the pop cultural: sights, sounds and pages

I watched the first episode and wasn’t really into it so stopped it about 40 minutes in. But about a week ago a friend of my husband’s said the show is really, really good but starts out slow. So we gave it another shot and I’m so glad I did. It’s got a really strong plot line, characters and acting. And part of what drew me in initially is that it’s set in the prohibition era and I love shows that are engaging and give you an some insight into another time.

Favorite character is Jimmy Darmody - maybe it’s cause Michael Pitt is hot. :) either way, I’m invested in his storyline and seeing what happens to him. Also love Kelly MacDonald. Least favorite character is Lucy Danziger - Paz de la Huerta does a great job of creating a character that you want to drop off the Atlantic City pier….

If you haven’t been watching - catch up on-demand on HBO.

This is a repost from my personal/private blog - initial written on March 6, 2010

Be more conscious of purchasing clothing - how much I really need/want and where it’s manufactured – and raise awareness of this to others
I’ve been watching a lot of TV. I mean A LOT of TV. Some bad, but mostly really
good. Like this week, we started watching the series on Planet Green called “Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts” about the working conditions in garment factories and cotton farms. I LOVE clothes and I’ve definitely been aware and concerned about what really goes on in factories (who hasn’t heard of sweat shops?!?!) but I wasn’t very educated on it and I hadn’t taken the time to find out much. I knew conditions were bad, but it’s easy to forget about it when you don’t see it. This show is eye opening. You have to see it for yourself, but it makes you realize how much work goes into one piece of clothing – and that makes me double take on if I really need that piece of clothing. And it makes you realize how by purchasing brands that use laborers that aren’t being paid a fair wage, how you are encouraging it by creating demand.

So I started doing research…
Planet Green names resources and groups, like Green America, you can look into that help to educate you on how to make changes. One article references Co-op America’s Guide to Ending Sweatshops. I’m SHOCKED at reading about some of the major brands. Wal-Mart and Nike didn’t surprise me, but there are stories about Victoria’s Secret, Hanes and others. And it’s not just fair wages, but beatings, sexual assault, and more. I’m completely disgusted. And apparently, not even the label ‘Made in the USA’ saves you.

The big problem I see is that all the brands they name that do pay fair wages and give appropriate working conditions aren’t popular brands. I don’t want to dress like a hippie – most people don’t. They need legitimate large brands in high fashion following these standards and speaking out about it if there is ever going to be a tipping point. This is discussed a bit in a really good Financial Times article. In it, they reference a report done a few years ago called the “Deeper Luxury” report which rated fashion brands on ethical and eco friendliness. It’s good, but most people aren’t buying Hermes or Louis Vuitton – and I think it’s more likely that those companies that charge $2000 for an item are more able/willing to pay fair wages. However, by them making changes visibly it would put pressure on the rest of the market.

I wondered, what about fashion for the middle-class American? Where do those
companies stand? Are there any that don’t use sweatshops?  I’ve been researching for hours on fair labor, brands that use sweatshops, and which ones don’t. The sad truth is it’s not realistic to avoid purchasing clothes from brands that use sweatshops because all of them do. There are very few brands that do and they tend to only sell things like t-shirts and basics. 

And there’s a lack of dialogue on this. A Google news search brings up very little about these topics. American Apparel seems to be the only company really talking about it and they are primarily known for their basics (t-shirts, sweats, etc).

Another article on Planet Green begins to address this theme – specifically what it means to create green fashion. But green fashion and sweatshop free fashion are different and I think we need to not lump them together.

I’m frustrated with the lack of information and lack of progress here – sweatshops aren’t exactly a new issue. That said, here’s what we can do to help:

1. Speak out directly to companies engaging in unethical behavior
   (write them a letter, email, letter to editor)
2. Donate
3. Get educated: Sweatfree.org posts news about sweatshops – check it out and stay
   updated on what’s happening in the US and abroad
4. Speak up by educating friends (twitter, facebook, myspace, in person, e-mail, participate in rallies and petitions, and vote) – share articles and links
5. Minimize your spending – fashion doesn’t have to be so much of a commodity – decide if you really need what you intend to purchase. Cutting down on the amount we buy is eco friendly as well
6. Buy your basics from companies like American Apparel that are sweatshop free

So I guess this isn’t exactly what I thought I’d find, and I guess in hindsight I’m not all that surprised, but I’m more educated, I’m speaking out today and commit to writing to Gap, H&M, Target, BCBG and others about my concerns over their use of sweatshops. I encourage you to as well. What do you think of all this? Will you commit to writing to some of your favorite brands?

Last year, I watched this mini series called ‘Blood, Sweat and T-shirts’ (I blogged about it on my personal blog so I’ll repost here) and it was eye-opening to clothing manufacturing. While I have major concerns about the quality of conditions for workers and how under paid they are, I understood how complex the problem was. First off, there are almost no brands/labels that only manufacture in the US and even then, you don’t know how they are getting the cotton or other materials.

I had started ‘Deluxe’ by Dana Thomas earlier this year (paused reading to let my friend who was reading it with me catch up) and I raved about the book in an old post. I’ve picked it back up to finish it and am reading about globalization from a manufacturing standpoint. Even the most extreme luxury brands have pieces of the clothes, fabrics, etc. made in China, Hong Kong and other places, shipped to them in Italy and then the finishing touches are done there. This is enough for them to be able to mark it as ‘Made in Italy.’ It’s all an illusion of the quality of materials. We as consumers are definitely being manipulated. For anyone into fashion, I said it before, but will again…this book is a must read.

Ok, I wasn’t so sure about AMC’s new show The Walking Dead, but the idea of premiering it on Halloween was smart. I was in the mood for something creepy and they delivered. At first, I thought - how far can they go with this plot, but by the end I understood there’s a lot they can do. It’s the idea of trying to rebuild/maintain a civilization amongst flesh eating zombies. Quite challenging, as we saw from the final scene. I’m into it and will give it some time. I love creepy.

I was sort of bored for awhile, but I’m getting inspired again. A few of the things I’m loving…

JCrew has some of the funnest tights for winter - great patterns and designs that give you the legging look, but with a bit more personality. Also, gives you a broader range of colors. I love my black leggings, but wish they also came in other colors - specifically grey and white.

I’ve been all about lace overlays for a few years, and I’m really happy to see how much more widely adopted this has become. Most of the major designers have really great designs using black lace overlay and I just can’t get enough of it. There was a cool spread in one of the fashion magazines a few months ago that featured this style.

Thoughts on JCrew…they are sort of pricing me out. It’s not that I can’t afford to pay what they are asking, but I just don’t want to. Banana, BCBG and major brand names at Nordstrom aren’t as expensive and I can find just as gorgeous stuff there, if not more. I wonder how this has impacted sales. They weren’t always this expensive.

Fingerless gloves are also in…I bought a few pairs in Amsterdam last year from H&M and was addicted. They are finally available from more retailers in the US this year. They are a must buy.

I just bought this gorgeous silk, komono dress in peach from bcbg that I’ll wear with leggings through the winter. I can’t wait to wear it.

Pictures to come once the dress arrives. :)

I’m thoroughly pissed with Vanity Fair this month. They posted a 12 photo spread online of Lindsay Lohan who also “graces” the cover of the print edition, and I haven’t opened my subscription yet, but I imagine the spread in there will be extensive too. And they posted a video interview online as well. The girl has serious addiction problems and I’m not saying she can’t get over it and rebound, but to put her on the cover and help her look this amazing is a shame. She looks more beautiful than she ever has - what does that tell us? Subtly it says, drinking and using drugs will land you in jail, get you lots of publicity and you can look this amazing. Why is Vanity Fair feeding into this sick narrative? There are a endless amazing women doing amazing things with interesting stories that I’d rather they printed ink on.

I’m a bit of a TV junkie, I’ll admit it. In addition to the obvious favorites like True Blood and Mad Men, one of the best new shows is Rubicon. It’s super intriguing and very smart. I’m growing attached to the characters and the storyline. I definitely recomend watching it.

This season’s America’s Next Top Model looks great too so far - love that they win the cover of Italian Vogue - that’s HUGE. Some weird looking chicks in there.

I’m finally catching up on fashion and beauty - so the things I’d like to share are my new loves. I am loving Nars blush in Desire and Dior Ultra Gloss in Flash right now. They are fresh for the summer and feel amazing on. The blush has a really soft powder feel and intense color you can tone up or down. The gloss has a rich hue and isn’t sticky.

I’m sort of uninspired by a lot of fashion right now. I am really into dresses though - I can’t get enough of them. I’m also really into gray shoes - boots, heals, whatever…I want them.

And one of the most amazing inventions I wanted to share is something most women don’t talk about, but we all do it. Clean our pores. There is an easy obsession to cleaning pores and your skin looks so much better if you are masking regularly. So…when I saw this new tool I almost freaked. Bliss Pore-fector which uses sonic vibrations to clean pores. Don’t pretend you don’t do it too.

I bought this fabulous silk summer dress from Patterson J. Kincaid at the Nordstrom anniversary sale and I wanted to wear some thin white leggings with it. Unfortunately, white leggings are no where to be found. But what I learned is that fall will be all about leggings. Fall shipments start coming in around mid-August, so be prepared!