out with the old

I will be moving in about 2 months and will be sharing closets that I am sure will be much smaller than what I’m used to. I have been blessed (and cursed) with an absurd amount of closet space for most of my life. A few times a year, usually coinciding with a seasonal closet switch, I cleanse and purge my wardrobe. I truly subscribe to the belief that if you haven’t worn something in four seasons, it needs to go – unless it’s timeless formal attire or a pair of pants that the loss of 5 vanity pounds would render wearable once again.  So, in this slow process of rediscovering my warm weather wear, I will also be reassessing the necessity of everything I own.

I think a lot of my past clothing/shoe purchases have been compulsive and unrealistic: a top that will only go with one skirt, a skirt that I will rarely ever wear, and the shoes that will only go with this one outfit, and the bag that only goes with those shoes… and it all sits in a closet, waiting for that perfect moment where this perfect outfit will be appropriate. Then when that moment comes, I forget about said outfit and always gravitate towards what I’m most comfortable in anyhow. Then, the outfit is no longer current after a while and I have these outdated pieces taking up closet space. A lot of these purchases were made to try out a new style, to fit in with a trend that I never felt truly comfortable in, to live in a fantasy world where I pretend I am the type of woman who likes frilly things. This has to stop.

Last week, I got rid of over 30 pairs of impractical shoes and donated them to Goodwill. I filled my trunk with shoes alone. This is ridiculous. All that money down the drain. Unfortunately eBay would’ve been an enormous waste of time. Prices for shoes have dropped significantly and shipping costs have risen so, If I sold one pair of used shoes at $5 + $6 shipping + the time involved in taking and uploading pictures and filling out the description + packing the shoes up + taking them to post office and waiting in line (if they even sold) + subtracting the eBay and PayPal fees - it all seemed utterly pointless to me. I still feel good in knowing that they are going to a good cause but I am more frustrated with my own bad habits of compulsive purchases of things that don’t stand the test of time or go with the majority of my current wardrobe or were simply on sale. If I could only have all that money back right now…

So, I now vow to make more careful purchases – classic items that reflect my personality but also don’t ride on the edge of short-lived trends – quality over quantity – rooted in the reality of my real life – and resisting the seduction of a sale when I don’t really need something.

I haven’t even begun to tackle my clothing. My god.

April 6, 2009. Tags: , , , , . fashion. 4 comments.

read a book!

This summer, I had the sincere pleasure of taking one of the most challenging classes I had ever enrolled in. I don’t know why I even signed up. It wasn’t a requirement. I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment but, International Political Economy sounded like a swell subject. I’m a nerd at heart. I love the McLaughlin Group on PBS as well as all their other news shows. I was raised around hot-tempered politically-minded folk and I can debate my way through any point of view.

Well, this was an online course. We were told to read a book each week and write a lengthy paper supporting our own thesis which either agreed or disagreed with a certain point of view held by the author. We also had to participate in heated discussions online. The professor was, for the most part, absent yet very harsh in his criticisms when he managed to be back from some economic journey to Russia. I got an A and I learned more than I ever have in one class, other than Physiological Psych.

These were my favorite books out of the class and I recommend anyone interested in the fashion industry to read these to have a broader idea of what is going on in the world and how manufacturing effects all of us, since clothing manufacturing is one the first things an impoverished nation resorts to when it’s pulling itself up.

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy

The Bottom Billion

In Defense of Globalization

The Challenge of Global Capitalism

Markets and States in Tropical Africa

The focus of the class was globalization. Is it a good or a bad thing and how can both sides of the debate be satisfied? Sweatshop work and the textile industry was a huge focus of all the authors I read.

Recently, the blog, The Coveted, brought up the important topic (and had a huge debate in the comments) about cheap clothing and the supposed detriments to society because of it. I, of course, had to put my 5 cents in because nothing bothers me more than wrong assumptions and misinformation. I was questioned as to why I thought the used clothing markets of Africa are a good thing so I had to elaborate a bit further (I can get really long-winded on things I’m passionate about).

@Fair shopping fairy: I’m basing my opinion on the book I previously mentioned which elaborated on the purest of free markets which (at the time of publication) was the “matumba” market of used clothing. Used clothing in certain areas of Africa have allowed entrepreneurs to start their own businesses and has allowed people to have access to stylish clothing (which they are very selective about) that increases pride. There are many different countries in Africa with many forms of governments and laws that don’t allow free trade so the matumba is just sold on the black market since the people want it so badly. In the book, there was also mention of a man who had been selling used clothing for so long that he had saved enough money to buy and refurbish an old textile factory where he planned to create jobs for his community making new clothing.

This is not a matter of exploitation- it’s a matter of free markets at work, healthy competition, small business owners, pride, and giving impoverished people a chance to do something when their industrial and agricultural systems are so far behind everyone else that there is no way they can fairly compete.

Charities are overrun with so much clothing they don’t know what to do with it. This overflow is bought by the pound by privately owned family businesses here in the U.S. These companies employ people to expertly sort through the mountains of clothing (the highly prized vintage clothing is sold to boutiques and vintage stores) and there is a use for everything else. It is the ultimate form of recycling. The African clients develop a real relationship with the American sorting companies and there are pressed bale opening parties in Africa where other start-up sellers get first dibs on the freshly revealed items. It is an enjoyable social aspect of their culture now.

I could go on and on about the vagaries of African economies (and other regions in extreme poverty). Instead, I will recommend reading “The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy” as well as “Markets and States in Tropical Africa” by Bates and “The Bottom Billion” by Collier.

There are so many side to every story.

So, there you go. That’s where I stand on that issue. I probably would’ve jumped on the “exploitation” band wagon too had I not read a damn book about t-shirts. It’s so easy to play the bleeding heart these days and instantly demonize everyone else who doesn’t but we all need to take a deep breath sometimes, before we go off half-cocked on a sensitive subject – especially a subject that involves people on the other side of the globe that we have no way of relating to whatsoever.

This leads me to the rest of what I want to say here. Not everyone wants to be like us. Not everyone has the same priorities as we do. Not everyone wants our interference. No one wants our damn pity. Everyone wants to get out of extreme poverty with dignity.

Sweatshops. Oh yeah. Let’s go there.

I will say that human rights organizations are a HUGE part in the fair treatment of what is usually an unskilled rural, docile, female workforce. When a country first decides to get industrialized (which is the first step in getting out of extreme poverty), it is primarily women from farms who move to the industrial zones to work. Textiles/clothing are usually the first things to get manufactured in these struggling countries and the women definitely work incredibly long hours in poor conditions. These conditions get better over time. The women gain experience. They ban together. They demand more for themselves and through their experience can look for better jobs when they become available. These women would rather work for 18 hours in a factory where they can make their own decisions, can spend their own money how they see fit, are away from their oppressive patriarchal farming families where their fathers want to tell them who they have to marry… and they still make 10 times more than their fathers do with less back-breaking work.

After these newly industrialized countries gather an experienced workforce, more advanced markets come in, like electronics and whatnot, which require more skill. These women (and men) go to night school, choose thier own partners, begin to work less hours, get promotions, make lives for themselves… and we pay less for a product.

So do you want to buy nothing but American? Well, then, do you want to have millions of people starving all over South Asia, Eastern Europe and South America? These people are relying on us to buy their products so that they have jobs to take care of their families. We rely on them to make things for less money so that we can save enough money to take care of our families. $5 here and $5 there are two entirely different things but we’re all just trying to survive.

I would also recommend you watch Frontline’s special China in the Red. It will explain so so much.

<3

December 11, 2008. Tags: , , , , . fashion, geek love. Leave a comment.

bubbles and parabens

I loooove a bubble bath and rarely ever take showers. The only exceptions involve being at the beach, doing intense yard work/cleaning in the summer, or I’m at someone else’s home and I have no other option. I hate showers because I don’t like balancing on a slippery surface while holding a razor blade on a stick. I also don’t like my shaving cream running off my legs before I even get to it or water running in my face when I’m trying to take care of business. Hot showers have a way of irritating my skin as well. I get red and blotchy.

I have a strict and strange routine of how I get ready for a big night out- which really is an indulgent to-do if I have the time. I wash my face and let moisturizer set in while I take a bubble bath, lotion up, then I do my makeup in a towel or temporary pajamas. Then, I hang over the edge of my tub and wash my hair then style it, get dressed and I’m done. Trust me, I have a reasonable explanation for everything – hair in your face when you do your eyeliner is a pain, etc…

As far as bubble bath goes, my favorite is a line called Skin Milk. It’s inexpensive, makes a ton of long-lasting bubbles, is really moisturizing, mild, and the fragrance is comforting but doesn’t compete with my scented lotion and perfume afterwards.

I have always been a sucker for Bath and Body Works but must admit that after all these years of bouncing around the new scents when they come out, I’m kind of sick of their gimmick and can’t stand anything that strong anymore. I still have a few random bottles of lotion laying around and I’m trying to use everything up before I settle on something new, being a waste-not type of gal.

What I’m looking for now is a paraben-free lotion that isn’t oily/greasy and has a nice mild honey/milk/shea scent. I learned about the paraben issue about a year ago and it’s been haunting me ever since. I was told by a friend who worked at a health food store that parabens have been found in high concentrations in breast cancer tumors. You can do your own Google search and see for yourself but, here’s a quote from a 2004 article by the Organic Consumer’s Organization.

Early this year the media reported that English researchers identified parabens in samples of breast tumors. Parabens (alkyl esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid) are widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in thousands of cosmetics, personal care products, pharmaceutical products, and food. There are six commonly used forms (Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, p-Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, n-Butylparaben and Benzylparaben) and it is estimated that they are used in at least 13,200 cosmetics products. According to the lead researcher of the recent study, Philippa Darbre, an oncology expert at the university of Reading, in Edinburgh, the chemical form of the parabens found in 18 of the 20 tumors tested indicated that they originated from something applied to the skin, the most likely candidates being deodorants, antiperspirants, creams, or body sprays.

While this singular study doesn’t necessarily mean there’s any relation, why would you even risk it, if you had easily accessible alternatives? (It really is frightening when you look at all your products and see it on virtually everything. It’s usually at the end of the ingredient list.)

Just because something says “natural” on the label, certainly doesn’t mean it’s free of all things undesirable… and well, chemicals are natural and some things are indeed necessary to stabilize a product. Parabens aren’t one of these things.

Sephora has a bunch of “organic” products but, I would still check the labels first. Trust no one.

Skin Deep is a database that screens products against a toxicity index. (I just found out my favorite bubble bath I just mentioned didn’t score too well, even though it’s paraben free… oh good grief… this is a mess!)

Well, I absolutely refuse to look up my all-time favorite perfume/signature scent – Kenzo Amour. Nothing is tainting my love for that! It is such a comforting scent with “notes of cherry blossom, rice steam, white tea, frangipani, heliotrope, thanaka wood, incense, vanilla and musk” – and is supposed to be “inspired by a couple’s voyage through India, Japan and Vietnam.”

I get as many compliments from women as men, who find it irresistable. Oh, and it lingers for days.

November 19, 2008. Tags: , . Uncategorized. 2 comments.

perspective

Hello! I haven’t contributed to this wee blog for a short while. After being bedridden for 3 days with strep throat, things begin to pile up around you, errands need to be run, laundry needs to be done and people you have missed need to be kissed. A lot. These are the things that really matter.

I don’t know where I’m ultimately going with this blog entry but I have a few things I want to get on my chest.

First off, I want to clarify my stance on consumerism, fashion, art… and the point of this blog in general. I love a lot of things: the sciences, mathematical theory, history, literature, philosophy, international politics and economics, psychology, arts, crafts, photography, architecture, music and fashion. Fashion does seem to be the main focus here but I think I’m on the right track of having all the other things I love dotted throughout.

I started reading fashion magazines when I was inappropriately young. I never really tried to emulate any of the styles. I just enjoyed the theatrics of the editorials, the perspectives and techniques employed by the photographers, and the attention to detail of the designers and their seamstresses. The first time in my youth that I truly wanted an article of clothing to the point of desperate pleading and hysterical bratty fits (directed towards my mother) was when my still best friend Angie showed up in 3rd grade (1987) with lace-up ankle boots (much like what is in style right now) that fit her tiny feet. Her mother had found them at a thrift store so the chances of myself getting a pair of Madonna-esque “Like a Virgin” heels that fit me were slim to none. My ever-patient mother still took me all over town to try to find a pair anyhow, to no avail. The next big thing was about a decade later with those stupid stupid Doc Martens. I bought them 2 hours away at a Nordstrom in DC and slept in them that night. I did get into goth and punk and whatnot but for the most part, I dressed in the style of the boys. So you see, I never really cared that much about appearances and when I did try, things felt very awkward.

It wasn’t until I was around 20 that I realized something was off with my style. I had spent a year in a very random marriage (I’ll save that story for another time) and this odd year landed me at a crossroads where I was in a state of limbo. It was the end of dressing like a boy and the beginning of becoming an adult and I had no idea what to do. My friend and coworker at the time taught me the virtues of a good pair of bootcut jeans, interesting tops and strappy heels. My life was forever changed and fashion was no longer a spectator sport. I was finally in the game. A decade later, I now truly feel like I’m comfortable with my style decisions. I know what my limits are, I no longer feel the need to experiment (there were some doozies) and I can still appreciate what is beautiful in a magazine and never expect to emulate it. (Oh, and I’m still most comfortable dressing like one of the boys – jeans, hoodies and skate shoes.)

This brings me to this blog. I don’t ever want anyone to feel like this is the stuff that really matters in life, or that I think it is. Fashion is so far from being truly important it’s almost embarassing that I enjoy it so much. Fashion is a guilty pleasure. It’s an appreciation of things that one can adorn themselves with. It’s vain. It’s shallow. It’s a ton of fun but, a pretty dress doesn’t make you a pretty person. Good fashion sense and being a savy shopper isn’t going to win you the life you’ve always dreamed of. (Being uber trendy in a sea of people who just want to be clean and comfortable can actually make you less approachable.) When I finally began to love who I was on the inside was when I finally felt confident in/with clothing. This is no cooincidence. So, please don’t take this blog seriously. Seriously. This is just a collection of things I think are pretty, innovative, fun, or just plain sick.

The endless parade of expensive shoes/clothes purchases I see on a lot of the fashion blogs can easily make a reader feel inadequate because this is no longer the land of fantasy magazine spreads of designer clothes and celebrity photo shoots. In those days, you knew there was no way in hell anyone “normal” could afford that stuff. It was pure escapism. Now, the blogosphere consists of real people that you can really relate to, who may or may not be more financially secure than they let on, or may be getting themselves into some serious financial trouble to keep up with a certain image.

At the end of the day, my heels and adorable dress aren’t going to make me laugh and smile and feel truly wanted in this world. Being a kind and generous person who is there for those in need is what really matters. It’s still okay to appreciate the pretty once in a while.

November 17, 2008. Tags: , , , . fashion. 5 comments.