(Part One)

A while back we mentioned that skinny jeans were hazardous to your health, well now, we’d say the fashion calendar is a hazard to our industry.  In our business the fashion calendar and the time from development to market, has gotten so tight that it is strangling our creativity and killing our profits.  The old system of fashion collections being shown on the runway six months before they hit the store, or featured in fashion magazines months before the consumer could purchase them, or even merchandise on the floor a season before the customer could feasibly wear it, is all part of an outdated and broken system.  While the last issue is no longer a major obstacle, as thankfully we are not forced to buy wool coats in July anymore (especially thanks to online shopping), the other two issues, especially fashion week, are major problems.

There was a recent article in the WSJ addressing the issue of getting clothes from catwalk to closet, faster.  The six month delay allows fast fashion chains like Forever 21 and H&M time to knock off designers and have the more affordable imitations available in stores even before the originals.  To combat this issue some designers have begun putting their collections into production before they walk the runway and made them available for sale immediately following their shows. Designers Norma Kamali, Cynthia Rowley, and Burberry have recently tried this tactic with extremely lucrative results.  The WSJ also mentions that part of the problem is the designer’s collections are featured in Vogue or Elle and the customer sees them, but by the time they are available in stores they no longer appear fresh and new to the shopper.  We would also like to add that the role of fashion blogs have tightened the calendar even more, as the shopper does not have to wait a month for Vogue but can go online immediately and view the pieces within 24 hours of the show.

For most designers and brands, fashion week do not equal sales, as very few actually show during the week. And for those that do show, much of the actual selling and ordering takes place in the showroom. While fashion week gets the media attention and is a PR darling for the high-end designers, many of us know that far more of the world’s apparel gets sold during market week not fashion week and sales often get done in private showings not on the runway. However, to the shopper and of course to fashion’s marketing, PR, media, bloggers, and celebs, fashion week is the Holy Grail. But many of us realize the current model is no longer effective for either end of the industry.

It seems to us a decision needs to be made as to the purpose of fashion week and if that purpose is advertising and immediate retail (not wholesale) sales than put photographers and bloggers in the front row, move the calendar forward to meet the production requirements, schedule fashion week closer to the actual season when goods hit the floor for shoppers to purchase immediately. If the intent is to use fashion week as industry event to generate internal buzz and initiate wholesale buying then it should be kept that way, and moved back to the Garment center. The problem is for many years fashion week worked for both sides of the business, but that is just no longer feasible. Between online shopping, new media, consumers buy now mentality and the increasing production times for oversea manufacturing, fashion week can no longer accommodate both needs effectively.

As you may have noticed, we marked this post as “Part One” that is because the fashion calendar is not just detrimental to fashion week and high-end designers, but also for the rest of the apparel industry. Those of us working for big brands, private label lines, vertical retailers, and everyone from Walmart to Saks are suffering from calendar woes as well. These designers, due to production issues, bureaucracy, and the micro-managing of creativity, are also suffering. They companies require designers to design a year or more ahead of calendar. The product then suffers and often looks dated and unoriginal, while the designers end up like this.  So stay tuned for a follow up post from this perspective too.

We suspect many fashion designers and industry professionals, got sucked into the allure of the fashion industry while watching the Academy Awards as children. The Oscars is the night that high fashion shines and these gowns are often responsible for inspiring (inspiring = good, knocking-off = bad) other designers and brands. The colors, textures, draping, and jewelry that are shown tonight will greatly influences what will be in stores shortly. If Jessica Alba walks the red carpet in a one-shoulder pink bubble dress tonight, you can be sure every department store will have a one-shoulder pink bubble dress in their Prom department this spring.

To get you in the mood for the big show, we found this excellent slide-show from LIFE magazine of classic 1950’s Oscar moments. Click here to see the full set and see our favs below.

Lately the Red Carpet has lost a bit of the “wow” factor as celebrities have exchanged their unique styles in favor of wearing a stylist’s picks. While ensuring a level of taste and preventing some disasters (Demi Moore & her biker shorts) stylists have also reduced individuality (Cher, Bjork & her swan dress) and of course, they have also subjected us all to the Rachel Zoe Project.

We are hoping tonight to be inspired and fall in love with fashion all over again. Will you be watching? Who are you looking forward to seeing?

Don’t forget to check back, right here in this post for our Oscar updates, plus photos of our best and worst dressed!

*Update 6:55 – Love Elizabeth Bank’s Versace gown, the whole look is stunning. Giuliana Rancic, eat something! Vera Farmiga, love the color, love the technique, hate the dress, totally overpowers her. Sigourney Weaver looks lovely but a bit Christmas gifty.

*Update 7:12 – Sandra Bullock looks gorgeous(hair, make-up) but not loving the dress, it looks a bit showy and not flattering. Poor Sandy can barely walk! Diane Kruger looks so modern and fresh, definitely a favorite look for us. Amanda Seyfried looks like a beautiful ice queen, adore the funky bangles. Faith Hill, oy, the goth look with a spider web bag? Not feeling it. Miley Cyrus looks horrific, a bustier top? And why must she always slouch and chomp gum?

*Update 7:23 – Sarah Jessica Parker, WOW, over the top, fashion forward, Chanel of course, and we adore it! Charlize Theron, what is she thinking? It’s like scary taffeta breast plates attacked her.

*Update 7:38 – Matt Damon, George Clooney, Jason Bateman all yummy! Queen Latifah not a flattering fit, but a beautiful color, although her hair seems orangish, right? Looks like Meryl Streep brought it this year, no more frumpy Meryl, she went glam and old Hollywood.  JLO what happened? The Ice Capades have come to the Oscars.

*Update 7:55 – Demi Moore, gorgeous. Gabby Sidibe not so much. Does anybody else want to know why Jay Manuel and his frosted tips are giving fashion advice? Ugh!

*Update 8:13 – Cameron D looks stunning, the gold is just perfection. Penelope Cruz, how can we look like you? Jake Gyllenhaal, grrrr.

Enjoy the Show!

This image is what the factory will receive in order to create a print for t-shirts, or really any apparel item that needs artwork printed. We found this image here, with the title, Create A Complete Apparel TechPack. The article has tons of valuable advice, especially for a newbie to apparel graphic design. Although, the title is odd since this is not an apparel techpack at all (no fabrications, no specs, no sizing, no trims, no construction details, etc) this is simply the artwork page for a complete techpack.

Now, this particular designer covered many bases and even laid out separate screens for each color, which thankfully we have almost never had to do. However, we did see some oversights. First and most obvious, the artwork has no title, no number, and no colorway number, labeling your work is crucial especially if the item goes to production. Second, there is no image of just the artwork with dimensions and measurements. The author gives great advice by saying that you should proceed as if your printer is a six year old and be fully detailed, yet the placement info was lacking. The only measurement was from collar down and that was marked as, “approximately 2 inches” in fashion a measurement can never, never, never, be approximate.

There is mention that the artwork will be used for a variety of sizes. If so, on a XS this print will be more a full coverage print but on a XXL it will be a smaller placement print and placing it 2 inches down for the larger size will look bizarre. The artwork should be adjusted for size or the placement should be varied. Another concern is the use of a foil print. Which is a fun accent for a junior’s tee but because of it, the artwork should be applied after the factory wash, or at the very least, inside out during wash, and again there is no info for this detail. Finally, we don’t see what the actual print is except for the foil color mention. Is it water based, rubber, heat transfer, pigment, what? If it is a standard water based screen print, than the light off-white color is going to be distorted since the pink ground color is darker. Is that the intent of the designer or should there be a flash under it to improve the lighter color? Again, there is no mention of these issues in the details.

Oh yeah, one last random comment. Did anybody notice that the garment is labeled American Apparel, yet the company is clearly Vanilla Star? Since when can Vanilla Star afford domestically made product? And since when do they not produce their own pieces? Hmmm we’re hoping this was just the graphic designer’s guess. But really, by the time you get to the point of developing the artwork the actual garment shouldn’t be a mystery.

Overall we thought they gave a ton of great advice, and a very thorough tutorial on how to create graphics for apparel. What did you think? Anything you would do differently? Any advice we gave you disagree with?

We randomly stumbled across this little gem online and thought it was time for a lighter post on here.  Anyone who works in the fashion industry is sure to get a laugh. Thanks to joke diary for supplying a giggle in the midst of a hectic work week!

Two executives working in the garment center are having lunch together. Goldstein says to his friend, “Last week was one of the worst weeks of my entire life.”

“What happened?” asks Birnbaum.

Goldstein moans, “My wife and I went to Florida on vacation. It rained for seven days and seven nights, so my wife went out and spent thousands of dollars on the credit card. I came back to New York and found out that my rat brother-in-law accountant has been ripping me off for millions. And to top it all off, when I came in to work on Monday morning, I found my son having sex with my best model on my desk!”

“You think you had a bad week?” responds Birnbaum. “My week was even worse! I went to Florida on vacation with my wife and it rained for seven days and seven nights, so my wife went out and spent thousands on the credit card. Then, when I got back to New York, I found out that my rat cousin accountant has been ripping me off for millions. To top it all off, when I came in to my office on Monday, I found my son having sex with my best model on my desk!”

“How can you say that your week was worse than mine?” asks Goldstein. “It was identical!”

“You shmuck!” replies Birnbaum. “I manufacture menswear…”

(Forward on to a friend who works in menswear)

Here’s the question, is fashion important? Well, in short, YES.  Now, of course, we would say that since this is a fashion blog after all, and we do work in the fashion industry, and we are particularly supportive of NYC’s Garment Center, but is it really important to the rest of the world? And should it be?  Again, we have to say the answer is a resounding yes.  The fashion industry’s importance comes from its ability to consume your spending dollar in massive quantities, it comes from a lasting tradition of bringing women into the workplace, it comes from encouraging self expression for all individuals, it comes from its impact on the US economy as one of the nation’s largest manufacturing sectors, it comes from a long history in the Garment Center of promoting the immigrant’s American dream, and of course, it comes from the couture talent in creating wearable art.

As fashion industry professionals we have often heard comments dismissing fashion as a career, as a rather less than serious job, akin to a paid hobby. This attitude comes from the misrepresentation by mainstream media that fashion design is just fun sketching and then, poof, the product appears in stores. (For our full rant on that issue read this, Amazingly Stupid Fashionistas?)

Beyond the dismissal of fashion as a serious career, there is also the common notion that caring about fashion is rather shallow and vapid. In a recent post where we uncovered the ugly truth about Forever 21, we received a surprising amount a feedback mentioning, “well, I don’t really care about fashion” or “fashion doesn’t effect me.” The truth is, if you wear clothes (which we hope you all do) you should care, especially during this time of economic uncertainty.  We should all care where our money goes. People think long and hard before buying a house, they research when buying a car, but somehow clothes shopping just happens. As we mentioned before in our Label of Origin post, the least people should do when shopping is think about where their products are made. How you spend your consumer dollar directly affects our economy and sends a message to retailers, designers, and manufacturers alike. By not patronizing companies and brands that support sweatshop labor or unethical labor practices, you are impacting the greater world.

The angle most often overlooked is fashion’s impact on our national economy. While fashion evokes images of supermodels and runway shows, many people forget it is also an industry of great economic importance. In New York alone the industry supplies over 10 billion dollars worth of wages to its residents. The apparel and textile industry is one of the largest domestic manufacturers in the US, (and unlike the auto industry we did not get a bailout) it supplies over 700,000 jobs in manufacturing alone. When people question the importance or relevance of fashion, they often forget its significant role in our economy.  Fashion employs everyone from retail store clerks, to seamstresses, to designers, not to mention the majority of these jobs have historically been held by women and minority groups when other industries were not so welcoming. For anyone who has ever worked in a union, the fashion industry should matter. We set the standards in protecting workers’ rights and ensuring safe working conditions beginning with the ILG union in the 1920’s. Those pioneering women garment workers set the standard for today’s unions.

No matter who or where you are, the fashion industry affects you. Every morning when you look into your closet and choose to wear an item you purchased, you have affected your budget, our environment, somebody’s job, the national economy, and a company’s bottom line. Obviously we care about fashion for many reasons, including that it is our livelihood, but we get particularly frustrated when people claim that caring about fashion is unimportant. Besides styles and trends (which of course, we adore too) fashion and apparel have a long and storied  history of importance. So, we dedicate this post to anyone who has ever questioned the value of the fashion industry. And if you still feel fashion is irrelevant, why are you reading and complaining to a fashion blog?

Hope all our dear readers are doing well this weekend. To our fellow New Yorkers, think we got enough snow? We’re guessing many of you are snuggled up indoors, not wanting to brave the dirty city snow and the crosswalk slush pools. So here is something to keep you occupied, while curled up with  cup of joe, nice and warm inside. These are the latest and greatest fashion blog posts of the week from around the web, better known as, Links à la Mode.

British Style Bloggers – Cherish forever what makes you unique, ‘cos you’re a yawn once it’s gone
Cafe Fashionista - A step-by-step guide to looking luxurious even when lounging
Clutch22 -Up close and personal with Vivienne Tam as she expands her fashion+tech innovations to a new category
CMYKaboom – Independent Fashion Bloggers (IFB) ‘Tweet Up in the Tents’ event
Debutante Clothing - Vintage Jewelry: Q&A with Lucite line Circa Sixty Three
Fabulous Finds Gal – Moonstuck at the opera with photographer Bersa
Fashion Pulse Daily – Sonia Rykiel Pour H&M; the debut and the review
Holier Than Now – New Take on Florals (5 Under $50)
Idiosyncratic Style - A Girl’s Guide to Maternity Style
Independent Fashion Bloggers : Evolving Influence Recap : Part One
Individual Chic: – Would you have wanted a Computer Engineer Barbie when you were smaller? Or would you love one now?
Night Watch – 10 Questions with Model Clara Zapffe
Ode to Awe - Denmark based Alidra Alic’s Alice-inspired jewelry
Oranges and Apples – Rules for advertising and sponsorship on blogs
Retro Chick - The Ethics of Blogging
Smiles Go with Everything -10 Tips for Shopping on Ebay:  How to find great deals on awesome duds.
The Coveted – Visits Nine West HQ for a sneak peak of  AW10 shoe collections!
The Style PA – Gives Henry Holland a grilling ahead of his House of Holland show.
The Sunday Best – Do men get better service when they shop?
Wicked Whimsy -What to look for when buying vintage shoes
Workchic – Fall 2010 NY Fashion week collections: recreated runway to the office outfits

Finally, we can all afford some Zac Posen! Last night Zac launched his new lower priced line at Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC. The new line called Z Spoke (not crazy about the name, sounds like a new smart phone) is a women’s sportswear collection priced from $60 to $700. His goal was to make a line that is more accessible and affordable to the average woman than his runway collection. Part of that effort is in expanding his size range to include a size 16. “It’s a dream of my life to be able to make a collection that can work for so many different kinds of women,” he told New York Magazine. “This is about dressing America.” It is nice to see a designer embracing a diverse customer base, unlike our recent issues with Eileen Fisher who feels the opposite way as you can read here. Not to mention Zac’s design ability and taste level have not been watered down at all for this collection. What do you think; will you become a fan of his new line?

By the way for any of our readers who are looking for an internship and are Zac Posen fans, Zac Posen is currently looking for interns. So send your resumes here, Hr@zacposen.com

Today we have another fascinating interview for you. As usual we bring you a side of fashion not usually covered by mainstream media and certainly not covered during our recent fashion week. This fashion designer (who prefers to remain anonymous) has been working in the industry for about 12 years and has been responsible for many of the big brands you see at your local mall, department store, and even mass-merchandisers. Her range of experiences makes her the perfect person to share her thoughts on working as a designer in corporate America. At the moment she works for a mid-sized company overseeing two women’s brands and a huge private label business, her team of four assistants, associates and graphic designers do about 42 million dollars of goods a year.

1) Do you feel your formal fashion education helped prepare you for working in the industry?
Yes, definitely. I attended a traditional four-year university and got my Bachelor’s degree with a major in apparel design. I was very concerned that because I hadn’t attended Parsons or FIT I would struggle finding work or even be unqualified. Surprisingly, that couldn’t have been farther from the truth. In many ways I was better prepared because the grads from those schools were so focused on couture and illustrating that they were not well rounded. I had four year of fashion like them plus cad, graphic, and Adobe classes. At that time those schools were not even teaching any computer design, so I actually had a leg up. Plus, since I have a University degree if I choose to leave fashion, I believe it gives me more options as far as other careers or a graduate school.

2) You moved here after graduation from the Midwest, do you like living in NYC, and are you glad you made the move?
Absolutely, this is where fashion is in the US. The city itself is inspiring and this particular neighborhood is so full of fashion professionals and resources. There is nowhere else you get that in such a concentrated area. The amount of opportunity is amazing here and I think if I had never tried, I would’ve always regretted it.

3) What one piece of advice, would you give to someone wanting to start a career in fashion?
Make sure you really want it, be prepared to work hard for long hours and low pay in the beginning, and get an internship.  The internship is a great way to get your foot in the door, especially for your first job, after that your work history and portfolio speak for themselves. I would also say, move if you need to. For recent grads, this is before you have kids, mortgages, medical bills etc, this may be the one time in your life to pick up and move to a big city or different country and not have much to lose. Oops, I guess that is a lot more than one thing.

4) You have worked for some major apparel companies in the garment center, what would like to see companies improve on?
Quality of life for their employees, better pay for everyone but salespeople, who frankly are already overpaid, and most of all I’d love to see Human Resource departments be mandatory for apparel companies and benefits greatly improved. My last company had so many incompetent people who got away with it, while qualified people got frustrated and quit, yet the owner never even knew what was going on until employee exit interviews. There was no HR, no way to notify anyone at the executive level what was going on. The owners of many mid to large apparel companies are so disconnected; they may breeze in and out of the office a few times a week/month and not even know who their employees are. I realize this is the case in many industries and at many large companies and that is why they have HR departments. We need that too!

5) What is you day-to-day schedule like as a designer working for a large corporation?
Well, I think that would surprise most people. I would say being a senior level designer is 85% business and 15% creative.

I spend my mornings following up emails from overseas factories. Seeing where they stand, what questions they have, what problems need to be solved that day etc. Then mid-morning my samples usually arrive. The assistants go through and check/spec them and any problem are brought to me. Any samples for production and fittings are giving to me for review as well. Then I usually meet with my team and review sketches they have and give them any design direction I prepared the night before.

Then I will meet with the sales team and hear the selling reports, what’s doing well in stores, what’s not etc. They will let me now what their buyers want more of, and what styles they are looking for etc. This is probably the most stressful part of the day. Lots of yelling by salespeople of what designs they want to see, how they hate this idea but want that, why one of them believes her request is more urgent then another’s, and how they all want stuff designed and sent to the factory asap.

After this I take an associate designer with me to fit any samples that need to be fit with the technical designer and patternmaker. Then I begin to work on the sales requests and come up with a game plan. At this point I try to eat lunch while working, as it’s usually around 2-3pm. I then pass on the sales info to my assistants and start them working on new sketches and techpacks to be sent tonight. Usually a fabric supplier or trend forecaster will stop in to meet with me, which I try to get done quickly. And often around 5pm-6pm the VP or big boss will want a meeting, have a question, or need a sample review, before they leave for the day.

Then after 6pm it gets quiet with only the design and technical teams left and I can get some work done. I start checking and reviewing my team’s sketches and techpacks, making my comments and corrections as needed. Then I will start finding design inspiration for tomorrow and doing some of my own sketching and techpacking. Finally, I will follow up on all emails and go through any budget, expense, or employee paperwork that needs to be done. Finally I will head home around 9pm-10pm!

6) What do you wish people would understand about working in the fashion industry?
How freaking hard it is! It’s a business, its manufacturing; it’s much more than style and shopping. Fashion is hard work but can be incredibly rewarding as well. I wish people, students especially, would realize it is serious business. Having interns who show up thinking it is all going to be styling outfits and going on shop trips, and whine when they have to track packages or get stuck measure dozens of pre-production samples, makes me crazy! Yes, there is fabulousity, yes, there are shop trips to Europe but they are not the bulk of the business and they don’t come easily.

Fried chicken (yum) conjures up images of scarfing down KFC during our late night college days. It certainly doesn’t fit into New York’s intense foodie scene, does it? And fried chicken is one thing you’d never see designers, and other industry professionals in the Garment Center scarfing down at lunch-time, is it? Well, it is now. Thanks to the opening of BonChon Chicken on 38th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues.

Anybody familiar with Korean fried chicken knows how delicious it is, but also, that it’s far different from Southern American fried chicken. The frying process is different, there are a variety of sauces and flavors, and we think it is lighter and crispier than its American cousin. One of our favorite things abut Korean fried chicken is the variety of flavors, you have a choice of sauces and can even mix and match, like Spicy, Soy, and Garlic. We definitely recommend trying this more fashionable way to indulge your next fried chicken craving.

Now beware this is still fried chicken, so this is not a light lunch and BonChon is a chain so don’t expect fine dining. If you are a real foodie and like Korean fired chicken we have to recommend Unidentified Flying Chicken in Jackson Heights Queens, it is the BEST! One other random recommendation for our readers. Right next door and above BonChon, is Cozy Nails, one of the best places in the Garment Center to get a quick mani-pedi. As long as you don’t go on a Friday, they can get you in and out during your lunch hour and they do a lovely job.

We also adore Anna Sui who made it clear how unhappy she was that Fashion Week was moving out of the Garment Center. In her show we saw the usual wild pairings of colors, prints, patterns and textures in Sui’s fantastic trademark hippie-glam style. We also loved the more unexpected addition of the elegant retro flapper dresses.

We have a new obsession with Chris Benz, he is another local designer who believes, “our responsibility is to support the domestic garment industry.” We found this excellent video of him discussing the issue here:

Throughout the week many designers have made an effort to support local manufacturing and business and we would like to see that trend continue.

So what else did we like from fashion week? Well there was a lot actually, but here are some favs, with images courtesy of NY Mag.

Badgley Mischka                     J Mendel                    Catherine Malandrino

Diane Von Furstenberg         Carolina Herrera                    Marchesa

In case you haven’t heard, fashion bloggers are the new “it” crowd. Of course with our recent fame comes the inevitable backlash. The now infamous Independent article slamming fashion bloggers as, “little more than mouthpieces for fashion brands” got destroyed in the blogesphere. Not only is this untrue, but we find it particularly annoying how often fashion blogs are lumped together into one narrow definition. Fashion bloggers share a huge variety of experiences and information with their readers.  From the young girl posting what she wore to school, to a professional stylists sharing behind the scenes info at a high-end fashion shoot, to a stylish mom sharing tips on how to keep on trend while raising a family, blogs are as varied as the people who write them.  Now in the midst of New York Fashion Week, the bloggers whose focuses are covering designers, runway reporting, and excellent photography are shining in the fashion blogesphere and to perhaps the dismay of mainstream media, outshining them as well! We think it is partially this diversity of purpose, which sets fashion blogs ahead of traditional fashion media. Not to mention the Independent’s implication that bloggers are the ones that have “sold out” is ludicrous. Magazines have a clear cut intent to sell product and increase revenue, bloggers do not. In fact, many bloggers make little or no money from their blogs. And frankly, many fashion blogs are not trying to sell you a damn thing.

As many of our regular readers are aware, this blog is written from the perspective of people working behind the scenes in the fashion and garment industry. We cover issues of domestic production, fashion school, women in the workplace, and saving the garment center, far more often then shopping or trends. And we pretty much never directly address the issue of blogging. However, this week we feel we must give a shout-out to our fellow fashion bloggers who have made such a large impact on the fashion industry, in such a small amount time. In just a few short years bloggers have creating a new media. But to us, it seems like even more than that. We often cover the various professions and careers one can have in the fashion industry from colorist to patternmaker to designer. Recently we realized that fashion blogger can be added to that list. Like many fashion industry professions, bloggers are predominately underpaid females with a passion for fashion. The fashion blogger as a career is hard to define, but many have grown their own blogs into careers or have become professional bloggers for larger media outlets.

This week, aside from infiltrating many of the fashion shows at Bryant Park, fashion bloggers have flocked to the IFB conference. If nothing else the success of IFB (Independent Fashion Bloggers) led by wonder woman Jennine Tam, clearly shows the growth of this new outlet. The all day conference covering issues like marketing, SEO, writing, advertising, FTC and much more was quickly sold out.  Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before these topics become curriculum in a fashion blogger major at Parsons? Aside from the tents, this was the event to be at during fashion week. For anyone looking to begin a fashion blog or expand the one they have, please follow this link to the IFB site for tons of info, plus excerpts from the conference should be up soon.  This fashion week has made clear that fashion blogging is a growing medium of influence and importance to the fashion industry. So cheers to all of us for that!

In case you have any spare time during fashion week, you may have noticed the Winter Olympics are underway. Whether or not you enjoy watching these events, you no doubt are aware of the patriotism it evokes. This year that is particularly true for our neighbors to the north, who on Sunday finally won their 1st Canadian Gold Medal at home.  It is a time where every country is on display and we all do our best to promote and portray what is best about our nation. In the opening ceremonies many countries went with native costume or apparel that represented their image, i.e. Bermuda’s team paraded into the cold Vancouver air, sporting red Bermuda shorts.

So what did the American team wear? They were sporting the all-American Ralph Lauren classic look.  The winter puffer jackets in Navy and turtle necks were all very traditional Americana. And of course there was the American flag patch and official team USA appliqué. As a matter of fact Ralph Lauren is the Official Outfitter of the 2010 US Olympic Team.  So we wondered, are the clothes actually American? Is the apparel made in the USA?  They must be made domestically right? The Olympic gear couldn’t be outsourced to a third world country, could it? Well, unfortunately it can and it is!

If you check out RL website under the Olympic section you can get all the details and the products are clearly listed as “Imported.” Of course they are smart enough not to publish, “Made in China” but still we know what imported means and it’s not from Canada. But just to be sure, we contacted Ralph Lauren and inquired about the Men’s Opening Ceremony Team USA down jacket and asked where it was made. Guess what the answer was? Bangladesh! Not only that, but you can get your own for the low, low, “imported” price of $350. Really, what were they thinking? Seriously, the Olympics would never pick Nissan as the Official car of the Olympics (it’s Chevy) or Heineken as the official beer (it’s Budweiser) so why is the Official apparel made in Bangladesh?

It is that time of the week again to grab a hot tea, put on the slanket, and cozy up to some fantastic fashion blogs.  Below you will find the latest and greatest fashion posts of the week, better known as Links à la Mode.  Enjoy!

• 39thandbroadway.com: – How Designers Really View Their Customers
• A Typical Atypical: – I chat about how hard it must be to love fashion and be blind, and I question whether there ought to be a charity dedicated to helping people feel good about how they look even if they can’t see it in the mirror.
• Cafe Fashionista: – Style Secrets: Symbol of Style. A how-to on creating your very own trademark/signature look.
• dramatis personae– How to Pack for Mardi Gras!
• Eternal Masquerade: – Interview with young designer, and Teen Vogue/CFDA/Target scholarship winner, Jennifer Huang.
• Fab Blab: – Even after all these years, we continue to differentiate between dark and fair. How does this affect the fashion industry adversely?
• Fashion Cents: – Seven Style Basics that EVERYONE should know! Make sure you are not committing these style “sins.”
• fashion in my eyes:– Fashion is supposed to be fun! Interview with designer Arina Varga
• Haute World:– A Mad Tea Party? An exclusive look at how 9 luxury designers interpret Alice in Wonderland for French department store Printemps.
• Independent Fashion Bloggers – From Blog to Brand: Questions to Help Define a Vision for your Blog
• Instant Vintage: – Blood, Sweat & T-Shirts: Learning the true cost of that cheap and chic outfit you just scored.
• kaKofonie Of si(gh)lenS:– Interview with Anna Osterlund of Ravishing Mad
• Model Max:– Are ‘respectable’ fashion writers insecure with ‘upstart amateur’ fashion bloggers?
• Oranges and Apples: – Is fashion oppressive or fun? some belated thoughts on Tanya Gold hating fashion
• Rags to Reverie:– Vivienne Westwood showed that fashion forwardness could be inspired by the past
• Retro Chick: – Top tips to on the spot dating of Vintage Clothes
• THE COVETED– Devil’s Advocate : Bloggers vs. Editors
• The Fashion Planner: – DIY: How to Make Naughty Granny Panties for Valentine’s Day!
• the musings of ondo lady: – Back in 2006 Slave to Fashion, a three part documentary was aired on Channel 4 which took a really good look at the fashion industry.The aim was to make sense of the multi billion industry which everyone from the media to consumers seemed to be obsessed w
• The Recessionista: – an hour ago Rebecca Taylor & Milly: Fashion Week Inspiration
• Unfunded: – Photos and thoughts from the Vintage Fashion Expo in Santa Monica, CA.

Well, there sure is a lot going on right now, so lets get to it.

First, Happy New York Fashion Week! Yep, Fashion Week is fully underway. This year’s NYFW has gotten off to an ominous start with the blizzard of 2010 wreaking havoc on the East Coast and the heartbreaking news of the death of young talented designer Alexander (Lee) McQueen. Hopefully things will turn around and we will have a memorable and successful Fashion Week. So where to get all the scoop? You can check out the big guns of course, NY Magazine and Style.com. But we’d also like to recommend some of our favorite fellow bloggers for an insider look at Fashion Week. Unlike us they are much better photographers and will give you the full scoop on all the behind the tent action. So please visit, Fasshonaburu, Clutch22 and Dream Sequins.

Next, Happy Chinese New Year! Not only is this the biggest holiday for China and many Asian nations but it has a huge impact on the Garment Center and the fashion industry. Since so much apparel is made in China these days, our local companies from designers to production managers have been working overtime trying to get all their requests in to the factories before they close. The holiday lasts about two weeks, in which factories are shutdown and in the fashion industry that amount of time has a HUGE impact on all our schedules. If you are in NYC, Chinatown has tons of festivities going on, starting with the annual Fireworks and Dragon parade. So happy year of the Tiger everyone!

And finally, Happy Valentine’s Day! We found this fun lingerie blog, which is the blog to the fabulous boutique Faire Frou Frou. If you haven’t ever visited check out their sexy little underthings by clicking here. This Sunday February 14th is the big day, whether you consider it a day to celebrate love, or a day to try out that whip and pasties, or a day you consider a hallmark holiday, or even a day you refer to as Singles Awareness Day, we wish you all a very happy Valentines Day.

No, this is not another post about the fashion industry and eating disorders, nor is it a plus size debate article.  As designers working in NYC’s fashion industry we can tell you that fashion people love to eat.  Yes, many of us are slim but don’t let that fool you, like many New Yorkers we are real foodies!  So we were thrilled to hear that many big name fashion designers have gotten together to create the American Fashion Cookbook. In case you haven’t noticed, creative people often enjoy dabbling in related mediums.  So it is hardly a stretch to understand why fashion designers would take great pleasure in cooking.  From Isaac Mizrahi to Rachel Roy, the book is filled with renowned American designers sharing their recipes.  Here is their official description of the cookbook:

“Isaac Mizrahis Mushroom Truffle Spaghetti, Carolina Herreras Pommes Toupinel, Mark Eckos Adults Only Chocolate Chip Cookies, Derek Lams Yellowtail Crudo, John Varvatoss Calaloo Soup food can be fashionable too! Published with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and with a foreword by Martha Stewart, American Fashion Cookbook is a chic objet containing recipes and original illustrations by more than 100 American designers. Brimming with color, flavor, and personality, here are the fashion community’s favorite dishes and preparation tips. From the flirtatiousness of Strawberry Shortcake to the minimalism of Chocolate Ganache to the zip of Andalusian Gazpacho, here are all the recipes a stylish soul needs to whip up a tasteful brunch, a romantic dinner, or simply prepare comfort food, in a collectible volume. Blank culinary-themed Proustian questionnaires that can be filled out by the hostess and guests appear at the back of the book a fashionable hors d’ouevre or digestivo sure to add spice to any occasion!”

The book is currently on sale at Barney’s for $45. But we have done better than that for you dear readers, we found it on Amazon for only $28.  Just click on the link below to purchase.  Happy cooking!