Stella on Fashion and Ethics October 4, 2009

If you haven’t read today’s Guardian interview with Stella McCartney, you’re missing out.

Anyone who even thinks they might want to work in fashion really, really needs to read the article. Especially those who think they might want to hang on to their sense of ethics.

Emma Watson: The Newest Face of Ethical Fashion September 18, 2009

I make no secret of my exasperation with certain celebrities who have no talent, no taste, and zero design skills, yet are inexplicably taken seriously as fashion designers when they decide being rich and famous isn’t enough. I’ve gone over the subject enough times that I really, really don’t feel like rehashing it all again (when I read about the unholy Lohan-Ungaro alliance in the New York Times recently, I struggled to keep from vomiting) so read the archives if you don’t already understand.

The Guardian reports that Harry Potter star Emma Watson is now launching her own line.  Am I mad? Not at all. Actually (even though I’m not about to forget she’s the face of fur-heavy label Burberry), I’d like to shake her hand.

Unlike some celebs I can think of, Emma isn’t doing the line for purely selfish reasons:

“I was excited by the idea of using fashion as a tool to alleviate poverty and knew it was something I could help make a difference with,” she said.

“I think young people like me are becoming increasingly aware of the humanitarian and environmental issues surrounding fast fashion and want to make good choices but there aren’t many options out there.”

A celebrity using her influence and popularity to encourage ethical dressing? I, for one, can get behind that.

Emma’s collection for People Tree (which is fair-trade, largely organic, and creates fair-wage jobs in Nepal, Bangladesh, and India) is expected to be released next February. (Heads-up to my fellow strict vegans: when buying from People Tree, watch out for wool, silk, and seashells. Fortunately, much of the line is organic cotton. And the Jessica dress is too cute.)

Britain: Continued August 27, 2009

Ready for more dirt on visiting the UK? Good.

More Tips:

• Beyond Skin is based in England, so of course their fabulous shoes are easier to find there (yes, I’ve ordered some BS shoes for the store…). Their store finder is useful, but do call ahead before going anyplace out of your way,  since many smaller stores have been hit hard by the credit crunch (kind of like in the USA). Three different stores are listed in London, so take your pick.
• Vegetarian Shoes have a storefront in Brighton, where they are based. Brighton, a Victorian-era seaside resort, is a very popular veggie-friendly destination; you may wish to consider spending a couple of days there. (I’m hoping to go next time.) It’s not too far from London, so you could even make it a day trip.
• Leave your backpack at home! Some stores, museums, galleries, etc. will not allow you to bring in a backpack, they are a much easier target for pickpockets than a handbag, and no one likes being smacked in the shoulder when you turn around (a bigger problem than you might think, especially on crowded public transportation and on impossibly narrow streets). Bring a handbag instead – you can always lift or lower it out of the way.
• Do visit Edinburgh, Scotland if you have time. It’s absolutely beautiful and one of the most sophisticated cities in Europe. (Note that Fringe, the world’s biggest performing arts festival, takes place there in August and the city will be PACKED with people, but you can see some very interesting street theater.)
• While shopping in Scotland, watch out for wool. All those interesting tartan clothes? Wool, wool, and more wool. If you are comfortable with wearing salvaged, re-purposed wool (I personally am not), you can find some interesting things at stores like Joey D or Psychomoda.
• Supposedly, Scottish bartenders don’t like it when tourists order Scotch whisky with soda, so either order something else or drink it straight. (According to Barnivore, Cutty Sark and Johnnie Walker are both vegan-friendly, but not being a whisky drinker myself, I’m not sure about other brands.)
• Do take the opportunity to try all the yummy vegan foodstuffs that you can’t easily find in the US – Sheese, Cheezly, Vegi Deli veggie dogs (best I’ve ever had), etc. (Caveat: while the British do make some of the world’s best vegan cheeses, I have yet to find a good vegan butter in the UK, though there could very well be one out there that I didn’t happen to stumble upon. I had the worst Earth Balance cravings…)
• You will have a much more enjoyable trip if you don’t act like “that obnoxious American” and put off everyone you meet. Brush up on British standards of behavior, which are a bit different. The Debrett’s guides are very helpful, but I also highly recommend Rules, Brittania by Toni Summers Hargis. You will be absolutely shocked by what words and phrases can either cause confusion or offense, as well as what behaviors tolerated in the US are inexcusable to the British. Also, lower your voice. Americans talk louder than anyone else on Earth – make an effort to match the volume of your speech to that of those around you. Trust me, it makes a difference.
• Stiletto heels and ancient stone floors don’t mix. Bring at least one pair of sensible shoes. (If you must bring high heels – and I always do – wedges are easiest for walking. Just watch out for cobblestones, uneven sidewalks, fields full of sheep, and any ancient site with stone floors.)

My Trip Highlights:

• Best Museum: The V&A
• Best Castle: Edinburgh Castle
• Best Secondhand Bookstore: Barter Books, Alnwick (which reminded me of Acres of Books, but with wider aisles, brighter lighting, interesting murals, a model train running overhead, and reprints of World War II posters)
• Best Mass Transit: London Underground (I hear lots of Londoners hate it, but if I had any tattoos, one of them would be of an Underground roundel – it’s fast, easy, inexpensive, and I love the tile murals in some of the older stations)
• Best View: Train from Newcastle to Edinburgh (great views of the coastline and North Sea, though it might not be so nice when it’s raining…)
• Best Thing I Ate, Period: Chocolate and orange truffle torte with orange sauce, Mildred’s, London (it is SO good and rich and perfect…it is the second-best thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire life after the chocolate soufflé at Madeleine Bistro)
• Best Veggie Burger: Red Veg (everything is vegan except the cheese and mayo, but vegan mayo is available upon request)
• Best Vegan Buffet: 222 Veggie Vegan
• Best Veganized English Dish: Bangers and mash, Bob Trollop’s, Newcastle (I have GOT to replicate that onion gravy at home…)
• Best Veganized Scottish Dish: Veggie haggis (served on a baked potato), The Baked Potato Shop, Edinburgh (it’s really good and lacks the gross-out factor of traditional haggis, I promise! They have vegan haggis samosas, too)
• Best Vegan Cheese: Sheese (cheddar/chive and edam are my favorites)
• Best Museum Shop: Tate Modern, V&A (tie)
• Best Thing I Bought: Black-and-white wrap dress at Vivienne Westwood, London; cream-and-red Lady Dragon Heart shoes at Vivienne Westwood, Newcastle (tie)

I can’t wait to go back.

Britain: Fun, Fashionable, Vegan-Friendly August 22, 2009

Pussycat, pussycat, where have I been for the last few weeks?

I have a long-distance boyfriend, and I mean LONG distance. Orange County, California, and northeast England are nearly 6,000 miles apart. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.

And, of course, one of the perks is always having an excuse to visit Britain.

I was FINALLY able to tear myself away from work for a couple of weeks to visit him, and we spent the first few days in London, one of my absolute favorite cities.

Those few days were a design addict’s dream.

London, while not *quite* having the same cachet as Paris, is an extremely fashionable city that spurred a great many street styles and subcultures (some of which exist to this day – it’s one of the few places on Earth where you can wear anything – and I mean anything – without having to worry about hecklers). Every fashion addict should visit at least once if they can possibly arrange it.

No self-respecting fan of fashion, especially historical fashion, should pass up the chance to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum. Room 40 at the V&A is dedicated to fashion and costume, and exhibits are rotated periodically, so even if you’ve been before, go again and you’re bound to see something new. I was treated to the sight of a number of vintage wedding gowns (including a recent-ish Galliano creation), a green “Watteau” dress by Vivienne Westwood (plus one of her early bondage-inspired punk ensembles…oh, the V&A’s permanent collection also includes the Vivienne Westwood platforms that made Naomi Campbell trip on the catwalk), some striking Schiaparelli pieces, and graduation-collection highlights from the Royal College of Art’s fashion MA course.

Don’t miss the Museum’s two shops. The main shop has THE best fashion-related postcards I have ever seen – they are so beautiful you’ll wind up buying duplicates so you can send them to friends *and* frame them for display once you get home. As of August 2, there were still some handmade hats and hat-making supplies available (there was a hat exhibit curated with the assistance of Stephen Jones earlier this year, which I wish I could have seen) for those of you who, like me, love a beautiful topper. And you must not miss the bookshop, which has a healthy selection of books on fashion and fashion design. I’m happy to report that the impossible-to-find volume “The Golden Age of Couture“, a companion to the 2007-2008 exhibit of the same name (which I also wish I could have visited *sigh*), is back in print and worth every cent.

The Design Museum, on the south bank of the Thames, is firmly focused on contemporary design – architecture, industrial design, graphic design, and product design are featured – as is fashion design. Former fashion exhibits examined the work of Manolo Blahnik and Hussein Chalayan, and a quick perusal of the Museum’s online Design Library lists other names of note (Biba, Dior, Philip Treacy…).

Also south of the river is Zandra Rhodes’ Fashion and Textile Museum, which also houses the Academy @ FTM (self-explanatory). The current exhibition is “Undercover: The Evolution of Underwear”; past exhibits have included Swedish fashion, Bill Gibb, and the little black dress. The focus was primarily upon underwear from the Victorian era to the current decade; highlights included an evening gown made entirely from underwear, one of Dita von Teese’s corsets, and a display showing exactly how a bra is constructed. (I know what you’re thinking…yes, I did drag the boyfriend along. He blushed at some of the racier specimens, but believe me, he did not complain! The exhibit closes 27 September, so go soon if you can.)

Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms are only open for a few weeks every year, and I did have the chance to visit this time. Luckily for me, there was a special exhibit, “Queen and Commonwealth: The Royal Tour.” Gifts from Commonwealth nations, Order badges from host countries, and the archival films were all interesting, of course, but for me, the highlight was Her Majesty’s dresses. Twenty-eight dresses from different decades, worn in different Commonwealth countries, sometimes with matching accessories, were on display, and my God, were there some stunners. My favorite: a white-and-red velvet Norman Hartnell evening gown, worn in Singapore in 1972.

What does a fashionista do after visiting Buckingham Palace? She breaks for lunch (in my case, at 222 Veggie Vegan, with the boy and a good friend from high school who is getting her master’s in London) and heads for Kensington Palace.

Kensington Palace was the former residence of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, and Di continued to live there after her divorce. Given Di’s appreciation for beautiful clothes, it’s no surprise that the Palace now displays a rotating collection of her dresses.  The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, also a must-see, spotlights court dress worn by royalty and courtiers dating from the eighteenth century. Vignettes show a courtly lady and gentleman dressing for a special evening (traditional court dress is so complicated it’s no wonder the upper crust had so many servants attending to their wardrobes alone), a re-creation of a royal tailor’s shop, and a re-created upper-class dressmaker’s studio. (Chillingly, the audio tour notes that a century ago, some girls employed by cheap dressmakers became sick or died from squalid conditions and overwork. Their clients were not poor at all, mind you – after all, they could afford to host large parties – just very selfish. Yet, the British public isn’t horrified enough by the likes of Primark today – perhaps because it’s easy to ignore the plight of someone living halfway around the world.)

Also of note at Kensington Palace: the Last Debutantes exhibition. In the summer of 1958, young women from a certain social class were presented to the Queen for the last time. (Societal changes are commonly cited as the primary reason for this, though Princess Margaret is said to have quipped that the Royal Family had to end the annual event because “every tart in London was getting in.”) The exhibit covers the contrast between the increasingly modern age and the antiquated ritual of societal debuts, the etiquette of the debs’ world, those impossible dance steps…but the real stars of the show are the fabulous vintage gowns worn to those fancy balls. (Having a good knowledge of how an evening gown is made – and how it stays up with skinny straps or no straps at all – I have to say, a few of them made me cringe out of sympathy for the girls who had the darn things crushing their ribs. Exhibit ends 31 January 2010 – go now if you can!)

Gem fanatics will want to swing by the Tower of London to see the Crown Jewels – but please don’t miss the rest of the Tower. It’s a fascinating place with a lot of history, even if a very hostile ghost did scare the hell out of me the last time I visited (and this is one lady who does NOT scare easily). Gross-out alert: ermine-trimmed crowns.

If you have time for a day trip to Windsor Castle, go. It’s a lovely castle, and miniatures enthusiasts will love Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, but for fashionistas, the real highlight is the nearby case that houses France and Marianne, two Jumeau dolls presented to then-Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret as gifts from the children of France in 1938. In spite of the Depression, the 1930s were a golden age for some of the best couturiers the world has ever known. Designers such as Jeanne Lanvin, Marcel Rochas, and Lucien Lelong contributed stunning ensembles to the dolls’ trousseau. As with any other fashion exhibit, not all items are on display at once for conservation purposes (the case is nowhere near large enough to display the entire collection anyway – those dolls are better-dressed than a rich little girl’s favorite Barbie). Gross-out alert #2: some of the dolls’ coats and such are made of real fur (in the ’30s, even poor women wore dead animals if and when they had the chance). Can’t make it? Read Dolls for the Princesses: The Story of France and Marianne by Faith Eaton.

My tips for a successful London trip:

Travel:

• Prepare your itinerary ahead of time. Take note of days and hours when places you want to visit will be open or closed – even in London, many shops and attractions are closed on Sunday or have shorter hours.
• To save yourself the hassle of trying to figure out how to get where you are going (in case no one has warned you, cabs are VERY EXPENSIVE in London and driving in London can be a costly hassle), use the Journey Planner feature on the Transport for London website – you can specify tube stations, bus stops, or addresses.
• Map out alternate routes, too – you never know when something will come up. On one day of my visit, the Victoria station was closed for hours “due to a passenger incident”, requiring a quick retooling of my journey.
• Get an Oyster Card for Visitors! You can obtain one at a Tube station or online, but I got mine at the train ticket booth in Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Oyster Cards are pay-as-you-go smart cards – you put down a small deposit when you get the card and put credit on it, then ‘top up’ (i.e. add more credit) if necessary (I started with 20 pounds and only had to add another 5 pounds on the last day – given how many trips I took, that’s pretty good!). It’s faster, easier, and cheaper than dealing with Tube tickets (a Tube ticket for a single journey costs 2-4 pounds; with an Oyster card you typically pay only 1 pound).
• Pick up a London A to Z street atlas; you’ll need it (many Londoners don’t know where every single street is, so don’t count on always being able to ask the locals for directions). Bonus: if you get bored while waiting for a bus or while stuck between Tube stations on a stalled train, you can skim the index and amuse yourself with some of the funnier street names (Nimrod Passage, anyone?). Do keep the snickering to a minimum, though.
• Happycow is a wonderful resource for vegetarians and vegans, particularly the restaurant listings – there are so many in London that the listings are broken down by area. You may want to print out the listings for reference before you go.
• That said, vegetarianism is far more pervasive in the UK than it is in the US, and most restaurants in major cities have something animal-free.
• Does your hotel include breakfast? Beans on wholemeal toast is usually vegan (ask them to hold the butter and check there’s no dairy in the bread – the British don’t constantly dump pig products into canned beans the way Americans do), filling, and healthy.
• Are you staying in an apartment with a kitchen instead of a hotel? Holland & Barrett health food stores are vegan-friendly (get a vegan sausage roll – they’re even good cold), and I have it on good authority (namely, that of the boyfriend’s mum) that among regular grocery-store chains, Sainsbury’s has the best veg*n-friendly food labeling.
• When booking a vegetarian or vegan meal for your flight, always confirm at least 24 hours in advance, and again when you check in. But, check all food labels, and bring a snack just in case they goof up. (British Airways gave me dairy-laced margarine at one meal, a gluten-free madeleine with egg in it – I think they gave me the gluten-free meal by mistake – at another, and something smothered in what I’m 99% sure was cow’s-milk cheese at a third -  I can’t imagine an airline paying extra for vegan cheese when they can just omit the damn cheese, can you? This is the sort of thing I would expect from one sloppy domestic carrier in particular, but not BA…the Brits are supposed to be civilized, after all.)

Shopping tips:

• If you are planning on doing some serious shopping, pick up a copy of Suzy Gershman’s book Born to Shop: London. Sure, the Lonely Planet guides (which are excellent, btw) suggest some good places to shop, but Ms. Gershman knows where to find absolutely everything you could possibly want, where the closest Tube station is, *and* how to file for a VAT refund.
• UK and US sizing are different, and you are likely to encounter European sizing at some point. For UK sizing, round down 2 to 2.5 sizes in women’s shoes, and round up one or two sizes in women’s clothes (guys – round down one size in shoes, and it helps to know your measurements for clothes). My British friends also tell me that clothes sold in the UK aren’t as generous in the waist and hips as those sold in the US – this is bad news for the pear-shaped, but damn good news for this top-heavy lady.
• Cheap-chic chain Topshop has famously said no to fur, but their labor policy is not exactly progressive.
• Primark sucks too – and their wretched wares have, for some reason, reportedly caused some shoppers to start fights over them. Stay away!
• Vivienne Westwood has limited distribution outside the UK, so do visit her markdown shop in London. Dame Westwood does use some silk and wool (of course, so does Stella McCartney…), not to mention leather goods, but she stopped using fur years ago, and unlike some snobby, curve-phobic designers, her clothes are meant for hourglass figures. Her wares are made in Italy, so labor standards and quality are good. Do check out her Melissa Shoes collection, made in Brazil from molded plastic. (I scored a cream pair of Lady Dragon shoes with red hearts, albeit at the Newcastle store – the style is very popular and always sells out.)
• Shop assistants are not accustomed to people arrogantly demanding refunds. Outside of the USA, if you aren’t completely sure about something, make it easier on everyone and don’t buy it in the first place.
• As Sharon Osbourne once said, “Only in America can you get away with using somebody else’s credit card.” A letter from the cardholder will do you no good (trust me, a friend of mine worked at a very touristy London department store for a while). If you don’t have a credit or debit card in your name, get one before you go, or be prepared to pay cash. And don’t forget to tell your credit card provider and/or bank where you are going and when, or they may assume the mystery charges are an identity thief’s doing and freeze your account.
• England is a great place to buy hats. However, if you are vegan, watch out – traditional styles like bowlers and deerstalkers are almost invariably made of wool, and ladies’ hats and fascinators often have feather trim (or silk fabric, if very high-end). The good news is that ladies’ hats, once commonly made of horsehair, are now often made of straw or abaca (derived from the banana plant), so just watch out for feathers and you can find some real gems (I bought four).
• As of this writing, Harrods is the only London department store I know of that is still selling real fur, but unfortunately, that doesn’t make the rest of them saints. Harvey Nichols’ Knightsbridge branch stopped selling fur years ago, but I did spot several articles trimmed with real fur in their Edinburgh store – and this at the peak of summer, too (shame on you, Harvey Nicks!).

My only regret was that after cramming three museums into a single day, I was much too tired and sore to walk all the way to the Brown Dog memorial in Battersea Park…but I will be back, and I’ll be sure to see it on the first day, when I’m still wired from the time change (I don’t get jet lag…lucky me).

Stay tuned for my own personal “best of Britain” list…

This. Is. Bollocks. April 17, 2009

The latest update from my sources in the UK is not good.

On March 18, I related the plight of a young mixed-race bullying victim and the school’s lazy, apathetic, racist refusal to punish the perpetrators, even though their actions resulted in the victim being hospitalized for several days and the police (finally!) getting involved.

On March 24, I revealed that the bullies filmed the incident on a cell phone, showed it to everyone, and were STILL not thrown in the slammer.

Today, I received word that the victim’s parents are seeking legal action against the school. They were told that “the school has been judged as doing everything it could to prevent the bullying and protect the boy.” Judged by whom, an undercover member of the KKK?! That school did NOTHING! The problem persisted for months. Every single incident was reported. The incident which put the victim in the hospital was filmed and shown to half the bloody school!

If the school really and truly was doing “everything” it could, the bullies would have been expelled for the first offense and sent to jail where they belong. They are DANGEROUS. They have NO respect for the lives of other human beings. One of my sources, who has a background in forensic psychology and thus understands the minds of criminals, firmly believes they should be locked up forever for the greater good of humanity.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is yet another reason why I don’t particularly like all that many people. Animals attack each other to survive. Humans who launch unprovoked attacks have something wrong with their brains.

I’ll be rooting for the victim’s family when the case goes to court…and if you care about basic human rights, so should you.

(And yes, I do know what “bollocks” means. In British English it’s commonly used colloquially, so it’s not obscene…and any way one slices it, the situation IS bollocks.)