All posts in category fashion

Tales from my Forever21 relapse

I have a complicated relationship with Forever 21. I don’t like their marketing practices and their creepy proselytizing so I stay away. but sometimes I get the urge to go in because things seem so impossibly cheap. So I go in, get overwhelmed by a sea of synthetic fabrics and aggressive teenagers, then hate myself for getting interested in their products in the first place.

Sounds like a healthy relationship, no?

The other day, the Urge struck as I was walking on St-Catherines street. But my guilt/interest quickly turned into something else as I saw this:

Cute Oriental girl on a chain! How hip and ironic! These don’t seem identical to the “Oriental Girl” necklace that got the chain in hot water awhile back, but the concept seems to be similar enough.

Honestly, I don’t know what to make of these. I don’t want to wear something like this. It also seems wrong that they would single out and reduce certain cultural identities — like the “Native American Girl” as well as the “Oriental Girl” — to be worn like decoration (at a bargain price of $3.99 CAD or $1.50 US, nonetheless). But of course, a Huffington Post poll on the very same subject seems to reveal that I am yet again the humourless and sour person who takes everything too seriously.

In the end, I left the store empty-handed as I should’ve, and bought this cute zebra necklace instead, from the great Mary Jane, whose online shop is full of quirky vintage goods. Support local business, don’t contribute to questionable business practices, and don’t own a weird jewellery depicting stereotypes. Win-win, right?

4 Comments
by RK on August 3, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in fashion, wtf

Posted by RK on August 3, 2012

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2012/08/03/tales-from-my-forever21-relapse/

This month’s race-fails

Allegedly racist activities during frosh week at the Unversite de Montreal.

Photo by Anthony Morgan, published in the Montreal Gazette

The Université de Montréal made headlines this month thanks to its blackface incidents, where business students dressed up as “Jamaican sprinters.” Some were wearing green and yellow tracksuits, some were carrying monkey dolls, and some were carrying bananas. The incident was widely reported thanks to the McGill law student Anthony Morgan, who happened to be on campus that day. When some of the students saw him, they yelled “Look guys, we’ve got a real black!” and then chanted, “Smoke some weed! Yeah mon! Yeah mon!”

It is shocking to me that an orientation group thought this was a good idea in the first place – did nobody object to this idea? The University’s response to the incident is also disappointing, as they harken back to the tired intentionality argument – that nobody meant any harm, so there is none, right? – that’s more of an excuse than an apology.

Then there was the Vogue Nippon photoshoot, where model Crystal Renn was photographed with her eyes taped back. Threadbared did a great analysis of this already, but I want to reiterate how vague Renn’s explanation is on the reasons of taping her eyes. She does acknowledge that it makes her “become something else” as well as focusing on the “transformation” aspects of taping her eyes, yet is unwilling to say what exactly is being transformed by refusing to admit that taping one’s eyes back is not historically linked to yellowface (or “race drag” as the Threadbared authors call it). Again, we see the intentionality argument creeping up – race wasn’t on anyone’s mind – which is somehow supposed to nullify the result. This is a trend I find very disturbing and very linked to incidents of racism.

By creating a link between intention and outcome, racism becomes only visible to those who are racially “marked” – the ones who experience being racially “other” and thus a problem which does not concern those who are considered racially blank. By exonerating the problematic nature of an event with “good” intention, these incidents try to become “one-time” singular incidents and ignore the systemic and historical tradition of racism that has been happening for centuries. I hope that both the University and fashion magazines would take these incidents as lessons, but I feel a touch naive in saying so, and know that things like this will happen again. So what does that leave me with? Not much, I suppose  - except a question, “how can we teach the concept of racism from a young age so people recognize it?” and the hope that you, the few readers of this blog, walk away at least thinking  about racial stereotypes in our culture a little more critically.

5 Comments
by RK on September 25, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in fashion, montreal, racism

Posted by RK on September 25, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/this-months-race-fails/

Snap judgment: Modcloth’s Lauren Moffatt Trip to Tansy-nia skirt

Dear Modcloth,

At first, I thought this was some kind of a special project where you are actually donating proceeds from the skirt to an organization that does work in Tanzania. But no, it seems like you just wrote a ridiculous copy on a skirt that seemingly has nothing to do with Tanzania, made volunteering seem like an airy-fairy fashion show. I’m sure “Africa” loves it!

Also, who would wear a dry-clean only silk skirt to volunteering anyway? And is this overpriced, offending item really sold out?

Edited to add: apparently Modcloth removed the page featuring the item – I guess they learned their lesson?

Edited to add 2: So, they completely changed the name and copy accompanying the skirt to remove any mention of Tanzania or volunteering. Modcloth, that was cowardly. Screencaps live on forever.

[image originally from here, text added by me]

4 Comments
by RK on August 24, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in fashion, wtf

Posted by RK on August 24, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/snap-judgment-modcloths-lauren-moffatt-trip-to-tansy-nia-skirt/

Vancouver notes: My Sister’s Closet – a thrift store with a cause

A new discovery during my Vancouver visit this summer was My Sister’s Closet (1092 Seymour Street, on Helmcken),  a non-profit thrift store run by the Battered Women’s Support Services (BWSS) of Vancouver. The store offers high-quality used clothes, and a selection of new clothes thanks to donations from local chains like Aritzia. It also hosts clothing swaps (admission by donation) for women, babies and children. 100% of the proceeds from the store goes to BWSS operations.

The BWSS offers a variety of services for women suffering from violence including a crisis line, legal advocacy and court accompaniment, employment services, among many others. The Services reaches more than 8,000 women each year.

The prices at the store are slightly higher than what you might find at Value Village or Salvation Army, but they go to a good cause, and the sorting time is definitely shorter than at the thrifting giants. During my visit to the store a couple weeks ago, I found this Banana Republic top/tunic for $12:

You can join the Facebook group for the store to stay up-to-date with the upcoming clothing swaps and donations.

1 Comment
by RK on August 16, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in fashion, feminism, Vancouver

Posted by RK on August 16, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/vancouver-notes-my-sisters-closet-a-thrift-store-with-a-cause/

Snap judgment: Forever21′s sale selection

Dear Forever21,

I don’t think Jesus loves a business that derives profit by having people work under terrible conditions in sweatshops.

(also, those shorts look like something I made in Home Ec class in grade 8.)

[image from here, text added by yours truly]

1 Comment
by RK on August 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in capitalism, fashion

Posted by RK on August 14, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/08/14/snap-judgment-forever21s-sale-selection/

Snap judgment: Sarah Jessica Parker on Marie Claire

Dear Marie Claire,

what is up with Sarah Jessica Parker’s baby hands on your September cover?

Because in real life, her hands look like this:

I guess a grown woman’s hands are too terrifying for the cover of your magazine aimed at…wait, grown women. 

[Photos via Tom and Lorenzo]

1 Comment
by RK on August 4, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in fashion

Posted by RK on August 4, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/snap-judgment-sarah-jessica-parker-on-marie-claire/

He said | She said: Take Off Your Clothes

Some of my swap finds, summer 2011

I was introduced to the idea of clothing swaps last summer, and have been participating in them regularly as a way to purge my closet of unused things in my closet and try on new things. So of course Alex and I went to the latest one hosted by the S.W.A.P. team in Montreal, which happened on July 9-10 at the Grand Foyer of Place-des-Arts. So we decided to have a little discussion on The Gaily about our swap experience, as well as the growing popularity of clothing swaps among middle-class shopppers.

Have you ever been to a clothing swap? How was your experience?

2 Comments
by RK on July 22, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in fashion, montreal, writing

Posted by RK on July 22, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/he-said-she-said-take-off-your-clothes/

FFB post: my brief stint with “Louis Vuitton”

(This month’s FFB theme was “fashion, feminism and social class” – so here’s the story of how I became an unsuspecting fake designer purse owner.)

When I went back to Korea for a visit in 2009, two of my aunts took me shopping at Dongdaemun market, one of the biggest wholesale markets where clothes are dirt cheap and designer fakes are abundant. Other than feeling fatter (and ashamed because of it) than I had ever felt in my entire life, this also came with another lesson from my aunts:

“You’re an adult now,” she said. “So you should be carrying some label stuff.” Oh?

So what did they do? They took me to a booth to a woman who “makes really good-looking fakes” and introduced me to her. At her booth was a generic host of fake items that looked, well, fake. Then, when they said they wanted the “real” stuff, the woman reached underneath the table and brought out the more expensive, more “genuine-looking” fakes. That was the first time I learned that there are different classes of fakes – and some of them will cost you a lot. Like the fake Louis Vuitton bag my aunts insisted on buying for me, which set them back about $100 CAD. What? I know.

my "Louis Vuitton"

I learned that for a fake, my bag was a fairly good one – after googling the “real” bag it was inspired from (because let’s be honest, I had no idea what a “real” Louis Vuitton bag should look like, other than from my occasional glances at airports), I learned that the patterns lined up fairly well, as did the straps. The only discernible difference was the material – mine felt coarser and more stiff, whereas the Louis Vuitton bags are made of leather, causing them to sag more as they age. They even got the “Louis Vuitton” label right, except for the spelling of “rue Champs-Elysée” where the original Louis Vuitton store is located – it was spelled “Champs Ecycée.” Can’t get everything right I guess.

I carried the bag a few times, because I felt like I needed to be polite to my aunts. But then I always ended up telling people that no, my bag was not real, which probably beat the purpose of buying an expensive fake.  I had never felt so conscious of my “middle-class” status until that moment, when I became aware of the reality that I can definitely not afford a real LV bag (even though I had no desire to do so). I would also examine other women’s designer bags to see if I could determine their real “status” until thought to myself: why? I was perfectly fine with a nice, functional bag that you found at Value Village or Winners. I didn’t like thinking about how much a person was worth by looking at their bags, and I also disliked feeling like I needed something else, something that cost a full year of tuition just so I could feel validated.

So needless to say, the LV bag sits at the back of my closet, unused. Instead, my choice of summer bag these days is a little black cross-body purse I found at a clothing swap, with the “$6.99″ written in sharpies inside.


Be sure to check out other bloggers’ take on the FFB July theme here.

(Edited to add: photo of my real summer bag)

9 Comments
by RK on July 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in class, fashion, FFB

Posted by RK on July 13, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/ffb-post-my-brief-stint-with-louis-vuitton/

Montreal’s biggest summer swap event

Image from the S.W.A.P. team website

Dear Montrealers,

S.W.A.P. team is organizing one of its biggest swaps yet in Montreal, “Take Off Your Clothes” on July 9th & 10th at the Grand Foyer of Place-des-Arts. Swapping’s great for many reasons:

a) it reduces landfill

b) it saves you money

c) it’s more ethical than shopping at most retailers

Admission is $10 – the tickets for the first session on July 9th are already sold out, but you can still buy tickets for the session on the 10th.

OR even better, you can join as a volunteer, give a few hours of your time setting up the swap or greeting people, and swap for free. Many volunteers are still needed for the second swap day on the 10th. To find out more about volunteering, you can join the S.W.A.P. team’s Google Group page (the bulletin board on volunteering specifically is here).

I’ll be volunteering and swapping on July 9th, and am excited to be there. Hope to see you there too!

1 Comment
by RK on June 28, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in announcement, fashion, montreal

Posted by RK on June 28, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/06/28/montreals-biggest-summer-swap-event/

My ethical dilemma with fashion blogging

Image via weheartit.com

You may have noticed that I’ve been refraining from posting my outfit photos lately. There are a few reasons behind it, and I still don’t have my feelings straight on the matter do decide if I will continue or not.

This whole dilemma began when I read this piece on Forever21′s business practices on Jezebel and Businessweek. Of course, I knew in my subconsciousness that their practices had to be somewhat unethical, given just how cheap their clothes are, but I hadn’t bothered to read up on it. (If you’re interested in reading about manufacturing practices of big brands, this is a great resource that grades many companies’ business policies and practices in terms of ethics) The hazy backstory I knew of the company was a positive one of Korean immigrants Jin Sook and Do Won Chang making it big in America. Of course, that story is basically true. But when explored deeper, the Changs’ saga carries sinister undertones of becoming rich on the backs of underpaid and unethical labour, copied designs that lead to incredibly cheap prices, fueling the quantity over quality mentality of North American capitalism. I am a good example of this (though I have tried to curb my enthusiasm over buying needlessly). Every season, I end up donating at least one garbage bag full of items that I bought on a whim (thrifted and new) to a clothing swap or charity. Isn’t that incredible?

Then I started thinking about why I feel this itch to go get some new clothes every couple of weeks, why I read fashion blogs daily and think about whether things those women are wearing would look good on me, and finally – why I post pictures of myself online. And increasingly, I found that I was enjoying the more gratuitous side of it – i.e., people giving me compliments on the internet. Because hey, I’m human, and it feels good when other people say you look good. Is that why fashion blogging is so popular – because it gives us what we want all the time, almost instantaneously – a validation that we look great?

I also noticed that my pageviews went up almost instantly when I posted an outfit photo, more so than with my words. Part of me wanted to take advantage of the internet crowd’s short attention span and keep going. But it didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like I was doing it because I felt nobody else was talking about it, and I felt convinced the issue had to be discussed. It felt like I was doing this because…well, I wanted more compliments. Don’t get me wrong, I’m aware that blogging in itself is a bit of a selfish endeavour, no matter how I spin it. But this outfit blogging felt especially selfish, with little merit to the outside world and mostly for self-gratification.

Then there’s the consumerist aspect. Why do we feel compelled to reveal where we got things from? It seems that many times, when fashion bloggers reveal where they purchased certain items, certain readers (and other bloggers) would feel compelled to buy the same things for themselves (and possibly blog wearing the same item). Is fashion/outfit/style blogging just another channel that feeds the capitalist machine? Reading about Forever 21′s business model and then looking at pretty photos of a Forever21 dress on a fashion blogger created a cognitive dissonance  in myself that I could not reconcile.

So what’s left for me to do? Show off my thrift or garage sale finds? But there are so many bloggers who are doing it already, and much better than I ever could. I’m not a sewer or a seamstress so I can’t even teach people about how to make your own clothes to opt out of the sweatshop-driven garment economy.

And therein lies my conflict with sharing my outfits with the world. I’m not a perfect consumer. It’s odd – I am not a perfect feminist nor a perfect critic either, but writing about my outfits gave me more pause and anxiety than writing about pop culture and feminist issues ever did.

So I’m giving myself a break from documenting my outfits to figure it all out. But don’t worry, blogging in general will continue. In the meantime – feminist bloggers: how do you deal with this dilemma? If you ever felt conflicted, did it get better as you continued to blog about fashion and outfits?

52 Comments
by RK on June 11, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in capitalism, fashion, feminism

Posted by RK on June 11, 2011

http://jroselkim.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/my-ethical-dilemma-with-fashion-blogging/

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