How To Display Clothes For Sale Online

When you are starting an online clothing business, it is important to make sure that your items are well-displayed to potential buyers.

You want to make sure that the clothes are easy to see and that the buyer can get a good idea of what the item looks like on a person. In this article, we will discuss some tips on how to display your clothes for sale online.

Live Models

If you have friends, family, or have the budget to hire models, taking pictures of the clothing items on actual people can be a great option. When using live models, you would take the picture of the clothes on a person and then take another picture of just the clothing item. This way, your customer can see what it looks like when worn.

Live models can also be used to show how certain outfits look together. If you have two or three pieces that go well together, this is a good opportunity to display them next to each other.

If you plan on taking these types if “outfit” type images, you want to make sure that they coordinate well and don’t clash with one another because even though the buyer cannot physically see this for themselves, it’s important that their eyes will not hurt once they view your site.

People love to see what clothing items look on people rather than just on a mannequin or hanging up. Furthermore, if you can take the pictures on various models, more people will be able to see what the clothes look like on people with similar physiques to themselves.

If you do much online shopping, you will notice that most professional companies use live models, that is because it is one of the best ways to display clothing online.

So how do you photograph live models? When you are shooting clothes on a live model, you want the customer to see themselves in the clothes. This means you do not want the model to pose in any way that appears unnatural.

Having your model pose as if they are walking or with a hand in their pocket are great posing options. Additionally, when you are photographing a clothing item on a live model, you are not just capturing the one-piece, but rather an entire outfit.

Plan out outfits with everything from shirts to shoes to accessories beforehand, and make sure each outfit is something the person buying the clothing item would wear. If they do not like the outfit, they probably will not like the item you are trying to sell.

Mannequins

Another great option is to photograph the clothing items on a mannequin if you do not have access to live models. Posing mannequins can be purchased on many sites or even at discount stores.

It is important to find a posing mannequin that has the same body type as your ideal customer. For example, if you are trying to sell clothing items for plus-sized men, make sure your model is plus-sized and use this size of mannequin when photographing the clothes on it.

Above all else, do not pose the mannequin in an unnatural way. Do not have him/her holding his/her arms up in weird positions or bending his/her legs in an awkward fashion.

Make sure he/she looks relaxed but still shows off the item being sold. To display certain types of clothing items, you may want posing mannequins can be used to display many types of clothing items, not just shirts or pants.

Shirts can be displayed on top of the mannequin; however, since the shirt is round, you want to make sure it does not look like its blowing in the wind or that it appears like it is coming off the model.

Shoes and accessories are also great items to put on a posing mannequin because they help show off an outfit more than if they were by themselves

The same concept goes for using the mannequin with accessories as well. You want to make sure that when photographing them together, they do not appear awkward but rather they look like they belong together.

Photographs taken on mannequins give the clothing items depth without working with and scheduling your shoots around another person.

There are several kinds of mannequins you can use. If you are photographing a shirt or a dress, you can buy a mannequin torso, but you will want a mannequin with legs if you are photographing pants.

You also need to be sure that you buy a mannequin meant for the sizes you are trying to sell. Here are some links to various mannequins you can buy, but of course, other mannequins will work:

• Full Body Mannequins
• Torso Mannequins
• Leg Mannequins
• Adjustable Sizing Mannequins
• Kids Mannequins
• Mens Mannequins
• Women Mannequins
• Shoe Mannequins

If you are putting a dress or shirt on a torso mannequin, you can take a photo of the one clothing item, but if you are using a full-body mannequin, you should still style a whole outfit, just like on a live model.

The majority of the time, you do not want a half-undressed mannequin in your photo.

Hanging Up

If you do not have access to live models or mannequins, you can photograph your clothing hanging up. All you need for this is some hangers, but there are still some things you need to keep in mind.

To begin, do not put the clothing item on a bed, a table, or the ground. Hang it up using a hook or some other means of suspension. When you lay a piece of clothing on a surface, it flattens out and loses depth and movement.

Even if it lacks as much depth and motion as before when hung up, hanging

Next, if possible, you want to get white, clear, or even black hangers to use. You do not want your customers to look at the hanger rather than the clothing, so try to keep it as minimalistic as possible.

Some people even get technical and edit the hanger out of their photos later.

Shoes And Accessories

If you have mannequins or live models, use those for shoes and accessories, but if not, you can still take great photos.

For shoes, you want to photograph them sitting up as if someone’s foot is in them. A lot of shoes will do this themselves, but if the shoe tends to flop over or collapse in, you can put a pool noodle or paper towel roll inside it to force it to stay propped up.

Pool noodles work exceptionally well to hold up boots. There are also forms you can purchase to hold up the shoes for you.

For accessories, you can just lay these flat on your background. Lighting is critical with accessories. If you are photographing shiny jewelry, you do not want the light reflecting off the jewelry and creating glares.

You also do not want a lot of shadows making the items appear dull. Most of the time, lighting up high over the accessory works best.

Backgrounds

Just like you should use plain hangers, you want your background to be plain.

You do not want the background to draw more attention than the product you are selling. Most of the time, a plain white background is the best option to use.

You can order a white backdrop online (links below), or you can use a white wall or ironed white sheet for a cheaper, at-home option.

If you are photographing a white product that blends in too much with the background, you can get a gray or black backdrop to photograph the item on.

Take Lots Of Photos

No matter what method you are using to take your photos, you want to take lots. You want to take all sides and angles.

Furthermore, you should include pictures of any labels, beautiful detailing, and flaws. Flaws may not add to the price point of your clothing, but including them helps your customers know what to expect and improves your reputation.

If it gets out that you are selling clothes with flaws and not publicizing them, it can turn away lots of customers.

Finally, include images of size charts (most companies have ones you can download online.) Having all the information and lots of photographs included can help customers feel safe buying your product.