What are Look Books?

At fashion publications, look books are necessary for photo shoots, as editors do not always run to showrooms, and some clothes shown on the runway are not even in the showrooms. We get look books at the magazine I edit, of FUTURE products; this way we can get what we want to shoot first.

I dislike the fact that it’s becoming all about presentation, but it is. Look books are just another layer of work (they pile up on my desk and get thrown out after the shoot), but the fashion media is very powerful; you have to come to them now.

The first time I attended Magic & Children’s Club I went with a buyer/owner of a boutique. I of course asked questions about everything that night at the hotel & collected all the material she didn’t need. I found that most companies (usually larger ones but some DEs as well) provided both line sheets and a look book of the current season. The line sheets used flat drawings or pictures of the clothes flat on a surface with all of the detail that Kathleen suggests in the book. These were usually regular sheets of color-copied paper stapled in one corner. The look books were given less frequently and were much more expensively done-glossy, heavy paper, beautiful graphics, etc. They almost always had clothed models and seemed to promote the brand and style of the company or collection. The buyer I was with said they both are helpful when choosing new lines or adding a new style in the store. The line sheets gave the information she needed to make a decision on buying and fitting things in her budget while the look books gave her a feel of what market the company is targeting and how the clothes actually look on people. I noticed too that for the big shows some buyers will look around (if looking for something new), get material from lines they may be interested in, and in the lounge or at the hotel sift through everything and make decisions on who to visit the next day. Now you cannot take pictures so these materials and any notes you write are all you have to remember the clothes. These shows have soooo many booths it’s amazing that anyone can remember anything. I was astounded by the difference between some of the materials (look books) & the actual clothing in the booths. Some companies had great collections in person but on paper their photos were too dark or the clothes didn’t look good on the chosen models, the graphics overpowered the clothing, etc. On the other hand, there were companies who had blah products but the materials were so well done -great photography, color, simple, etc- that they got a visit the next day. The buyer also said if there was a company she really liked but she has exhausted her budget she will definitely keep the materials and check their site for future business.

In my inexperienced humble opinion, it seemed like a good idea for an unknown DE who doesn’t have a book full of appointments at a major trade show to have something informational & professional for buyers to leave the show with whether they buy anything or not. I saw some really smart creative ways of showing your clothes, brand & info on just one sheet or postcards.

One of the first things Kathleen says about tradeshows is to ‘walk’ them if you get a chance. I’m so grateful I followed this advice because the money was well spent. I learned sooo much (I won’t go into it because I know my post is already too long). I have collected a lot of material, maybe I can post some pictures of examples in another thread.

Kysha

Just found this site via The Switchboards and it seems to be a wealth of information.

I’m wondering if Look Books work. I’m part of a co-op of small Indie businesses and we’re doing a Look book that combines several businesses into one professional book. It’s divided by category so it’s easy to navigate. This is the second round (I missed the first one) and we got some good responses from several good sized magazines/programs. It’s costing quite a bit, but since there are quite a few of us we split the cost to make it more economical for each of us.

So do you think they work? Is it worth it for small Independent artists/businesses?

I cannot tell you how crucial my lookbook has been for my shoe and sandal line. I feel that it shows the buyer what image you are trying to project, which is a vital aspect of any company, fashion or otherwise. It shows personality and I can say with great confidence that it was the #1 driver for brand recognition upon my launch. I had buyers at my first show tell me they loved my book and came to find me because of it. Buyers are overwhelmed at shows, but if they saw your book and liked it, then see your name on a plaque at a show, they will stop in and they will buy. It makes you look like a real company rather than just having samples in a raw space. It is $ well spent. Design it yourself and print it with a local printer.

We are attending the Magic Show this month and have been asked by retailers to email our line sheet to them? my question is how much product should a list sheet have?

Hi I am a jewelry designer and wanted to know more about look books and how they should be presented to a buyer. I really do appreciate any info provided. take care of yourself. This has been very informative.

Hey, guys. Thank you so much for the information. I am a model, and recently got a job for look book, and was wondering what that was. This helped so much! Thanks, again!