Want Lots, Waste Lots

As a follow up to the previous post about destruction of unsold clothing by retailers, we also have Alex Pasternack’s witty account of scavenging through Urban Outfitters’ discarded merchandize, labeled “Broken Glass.” (That cover is blown; what’s next “Radioactive Waste”?) And Jim Dwyer at the New York Times stokes the outrage with a report that our tax dollars are now going toward the practice of destroying usable clothing in the interests of preserving private “intellectual property.” Indulge a brief rant: I’ll acknowledge there is something sordid about idea thieves profiting off someone else’s creativity, but most of the truly creative people I know seem to take this in stride and nourish their creativity rather than spend energy defending their turf. Also, there is something truly wasteful about walking down Canal Street near Pearl Paint and realizing that this business is now the only thriving one for a whole block on the south side of the street. While the “creative classes” worry about profiting from the next big trend, real artists—even applied artists--just keep coming up with innovative ways to keep themselves afloat and their vision moving forward. The current city administration follows up its failed economic policy of supporting Wall Street, real estate, and tourism with support of the fashion industry’s sclerotic and hypocritical model. Do we really need to promote businesses based on continuous outsourcing of production for the lowest labor costs, high markups, marketing waste, and in the case of H&M and Urban Outfitters rapid, high-volume cycling of merchandize that inevitably leads to waste.


http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/digging-into-urban-outfitters-perfectly-good-trash.php?campaign=daily_nl
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/nyregion/13about.html



Now, on a positive note On my way to dinner in the city, I spotted on the Bedford Ave. L train platform a woman who defied all the “rules” of fashion. (The rules of fashion have as much to do with real style and taste, as the “rules” of courtship have to do with love.) A strawberry blond with a creamy complexion, lips glossed with a peachy tint, she was nearly in the plus size range and maybe well in it. She was wearing an orange outfit. No coat. Just a thick, over-the-head, fuzzy leisure sweatshirt top in traffic cone orange topped a slightly more reddish orange skirt. And yes I can top that! She further embodied her concept of orange as a monochrome neutral with an orange boa in the frankly synthetic spiky fuzz popular in the down market about 5 years back and athletic shoes with (you guessed it) an orange racing stripe. This woman, readers, is a fashion hero of mythic status. All the slim twenty-somethings safely betting on black down coats and the odious and ever-present white knit helmet caps suddenly became wallflowers in the subway car as it sped into Manhattan.

Special Trash Day

Economists chatter dispassionately about ‘creative destruction” most people (including many of economists in their role as human beings) recoil from the spectacle of the destruction of useful goods to eliminate “overcapacity.” Journalist Jim Dwyer and Cynthia Magnus, who goes to the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, started some destruction of their own with Dwyer’s column in the New York Times last week. His reporting exposed H&M’s deliberate cutting up of discarded clothes to make them unwearable. The damage quickly spread from the ruined clothing on 35th St in Manhattan to the reputation of the mass retailer itself via the Internet. It quickly rose to the number 2 spot on Twitter.

If you haven’t heard, Magnus discovered this practice and first complained to H&M in Sweden to no avail, then contacted Dwyer. (Although Wal-Mart discards similarly damaged were found a few doors down, the Arkansas corporate bad boy did respond promptly and promised an investigation.) H&M eventually came forward with a statement that they wouldn’t do this anymore.

Some folks in the long comment space did see why a retailer would not want people scavenging the clothing to bring the items in for returns or sell it; others vowed “never” to shop at H&M again. One post “revealed” high-end retailers had been destroying left-overs for years to protect their “exclusive” merchandise.

H&M along with Zara and Top Shop have imported their “fast fashion” approach as aggressively as McDonalds invaded Europe. The trend to “fast, fast and damn the torpedoes” approach has been reversing in domains of life such as investing, food, and building. Slow Food has become a lot more fashionable than Burger King.

The downscale march of designer clothing has missed an element of haute couture that made it special—taking the time for quality construction and craftsmanship. Instead, merchandise is cycled at breakneck speed, bringing runway “looks” to the masses. Here, at GrassrootsFutures, I enjoy spotting new trends myself, but just because I see them coming I don’t like to see what should be a thoughtful tasting plate heaped too soon with supersize portions.

This blog makes its home on the nydesignroom Web site. In the nydesignroom showroom, GGrippo will often be able to unearth a version of The reDress he did a half-dozen seasons ago, carefully stored and looking as fresh as the day it was first displayed in the store. He has been executing slow fashion at a measured pace since he opened the store. The fresh, ahead-of-the trend clothes he sells are for savoring. Although designs are retired, there is continuity from season to season. Patchwork, as in The redress, almost a signature theme, may change from overstitched primary color sports t-shirt pieces to a fabric mosaic of cashmere in shades of gray, but the theme stays around, like the memory of grandmother’s homemade quilt.

Aesthetically, Grippo draws from found object and assemblage. The redress and his upcycled cashmere sheaths, re-created from discarded T-shirts and sweaters, recycle designs but dramatically up the stakes. On occasion he will even remake a well-worn and well-loved garment into a new design for a client. “Here,” Grippo assures a client, “we respect clothes.” Oh, and in case you were wondering, the fingerless cashmere gloves were made that way. Great for fumbling with keys to get out of the cold.













http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/nyregion/06about.html
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=48640
http://www.prrockandroll.com/2010/01/who-fell-asleep-in-h-pr-department.html
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/hm-says-it-will-stop-destroying-unworn-clothing/
http://www.slow-architecture.com/English/English.html

Local and Not So Local Color

Turquoise will forever be linked for Grassroots Futures with a Sunbeam hairdryer purchased for me when I was allowed a $100 shopping spree as a graduation from grade school and no, you aficionados of kitsch, I don’t still have it. Even Pantone now pushing turquoise as the color of 2010 associates the hue with cheesy package tours to the Caribbean and souvenir jewelry from New Mexico. A Google search reminds me that Pantone was touting turquoise as a hot color for spring of 2005. Yes, I spotted turquoise as a comer mostly in oversize “designer” bags in my usual haunts, but the jewelry has not had an up tick here. (Richard Timperio, owner of the Sideshow Gallery, right down the block from the nydesignroom, flashes turquoise as a bow to hippy nostalgia, having lived in New Mexico back in the day, and wears it well, but otherwise the semi-precious stone is in scant evidence.) I saw some wonderful red satin party dresses in the show windows along the high-rent strip of Atlantic Avenue. Nonetheless, my advice, readers, is to be pragmatic. Leave the red dress bit to the American Heart Association and Wear Red Day (it’s February 5 in case you didn’t know?), or you could maybe wear it again on Valentines. During this cost-conscious holiday season, direct your dreams of being the belle of the Christmas ball in heart-stopping red satin to something a bit more practical like the shades-of-gray sheaths and shifts GGrippo is whipping up. Save the one-off glamour for make up and accessories. So far his palette is winning the popularity contest against my tan and brown prediction for the winter. My consolation prize is the brown, beige, and leopard custom-made leggings GGrippo gave me to keep the winter chill away. http://www.goredforwomen.org/national_wear_red_day.aspx http://www.sideshowgallery.com/ http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20260&ca=10 http://www.pantone.com/pages/MYP_mypantone/mypInfo.aspx?ca=75&pg=20706

Come visit us at Gifted

DECEMBER 16 TO 20 AT LAFAYETTE AND EAST 4TH ST IN MANHATTAN!!!!
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A Very Long Run(way)—10 Trends From the NY Marathon

Because Werner was running, Grippo, Lu, a bunch of friends and their kids, and I, were among the other spectators along Bedford Ave, a leg in the New York Marathon route as it makes its way through Brooklyn. As we stood in front of the nydesignroom showroom, Grippo and I could not help evaluating the fashion aspects of the race. The New York Marathon as a fashion show.

Although some competitors went for a purely utilitarian non-“look” and some defaulted to grunge, other runners definitely wanted to make a fashion statement as well as finish in good time. Here is a short list of the trends we spotted:

1. Color coordination. Evoking the teen fashion advice counseling of the Fifties, some matched headbands to jersey to racing stripes on running shorts and shoes, This compulsion was manifested primarily in turquoise and purple. Note to those seeking inspiration from this trend: Resist the urge to match your shoes to your oversize turquoise purse. Instead buy two pairs of sneakers in the same style but in different colors and mix rather than match. It’s the latest.

2, Neck warmers. With swine flu in the offing or perhaps as the next new thing, many runners wore “cowl-scarves.” In winter, scarves around the neck are truly functional. And those in the nydesignroom look great too. Let us hope by next summer, people will have tired of wrapping their throats up.

3. Arm warmers. Black arm warmers on women, especially those wearing racing back running tops gave off a dissonant evening wear vibe. You know, long black above the elbow gloves and bare shoulders. Where’s the diamond chocker and chandelier earrings? Runners please choose something more athletic like bright orange.

4. Red. Far and away the top choice for T-shirts.

5. Branding. This trend continues, from Sharpie hand-lettered T shirts bearing the runner’s name to the white noise of corporate signage to the usual athletic nationalism—does everybody have to be an Olympic contender? Those choosing not to be a running advertisement for anything get my vote for a classy understated look. For them the New York Marathon badge is enough. Does anyone besides me think that personal style loses an essential spontaneity not to mention mystery, when it becomes a “brand”? My advice:
Keep them guessing unless they provide you with proper identification.

6. Knee highs and legwarmers. Joining running tights and their ever-dowdy older sister, sweatpants, on the course, were knee-highs and legwarmers on both men and women. All those overdeveloped calf muscles probably helped keep the knee highs up—a perennial problem with them, but if it’s cold enough for knee highs, why the bare thighs?

7. Men in skirts. A much more culturally intriguing trend. Most noteworthy were the runner in a kilt (does this qualify?) and another in a grass skirt.

8. Women in tennis skirts. Tennis skirts are an anachronism on the courts. Let’s not bring this extraneous item into the marathon.

9. Caps and hats. Yep, for attention getting rather than for warmth or keeping hair out one’s face, caps and hats were in evidence. Adding this a week later, I can’t remember one.

10. Running shorts. Because they let the body move freely, running shorts remain the favorite for as long as the colder weather allows. Short shorts have definitely moved off athletic fields and into the street, maybe even into offices. Today, on Driggs, as I emerged from the Bedford Station of the L train, the grassroots futures laser eye spied a woman wearing tailored wool, pin-striped cuffed shorts—short shorts—worn with hose and high-heeled boots. I guess a day running from cubicle to cubicle is a kind of marathon, too.

Oh, Werner’s time was 3:56:01

A race to the recession’s bottom

Is it true all the name designers are tripping all over each other as they race down the escalator to the bargain basement? Or maybe they are wearing stratospheric Jimmy Choo instead of sensible flats. Jimmy Choo is collaborating with H&M. And it is hardly surprising that the union phobic Norma Kamali would link up with Wal-Mart. Even Rodarte will be creating a line for Target—out in December. These days grassroots futures mostly runs downstairs not at specialty stores but on subway steps to see local fashionistas at the Bedford stop on the L train offer their own often DIY living “look book.”

I’ve been looking for signs of a rich chocolate brown for but the closest I have come are several taupe outfits and a couple of great milk chocolate cropped jackets. (A Pantone color for this fall was Nomad, a light past-date chocolate.) Brown leather boots in varied styles have definitively become an adventurous alternative to black. Grey is definitely extending its moment, in tights, shoes, and skirts. Cinch belts have traction, and in the case of my waistline too much traction. Nice with the big shirt look of the mid-1980s.

Because of the omnipresent gray scale version of fall fashion, if not the warmer earth- tone neutrals of ripening compost and organic topsoil, there are lots and lots of bright accents, the least imaginative being the turquoise bag. Fortunately, turquoise is mostly sported by those too young to have endured the 1950s turquoise glut and the various later iterations of corporate teal.

When Tracy Reese showed brown pinstriped loose trousers in her fall 2009 collection and some brown and raspberry prints, her models wore nude lipstick and sometimes eyeglasses. I am advocating for bright raspberry lipstick. And because some lipsticks can trip up wearers with regard to toxic ingredients, check out the raspberry shade from Zosimos Botanicals, a line of handcrafted earth-friendly mineral cosmetics. This lipstick is organic, cruelty-free, and ranks in the safest range of Skin Deep database run by the Environmental Working Group. Check out your current lipstick on this database.

And for a safer footing while descending the subway or specialty store steps, check out Matiko’s affordable Alex flats in grey. As we go downscale, at least let us be fashionable.


http://www.flyingzg.com/bags/2009/08/jimmy-choo-for-h-u0026amp-m-arrives-in-november/ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/07/fashion/07KAMALI.html http://www.wwd.com/retail-news/rodarte-a-go-with-target-2229917// http://www.tracyreese.com/tr_fall09.html
www.cosmeticsdatabase.com
http://www.matikoshoes.com/collection/flats/

August Fashion Blues

It’s the month when everyone else is on vacation, including one’s psychotherapist. And the rules are changing, adding to the free-floating anxiety. Absolutely nobody is wearing black patent shoes. That’s for winter now, when the thought of pulling on boots precipitates a plunge into torpor and depression. Wait a minute, boots are for summer now, short Frye boots, cowboy boots, hybrids with elf boots—all worn with short floral cotton skirts, short shorts, and in the classic seventies fusion of a carefully turned up wide cuff. Then why do I see so many flip-flops with bubblegum pink painted toes?

Ah for the classic August, linen sheaths in beige, black or brown, black fabric or patent pumps—perhaps a white and black print! But subversive variations are allowed. Trade the white skirt under a navy jacket for a less nautical palette; after all this is New York City, not Nantucket. One pairing I liked was in the window of Suite Orchard. A short-cropped linen jacket in a near navy/not quite French blue by Karen Walker. Displayed over a black sheath, the piece foreshadows fall but keeps things light.

Another way to signal fall is to accessorize off white with an autumnal tan belt. In a global warming world who says you can’t mix ggrippo’s bamboo tunics with the colors of deciduous falling leaves.

With all the dark plaids in light cotton in both girls and boys, the autumnal turn will signal a dark palette in lighter fabrics.

Sources:
Suite Orchard 145A Orchard St, New York. www.suiteorchard.com. Jacket $541.
Bamboo/viscose tops. Visit the nydesignroom, 339 Bedford, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and ggripponews at http://ggrippo.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html