the pop cultural: sights, sounds and pages

I liked and reviewed New Girl

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 23:50:26 -0500

I had high hopes for this show because I love Zooey Deschanel and thankfully it lived up t…

Tom Ford’s Documentary Airs Tonight!

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 22:51:51 -0400

This looks awesome! I saw A Single Man and loved the movie. I appreciate Tom Ford bringing his aesthetic to the screen. If you are on the east coast and saw the docmentary, what did you think?

Loving Burberry Fall

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:32:05 -0400

Loving Burberry Fall:

In love with the last four pictures/looks - the royal blue hues are so rich.

My new year’s resolution? You can never have too many cute...

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 01:25:40 -0500

My new year’s resolution? You can never have too many cute shoes. On my way with two new pairs for 2011.

Boardwalk Empire...new favorite show

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 02:23:29 -0500

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.

Repost: Doing Good about Bad Things Part 2

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 01:41:05 -0400

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:

Speak out directly to companies engaging in unethical behavior
(write them a letter, email, letter to editor)
Donate
Get educated: Sweatfree.org posts news about sweatshops – check it out and stay
updated on what’s happening in the US and abroad
Speak up by educating friends (twitter, facebook, myspace, in person, e-mail, participate in rallies and petitions, and vote) – share articles and links
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
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?

'Made in Italy'...what it really means

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 01:29:32 -0400

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.

The Walking Dead? Yes, please

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:43:42 -0400

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.

Excited about fashion again

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:40:13 -0400

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. :)

Why do we glamorize addicts?

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:58:00 -0400

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.

Great new show...Rubicon

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:43:14 -0400

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.

give me good face

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 02:47:03 -0400

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.

Leggings galore, about to hit stores

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 02:57:41 -0400

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!

Loving BCBGeneration’s “rompers.” Such a great...

Sat, 15 May 2010 15:39:57 -0400

Loving BCBGeneration’s “rompers.” Such a great summer look this season. Fun prints, good cuts on the tops and a good length on the shorts. But please, ladies, just cause they are in doesn’t mean we can all pull them off. Find a style that suits your body type or don’t wear it.

Must read book - Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster.

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 07:47:00 -0400

I’m obsessed with this book, Deluxe by Dana Thomas. I’m half way through and I’ve deemed it as an all time favorite read. Recommended by my friend Todd, the short of it is about how the luxury, couture fashion industry has changed to sell to mass consumers, versus just a high-end clientele, and how that adaption has devalued luxury goods.

That’s how the book is positioned, but it’s true, but but I’m getting so much out of it and see it differently. I thought going in it would make me not want to be sucked into the mass consumermism that is going on, but instead it’s made me so much more aware of which companies (Chanel and Hermes, Piaget and Cartier, and others in certain areas) are still serving the very best in luxury goods and haven’t “sold out.” OR where I can still get quality, inspired fashion at affordable prices that are more my choices, versus what the brand wants me to pick (I’m already more there but this has helped educate me how to avoid the “it handbag” for example.)

The book is full of brilliant marketing and business moves that are now standards - like Henry Racamier of Louis Vuitton’s vertical integration - told through the story behind the business. I’ve learned through Dana’s brilliant storytelling how each of the main fashion houses were inspired, born, and changing today.

LVMH is a MONSTER - I knew they owned a lot, but didn’t know the back story or the extent of it. That said, I’m still loyal to Veuve and Sephora and think they aren’t the most evil. Arnault, the guy who’s been running it is ruthless and can’t say I agree with his business tactics, but crazy to see how the company is run and become the power luxury conglomerate it is today.

It’s entertaining, funny, interesting, and reminded me why I LOVE fashion. LOVE marketing. And especially LOVE perfume. A whole chapter on perfumes! It’s inspired me to find a tour of LVM, one for the perfume houses, when I go to Europe again. It’s reminded me why I DON’T buy celeb branded perfumes. It’s raised the sleaze factor for celeb endorsement of brands more than I already had it sleazed up.

I could go on - the book is all marked up with my thoughts and comments, but I won’t. Instead I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite quotes.

“The luxury industry has changed the way people dress. It has realigned our economic class system. It has changed the way we interact with others. It has become part of our social fabric. To achieve this, it has sacrificed its integrity, undermined its products, tarnished its history and hoodwinked its consumers. In order to make luxury ‘accessible’ tycoons have stripped away all that has made it special.”
“‘What counts with critiques (fashion show critiques) is not whether they’re good or bad,’ (Bernard) Arnault (chairman of LVMH) told me, quoting Christian Dior. ‘It’s whether they’re on the front page.’”
“‘If you control your factories, you control your quality.’ Arnault explained. If you control your distribution, you control your image.”
“‘To fake luxury today is easy. You put some details from the brand’s past, you put a little bit of gold, and that’s it. I can’t bear that…Real luxurious people hate status.’” Miuccia Prada
“At the same time in Japan, conformity is prized. By wearing and carrying luxury goods covered with logos, the Japanese are able to identify themselves in socioeconomic terms as well as conform to social mores. It’s as if they are branding themselves.”
“‘Their attention to detail and demand for quality is unmatched and unyielding,’ says Chanel Japan’s president Richard Collasse. ‘The Japanese have zero tolerance for flaws.’”
‘“Luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence if vulgarity.’ Coco Chanel”
‘“If I ever got a tattoo it would be “Tom Ford Lives Forever”.’ she (Rachel Zoe) gushed to Harper’s Bazaar in 2005.
“‘A woman enveloped in luxury has special radiance.’ Coco Chanel”
“French poet Paul Valery said, ‘A woman who does not perfume herself has no future.”

"A woman who does not perfume herself has no future."

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 07:39:51 -0400

“A woman who does not perfume herself has no future.”

- As quoted by French poet Paul Valery and featured by Dana Thomas in Deluxe

BallerStatus.com » Drake Reveals June Release Date For ‘Thank Me Later’

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:03:00 -0400

BallerStatus.com » Drake Reveals June Release Date For ‘Thank Me Later’:

Yeah, cause I read BallerStatus…like non-stop. (In reality this article came up because MySpace, one of my clients, is mentioned in it). But I am a HUGE Drake fan. I’ll be marking this date on my calendar!

Loving on Madonna and Jon Hamm Ok so I saw this ad last year and...

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:31:03 -0400

Loving on Madonna and Jon Hamm

Ok so I saw this ad last year and thought it was genius - Madonna rocking the cutoff gloves that she made famous in the Louis Vuitton ad. The ad makes her look amazing and it’s so culturally relevant. The whole ad campaign was amazing. yes, the pics are photoshopped - which aren’t these days. I don’t care. That’s not really the point. Madonna has since been replaced by Lara Stone as the LV model for spring/summer. Loving the campaign with her too - she looks amazing and the doves are brilliant.

So did I hear Jon Hamm, i.e. Don Draper as the voice over the mercedes commercials? Me likey. Smart move - it conjures a bit of Don Draper and lends mercedes the brand cache of retro sophistication from Mad Men. (I have to admit - I wasn’t paying 100% attention and actually thought it was a BMW commercial…the pairing matches mercedes brand better however).

"Is this about a guy who likes to read to old people?"

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:12:07 -0400

So I’m watching “The Reader” the other day and my mom comes in near the end and sees the main character walking towards an old woman in what could be an old folks home. She asks, “what are you watching?” I respond, “The Reader.” She says, “oh, is this about a guy who likes to read to old people?” Moms….

So I loved the movie. It deals with some very serious topics including the holocaust, illiteracy, sex with a minor, and manipulation of the weak. Kate Winslet plays the role of emotionally distant almost too well. And the guy who played the boy, David Kross, did an amazing job straddling his role as a 15 year old and an early 20 something. I think it’s hard to show the immaturity of a boy and then a subtle maturity and have the audience see two distanctly different times but the same thread.

You can empathize with Kate Winslet’s character despite the fact that she’s done some horrible things and totally manipulated people in really inappropriate ways.

The main thing that I liked about this it’s the first movie that I’ve seen that uses the holocaust as a main plot in the movie, without the movie being really about it. I think it moves forward the conversation and that’s really important. I also recently saw “The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas.” It’s a heartbreaker and a movie about the holocaust. Also really great, but just a different kind of movie.

Iconoclasts = Enlightened Celebrity TV

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:09:00 -0500

Iconoclasts is a show on the Sundance Channel. It’s one of the best shows on TV. Ie now seen every episode in the 4 seasons. It pairs two celebrities in different genres and follows them for a few days. The two ”icons” essentially interview each other on their life, career, passions and what helps them key balance or find success. What I love about it is it takes you deeper into the lives of highly successful people and the people aren’t always your traditional celebrity that is here today gone tomorrow. It’s people who have deomstrated long-term success. Some of my favorite episodes were:

Isabella Rossellini + Dean Kamen
Stella McCartney + Ed Ruscha
Cameron Diaz + Cameron Sinclair
Mike Myers + Deepak Chopra
Madeleine Albright + Ashley Judd

I recommend you find it and DVR it. Enjoy!