Q. My workplace outlaws Capri pants but not cropped.
A. Although I don't see much difference in them, I found this article that explains the "differences"....
By Becky Cairns
Standard-Examiner staff
bcairns@standard.net
Put on your fashion caps, folks, and answer this puzzler: What is the difference between capri pants and crop pants?
a. Capris are always black; crops are always khaki
b. Capris are loose and baggy; crops are skintight
c. Capris have cuffs; crops do not
d. Capris and crops are both shorter than regular pants.
You're not a fashion dunce if you didn't answer "D," although exactly how much shorter these pants are is up for discussion.
Capris generally hit just below the knee or at midcalf; crops fall about three-fourths of the way down the calf or near the ankle.
More specifically, capris are around 19 to 21 inches long and crops 24 to 25 inches long, says Leanne Furman, a spokeswoman for Mervyn's in Hayward, Calif.
"The terms crops and capris are almost used interchangeably," Furman said in a phone interview.
Cynthia Nellis, a fashion writer for the about.com Web site, agrees, explaining, "Crops, in my definition, are longer; capris, in my version, are shorter."
However, the term "crop" is also a catch-all phrase that describes all sorts of shorter pants, be they pedal pushers, floods, clamdiggers or high waters, Nellis said in a phone interview from Dallas.
As with fashion sizing, there is no standardization of these terms, Nellis says. One company's capris may well be another company's crops.
Capris were introduced in the 1950s by designer Emilio Pucci at a boutique on the island of Capri, off the coast of Italy.
By the '60s, the short, slim-fitting pants were catching the eye of fashionable folk like Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Kennedy and Mary Tyler Moore.
Both capris and crops -- a more recent innovation -- have become popular in the last three to six years, in part as an alternative to shorts, Furman says.
Pants of all types are popular nowadays, Furman says, and shorts, which "don't hide as much as some people might like," are in a downswing.
Nellis says capris and crops allow women to "show off a little bit of leg," and it's generally a flattering part of the leg -- the lower calf and ankle.
Although crops and capris used to be primarily casual wear, they can be dressed up for career fashions, too.
Crop pants teamed with a sweater-set top and low-heeled shoes could go to the office for casual dress day. Or a trendy look this fall will be tweed-like crops with coordinating jackets, Furman says.
Crops and capris can be worn by all ages and sizes of folks, Nellis says. The pants aren't strictly for women, either. Some designers make shorter-length pants for men. Nellis says that's fun because "men don't get a lot of variation in their styles."
The short pants are as versatile as jeans, Nellis says, because they can be worn with all types of tops, from T-shirts to camisoles.
how much to open a sneaker store?
Q.
A. Below given steps will help you.
1. Review shoe trade magazines or websites, such as Women's Wear Daily for the latest footwear news (see Resources). This will help you identify your niche. While Nike, Reebok and ASICS are popular sneakers, you might be better off selling fashion sneakers such as those made by Sketchers, Diesel, Camper or Puma. In that case, instead of having athletic-themed accessories, you should consider more fashionable accessories, such as wallets, messenger bags, bracelets, watches and sunglasses. Consider incorporating a nightclub theme, particularly if your store will be located within a mall. Visit Alibaba.com and Sneakerfreaker.com, for insider news for shoe sellers.
2. Determine how much room you will need for your store. For a specialty sneaker store in a mall, you may need at least 1000 square feet, including your back room and office. Your back room needs to be large enough to accommodate your inventory and may be as big as the show room. Your show room should offer plenty of benches for customers to sit at while trying on shoes, as well as full length and short mirrors and two or three display tables. For a small store, you should have at least two cash registers. Larger sneaker stores may have as many as eight. If you intend to open a store in a shopping center or as a stand alone sneaker store, it should be at least 1500 square feet. Contact mall management about vacancies fitting your needs. Also, frequent strip malls and shopping centers for vacancies. Other amenities you may need include phone jacks for your registers, a break room, water fountains and bathrooms.
3. Purchase your store front supplies. To stand apart, consider purchasing trendy versions of your supplies, such as colored mannequins, funky chandeliers and cool lighting. If you can't find colored mannequins, purchase a traditional mannequin and spray paint it. For cool lighting, visit Lamplust.com; for shelving, mannequins, mirrors and other fixtures.
4. Purchase your must-have supplies such as shopping baskets, display cases, exit signs, shelving, racks, shoe mirrors, shoes store bags, shoe and leg mannequins, inserts, shoe sizers, footlets, shoe fitting stools or benches and any specialty gear. For custom packing supplies, visit Swalter.com; for measuring tools, visit Brannock.com. You will also need cleaning supplies, advertising signage, cash registers, receipt paper, schedule forms, bank deposit forms and gift wrapping materials (if offered). For cleaning supplies, shopping baskets, security systems and pricing tags.
5. Visit http://www.indiamart.com to purchase wholesale sneakers in some of the latest trends. For generic sneakers under $10 a pair.
6. Purchase insurance for fire, damage and theft, as well as liability and product insurance and worker's compensation insurance.
7. Set up a merchant account. Visit Merchants Account Express (see Resources) to set up an account so that you can begin accepting credit cards. Check out their tools that can help get you set up with the right equipment, such as your Point-of-Sale (POS) terminal, Quickbooks and other software to help you track and manage your inventory and payroll.
8. Train your employees to be fashionable, knowledgeable, professional and friendly. Make sure they understand how to measure feet. They should be skilled at recognizing what a customer might be interested in and able to make suggestions for pairing items.
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