For American Apparel and Others, Green is the New Black

March 28th, 2011

Green is the New Black
The U.S. environmental movement conjures up images of electric cars and solar-powered homes. Al Gore, too.

But fashion retail?

Yes, say industry experts, as a growing list of fashion-savvy companies embrace green products. Everything from recycled polyester socks to backpacks geared with solar panels to company efforts to reduce carbon emissions is evidence of the growing trend, they say.

The outdoor apparel chain REI, for example, sells organic T-shirts and men’s button-up shirts made of hemp. Target now shelves it stores with eco-friendly bookcases and organic cotton dresses and blue jeans. Voltaic Systems makes a backpack with three water proof solar panels that can generate four watts of power. The device can recharge cell phones, cameras and mp3 players.

“Eco-friendly is a direction in which many companies want to go if they are genuinely concerned about the environment,” Mark Messura of the trade group Cotton Inc., recently told the Web site Inside Bay Area. “There’s also is a segment of the industry that views this as the latest fad to market products.”

Retail giant American Apparel, lauded for years for its labor practices, has jumped on the solar-powered bandwagon by manufacturing all its clothing in one downtown Los Angeles location, thus reducing the environmental impact of its clothing production. The production method reduces travel time between its plant and stores, which saves gas and helps reduce carbon emissions, industry experts say.

Other companies, for example, pay up to $400,000 in annual salaries to their employees to “keep flying back and forth to China,” Dov Charney, American Apparel’s chief executive, recently told Apparel magazine. “That adds up too,” he told the magazine. Companies nationwide are finding that environmentally responsible strategies can result in sustainability. More and more, the proof is found in firms’ bottom lines. A growing number of consumers are shopping for socially responsible brands, numerous studies show.

American Apparel recently started pairing its 70s- and 80s-inspired clothing with recycled fashion. This past fall, the chain opened California Vintage, which couples some American Apparel staples like T-shirts and leggings with secondhand clothing purchased at vintage clothing outlets. The idea was born when some American Apparel employees noted the basement of the company’s 800,000 square-foot location in downtown Los Angeles held mounds of vintage clothing. There weren’t enough clothes to fell a thrift store, Mathew Swenson, American Apparel’s brand manager, told the Los Angeles Times. “So we hired some girls and they started shopping, going to rag housed and small thrift stores.”

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Choosing the Right Prom Dress

March 23rd, 2011

Your high school prom is the ultimate event of your entire senior year; it is the celebration of all your hard work as you prepare to move into your adult life. For many girls it is not just another dance, it is the ultimate dance, and a large part of the fun is spending hours sorting through dozens of different prom dresses to find the perfect one for this all important night.

With this in mind, how do you know what the perfect prom dress is or is there really such a thing? The truth is that there is no such thing as the perfect dress and at the same time there is. You are probably wondering how any dress can possibly be both at the same time. Much like any other dress or item of clothing, what may look fantastic on one person can be less flattering on another. Just because your best friend looks fabulous in a long aqua colored dress, does not mean it will look good on you.

Your ideal prom gown is the one that makes you feel like a million dollars and turns heads wherever you go. Certainly you can look at what the current fashion trends are like, in most cases these are what you are going to find in the stores anyway. Look at what the hottest celebrities are wearing this season. In most cases they are wearing dresses that have been designed by the top fashion designers in the world. This does not mean that you have to buy the same designer labels, but what they are wearing can definitely give you some really good ideas for your gown.

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A Closer Look at Korean Dress Style[Shirt Dress]

March 17th, 2011

Korean Dress Style

Previously we’ve examined korean bottoms style with harem pants being a commonly featured item in the “pants/bottom” section of korean fashion stores. In this post, we’re taking a closer look at korean dress style and specifically at shirt dress. .

If you remember the earlier versions of shirt dress (glamourized by the media and actresses as being a sexy style to appeal to the men), what came up resembled more like mens shirt with long sleeves (usually folded and cuffed into a tab, resembling a 3/4 sleeved shirt), baggy cut and a pretty short length which makes it more of a shirt length rather than a dress length. .

As a rule of the thumb, it’s never sexy to reveal too much flesh. That’s why you often hear fashionista preaching tube tops with pants or long sleeve tops with hot shorts/mini skirts. This earlier version seems to go well with the rule as the main focus here is showing the legs. .

It’s also interesting to note that the earlier shirt dress style are usually in white, perhaps due to the stereotype of ‘white shirt’ which is viewed as an essential basic. If you ask around, you’ll surely find that majority, if not all (both men and women), who owns shirts have 1 white shirt. .

As fashion designers see the potential of shirt dress, they try turning it into a everyday wear piece. The earlier version is at best suitable as a casual dress or casual shirt for luncheons or afternoon tea. .

To turn it into a glamourous or corporate-style piece. Designers has since streamlined the men cut into a feminine cut either but streamlining the sides of the shirt dress design or having a elastic band of sorts at the waist area to give it a ‘waisted look’. The long-sleeve shirt dress is no longer so and has been made sleeveless or short sleeved to cater to different environment. The length has also been altered to become a dress’s length instead of a shirt’s length. The shirt dress is no longer viewed as just a typical white dress or black dress anymore as it has been made in all kinds of styles and colours.

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