Interview 1 - Shawna, at home
We just completed a 2-hr contextual interview with our first interviewee, Shawna, a 22 year old female here in Savannah. We met with her based upon the recommendation from a friend that she would be perfect for our demographic.
When we arrived, she welcomed us into her home, turned on some music, and was very open and talkative about her lifestyle, the items that she wears, and her thoughts.
We began the interview with a casual chat about her studies to establish rapport, and very quickly were able to move into the interview session. She granted us permission to photograph the session, as well as to use the images and her first name here on this site.
We chose not to audio record the interview for a couple of reasons: one, we have used this method in other situations where the environment would not allow recording because of noise or other factors, and found that thorough note taking enabled us to still record substantial information, including both direct observations and important quotes, and our interviewees were more comfortable speaking freely because there was no recorder. Additionally, with a focus on utilizing our own intuition on this project, a detailed transcription of the interview is unnecessary, and would probably actually distract from our internalized observations and instincts.
Shawna on…
-Her Style
“I feel like I have an eclectic style. I don’t like to follow trends, but I’ll pull certain things from them.” For instance, she observed that micro-mini skirts are in fashion now, but she chooses not to wear them because they are not right for her body type, and they would be uncomfortable to wear.
When we asked her if she dressed the same as her friends, she said, “No.” Period. Silence.
Her friends say that they have never seen her with the same outfit (or combination) twice.
-Getting ready
It takes her about 1hr and 15 min to get ready for her day, especially because blow-drying her hair takes “forever.” She showers, dries off, applies her makeup, picks out her outfit, and then gets dressed. She usually picks out clothes beforehand only if they are for a special occasion. She chooses her clothing before she chooses the accessories to wear with them.
“My car was like my closet for a while.”
Comfort plays a big factor in what she chooses to wear. When she makes her dressing decisions, she does so based upon where she will be going that day and the conditions there.
She often goes for a theme when dressing. For instance, a common color; “I’ll wear green earrings and green shoes.”
-Where she shops
Shawna shops “everywhere.” She mentioned a variety of places from the Salvation Army and Goodwill to Wet Seal, Express, and Victoria’s Secret at the Oglethorpe Mall to yard and estate sales.
She also often shops when she goes home to St. Louis, partially because she finds the shopping there better – the used-clothing stores are less picked over, and the stores are more what she wants.
-Going home to St. Louis
“I’ve been gone, and look at me now!” She will dress more fashionably, more uncomfortably, to impress the people she hasn’t seen in a while.
-Accessories
“Lately I’ve been really into bright colors.”
She brought her jewelry box out to the living room where we were talking. (She keeps it in the bathroom.)
Many of the items were purchased at an estate sale; she was really excited to tell us about the rows of tables with box after box of jewelry.
-Purchasing
Sometimes she will buy an item even if she doesn’t have anything to wear it with, and the longer it goes unworn, the more special it becomes and the more perfect the outfit has to be once she does wear it.
“I’m a bargain shopper. Fashion and bargains go hand-in-hand for me.” If she’s going to buy something very expensive, she’d better get her money’s worth from it. She often won’t buy expensive items because she figures it eventually has to go on sale.
-Brands
She would buy Dolce & Gabbana if she could afford it, and would wear their clothes if she lived in New York or St. Louis, but not in Savannah.
But lately she has purchased Hugh Boss because there were a couple of really great sales that came through Savannah. She just bought a $1000 suit for $150.
“Brand mattered when I was younger, but not now.”
-Portable technology
She always carries her cell phone, and sometimes her Polaroid camera, but that’s about it. The Polaroid doesn’t fit into her new, smaller purse though.
She does wish that she had a camera phone, “That would hit two birds with one stone.”
When we arrived, she welcomed us into her home, turned on some music, and was very open and talkative about her lifestyle, the items that she wears, and her thoughts.
We began the interview with a casual chat about her studies to establish rapport, and very quickly were able to move into the interview session. She granted us permission to photograph the session, as well as to use the images and her first name here on this site.
We chose not to audio record the interview for a couple of reasons: one, we have used this method in other situations where the environment would not allow recording because of noise or other factors, and found that thorough note taking enabled us to still record substantial information, including both direct observations and important quotes, and our interviewees were more comfortable speaking freely because there was no recorder. Additionally, with a focus on utilizing our own intuition on this project, a detailed transcription of the interview is unnecessary, and would probably actually distract from our internalized observations and instincts.
Shawna on…
-Her Style
“I feel like I have an eclectic style. I don’t like to follow trends, but I’ll pull certain things from them.” For instance, she observed that micro-mini skirts are in fashion now, but she chooses not to wear them because they are not right for her body type, and they would be uncomfortable to wear.
When we asked her if she dressed the same as her friends, she said, “No.” Period. Silence.
Her friends say that they have never seen her with the same outfit (or combination) twice.
-Getting ready
It takes her about 1hr and 15 min to get ready for her day, especially because blow-drying her hair takes “forever.” She showers, dries off, applies her makeup, picks out her outfit, and then gets dressed. She usually picks out clothes beforehand only if they are for a special occasion. She chooses her clothing before she chooses the accessories to wear with them.
“My car was like my closet for a while.”
Comfort plays a big factor in what she chooses to wear. When she makes her dressing decisions, she does so based upon where she will be going that day and the conditions there.
She often goes for a theme when dressing. For instance, a common color; “I’ll wear green earrings and green shoes.”
-Where she shops
Shawna shops “everywhere.” She mentioned a variety of places from the Salvation Army and Goodwill to Wet Seal, Express, and Victoria’s Secret at the Oglethorpe Mall to yard and estate sales.
She also often shops when she goes home to St. Louis, partially because she finds the shopping there better – the used-clothing stores are less picked over, and the stores are more what she wants.
-Going home to St. Louis
“I’ve been gone, and look at me now!” She will dress more fashionably, more uncomfortably, to impress the people she hasn’t seen in a while.
-Accessories
“Lately I’ve been really into bright colors.”
She brought her jewelry box out to the living room where we were talking. (She keeps it in the bathroom.)
Many of the items were purchased at an estate sale; she was really excited to tell us about the rows of tables with box after box of jewelry.
-Purchasing
Sometimes she will buy an item even if she doesn’t have anything to wear it with, and the longer it goes unworn, the more special it becomes and the more perfect the outfit has to be once she does wear it.
“I’m a bargain shopper. Fashion and bargains go hand-in-hand for me.” If she’s going to buy something very expensive, she’d better get her money’s worth from it. She often won’t buy expensive items because she figures it eventually has to go on sale.
-Brands
She would buy Dolce & Gabbana if she could afford it, and would wear their clothes if she lived in New York or St. Louis, but not in Savannah.
But lately she has purchased Hugh Boss because there were a couple of really great sales that came through Savannah. She just bought a $1000 suit for $150.
“Brand mattered when I was younger, but not now.”
-Portable technology
She always carries her cell phone, and sometimes her Polaroid camera, but that’s about it. The Polaroid doesn’t fit into her new, smaller purse though.
She does wish that she had a camera phone, “That would hit two birds with one stone.”
posted by Dana at 7:00 PM
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