2014, I Hope You Improve

So, I wanted to do a Happy New Year post that was all cheery and bright and then I came across the photo below.  It is a look from Anne Valerie Hash's 2014 Spring/Summer show.  It looks like a bad ice skater ensemble.   I look at it and worry.  One cannot be cheery and bright while worrying that the fashion gods want you to wear that.

Yes, celebrating the Olympics is great.  Go team!  Just because they are coming up does not mean that we need to look like the ice skater trying to impress the fashion-challenged Russian judge.  There is no good time or place to wear this outfit other than Halloween.  It is just bad all around from the gulaboi blue to the placement of the color panels to the stripes on the leg portion.  Are those pants?  Sigh. 

I hope that 2014 improves to the point that the models start to look happy and the fashion gods find us something flattering to wear!

Photo from style.com

Off With Their Legs!

There are somhttp://blog.denimtherapy.com/denimnews/score-the-perfect-pair-of-cut-off-shorts-for-august-from-coal-n-terry-vintage/ttp://blog.denimtherapy.com/denimnews/score-the-perfect-pair-of-cut-off-shorts-for-august-from-coal-n-terry-vintage/ trends that should never be embraced by anyone other than drunk college students--they get a pass because they can look back and say "I was drunk".  One such trend is cut off shorts.  No, not the ones most of us had when we were kids and got a hole in the knee and mom cut them into shorts reasonable to wear in public.  No, I am talking about the mom jeans cut into booty shorts and then everything in the Hobby Lobby discount bin affixed to them as "embellishment".  These, folks, are not suitable clothes for adults or persons in general.

Yes, it is winter in places.  However, there is a large area of the country experiencing a season called "not summer" where such garments can be gotten away with without dying so I feel that such a post is still relevant.  Sure, it is nice that people are reusing discarded garments to make these but sometimes we need to ask ourselves "maybe they need to be discarded for a reason" and "where can I donate this that recycles textiles?"  Industrial rags would be a better use for them.  Just because you "decorated it yourself" does not mean you did a great job or that you should wear your art.  Slathering t-shirt paint on your shorts does not make you a creative genius.

There are several logical reasons to dislike this trend.  The pants themselves that are being used--high waisted pants and mom jeans--are not a good look, period.  Shorts so short I don't have to wonder what cheek your tattoo is on are not in keeping with our social contract where we have agreed that such things are to be seen only at private parties.  It is hard to take someone seriously when their crotch is coated in glitter, puff paint and metal spikes.

Sure, you can wear these shorts.  Just do so in private since the rest of us don't want to have to see your privates when we're just trying to buy dinner at the grocery store.


Photo is from http://blog.denimtherapy.com/denimnews/score-the-perfect-pair-of-cut-off-shorts-for-august-from-coal-n-terry-vintage/

Grandma's Jar of Buttons

One thing about sewing or craft projects is it seems you always need to go out and buy stuff and create more trash and waste more gas.  Sure, you know that the factory worker (you!) was not in unsafe conditions when the garment was made but just look at all of the waste!  Well, there are some clever, easy and cost effective ways to reduce your waste--one is to reuse old buttons. 

I swear, new buttons now cost over $1 a piece!  And for what?  A small piece of plastic.  Turns out there is no need to rush out and constantly go buy them.  You can reuse old ones.  Buttons far outlive whatever garment they're attached to--it isn't like the buttons have gone bad on something with a hole or stain.  Your grandmother used to have a jar of buttons she collected, did you ever wonder why?  Because if she reused the buttons, she didn't need to buy new ones!  Saves money and reduces waste. 

No, I don't have a jar of buttons I've pulled off my old clothes.  I tend to donate them instead of completely destroy them.  What I do instead is to buy bags of old buttons on ebay.  It usually costs about 1 penny (99% savings!!!) a piece and I wind up with all kinds of interesting ones that otherwise I'd never find.   My favorite was a big bag of buttons from men's pants that were stamped with the names of bespoke tailors all over America.  You would be surprised what is out there--antique inlaid buttons, ones of hand-carved bones, buttons from firms long-defunct. 

Below is a sweater I knitted for a relative, I finished it with vintage tailor buttons.  The variety of buttons available for reuse in the world is impressive--why waste your money on new ones when you can give ones we already have a new life?

In support of http://myplasticfreelife.com/ which kindly brings me much traffic

Pound of Flesh

There are somethings about the fashion industry that bother me deeply.  One is the issue of worker safety.  It has been over 100 years since the Triangle Shirtwaist Company disaster--seamstresses burned to death in their NYC factory with no escape route.  The sad part is that it still happens.  We like to think that whoever made our clothes got to go home from work and hug their kids.  Reality says likely not.

Just because you bought something with a "Made in Italy" stamp does not mean that whoever made it was exempt from exploitation.  Reuters reports that on Dec 1, 2013, 7 workers burned to death during a nightime fire in their factory/dorm.  They slept in an area made of cardboard walls.  No wonder they never had a chance.  The factory had illegal building occurring that was not up to standards.  The article hints at that fact that the workers were working in near "slave-like" conditions and were probably illegal.  Too bad it doesn't elaborate on what life was like for those workers or what company they were producing garments for.  No dress is worth such suffering.

The worst fact is that this is not an isolated incident.  Tragedies of this nature seem to be regular occurances world-wide, like in Bangladesh, by WalMart suppliers, in Pakistan, and even factories in the US burn down.  Workplace safety is important, no worker should burn to death in a garment fatory.  What should you and I as consumers do about this?  Quite farnkly, I don't know.  Post comments of any ideas!

Thwarting The Felt Monster

So, I have this pair of work socks that are 100% wool and I have washed and dried them repeatedly.  The results?  Stiff tubes of felt that are so difficult to put on that it makes me want to cry.  I obviously did not follow the care instructions.   But, I have other pairs of wool socks that do great in the washer and dryer.  Turns out there is a reason. 

Sheep wool is a part of the skin of the sheep.  The fibers are covered with "scales"--little pieces of protein arranged over the fiber like the scales of a reptile.  All animal fibers have them and the softness of the fibers are directly correlated to how big the scales are.  Turns out that when you get a blob wool warm and wet and then agitate it, scales on the fibers all start to interlock with each other acoss the fiber strands.  Ever look at a piece of felt?  It is a clump of wool where the fibers have become all matted together and trying to pull it apart is an exercise in fulility.  It is like that because the scales on the fibers have become interlocked.  My socks have clearly turned to felt. 

What about my wool socks that are just fine?  Turns out there is an industrial process that can be used to treat the wool to prevent felting called Superwash.  This is a non-technical explanation--if you need a technical one, you will want to consult industry publications.  What Superwash treatment does is remove to scales off of the fibers or what amounts to gluing them down so they can't interlock with each other.  There are several different processes to accomplish scale removal--acid washes, polymer coatings and gas treatments.  All of these result in wool that is perfectly safe for humans to wear and use.  The processes themselves can be toxic to humans and can involve things like cholrine gas, ozone gas, or sulphuric acid.  Each process is subject to patent law and simply not something you can do yourself.  There actually is not a factory making Superwash wool in the US as the amount of wool needed to make such a facility economically viable is not available in the US.  If you purchase Superwash wool products they are probably from Germany, South Africa or China since that is where the Superwash facilites are located.  When wool felts it also shrinks, and since shrinkage can be undesirable the Superwash process was invented to combat this.  It seems be remarkably effective!

Some other factoids:
--not all washable wool is Superwash
--industry estimates say about 5% of Superwash uses acid methods and 95% use polymer coatings
--wool items made before the early 1970s are never Superwash
--while polymer-treated wool can go in the dryer, the heat from the appliance can cause the polymer to lose some of its effect so air-drying is the best way to dry Superwash items if you want them to maintain their Superwash traits.

Photos are of Madelinetosh DK in "Thunderstorm" and Malabrigo Rios in "Zarzamora", both are Superwash treated wool products

Hello My Pretties!

Wow, it has been a long time!  I have been neglecting this blog in a very bad way.  It is not intentional.  It just happens.  The problem has been badly compounded by the fact that for the past few years all I have worn to work is a corporate polo and the finest waterproof pants REI has to offer.  Sorta puts a cramp in how many designer dresses you need to be looking at.

I think I may start this up again.  Not completely talking about what just went down the runway, but also talking about what I've made lately.  See, I love to craft.  And, my cousin next to me in age passed away on June 30th, 2013 in a workplace accident with 18 of his coworkers.  You probably saw it on the news.  It has been a very difficult loss.  One thing that has made me feel better is making things myself.  He always believed in me far more than I ever have and he would be very proud of me for putting myself out there and trying.  So, for him I will share with you what I have been making lately.  Most of what I make is either for the friends & family of the people around me and then sometimes for the foster kids in Arizona.  Sometimes, it is for myself.  There's a certain satisfaction you get from knowing that you made your own armor that day.

So, while you can expect some fashion commentary, also expect to watch a hobbiest play with raw materials in their dining room.  I leave you with this, a sweater i knitted for the son of a childhood friend from "Sprintime Baby Cardi" pattern on Ravelry :

Higher Commodity Prices Hit Fashion

One of the things that makes the fashion industry so great is the fact that it is global.  Ideas and people swirl around the world and normally it equals better fashion.  Well, it also equals higher prices.  Commodity prices have soared lately.

Fashion is the "textile industry"--I think they give it that name so that men in suits don't feel like they're talking about "womens' concerns", but that discussion is for another day.  The cost of your favorite new dress directly correlates to the price of raw materials around the world.  In the last 12 months, prices have skyrocketed.

Cotton prices are the highest they've been since the US Civil War.  In the 1860s, prices were so high due to war and blockade.  Now, it is a combination of ruined crops in Pakistan and Australia, coupled with growing demand around the world.  Higher demand plus lower supply equals higher prices.  That means your dress is going to be more costly.

Its not just cotton that is pricier.  Silk, leather, cashmere, fiber for synthetics, etc.... have all gotten more expensive.  Much of it is due to higher demand, transportation costs and in the case of vegetable fibers, failed crops.  One of the largest sources of the rising demand is China.  With the Chinese economy growing, the demand for garments and other textiles rises and so does the price of such things around the world.

What are designers doing about this?  Midlevel designers have been rethinking their collections so that they use less or cheaper materials, in order to not have to raise their prices.  For example, Luca Luca has been trying to order in bulk and use less fabric variety to keep the prices down.  But, they were far enough into their Spring 2011 collection to where they've had to eat much of the cost increases.  This is bad for fashion in the long term--when the designers become less profitable, it will be harder for them to survive changes in demand for their products and to invest in new talent and methods.  This means lower quality items with less innovation.  Hopefully next season Luca Luca will find a better way to deal with this than to eat the cost--it can only do that for so long before they'll have to fold, and then no more pretty dresses from them....

High-End designers are simply passing on the rise in costs to their consumers.  So, if you want high-grade silk to line your blazer, you better be prepared to pay.

Information from Wall Street Journal and Luca Luca runway photo from Style