And picked the daisies fine...

It's time to say a long-awaited farewell to a year that wasn't all that great. I'm talking fashion-wise and personally.

Fashion-wise, I would like to bid farewell to the following:

(And as always these are my own personal opinions so take no offense)

Tight clothing, aka people who don't know what size they wear

Denim jackets (denim is for jeans)

Denim skirts (again, denim is for jeans)

Political-themed clothing (W's gone, Palin's an idiot and Obama won, get over it)

T-shirts with stupid slogans on the front (or back)

Tennis shoes worn with jeans (I can't even go into this one...)

Backless anything

Showing too much skin (see above)

Stores with mood-lighting, thumping music, clothes that smell like they have been soaked in cologne and half-naked high school students pretending to be models standing out front (you know who you are)

Linen pants for men (breathable? yes. attractive? no.)

Hot pants as work attire (you think I'm kidding)

Boots with high heels (or as my uncle likes to call them - "hooker boots")

I could go on....


Personally, I would like to say goodbye to:

A job that makes me cringe

People who don't know when to say goodbye

Unequality

Feeling restless and frustrated

And of course, those two lovely ladies who meant so much to me


Happy New Year to all! I hope that 2009 brings everyone possibility, happiness, new shoes and purses, and no denim in any form but blue jeans (and only if not worn with tennis shoes).

Merry and Bright

Imagine, if you will, a glamorous Christmas party. The kind that a multi-million dollar corporation would hold for its employees. Suits and ties, cocktail dresses, yummy drinks, fancy food and dancing. Now let me paint you a picture of my work Christmas party on Friday. Cheap Mexican restaurant, middle age men in mismatched suits and ties, girls in their early twenties with too-tall heels and too-short dresses, and let's not forget...public humiliation. The Men's Product Development Christmas party would make a nice episode of the Office.

Let me give you a brief recap of the festivities. First, we got to guess our Secret Santas and open our final presents. I guessed mine correctly and unfortunately the person I had guessed me because I'm not as sneaky as I like to think I am. Everyone who guessed correctly was in the running for...one free day off. So ten of us girls had to stand in front of the entire resaurant and answer Christmas trivia questions until we were narrowed down to 5 people, myself included. Then our cruel boss made us sing Silent Night in front of 30 coworkers and various other Las Palmas patrons. Now this contest had nothing to do with ability...it was all about performance and wow factor and in case you didn't know - wow factor is my middle name. I had props and hand gestures and pretty much just yelled the song as loud as possible. Now that I think about it, I should have just busted out into the "Sisters" routine from White Christmas and thrown everyone off but I wasn't thinking that quickly. Anyway, audience applause gauged the best two performances and fittingly, the 2 remaining contestants were Moona and myself. So what better way to decide the winner for a free day off then a dance-off between 2 coworkers/neighbors/friends? Needless to say, public humiliation does not phase me when I'm competing for another vacation day...so of course, I won by shaking what Santa gave me. Woohoo! This experience has taught me 3 things:

1. I have no shame. I would rather drop it like it's hot in front of the people I work with everyday as well as an entire restaurant than risk losing a free day off.
2. I feel as though there might be something inappropriate about the VP of Menswear asking 2 young girls to dance for their prize. That obviously didn't bother us though (see number 1).
3. I need a film crew following me at all times just so that people will actually believe these stories.

Speaking of Christmas parties, I went to some nice ones on Saturday, these were less humiliating and somewhat fancier. I saw all kinds of people and all kinds of outfits, some very nice and some very wrong, and it made me think that there should be rules given when dressing for this type of party. Let's discuss some do's and dont's of Christmas party attire:

DO dress up. I don't know why I have to keep reminding people that dressing up is fun. You don't have to wear a tux or a ball gown, but you could at least put on a clean shirt. Jeans at a Christmas party are questionable...unless the invitation says casual.

DO dress festively. Festiveness can be portrayed best by color. For some reason, men don't like to wear red but red means Christmas. Put on a red tie or sweater or something. Christmas ties are ok...especially if they are mostly covered by a vest or sweater.

DON'T go overboard with the festiveness. Christmas tie? Ok. Red dress? Ok. Christmas sweater with santa's face on it? Not so much. Jewelry made out of jingle bells? Not so much.

DON'T give it all away. Christmas is in December and December is typically a cold month. When you walk into a party with a halter cleavage-baring dress, there is no one there who doesn't think your stupid...and cold.

Happy Christmas!

Drag Queens, Prom Parties and Secret Santa...Oh My

I have a few pictures for you...first up...

Take a look at this lovely woman:

That is a drag queen employed by the local gay club, Discovery, where Moona and Jennifer chose to celebrate their 26th birthday last weekend. Now, I've seen alot of drag queens and they don't usually dress in something flattering...but I have never seen a half naked drag queen with her questionable naughty parts hidden by a leotard/thong covered in feathers and glitter. That takes confidence my friend. Confidence that only a man could possess.

This is us watching said drag queen gyrate to Beyonce:

That was fun...

Now December birthdays must be popular because I had another birthday party to attend this past Friday night. This party had a theme and that theme was "Candice's Prom Party Extravaganza." That is an occassion to dress for if you ask me! As soon as I received this invitation...I thought of the perfect dress. A dress that has been hanging in my closet for 3 years and surprise surprise, has never been worn. A dress that would have been looked down upon at my own prom because let's face...that prom sucked royally. So the dress is by Luella, made of taffeta (what good prom dress isn't?) and is covered in blue and green tartan plaid. Are you excited?

Well behold......

Of course, I could barely breathe all night and it took me 30 minutes to figure out how to get the dress off, but it was totally worth it. More pics of my dress enjoying the party below...

Me and Moona:

Me and my fabulous boss JR:

No one does a better prom pose that Moona and an artsy gay man/coat designer:

Ok, enough pictures. I have one more thing left to say...tomorrow starts Secret Santa at work and I can hardly contain my excitement. One $5 gift a day and on Friday at our Christmas lunch, the final $15 gift. Now some people don't enjoy spending $30 on someone they might hardly know or hardly like but I make this game work to my advantage. I sweet-talked the VP's assistant into letting me draw and re-draw from the bag of names until I got the person I wanted and have since crafted a complicated cover story to throw them off my game. Got to keep the spirit alive people!

Shock

Five people were fired today. Three of which just so happened to be amazing friends of mine. Three very talented menswear designers who did not deserve to be let go 2 weeks before Christmas. My heart hurts and my hands are still shaking...and I don't like when people tell me "at least it wasn't you"...I don't feel that way. Do you have a work family? The people you spend 8 to 10 hours a day with, the people you share your lunch table with, the people who know everything about your personal life because you spend so much time together? The people I work with are like my surrogate family since I don't see my actual family as often as I'd like to. We're united by our love for fashion and our frustration for this hateful company. It's painful to think that my work family is slowly being dismantled by corporate America....who's next?

As usual, we weren't given reasons as to why these people were let go. The industry is bad, no one is shopping, our sales are rapidly decreasing every day. And now we all get to wait in fear that we're the next ones to get escorted out of the building. I don't understand...I thought everyone needed clothes?? Why aren't you people shopping? I guess I'm not shopping either which means we must be in a sad state of affairs. For some reason people thought that Black Friday was going to be our saving grace...it was a decent day for sales...we were up 130% on my biggest line but unfortunately that's just one day out of a very slow year. Sales completely came to a halt as soon as Black Friday was over and I don't see this getting any better as we approach Christmas. Who knows what that means...

It's a bad time to be the fluff of the job market people.

"Don't you think you could be my one and only?"

For those of you who don't know, I have a tendency to develop small obsessions with certain celebrities. Case in point...Hayes Carll. We went to see him play on Friday night in Ft. Worth and it was awesome...probably not as awesome as the other 2 times I've seen him, but close enough. My plan for the evening was to convince Hayes that I was the woman for him. I mean we have so much in common...he lived in and sang about LR and that's where I live now, he has a song about Beaumont and I've been to...Sourlake, he has a music festival at Crystal Beach and I used to summer in Port Aransas. Aren't we perfect for each other?? So at the show my brother and the reverend tried to come up with excuses for why I would need to ride with Hayes to Little Rock the next day (he was playing a gig there on Saturday...coincidence? I think not...). The boys thought of some good ones but it obviously didn't work out since I found myself at IHOP at 2 a.m. with two married couples, my cousin and an internet-ordained minister. Anyway, I did get a picture and although you may not see it in his eyes...I do believe that Hayes is smitten with me.


I showed this picture to my friend Amy who was lucky enough to attend the Little Rock show and she said that he wore that exact same shirt when he played on Saturday. Now...if that's not a cry for help, I don't know what is. He needs a stylist and that stylist could be me! Or he at least needs a woman to pick out clean shirts for him and that woman could be me! Amy's other comment was "I bet he smelled bad" and my response was "no...he spelled kind of like pot mixed with whiskey, but in a good way." Now that's love.

Hell on Heels

Not much going on in fashion these days...people are getting fired, nobody is shopping, my Christmas bonus consisted of a lunch box with the company logo embroidered on it, etc...

On to bigger and better things. I went to an engagement party last night where a very drunk best man kept asking me about my shoes. This is how the conversation went...

"Why do girls wear heels?"

"Because they're pretty."

"Are those jingle bells on your shoes?"

"No."

"Can you take them off so I can see them?"

"No."

"I bet you're really short without those shoes."

"Please go away."

"You're one hot chick, can I have your number?"

"Again...please go away."


I am so not kidding. Drunk guy brought up a good point though. Why do we wear painful shoes? Most of what we do/wear is in order to gain attention from somebody. To look professional so your boss respects you, to look attractive so the boy hits on you, to look hideous so the drunk best man will leave you alone.... I wear heels at work every day to feel empowered. I'm 5'1" and I need all the help I can get. I also wear heels because it's fashion. Shoes and bags are my vices and I cannot live without the best of both.

Example.... During my employee discount days at work, I bought my new favorite shoes. They're Calvin Klein, black leather, sooo fun...and literally hell on wheels...I'm talking the devil invented these shoes to torture my poor sad feet.

I wore these shoes to work one day and then our VP informed us that we needed to go to our flagship store and re-merchandise the floor. I stood in these shoes from 4:00 to 8:00 at night and by the end of it...I was cursing Warnaco for buying Calvin Klein and firing all of the good designers who probably made comfy shoes at one point in time. Drunk guy did have one inspiring thing to say..."Why don't you come up with some fancy technology to make heels more comfortable, that could make you a kajillionaire." Now we know who I have to thank when I'm counting my kajillions.

A Change is Gonna Come

Times are a-changin' peeps. History has been made tonight and for those of you who didn't vote for Obama, maybe the life-altering fact that an African American was finally able to win the presidency in the year 2008 can comfort you. Thank you America for finally evolving!

On that note...there are still a few other results I'm anticipating...

I'm waiting to see if California voted NO on Proposition 8 because equal rights for all citizens is incredibly important in this country and that includes the right to marry.

In my very own state, there is a proposition out there called Act 1 that would prohibit "unmarried couples" from adopting or fostering children together. Apparently this is in an effort to keep cohabitating but "unmarried" gay couples from adopting children together....it would also prevent them from providing a safe home for one of the 4000 foster children currently living in Arkansas. Unbelievable.

Come on America...let's not take one step forward in electing Obama and two steps back in limiting the rights of certain American citizens. Don't disappoint me now!

Witch or Sexy Kitten?

Halloween is an interesting time...there's alot of pressure revolving around the type of costume you choose. One of my favorite scenes from the "Sex and the City" movie takes place at a Duane Reade when Miranda is looking for a Halloween costume for herself....

Miranda: "Witch and sexy kitten...the only two choices for women are witch or sexy kitten."
Carrie: "You just said a mouthful there sister."

It's true that for some reason, women are notoriously more unclothed on Halloween and I find that alot of men expect that. My favorite costume I've ever had (besides Butterbear when I was 2) was when we dressed up as the "Breakfast Club" and I played Molly Ringwald's character. I think I was a junior in college and let me tell you, the college boys were not impressed. Why were my legs covered? And what was with my wig? The next year was "Boogie Nights" which was deemed more accetable thanks to my Rollergirl attempt although...I had a mild concussion for two days after thanks to my fancy skates.

This year was different because there was an actual event occurring on the date of Halloween. More pressure.....and while I don't think my costume was the best (Todd & Margot kicked it out of the water), I do think I did Jessica Simpson justice. I must say, that long blonde wig was incredibly uncomfortable and while certain family members think my hair should always look like that...they can forget it. Get used to me as a redhead people because it's not changing. Anyway...I admit that I did fall into the Halloween stereotype of revealing clothing because what's a Jessica Simpson costume if it involves full coverage? This didn't seem to bother anyone until one guest on the party bus commented that the reason I was cold was because I wasn't wearing any pants. Have you seen Jessica Simpson lately? You're lucky I even wore a shirt!

Anyway, best Halloween ever, great party, awesome wedding. Way to get married Laura & Cody!

If you haven't voted yet.....don't forget to make your way to the polls tomorrow. Unless of course you're voting Republican in which case you can take a long detour and get lost along the way.

Fancy Pants Obama

Obama is on the cover of DNR this week.....for those of you not in the retail industry, DNR is a weekly menswear trade publication that talks about fashion, retail corporations, celebrities, etc. The article declares that Obama will win the election because of his overwhelming style points. Apparently, designers like Marc Jacobs and Rag & Bone have been designing clothes for Obama's campaign and because of this, he's the better candidate. Now, we all know that I'm incredibly liberal and I love me some Obama (and some Marc Jacobs)...in fact I mailed in my absentee ballot this morning....but I have never considered Obama necessarily stylish nor do I think his fashion sense will influence his candidacy.

Throughout the debates, I thought how boring Obama's wardrobe was. My designer, next door neighbor and crazy friend Moona says that he dressed boring because his name and skin color are already a little too out there for mainstream America and I disagreed with this and thought that he could at least step out with some interesting ties or pocket squares. Instead, he stayed consistently average...because honestly, who cares if the president is stylish? I just think it's strange for a trade publication to announce that a candidate will win an election because he's a label whore. I'm sure his overwhelmingly superior education has something to do with it...but are we really that shallow? I have absolute faith in America that we care about issues and not appearance. Not just fashion sense, but skin color, name, everything.

My point...which I feel I always have to explain....is that this election is far too important for those who focus on shallow aspects of either candidate. Also...my love of this turbulent and shallow industry is fading at this moment in time. Save me Marc Jacobs!

Flannel?

I am not an unhappy person yet lately I've been increasingly unhappy about my professional state...unhappy, unappreciated, over-worked, under-paid, I could go on..... So I have now decided that New York is where I need to be. This is how the equation goes...

I = Fashion
Fashion = NY
I = NY

I'm good at math but there is no way to work the equation to where fashion equals Little Rock. Therefore, I'm going to do everything in my power to be in NY by June of 2009. Let's see if it works! If it doesn't....I feel sorry for those who will have to listen to me bitch and complain.

On another subject....I love to dress for occasions. I think it's half the fun of the event. I will literally write out my outfits on paper before I go on vacation so that I know which one to wear on which day. (That could also be my OCD but I prefer to think that it's my organized fashion sense). The bachelorette party was something fun to dress for and now this weekend I have another event coming up. I'm going....wait for it....CAMPING! Not sleep on the ground, pee in the woods, mauled by a grizzly bear camping....more like sleep in a cabin, hang out in a hot tub, drink alot of booze camping. Do you think it's too much to wear flannel and hiking boots? For some reason when I think of camping, I always think of flannel and hiking boots. OR since I have this odd facination with hats right now...I could wear one of those leather hats with the ear flaps, kind of like the one Cousin Eddie wears in Christmas Vacation. Grizzly bears be forewarned, I'm going to rock this camping trip.

"Put your hands on your hips...and pull your knees in tight!"

My day sucked so let's talk about something FUN!

The fabulous bachelorette party is this weekend and I've got an important decision to make. Which Rocky Horror Picture Show character should I be?? That's right, we're going to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show and I want to dress up like all the crazy people but I can't seem to decide which character suits my fashion sense. Now my first choice is....

Dr. Frank-en-Furter......the STAR of the show.


but then I thought, maybe that's a little too naked. I don't want to give it all away, especially not with the likes that atted RHPS viewings at midnight. Plus, technically he's a guy so that could get confusing. I don't really want people to think that I'm a girl who looks like a guy dressed as a girl...that's too much for drunk people.

So my next choice was...........

The chick in the right of the picture....





But then I would have to wear the scary white face paint and part my hair down the middle. Unfortunately, parting my hair down the middle makes my face look fat. Also, I don't really want to go buy a sparkly bra because...well because I'm neither a hooker or a stripper so it would be a one-time-only purchase which is not particularly economical when calculating cost per wear.

The best option is.........

Columbia...because she has pretty red hair but where on earth would I find a sequined outfit like that? I'm definitely too cheap and lazy for that one. I'm sure my mom would make me one covered in hot glue if I wanted but I only have 4 days and her projects take at least 3 years to finish.

Therefore, I will combine all three of these characters in a pinch. Feather boa from Frankenfurter + face paint and frizzy hair from that chick + top hat and sparkly bowtie from Columbia. Obviously those are only accessories so for my actual costume, I will wear my pajamas because the movie is at midnight which is way past my bedtime and I need full ease of movement and range of motion to do the Time Warp.

SERIOUSLY??

Oh Sarah Palin......two-piece black suit and slutty red heels? Use the word "nuc-u-lear" one more time and I will slap you. You think you're endearing but oh how you disappoint the women of America. Where's Hillary when you need her???

"Talkin' about hard times".....as Ray would say

Today was a heavy day. Everyone was gloomy, everyone was worried, everyone got yelled at. Why? The fashion industry is not the best place to be right now. I'm aware that no industry is that great right now but....I was reminded several times today just how frivolous my job is. We will always need teachers and doctors and garbage men but will we always need contemporary menswear buyers? Obviously not.

I was in a team meeting for 6 hours today to discuss why our sales are only 50% to last year and here is what we came up with....we have a difficult target market. We're not discount and we're not upscale so where does that leave us? The average joe customer that shops in our store has downgraded to big box stores like Target. They're only shopping for basics like underwear and socks, essentials for work and play. They don't need a $250 Australian merino wool sweater that comes in 10 different colors. They are taking care of their family needs and letting their wives do the shopping. Sidebar...women buy things for themselves and their children first so the average joe is pretty much screwed if he's expecting some fancy new digs. The moderately wealthy man who can afford that sweater doesn't care anymore. If he's going to spend that amount of money on something, it has to be extra special...it has to be different and worthwhile and unfortunately...we are not standing out right now.

Of course, we're not the only ones. Times are hard, people are struggling. Am I scared that I'm going to lose my job? We talked about this in great detail today. Truthfully...I don't think I'd be the first to go; there has to be someone lower than me on the food chain. Unfortunately, losing my job doesn't terrify me in the way that it should. I'm not sure why that is...I'm not unhappy, just restless and searching I suppose.

Anyway.....I have a solution to this growing crisis...vote for Obama and watch the world change : )

Casual Friday

I know I've said that JFK was the downfall of American dress attire but I will now say that Casual Friday was the downfall of American work attire. Women used to wear these perfect suits to work everday with high heels and gloves and little hats pinned into their hair. Men used to wear suits with handkerchiefs in the pockets, bowties, and manly looking hats that made everyone look smarter. However, as soon as casual Friday was introduced into the workplace, fashion went downhill. Now people go to work in jeans and flip flops or even shorts! This has got to stop I tell you.

I thought of this today because, as some of you may know, my company does not participate in casual Friday. Men have to wear suits and ties every day of the week, no hats and handkerchiefs unfortunately, but at least there are ties. Jeans? Ha! You can't even come in to the building if you're wearing a single stitch of denim! (That may be an exaggeration but it helps me prove my point). I love work attire and dressing up and high heels so casual Friday means nothing to me. Although, since I have started working, I have often thought....wouldn't it be nice to wear jeans to work occasionally? To take the pressure off of the outfit choice that I have to make every single morning?

Well that day has come my friend... Today we got a mass email saying that tomorrow is "Jeans Day" but wait, there is a catch....in order to wear jeans, we have to bring canned food for the Food Bank. Hurricane Ike not only ruined my friend's wedding but it also left alot of people hungry so of course I will wear jeans and bring canned food. Not that I have any canned food lying around but I did make a special trip to the store after work for the occasion.

My point in all of this is that my company knows how to do casual Friday right....that is -- to not do it at all. Then when we get an email taunting us with the idea of casual attire so that we will donate to charity -- we all jump at the chance. The common working man with a habitual casual Friday could easily forget their canned goods and it wouldn't make one bit of difference since he is aloud to wear jeans on a weekly basis (or daily since the common working man has become a slob who will wear his tshirt, cargo shorts and crocs to work everyday). I would bet money that if someone at my company forgets their canned goods tomorrow, they will be forced to go home and change out of their jeans. I wish I was kidding.

Maybe when I send Obama and Biden their fedoras, I should also send them a memo to never be caught on camera in jeans and an appliqued polo/button-down. Who can trust a man wearing a shirt with a tiny alligator on it to run this country? I mean, if we get any more casual, you'll all be going to work in your pajamas.

Who Wants To Go To Provo?

I guess it's time to tell people that the Journalism masters is no longer going. I wasn't impressed with the program...I didn't like the school...and I'm restless at this point in my life so I decided not to waste my time and money. I'm currently looking for another program, something that will challenge me. We'll see how that goes.

Now to the topic at hand.....

I got an email today from a store manager telling me that my business is struggling in his store and that he's only 84% sold to last year on my line. My first thought was that there isn't much demand for contemporary menswear in Provo, Utah. Apparently I was wrong since the other contemporary lines are averaging at 115% to last year. Therefore, his concern has now perplexed me...especially since he wanted to know my plan for turning business around for the Fall season. I had no idea how to answer him except to spout off my markdown strategy for Fall 2008 and to suggest to my VP that I go visit the store to figure out the problem.

I believe it's all due to pricing....you the common man who would shop at a reasonably priced department store does not want to spend $95 on a button-down shirt. Nor do you want to spend $40 on a tee shirt...even if it is pima cotton because you don't know what that means! I believe that I understand my customer fairly well. He has 3 names......

Larry.....buys our basic old-school stuff. He likes linen in the spring and wool in the fall and has absolutely no fashion sense whatsoever. This man could care less that our linen is from Ireland or that our wool comes from Italy. His wife buys all his clothes.

Guido....likes the silk sweaters, the polynosic knits, the stuff that he can wear without an undershirt...the stuff that tends to show nipples through the thin material. He wears a sportcoat over a mock neck on a daily basis and thinks this is classy.

Javier....is our fashionable man. Maybe a little homosexual, maybe a little fashion-obsessed, maybe a little too old/confused to buy something that is actually fashionable at a store that actually sells fashionable clothing.

This may sound like racial profiling or something, but defining your customer is important. I am starting to believe that neither Larry, Guido or Javier lives in Provo, Utah and that is why my business is so bad. Or maybe these three gentlemen are getting tired of paying our ridiculous prices for clothes that aren't that great. I'll be sure to let know you when I find out.....

Cocktail Attire?

How do you define cocktail attire? That is a question I have been asked at least 15 times in the past 2 weeks.

Well......A cocktail is defined as....any of various short mixed drinks, consisting typically of gin, whiskey, rum, vodka, or brandy, with different admixtures, as vermouth, fruit juices, or flavorings, usually chilled and frequently sweetened.

Attire means....clothes or apparel, esp. rich or splendid garments.

Therefore, I define "cocktail attire" as a splendid garment to be worn while drinking a short mixed drink that is frequently sweetened. That is what I will now tell my guests for Saturday's shindig....aka my brother and future sister-in-law/best friend's couple cocktail shower party fiesta.

I've heard several variations on the question at hand. Do I have to wear a tie? Can I wear pants if I'm a woman? Is a tophat cocktail appropriate? What about an ascot and smoking jacket? It's interesting to me since this is a topic of fashion in the 21st century. Back in the day...everyone wore hats, women never even thought of wearing pants and I'm fairly certain cocktail attire was ballroom-esque. I would love to go back to the 20's fashion era when Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaperelli designed for women who loved to dress up. And if only men still loved to put on their fancy pants like they used to. It seems like suits and ties are strictly reserved for job interviews, my current place of employment and funerals. How do we get back to a time of dressing for the ultimate occasion?

I'll have you know that while Jackie O created an amazing trend of the put-together woman in the 60's...JFK ruined dressing up for the menfolk. He hated hats and therefore refused to wear one. It all went downhill from there. Maybe if I send Obama and Biden some fedoras, they can re-introduce the man-about-town trend for the U.S.

My point is.......wear what you want to my fabulous cocktail party because there is nothing a man hates more than being told what to wear. However, my suggestions are...

1. Pleated pants are no man's friend
2. If you can't wear white shoes after Labor Day (dumb rule), you shouldn't be able to wear LINEN either
3. Do not overshadow the bride....she's vicious.

I Feel Smarter Already

First day of graduate classes....I can already see my free time slipping away but I guess that was the point. My professor's first words to the class were "I'm from another planet" so this should be interesting. He also passed out a piece of paper entitled "I like students who..." My favorite thing on the list was "I like students who cover their mouths when they yawn so their spirits can't escape."

I did enjoy the mixed look of confusion and condescension when I said that I had previously been a fashion merchandising major in my undergrad life. This isn't Harvard and I'm not Elle Woods...I never took a class called "The History of Polka Dots" and my concentration in Textile Science doesn't mean that I know how to sew. The girl sitting next to me told me that fashion was her first love because she loved to shop and used to work at Banana Republic. Does that really qualify fashion to be your first love? I don't know....

Fashion is defined as....a prevailing custom or style of dress. It means more than shopping and putting outfits together. Every girl likes to shop...does that mean we should all be working in the fashion industry?

This is why I love fashion.....

1. Everyone has to wear clothes. Whether they're fashionable or not, clothing unites us all in some weird way and because of it, we don't have to see naked people all day long.

2. Fashion has an interesting history to it. From Charles Worth, the world's first couturier, to the invention of blue jeans by the Genoese Navy, there is a reason why you wear every article of clothing that you do.

3. My job is not that important. According to my sales, I do not clothe the masses but I do like that I play some small part in something so big. Clothing has to be chosen for life-altering events such as weddings, job interviews, funerals, etc...it is not something you can ignore and I like that.

Maybe it's not a first love, but it could be in my top five...behind the kitty cats of course.

Things That Bug Me

I read an article today that said wholesale prices are rising faster than ever...this article was mostly about food, energy, etc. but I can't help to think about how this affects my industry. I notice every month when we finalize sourcing that our costs are increasing more and more. Obviously, this trickles down to the consumer thanks to our mandatory 80% markup. This is just one thing that bugs me about the fashion industry. I understand that it's necessary for the corporations to make their margin dollars....honestly at this point in time, it's the only way we're making any money at all...but how is anyone ever going to be able to afford clothes if costs keep rising? I have a few other things that bug me about this industry...get excited for me to share them with you...

1. You have to "know" someone to get anywhere....unfortunately for me, I only know the people I work with and they're not going to help me get anywhere besides where I am right now.

2. People who bitch and complain about child labor, sweatshops, outsourcing, free trade, etc. If your clothes were made in the U.S. by people of age who made at least minimum wage, we'd all be naked.

3. The evil corporation whose name rhymes with Tal-Cart. This corporation could also be named..."We Sell Cheap Crap in a Dirty Store With Bad Lighting and Force Small Manufacturers to Work Exclusively With Us and Then Practically Put Them Out of Business by Forcing Them Off-Shores." My fourth goal as a fashion journalist is to bring this company down.

I do realize that some of these things contradict each other. Unfortunately, I don't care about that because I get annoyed easily.

Helllooo Fabulous

So.... A wise person once told me that I need this blog to prove my writing talent. I'm starting my MA in Journalism on Monday and with that degree, I will pursue a career in fashion writing. Hopefully. There are lots of blogs out there. Lots of fashion blogs especially. I will not be writing about fashion trends, what celebs are wearing, or what to buy at the Gap this year......I think my experience in product development over the past 14 months has warranted some bitching. I deal with issues everyday...issues that I want to talk about, even vent about. Issues that affect every consumer out there....Hence, the blog.

My new life deserves new goals.......

1. To be the next Carrie Bradshaw

2. To be the next Anna Wintour

3. To be the only Haley Powell



Let's see how it goes.