The fashion industry can seem to be obsessed with youth, but the need for attractive, functional apparel is ageless. A West Virginia University professor has done extensive research on the subject, and she contributed a chapter to a text that has received a prestigious award.

Nora MacDonald, professor of fashion design and merchandising in the WVU Davis College’s Division of Design and Merchandising, is one of the authors of Berg Publishing’s 10-volume Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion, which received the Dartmouth Medal for Outstanding Reference from the American Library Association.

Established in 1974, the Dartmouth Medal honors “the creation of a reference work of outstanding quality and significance.” The ALA announced the honor at its recent Midwinter Meeting in San Diego.

According to MacDonald, clothing serves as a source of ego-support, self-image enhancement, social acceptability, and personality expression throughout a person’s life.

“Problems occur, however, when appropriate clothing is not available or marketed to segments of the population, particularly older persons and those with a disability,” she explained.

Design problems may relate to the fit, cut, function, and appropriateness of the items, while marketing problems may relate to communicating the products to the consumer, particularly in a society with an increasing life expectancy.

MacDonald’s chapter, titled “Aging,” addresses marketing, evolving physiology, special needs tied to aging, styling, and a range of other related issues.

“As the population ages, the challenge is to seek readily available clothing that is both fashionable and functional for people of all ages and abilities in a socially responsible and sustainable environment,” MacDonald said.

-WVU-

dw/01/26/11

CONTACT: University Relations/News
304-293-6997

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.