive piece.  Will a buyer for a store even pick up a style that doesn't look great on a hanger?  It happens sometimes, but more often than not those things are passed over at trade shows and never produced.  It got me thinking, we designers spend a fortune on samples to take to trade shows, many of which may never be made because they lack hanger appeal.  But how do we know that it wont work out?

For me, design is an instinct.  It's a curiosity to see if two fabrics will work well together, or if that fit line is flattering or not.  More often than not I'm satisfied with my decisions, even when they don't turn out how I had expected - sometimes they turn out even better than I could have imagined.  So what is the lesson?  Do I consider the hanger more when I start my initial sketches?  Or do I continue as I have on instinct and curiosity and hope for the best?  I should probably attempt to blend the two, but I have a feeling one will win over the other - I guess we'll see.