Style Fix

Earlier this month, N.E.R.D. front man Pharrell Williams made an appearance at the Serpentine Gallery summer party in London wearing knee-high boots over his pants. What do you think about this look? Share your thoughts through the poll below! Note: If you are reading this in email or a reader, you will need visit the actual site to see the poll.

In a 2006 interview with NPR (and several times before and after this specific instance), American Apparel owner Don Charney spoke up loud and proud as an immigration activist. He boasts that his California clothing company is not only sweat shop free, but that workers receive generous benefits and compensation including twice the state minimum wage,subsidized lunches and health insurance, free on-site English classes, free bus tokens, and company bicycles to use for commuting.

“Immigrants are the engine of our economy, whether we want to admit it or not,” Charney told NPR in 2006. “They’re here, legal or illegal — [a] fundamental part of the economy is these workers.”

Maybe he should have spoke a little quieter.

After a January 2008 federal probe into American Apparel’s staff found that about one-third of the factory workers provided “suspect or invalid records,” the company could potentially lose 1,800 workers — who were not legally authorized to be working in the U.S. — to deportation. The company has let workers go in the past for falsifying records, but 1,600 of those in question now were hired based on fake papers and the other 200 could not be verified.

The company, which has previously used the slogan “Legalize LA,” only responded to the issue by saying that they had enough of an inventory surplus that they did not foresee the loss of these employees to have any significant impact on clothing production.

The store is not being accused of knowingly hiring illegal immigrants and has said that they try to comply with the laws but that papers can easily be faked. No criminal charges have been filed against American Apparel or any of the employees.

When I first read the name of the new online clothing boutique Chemo Couture, I was pretty sure that it was not something that I was going to want to tell people about. I pictured it being just a few scarves and hats. But I stand corrected.

Chemo Couture is an amazing new collection of unique designs for cancer survivors, fighters, and caregivers. Their are fashionable scarves and hats, but there is so much more too. There are dozens of clever tee shirts that are inspirational or witty such as: cancer survivor logo based on the TV show’s, an uphill moving train puffing “I know I can,” ribbons stitched and bedazzled on, a skunk declaring that “cancer stinks,” and plenty of jokes about being bald or boobless. The store also carries bags and totes, blankets, jewelry, books, organic creams, seatbelt covers, coolers, medical scrubs,l and much more for adults and kids alike. Plus, 5 percent of the sales are donated to a variety of cancer-specific charities.

The founders, Jane Bebita and Julie Uhrig, agree that “no matter how one handles the treatments - whether by becoming the warrior that refuses to let cancer slow him down or be retreating to a quiet place where she can focus on wellness and family - everyone needs a little pampering and lots of support.”

The Chemo Couture duo was inspired to start the company by friends and family who had battled various forms of the disease. The models for Chemo Couture’s goods are all in different stages of cancer recovery, and their picture is accompanied by their story.

Am I getting old? I see tweens, teens, and early 20-somethings today and I just don’t get their fashion choices and statements. In particular I am talking about …

1. Shaving off your eyebrows. Isn’t this something that drunken frat boys do to each other when one of them passes out? When did frat boy pranks become inspiration for a fashion trend. And yes, it is a fashion trend not just a hipster look — read about it in New York Magazine.

2. Wearing tights as pants. If you stretch a piece of clothing and the material becomes see through, then it is an undergarment or an accessory. This one particularly goes out to the girl walking downtown this week in hot pink footless tights and two tank tops: take a look at your rear in the mirror while walking. Tights are cute under skirts, but are by no means meant to substitute for the skirt entirely.

3. Hair that is purposefully cut uneven. On some people this look can work if it is executed skillfully by a talented hair dresser. On most, however, it tends to look messy, matted, and butchered.

4. Sloppy eye makeup. I can’t figure this one out. My best guess is that slapping too dark black eye shadow on haphazardly, above and below the eye, is supposed to make you look super emo, as if you have been crying.

5. Oddly placed headbands. They are meant to hold your hair back, out of your face so why are teens today using them to press their hair down flat in their face? Why are they being worn across the middle of the forehead? Why?

I’ve heard of dumpster divers. I’ve even heard of freegans and people who dig in dumpsters behind food suppliers to find their meals. Then in the artistic world, I am familiar with making art from “found objects,” meaning that you use materials that might otherwise be considered trash.

But fashion from trash? That’s a new one to me, but it’s not new to Haute Trash, a nonprofit that has been turning trash into high fashion since the 1980s. (Hmm … maybe that’s what bebe was attempting to do with their 2007 dress that looked like a torn trash bag.)

When founder Susan “Polly Ethylena” Lamela was discouraged by low quality expensive clothing, she put together a fashion show where high quality designs were made out of trash bags, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and duct tape. Today, the Haute Trash fashion shows continue, using refurbished materials including paper, old raincoats, construction site fencing, bottle caps, wrappers, computer parts, and so much more.

Haute Trash has several talented fashion designers, both young and, um, less young, and puts on several fashion shows along the west coast of the U.S. throughout the year. Upcoming events include:

* Oregon Country Fair, July 10-12, in Vaneta, OR. This is Haute Trash’s 10th year of performing at OCF!

* Summer Nights street festivals in Nevada City, CA, Wednesday evenings in July. Look for the 2010 calendar, postcards, and clothing and accessories all made by Haute Trash designers.

* Nevada County Fair on August 14, at 5:30 p.m., in Grass Valley, CA. This will be Haute Trash’s sixth year showcasing at the NCF.

Photo taken by Doug Bulger at the Sixth Annual
ReStore Show.

Yesterday, the American holiday July 4th, my roommate suggested that I wear her red and white horizontal striped tee shirt. Horizontal stripes!? But aren’t those supposed to make me look wider than I am?

I was fearful, but still I tried on the shirt, for America’s sake. Much to my surprise it was quite flattering. My figure looked more hourglass then it actually is: My chest was emphasized, my waist looked tailored, and it actually seemed as though I had hips. I was so confused; classic fashion rules say that horizontal stripes make you look big.

Then I received these ten new fashion rules that break the norm from Net-A-Porter.com in my inbox this morning. Be sure to check out number five.

New Season, Ten New Rules: Fashion’s Biggest Questions Answered …

1. So … black and navy together? Go for it!

2. Really, a skirt suit for cocktails? Sure, suit up after dark!

3. Is strapless purely for evening? No! Add glamour by day.

4. Can matchy matchy be chic? It’s the fashionista’s way to double up on glamour.

5. Horizontal stripes are slimming? Believe it!

6. Lace-ups (menswear-inspired shoes) with a feminine dress? It doesn’t get better than this!

7. Seriously? A pencil skirt without heels? It’s oh so French!

8. What? Dress up all day? Don’t save the best for night.

9. Wearing white past the summer? It’s fall’s coolest shade.

10. Is tweed modern? Absolutely!

Now that I’ve gone over all ten, I realize that I unknowingly applied two of these yesterday. In addition to wearing a horizontally striped tee, I also donned navy shorts with black flip-flops. So go ahead, break the rules a little when it comes to fashion.

It’s time to check in with the busy fashion designers who are struggling to stay afloat in this economy. Those that aren’t showing in the currently occurring Spring 2010 Menswear Fashion Week are busy elsewhere …

* Karl Lagerfeld shot the fall 2009 Chanel ad campaign at his Vermont home and land, giving the photos a barnyard meets Little House on the Prairie feel. See the leaked pictures at fashionologie.

* Marc Jacobs and his fiancé Lorenzo Martone have pushed their wedding date back to August to work around Jacobs’ busy working schedule.

* Nicole Richie, who is technically a designer because she has her own line of accessories, is expanding to include clothing. After the sell-out success of House of Harlow 1960, Richie will be adding shoes and clothing with “old English, equestrian and more sophisticated looks,” according to New York Magazine.

* Rachel Roy is finally getting her day in the spotlight thanks to Michelle Obama wearing a dress from Roy’s spring 2009 collection at a conference on volunteering and service in San Francisco, as shown here.

* Donatella Versace is flexing her good karma muscles by helping to inspire kids to use their creativity by donating art supplies to Art Unites, a special project of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Versace will also host the museum’s Gala and Studio Party. Find out all the details of Versace’s big heart at WWD.

* Vera Wang has signed on to be a contestant on the ninth season of Dancing With the Stars.

* And Betsey Johnson? Well, she is apparently contemplating retiring, according to an interview with New York Magazine.

With two big name celebrity deaths yesterday, June 25, (Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson in case you live under a rock) we also lost two people who made a large impact on fashion during their peak. Farrah and Michael undeniably had two very distinct, iconic personal styles.

When you think of Farrah Fawcett and the 1970s, you can’t help but instantly picture her famous feathered hair. The picture shown here, which was originally printed in Life magazine in 1976, the year Charlie’s Angels debuted, is proof off just how popular Farrah and her look were at the time: It is the best-selling pin-up poster of all time with more than 12 million copies sold. Millions of teens and women got the “Farrah” haircut, making it an pop culture symbol for the decade and even into the next. The hotness of her hair also propelled Farrah to international sex symbol status.

As for Michael Jackson, he was a trendsetter like no other. The red leather jacket, the military-style jacket, the aviator sunglasses, the black fedora, the band member jacket details, and, of course … the glove. Who can forget the single, white glove. Michael continues even today to be an inspiration for fashion designers. In the Balmain spring 2009 collection, a Jackson-like military jacket walked down the runway, and it was snagged by Jackson-emulating celebrities like Beyonce and Rihanna. His songs also continue to show up at runway shows with Thriller and Pretty Young Thing being two popular tunes for the catwalk.

Both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson will be missed, for sure, but I am also sure that they will live on through their trend-setting fashion ways for decades to come.

P.S. And yes, Ed McMahon died this week, too. But he was not so high on the trend-setting scale.

This week, on Tuesday, June 16, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) held the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards, hosted by comedian Tracey Ullman.

The winners and honorees of the 2009 CFDA Fashion Awards include:

Womenswear Designer of the Year, presented by Diane Kruger
Kate & Laura Mulleavy for Rodarte

Menswear Designer of the Year (tie), presented by Jimmy Fallon
Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders and Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein Collection

Accessory Designer of the Year, presented by Kerry Washington
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for Proenza Schouler

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Womenswear, presented by Blake Lively
Alexander Wang

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Menswear, presented by Blake Lively
Tim Hamilton

Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent Accessory Design, presented by Blake Lively
Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by musician Jack White of the White Stripes
Anna Sui

International Award, presented by Antoine Arnault and Robert Duffy
Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton

Eugenia Sheppard Award for Fashion Journalism, presented by Patrick McCarthy, Editorial Director of W and WWD
Edward Nardoza, Editor-in-Chief, Women’s Wear Daily

Eleanor Lambert Award, presented by Justin Timberlake
Jim Moore, Creative Director, GQ

Board of Directors’ Special Tribute, presented by CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg for her support and commitment to American designers
First Lady Michelle Obama

The CFDA is a not-for-profit trade association whose membership consists of more than 340 of America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. There is also the CFDA Foundation, which is a separate not-for-profit organization that raises funds for charity and industry activities.

Veganism is still growing in prevalence in the mainstream news, even in the fashion world!

* New York Magazine’s blog, The Cut, featured Olsen Haus shoes because the brand “Makes Being Vegan Stylish.” The fashionable blogger wrote about the fast-growing, young, vegan-owned design house saying: “when we think of vegan clothes or shoes, we tend to picture shapeless sacks, earthy colors, and Birkenstock-esque footwear. … But Olsen Haus is breaking that fussy image with its chic, leather-free shoes.”

* The New York Post reported that France’s own first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, reached out to PETA to talk about her semi animal-friendly fashion choices. In a letter to PETA, Carla wrote: “I do not wear, buy, or own fur or animal skin other than leather or skin of animals raised for feeding purposes. I am not a vegetarian and I don’t find it illogical to wear skins of animals whose meat is also eaten. … I would gladly consider giving away sable, fox, and other fur coats - if I owned any.” PETA responded rather maturely and anti-abolitionist, saying that they respected Carla’s forward thinking. They did not bash her for approving of leather, instead they simply sent her a pair off vegan shoes from Stella McCartney.

* Speaking of Stella McCartney … the vegetarian designer has teamed up with Gap to design affordable, sustainable clothing for Gap Kids and Baby Gap. Read all about this new venture over at Vegetarian Star.

* Vaute Couture has been working diligently on a limited-edition collection of four vegan, high-fashion, winter coats and they are finally here! The coats, one of which is shown here, are available for pre-order right now for fall 2009, and Vaute Couture is offering to match your down payment now through June 30. So if you pre-pay $100 today toward your new Vaute Couture winter coat, they will take $100 off your remaining balance.

* Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt teamed up with vegan shoe company Macbeth to create his own vegan rocker sneaker. If you want to see the shoe and read more about it, check out my post about it at VEGdaily.

Okay designers, joke’s over. Bringing back leggins was funny at first. When Ray-Ban and LA Gear made a comeback, it started to be a little less so. The return of Members Only jackets was a bit much. But now you’ve done it, American Apparel. You’ve taken it too far, to a place that should have died when the ’80s ended: the scrunchie.

American Apparel is now shoving on unsuspecting teens “a throwback to every girl’s favorite 80’s accessory.” First, the editor in me has to point out that it’s ’80s not 80’s. But even though we - yes, myself included - absolutely loved accessorizing with wacky colored and printed schunchies, that does not mean that they should be revived … especially when the wound (created when the ’90s made us realize how ugly they really were) is still so fresh.

If you simply must relive this faux pas, and don’t have any scrunchies left in your closet, you can snag some in plain or print cotton, shiny lamé, or neon-colored nylon for a rip-you-off price of $6 per hair band. But wait - if you buy the cotton two pack, available only in solid black and solid white, you can save $2 and pay just $10!

While shopping online, you can also view some odd ’80s scrunchie porn that they call a “slideshow featuring this style,” complete with a nipple slip. The slideshow also shows the many ways that you can wear your new/old look: Stack several on a super high pony tail, line your wrists or ankles with a variety of colors, secure a loose side braid, slick your hair back into a side pony tail, or lay in a pile of them.

Enjoy your ’80s throw back if you must, but know that bloggers everywhere will be mocking you.

Having tan lines is never a fashionable look. Usually, people choose to avoid this by either using sunscreen or, for those who have no fear when it comes to skin cancer, roasting in a tanning bed or in the sun with the bathing suit straps untied. But now there’s another option, reserved only for the extremely skin cancer fearless: the tan through bikini from British company Kiniki.

Not only will these bathing suits - for men and women, but banana hammocks only for men - allow you to get a tan even on your nether bits, but you can even get the full New Jersey housewife look as they come in either tiger or leopard print.

I can see it now on the Jersey Shore … 40-year-old woman, overly tanned and wrinkly, smoking a cigarette, but glamorous because she doesn’t have tan lines.

Memorabilia from the iconic, sex symbol Marilyn Monroe will go up for auction later this month in Julien’s live online Summer Sale taking place Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27. The collection includes over 700 unique items from several different legendary Hollywood celebrities and productions, and about 150 of these items are from the personal and professional life of Marilyn Monroe.

Some of the Monroe items up for auction include vintage photographs, the umbrella shown in this picture, belts, her “Some Like It Hot” script, a rhinestone costume, a skirt, and more. View the complete Summer Sale collection online at Julien’s Live now.

Other featured stars include Errol Flynn, Henry Houdini, Greta Garbo, Mickey Rooney, Joan Crawford, a number of silent stars, Ronald Reagan, the Marx Brothers, Elvis Presley’s doctor, Clark Gable, and Jean Harlow.

We are no longer in the middle of red carpet award season - unless you are excited for the quirky mix of styles that will be gracing the MTV Music Awards tonight, Sunday May 31, at 9 p.m. But that doesn’t mean the awards have stopped rolling in, they’re just smaller recognitions.

The FiFi Awards, considered the Oscars of the fragrance industry, recognized one male and one female scent as “Fragrance of the Year” this weekend at the 37th Annual Fragrance Foundation awards ceremony. Victoria’s Secret NOIR Eau de Parfum received the top odor honor for females, while Sean John’s I Am King did so for males.
Mark Jacobs, Queen Latifah, Ernest Borgnine, Dustin Hoffman, and Paris Hilton all attended the banquet held in New York City.

NOIR is a new “playfully provocative, yet elegant” scent launched by Victoria’s Secret in January 2009. The fragrance is a blend of sparkling nectarine, sultry amber, and exotic orchid. I Am King Sean John’s second fragrance for men and combines sensual fruits and warm skin nuances. P. Diddy previously received this honor in 2007 for Unforgivable, his first fragrance.

Also happening this month, Allure magazine announced the winning beauty products in the 2009 edition of the annual Readers’ Choice Awards. More than 2,000 products were entered in numerous categories including lipstick, eye liner, facial cleanser, and more, but only 53 products were selected for recognition in Allure.

To celebrate, Allure is giving away winning products for free every day in June, with 10,200 products being given away total. Visit allure.com/freestuff every day in June to enter the contest. To have a daily reminder sent to your cell phone, text “FREESTUFF” to ALLURE (255873).

Over on the fashion blog My Fashion Life blogger Anna Winston created her dream guest list if she could have dinner with any five fashion icons, living or dead. She chose Coco Chanel as her top choice, followed by Katherine Hepburn, photographer Cecil Beaton, Marie Antoinette, Vivienne Westwood, and Debbie Harry. I won’t heckle Anna for her counting skills, but I will jump on her bandwagon and create my guest list for a dream fashion icon dinner party. Assuming Coco Chanel is a given and a freebie, here are my five “other than Coco” guests:

1. Kate Moss. I don’t understand my obsession with Kate; I think it started because she was one of the top models in magazines when I first started getting interested in fashion back in the ’90s.

2. Diane von Furstenberg. Browse this blog for a few seconds and you’ll know that I love her. I love her designs, but I also love her story and would love to hear it first hand from her. I see her as a strong business woman that didn’t sacrifice her self in order to get ahead. She deserves every success she has in life.

3. Gwen Stefani. Her style is not only over the top unique, it is also stylish - a hard combination to pull off. I would steal her away from the dinner table for a few minutes to help me put together an funky outfit.

4. Heidi Klum. More for her personality then her style, but Heidi would definitely top my list for a party.

5. Bill Blass. I love his designs, but again, as with Diane, I am a sucker for stories of overcoming hard times. A young Bill first found his artistic outlet when his father committed suicide. Plus, we’ll need some testosterone to even out all the females!

Runners up include Jackie O, Cindy Crawford, Stella McCartney, Niki Taylor, Marie Antoinette, Betsey Johnson, Twiggy, and Audrey Hepburn. Who would you invite to your party?