Kenneth Cole Goes Fur-Free

Alright! Well I'm in Las Vegas for a few days vacation. Haven't been anywhere amazing yet. Just at the hotel [the caesar's pools? gorgeous]. I think I'm going to hit up Marc Jacobs [you know, see if they have that yellow giraffe], Urban Outfitters, Scoop NYC, and Anthropologie in the forum shops. Otherwise I'll have no money left. I also want to go to New York, New York for the roller coaster [looks so fun!]. It'll be nice to have lots of wind blowing against you when the temperature is in the constant 100's.

I'm online since we finally caved in and bought a $12 per day wi-fi internet pass. There is No such thing as Free Public Wifi in Vegas.

Anyway, just posting because of this email I recieved a few days ago from Andrea Cimino from HSUS:

http://www.hsus.org/wildlife/fur_and_trapping/kenneth_cole_fur_free.html

Kenneth Cole Gives the Boot to Cruelty, Pledges to Go Fur-Free

August 18, 2006

Leading fashion designer Kenneth Cole is known for embracing worthy causes. Famous for his shoes, he has said, "What you stand for is more important than what you stand in." After executives of Kenneth Cole Productions met with staff of The HSUS this summer to discuss the suffering of animals caged, trapped, and killed for their fur pelts, the company pledged to go fur-free in all its stores, a huge step for fur-bearing animals.

The company will stop selling animal fur in all of its garments, handbags and other products starting with the Fall 2007 fashion season. This policy applies to all Kenneth Cole brands and licensees, including Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Unlisted, Bongo and Tribeca.

A player in national and international fashion markets, Kenneth Cole has more than 80 stores in the United States as well as 39 stores in more than a dozen other countries. The Kenneth Cole brands are also widely carried in department stores, including Bloomingdales, Burdines, Marshall Field's, Dillards, Lord and Taylor, Macy's, Nordstrom and The Bay.

Response to Calls for Change
After several fur pieces, including a rabbit fur handbag and a fur-trimmed jacket, appeared in their stores last season, HSUS supporters contacted Kenneth Cole urging the company to drop these cruel items.

The HSUS applauds Kenneth Cole's humane decision to spare countless animals the unnecessary suffering, pain and death that comes from being trapped in the wild or killed in fur factory farms. With this compassionate action, Kenneth Cole joins other leading fur-free designers and companies, including Stella McCartney, Marc Bouwer, Jay McCarroll, Zara, H&M, J. Crew, Wet Seal and Forever 21.

What You Can Do
Once you have voiced your support for the Truth in Fur Labeling Act, please take your own pledge to go fur-free, and help The HSUS convince other leading designers that the animals need their fur more than we do.

Some of my favorite fall looks from Kenneth Cole:




Catch you on the flip side!

ps. Alison off Project Runway? Especially over Vincent? That was just a ludicrous decision! The judges kept berating her for not knowing anything about a woman's figure- but if her outfit had gone on any other model- it would've looked just perfect. Well...I liked it on the mannequin.

Carnivale de Couture Entries- For the Sake of Style

Quick apologies about the late posting today. Right now I'm at my aunt's in Cali and just got off a tiring journey from east coast to west coast. Plus, I spent two days trying to cram the entire contents of my closet & keepsakes into 2 pieces of luggage. Why the west coast? As some of you might know from previous posts, I'm coming here for college. It still hasn't completely gotten into my head that when my family returns back to NJ in the first days of August- I won't be going with them. When I came out of LAX-- going down to the baggage claim, I could have sworn that I saw Lisa Love [teen vogue west coast editor] walking right in front of me. Or at least a Lisa Love look-a-like who was dressed very nicely and was carrying a very non-descript orange sort of slouch bag. When she took the stairs- I took the escalator to sneak a better look. But still I didn't know what her face looked like completely.

Anyhow, I would like to fancy myself more of a NY city-slicker than a sun-loving Californian but...I'm giving it a chance. I guess I've grown fond of places with smog! [is coughing and hacking]

I've got to say I'm surprised that not that many people replied to the topic! I thought it would resonate- and if not-- to go for the "what's the worst outfit you've ever worn?" alternate question. I will still be accepting posts till Tommorrow [I guess I'm doing this whole wishful-thinking thing] so if you would participate-- please email me in response to the Carnivale question two posts downward. Especially if you're a regular visitor-- I would love to know what kind of response you guys have.

But I've got to say I'm really grateful for the replies I have recieved in response to:

Have you ever worn or not worn a certain something that was probably not the
smartest thing to do but you did it anyway because of the sake of fashion? Or
being horribly embarassed? You did something fashion-associated that probably
wasn't practical and was punished in some way [suffering consequences by be it
Mother Nature, or something or someone else]. Tell me your story!

The first response I recieved-- Miss Janey's-- was a great tale that I loved wonderfully. It was exactly the type of story I was looking for! The story? Pantyhose + Slippery Shoes = Whole Day in Pain + Embarassing Trip Down the Stairs. I sympathized with you, Miss Janey!

The second came from Tina at Bag Snob reminded me of how women and girls can tend to be caught up in the "must have" trends no matter how ugly or impractical they look on [in her case--the 80's] The pictures of stirr-up pants made me laugh. I thank the heavens every day that I was born in 89. [just kidding]

The final response [yes, the final] came from Maria at The Runway Scoop! Definitely an enjoyable read and unique story. I have come away wiser now knowing that the soles of my feet are not even safe from flats. She too fell on her derriere like Miss Janey while walking down stairs. I have also taken in that when I go to Las Vegas in a week-- to not be blinded by the bright lights and tumble down some stairs.

Thank you all for bravely coming forward with your memorable and embarassing tales. They may just save a reader who will learn from these wise tales of impractical-clothing-for-the-sake-of-style-ness. : )

Take A Walk With Me :: Bits Bobs and Musings.

Sometimes I have a bunch of different comments and thoughts about things all over the place that I want to cram into one post.

First and foremost-- this post is about Kahlen from ANTM a few cycles ago. I was flipping through my Teen Vogue and I caught this Chloe ad:




She looks identical to Kahlen. And being as Kahlen was one of my favorites in the history of ANTM ever, I went on a search fervor looking for any place mentioning if Kahlen had been doing a Chloe advertisement. I'm still wondering. Anyone happen to figure out whether it's Kahlen?

I found this clip on youtube showing her as a bartender in NYC [who knew she smoked! Then again I would have never expected her as a bartender] so I was still unsure about whether that's her in the ad. Though she gets points taken away for being a smoker, she gets a lot of points for being an animal rights advocate and a vegetarian. ; )

Speaking of America's Next Top Model--- I could have sworn I saw a Miss. Naima Mora on a few pages back posing in an ad for Unionbay. Anyone want to confirm my suspicions?




On a different track, I went to Target when the Paul and Joe collection came out and I have to say it seems like it's very well made-- at least 10 times well-made in comparison to the Tara Jarmon collection. I just hate that the turtle belt is leather though. Out of all the things in Target too. Since otherwise I'd be in love with it.

A few of my up-close favorites (love the owls on the back):




[pictures from target.com]

Here's a bit to chew on though-- I thought these pins were adorable [which they are] but then a reviewer on target.com said they were knockoffs off of a woman named Lea Stein. Being curious, I started researching about Lea Stein and her designs [no rhyme intended]. Sure enough, I found these "celluloid pins" that are quite frankly, exact copies of Lea Stein's designs. What's to say about that, Sophie Albou?





[top pictures from target.com, bottom from decogirl.co.uk]

Through http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/magazine/issue29/iss29p3.html I found that Lea Stein was born in Paris, France and discovered the process of making her pins. One piece could take up to 6 months. From the 60s to the 80s she made pins, earrings, bangles and other accessories. Her work varied from the amusing caricature to the classic gemometric deco style.

The site says that after the company got into financial trouble in the eighties- after 9 years she started making pieces left over at the factory and that she still as of now is coming up with new ideas from her home in France. I don't know how old this article is so I don't know if she's still making them. I suppose if she is though, it is possible that the people at Target/Paul & Joe asked permission or at least ran it by that they were MAKING THE EXACT SAME THING. And that her designs were going to be not only in the pins, but be the basis of half the clothing designs.

Moving along the Paul & Joe quality aspect- even the magazine insert for Paul and Joe seemed to be of a better quality paper than the ones for Luella Bartley and Tara Jarmon. Love the ad and color scheme btw.




On my trip there I also noticed these great Issac Mizrahi heels. Nope, no painfully derived skins here. I especially love the plaid ones. In person they're a bit darker and they'd go perfect with dark leggings.

While I was reading the September issue of Teen Vogue with Mischa Barton on the cover [I'm one of the few who never understood the big deal about Mischa Barton] this ad/article caught my eye. It deals with Emma Roberts designing her own bag for Dooney & Bourke. My comment does not have to deal with, "Oh, Another celeb taking a hand at design?" Since I think it's nice that she gets to make a bag. No what I'm commenting on is that the bag is named "The Emma." Now I'm sure that's self-explanatory, but I don't think there are many people who design an item that will name it after themselves-- especially adding a "The" in the front. I mean, I'm just saying that if I ever had the chance to design my own handbag (which like every girl- I have dreamt about) I don't think I would call it, "The Gloria."



Another ad I caught was New York & Company with Grey's Anatomy stars Ellen Pompeo & Patrick Dempsey. I just thought I'd post this up for any other Grey's Anatomy fans who haven't come across it yet. Pompeo looks like a sphynx in that ad almost. [Grey's Anatomy and New York & Company? Who would have figured?]

(click to enlarge)




Personally, for all last season, I find myself no longer sympathizing with Meredeith Grey because of her whole personality etc. : ( One of my favorite parts so far are when Yang has a spoon of yogurt in her mouth and dances [or tries to dance] with Bourke in the kitchen. : )

On another note, some of you may have heard a while ago about the Sophia Kokosalaki, Thakoon, and Vivienne Westwood designing items for Nine West which are coming out later this fall. I saw a few of the items in Teen Vogue (once again-- it was a big issue!) and Sophia Kokosalaki's seems sort of...dissapointing. Especially the tacky looking headband for $95 and the dark plain-looking flats for $195.



On the other hand I can't help falling in love with these detailed rainboots by Thakoon for a better $75. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to get them because well...by then I'll have become on a constricting college-money-saving plan. -sniff sniff sniff-
I'm really excited about the Abaete for Payless line that'll be coming out though. Stuff seems to look great.



PROJECT RUNWAY. Ah. What to say. Last two episodes. Crazy shit. ==SPOILER== I think Angela has redeemed herself. I think the Macy's version of her winning outfit is terribly ugly in comparison and that is why I think I don't have many good words to say about I.N.C. Also, the latest episode's Audrey Hepburn outfit--- my God! Gr!!!! I love it, can you tell? The little flower things on the bottom made the dress move a bit...stiffly and funky but that's just my opinion. But overall it was an amazing modern twist on Audrey Hepburn.

Now, Bradley. -Sniff- Bradley, Bradley, Bradley. Yeah... It wasn't the best outfit. But then again...he was stuck with Cher, which might not have helped much. I never thought of Cher as a fashion icon for some reason. Then again, Bradley seemed a little too lost to win this season's competition anyway.

The new kinda-not-sorta-Keith: Jeffrey. My god! What an ass! Saying that he wished Laura would have a stroke? That's the kind of guy who-- if you remove all of that punk-demeanor-look thing going on, you could only be left saying he's an asshole that everyone hates. Then it wouldn't be "punk-snobbery", it'd just be annoying-guy-snobbery.

Ah, and Michael Knight. I liked him since Day 1. Now I admire him. Actually since before Day 1. Since I saw him at the auditions. My thoughts about him are basically: hip-hop-vibe-guy-creating-crazy-beautiful-clothing. He reminds me a tiny bit of Kanye West and more specifically of this interview with John Mayer & Kanye West [a pair, huh?] who were supposed to be recording Bittersweet which never ever came out.

from mtv.com:

Mayer: Well, your world is what you sing about and what you write about, and artists are kind of defined by that. Kanye's world is like the front porch, Star Wars toys, a nice bowl of soup, a nice bracelet and a watch.

West: And some strippers!

Mayer: And some strippers ... I wrote this thing about Kanye for Teen People and they didn't use this line: "Some rappers come from the wrong side of the tracks, but Kanye comes from the wrong side of the mall." Which I think kind of sums it up: Kanye is from the Food Court, in front of the Orange Julius, right there, on that bench, where you kind of feel uncomfortable eating when there's no other tables available.

West: You really described my life, like, I really used to be in the mall when other rappers were in the streets: trying on stuff, putting stuff on layaway, looking for girls.

Yeah I refer to some weird stuff.

On still another topic-- go out and buy the September edition of Shop Etc. It's a great great great issue with dead-on fall trends that look so brilliant and amazing articles including ones with creating rooms revolving around runway shows. (and I say that about very few mags-- even the Teen Vogue issue I pulled out a bunch of ads from. Though the College Admission on Gender was a good article and the issue about Designers and their Musical Influences). Plus, it has an Urban Outfitters home goods 20% off coupon [sucks it can't be used for sale items though] and free underwear at Victoria's Secret. So it's worth it and definitely pays for itself.

Also, something that doesn't deal with fashion at all-- I watched Crash again yesterday. And I have to say if you've never watched it- you should. That's all. It's very poignant, strong, intense, and Real.

Also, if you haven't yet signed the One.Org petition asking America's leaders to keep the G8 commitments on more and better international assistance, debt cancellation, and making trade fair for poor countries around the globe including Africa- do check out this site and sign it:

Take Action- One.org

And forward it to your friends and family.

And as always, don't hesitate to share your thoughts with me!

Peace and Love.

Carnivale de Couture: For the Sake of Style.

Sorry I haven't posted for about a week! In fact, its been quite a few long days this past week. From fretting over my bird getting a family member's hair dye on herself [tsk tsk! I know you might want a change- but I don't think black is the way to go with you], to visiting cross-eyed kitties at animal shelters (friend works there), to bumping into 3 classmates I haven't seen since middle school [2 arches- think cocky asian mean girls with one of them being a reverend's daughter, and 1 old-best], finally finishing this jewelry piece, to getting 3 Very painful shots for college (let's say, afterwards I was walking around the mall and I was wearing a tank top and I felt like a loser with bandages all over my arms), going to Target and getting a $10 Tara Jarmon black blazer, to having car trouble and standing outside profusely sweating in the sweltering New Jersey heat with baby blue Ralph Lauren cords on-- long cords.

Consequently, I thought I'd make something of that last dreadful situation and let it inspire me for the Carnivale of Couture topic! So glad to be hosting it this week, btw. : ) Many thanks to Ella and The Manolo.

So here's the topic:

Have you ever worn or not worn a certain something that was probably not the smartest thing to do but you did it anyway because of the sake of fashion? Or being horribly embarassed? You did something fashion-associated that probably wasn't practical and was punished in some way [suffering consequences by be it Mother Nature, or something or someone else]. Tell me your story!

Okay so maybe that topic is confusing. Which brings me back to the long baby blue cords anecdote and my own would-be response to the question: wearing long cords in 100 some degrees.

I could have rolled the cords up to knee-length. But I didn't. It was crazy hot outside- but I didn't. You know why? Because I didn't want to get them wrinkled. Yes. I didn't want them wrinkled. Cords get extremely wrinkled. And because I didn't want to cuff my pants-- cuffed pants aren't exactly at the top of my list. Truth be told, maybe the heat messed with my brain and made me too lazy.

Another example is when I was in 8th grade. I had this kind-of-mean English teacher. She made us read To Kill A Mockingbird- and then she said that the next day we should prepare to dress up as one of the characters and make some food like the food in Kill A Mockingbird to class. Hmm...a lot to ask for! Especially with just 1 days notice! Stupid tenure. Anyway, the assignment was going to count for a big portion of our grade (of course).

My mother said it wasn't fair to ask us to make something on a 1-days notice and so she didn't make anything on the food front. Instead, she and I rummaged through whatever little we had for me to be the old gardener lady in To Kill A Mockingbird. The next day I came to school with a bag filled with a wide-brimed hat with an obnoxious sunflower on it, a spade, and my mom's really really old baggy Aeropostale overalls. I hadn't really thought of it much that night- but the next morning I was reminded of how extremely self-conscious I was and how people in our school could just eat you up and be oh really so mean about the slightest things [I was in the Advanced classes and trust me, kids there were still MEAN] and by the time English period rolled around I was frightened out of my pants. Well technically I wasn't frightened Out of my Pants, because well...I never took them off to put on the outfit. [I would've been just too embarassed! And come on, so would some of you.]

Yes, I took an F. Because it was a fashion no-no. As in NONONONO. Plus I was shy and had low self-esteem.

Anyway, there are two anecdotes. Hopefully by now, you'll know what I mean when I ask you to share with me a story of the most impractical thing that you've ever done for the sake of fashion. And that you might've suffered consequences for. And if god forbid, you've never done anything fashion-wise (or rather unwise) that was impractical- well, just tell me the worst outfit you ever wore that will forever be engrained in your mind (pictures welcome!) [for me it was a rainbow Benneton sweater with "United States of Bennetton" on it, with this cherry/vanilla/strawberry plaid sort of throw-up-color corduroys- which I swear cannot be matched with anything and that I hardly wear ever so don't give me ire about it!]"

Post your entries on your blog and email me about your post, or email me your response if you don't have a blog, or you can reply in the comments area. Please send them by this Sunday if you wish for your response to be included in the Monday post. :) Later entries are fine and will be posted later on in the week. Have fun!
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On another note, being reminded of this issue after visiting the Sayreville shelter this should be common sense. But if you or anyone you know is planning to buy a puppy or a kitten-- go to an animal pound or shelter. Honestly. The majority of puppy mills - which supply pet stores - are complete disasters - constantly impregnanting dog after dog - and in fact sometimes there are complications that end in the new pet having problems and ultimately dying after some weeks. Plus by going to a pound/shelter you might be able to save a life from getting put to sleep with euthanasia.

While there I was also noticing that people came in the doors and asked if they had puppies (which they didn't at the time since everyone likes to keep tiny puppies) and when they realized there weren't any- they promptly left. Adult dogs need love too! Plus they're more likely than not, good-tempered and sweet dogs. It was disturbing and disheartening to learn how many adult dogs were abandoned/surrendered for the main part since they were just...no longer that tiny cute puppy. I don't understand why some people are so intent on having purebred puppies-- they're more likely to have more health problems than mixed breeds. I mean it's science- if you keep mixing like dogs...well. Unless I guess, you know, you have a really good breeder.

Of course you should keep away from shelters who use kill boxes to smother puppies in carbon monoxide.

Anyway, here's a puppy mill investigation by Charlize Theron.

No one can really describe it better than these sites below where you can learn more- and even take some time to see how to help stop these practices and treatments:

http://www.helpinganimals.com
http://www.stoppuppymills.org [an HSUS site]

Pictures Worth 1000 words