It's Finally Friday

Hello friends and 4 followers and mom!  I haven't deserted you intentionally, but hot damn, the past several weeks have been a blur.  Work and life just never seem to slow down--I'm not complaining, these just be the facts.  And I have a semi-permanent houseguest these days; my awesome/amazing/beautiful/smart/talented/funny sister Anna is now a DC resident!  She graduated from college in mid-May and started her first job a mere three days later, bless her heart.  We are having a great time living together and getting lots of quality sister-sister time, and thankfully the girl bakes!  (Direct quote from her after a month living with me: "So, you're like, the opposite of domestic."  Thanks, sis.)

Remember my dear friend Amanda?  Well, Amanda and I work together... until next Wednesday; unfortunately for me and fortunately for her, she is leaving for greener pastures and the next chapter in her career.  Thankfully she'll still be in DC so it's not "goodbye," just "I'll see ya later."  My other fabulous co-worker (and fellow J. Crew, Kate Spade, and FRBV-loving buddy) Amy has already left for Capitol Hill.  The times they are a'changing, but all for the best!

gift from co-worker Amy on her last day of work

Anyway, my blog is a great way for me to zone out for a few minutes during the week so I'll get back to regularly-scheduled programming shortly. 

The Perils of Fast Fashion

I don't have much to add to this blog post, so I'm copying-and-pasting it here for you.  I'm indifferent toward Forever 21 but reading this information certainly makes me more hesitant to shop there than I already am.

The rise of “fast fashion” is arguably the best thing to happen to the American woman’s wardrobe in the past decade. Chains like H&M and Forever 21 have revitalized the way we dress by making chic, trendy pieces affordable again. For working women in particular — women who have both limited time and budget when it comes to shopping — fast fashion is a godsend. 

Or is it?

This week, Bloomberg Newsweek published an eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at Forever 21, currently the undisputed king (queen?) of fast fashion marketing. While I’m not a big Forever 21 shopper, I will admit that I have a few pieces in my closet, including a fabulous black bubble skirt that I picked up for $16 last summer, and a sequined cardigan that I bought specifically because it was a lower priced copy of a J. Crew sweater I was coveting. I’m a little less in love with those pieces now, though, after reading about the company’s business practices. 

(You can see the full Bloomberg Businessweek story here, or Jezebel’s quick take on it here.) 

Fast fashion chains have completely changed the way we shop, and with good reason. Industry insiders say that Forever 21 is doing a lot of things right — ordering only small batches of each garment, for example, which forces shoppers to buy now, before an item is gone. “They learned that what’s new has to be up front, and it has to change daily,” Ilse Metchek, founder of the California Fashion Association, told Bloomberg. “Most retailers stay with dead inventory too long. Forever 21 is all about movement in the store.” This model lets Forever 21 turn over up to 20 percent of a store’s merchandise each week — twice as much as similar retailers. And of course, there’s the price; nothing at Forever 21 retails for over $60, even the pieces that are direct copies of higher priced designer items. 

For many women, fast fashion copies are as close as we will ever get to owning a designer item. So if the price is right and the skirt fits, what’s wrong with paying $16 for it? 

Lots of things. 

Also in the news this week, Miuccia Prada, head of the eponymous brand, told WWD that she wouldn’t even consider a “fast fashion” Prada line. Prada sums up, in two quick sentences, exactly what is wrong with Forever 21’s business model: “For now, what I see more or less is the bad copy,” Prada says. “Also with clothes that cost little, you need to ask why they cost so little. Because no one ever asks themselves that.” 

Prada raises what are, in my mind, the most salient issues when it comes to fast fashion: cost and copyright. While H&M has partnered with designers to create cheaper versions of luxury lines, Forever 21 has been accused — repeatedly — of copying clothes from other chains and designers (including Diane Von Furstenberg and Anthropologie) — in essence, stealing the designs. At the same time, Forever 21 has been accused of wage and labor violations. That combination of money-saving strategies makes it possible for Forever 21 to offer cheap knockoffs of trendy designer items. 

Like my $16 skirt. 

I will admit that I do not know as much as I should about the design and labor practices of my favorite brands; I will also admit that I have bought pieces at Forever 21 knowing that they were knock offs of other brands, including brands to which I am typically very loyal (hello, faux J. Crew cardi). But I also have to admit that after reading both the Bloomberg piece about Forever 21 and Miuccia Prada’s interview with WWD, I’m a little uncomfortable about having those pieces in my closet. I’m thinking that a better practice — both in terms of the quality of my wardrobe and the ethics of my spending — will be to do my homework before I shop, not only by choosing carefully what I buy but where I buy it. 

How much research do you do into the business practices of the brands you buy? Should we worry about the ethics of fast fashion, or just call a bargain a bargain?

Triple Threat

My dear friend Amanda, who knows me so well it's scary, sent me a link these adorable bangles currently available from Madewell.  If you're not familiar with Madewell, a) I'd like to know where you've been for the past year, and b) it's J. Crew's slightly edgier, younger sister.  Not only do I love me some bangles, but I love the mix of the colorful thread with the metallic gold and silver.  Of course, you can't buy just one...

J. Crew + Hairy Legs = New Fashion Trend?

In a major fashion surprise, J. Crew is apparently endorsing hairy legs for the fall/winter.  You'd think with the money and effort that they company spends on research, development, and design, someone along the way would have caught this.  Patterned tights are on trend for the time being (and were fashionable last season as well), and J. Crew makes several options in both black and brown.  Well, J. Crew's lace tights in fawn happen to make the model look like she hasn't shaved her legs in quite a while.  I'm personally not a fan of patterned tights to begin with, but this just takes it to a whole new level.  (I'm not judging--if you can rock the patterned tights with confidence, more power to you!)

After Gawker pointed out the faux pas, J. Crew changed the image to show the black lace tights.  Smart move, J. Crew, smart move.  What are your thoughts on this debacle?

(images via)

The J. Crew Red (White) Card

"J. Crew loves me, this I know...."  I read on J. Crew Aficionada that J. Crew was sending out "red cards" to loyal customers, and I crossed my fingers and clicked my heels and did a rain dance and turned in a circle three times in hopes that I would receive one.  And guess what kids--I DID!  This little red card (although it's actually white) is my ticket to 25% off ANY item, full-price or sale, at any J. Crew store through October 11.  I've already put it to good use and plan to continue doing so until it expires.  Some of my purchases are below.



(the shirt, obvi, not the sweat pants)



Bling Bling

Normally I don't mind a smattering of sequins, as long as they're, you know, not on a pair of bloomers or harem pants.  Imagine my horror upon seeing exactly those items in the lateset J. Crew catalog.  They've been featured on the J. Crew website and in e-mails, but I'm still at a loss for words.  All I'll say is that harem pants are never a good idea, and bloomers should stay on babies or cheerleaders, where they belong.

Since I'm a roll with some of the atrocities in the catalog, I'll give you a few more just for fun.

Cargo pants are an eyesore; camo belongs in the woods.  Here, you get the worst of both.

Quasimoto wearing squirrel-skins?  (This is actually made of maribou feathers--you know those boas you wore for Halloween?  Yep, same feathers.)

Don't jellyfish sting?

Paillettes do not belong on shoes, under any circumstance.

Neither do healing crystals.

More Jenna Lyons Goodness

Earlier this month, J. Crew Executive Creative Director Jenna Lyons was promoted to President, effective September 2010.  So, I think Jenna is awesome and fabulous, blah blah blah.  I just found two interviews from Fashionista (both are from 2009, but who cares) and had to share; Life with Jenna Lyons Part I and II.  Enjoy!

The stateside European

As I've said before, I really love me some J. Crew.  I not only appreciate the aesthetic (and usually the quality/craftsmanship) of the brand, but I also worked there for a bit after an ill-timed layoff from work (aren't layoffs always ill-timed?).  J. Crew gets a bad reputation at times for being too "preppy" or striving to be an upper-level retailer, when many see the brand as a "mall store."  I came across this article in the New York Times that accurately describes the neo-preppy-European aesthetic that J. Crew offers.

The stateside European, in J. Crew’s imagining, wears all our usual American stuff — shorts, T-shirts, cargo pants, polo shirts — but has no use whatsoever for the simplicity and androgyny that used to be hallmarks of preppy. Under the inventive vision of Jenna Lyons, J. Crew’s revered executive creative director, as well as Mickey Drexler, the C.E.O., the clothes and the Web site have become ruffly, silky, beaded and sequined. Every outfit seems slightly hacked — cut up and embellished by a home tailor. You don’t envision someone in J. Crew playing lacrosse anymore; they seem more likely to be philosophizing and seducing. “I have a hard time with the word ‘preppy,’ ” Lyons told Style.com not long ago. “It’s very coastal, and it leaves out a lot of Americans who aren’t yachting or going to the beach club.”

P.S.  I also love Jenna Lyons; she has a great grasp of not only how consumers see the brand, but also how the brand should/should not be positioned.  And, the girl has a lovely home (pictures below, via Habitually Chic).

Mickey Drexler: Retail Therapist

J. Crew will always hold a special place in my heart, and not just because I love their clothes, shoes, and accessories.  A little over a year ago I was laid off from my job; I was devastated, upset, angry, confused, and experienced a myriad of other emotions.  While I collected unemployment from the government (hey, a girl has to live), I also went to my local J. Crew in Georgetown and applied for a job, for which I was miraculously hired.  I only worked at the store for four months, but it was my first time ever working retail, and I learned about the industry as well as about J. Crew's brand and products.  All of this is to say that I love to read about Jenna Lyons, J. Crew's creative director, who has fabulous style (read my previous post about her here), and about Mickey Drexler, the current chairman and CEO who has brought fresh and new ideas to the company.  I had the pleasure of meeting Mickey in person during my tenure at J. Crew and enjoyed this Wall Street Journal article about him; I look forward to seeing what Mickey brings to the brand in the future.

Platinum

One of my favorite retailers is J. Crew. In fact, I love J. Crew so much that the company was kind enough to send me a platinum J. Crew credit card. Now, I had a J. Crew card already, but apparently spending so much per year qualifies you for the platinum card. I didn't realize this meant anything special until I worked at J. Crew for a while, and my manager at the time mentioned that I must really, really like shopping there (you can only imagine the damage I did when I was eligible for the employee discount). But, I digress. This is a great interview with Jenna Lyons, J. Crew's fabulous creative director. Enjoy!