Too fat for fashion?

Are you familiar with American Apparel? The retailer boasts a stock of American-made clothes ranging from basic tee shirts to... less basic pieces. They're a popular brand because of their basics and because of their non-sweatshop approach. But they're also a controversial brand – and only partially because they think people want to wear metallic leggings and neon scrunchies:

[caption id="attachment_166" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I\'m not kidding."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_167" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="These leggings cost $46."][/caption]

No, most of the brand's press is courtesy of their creepy, sleazy CEO, Dov Charney. Charney has been accused of sexual harassment, misogyny, and general creepiness more than a few times now. (The links describe him better than I ever could.) Their porny ads don't do much to disprove the company's image as degrading to women.

But now it seems AA is looking to alienate a whole new demographic: the plus-sized. A well-known plus-sized model and adult star recently blogged about asking an AA employee if the company had ever considered carrying larger sizes only to be told, "That's not our demographic." The website carries limited items in sizes up to 2X, but their men's pants only go up to a waist of 34" and the plus-size women's stock is limited to mostly basic tees and tops.

In 2009 the Los Angeles Times reported that the average American woman wears a size 14, or an XL. Which means that retailers like AA are leaving a lot of us out of their "demographic."

AA is currently suffering the media's slings and arrows over this – and they're not exactly a hard target – but they're not alone in ignoring the reality of the American shopper. A size 8 model is considered plus-sized by industry standards. Size 8! That's a full three sizes smaller than the average woman wearing clothes every day. And I find it hard to believe that any woman walking around the mall looking for a size 8 dress would be shopping at stores geared toward plus-sized women. The fact is, the fashion industry is unrealistic about women's bodies. And the more women change the more the industry stays the same. Despite years of controversy the models that walk the runways still hover around size 0.

Plus-sized model Leona Palmer wrote a great blog for the Huffington Post about the image misconceptions surrounding plus-sized models. It has nothing to do with the AA issue, but she makes a lot of interesting points about how the fashion industry sees women with regard to our size.

AA isn't the only retailer that refuses to carry clothes for a diverse clientele, but they're one of the few willing to admit it openly. And as long as people keep shopping there they can afford to say what they like – though the business model may not be working out in the long-term as their stock sank to a new low this month. Which raises the question: how long can any business survive by excluding a majority of potential consumers?


(Images are from AmericanApparel.com.)

Two Quickies for the Price of One!

I'm updating a little slow this week. The truth is most of my brain power is going to mulling over the series finale of Lost. (Even fashionistas can be huge nerds.) But don't forget me! I'm still working on keeping you up to date with fashion and beauty fun and news!

For today, here's a couple of quick shots for you:

Allure Magazine has published its 2010 Readers' Choice Awards. Every year the magazine surveys readers for their favorite drugstore and designer products and compiles a list of the best. So if you want to know what works for real people instead of what beauty editors want you to buy, this is the list for you.

ModCloth is a popular site for shoppers who want a unique look with vintage flair. Their prices can be a bit high, so I usually stick to checking out what's on sale. I got a great pair of black and white tweed t-strap heels there that get compliments every time I wear them! I haven't tried their clothes, but their accessories and shoes are adorable and you can get some great deals when they have a sale.

Quickie: Spring's Hot Makeup Shades

Allure Magazine has a rundown of the 6 best makeup shades for spring.

Probably the least shocking news is that red lips are in. (Is this news anymore? Are red lips ever out?) Also big for spring: khaki green eye shadow, metallic purple eye shadow and liner, and flushed pink cheeks and lips. Not necessarily all at the same time.

What I love about makeup is that it's a quick, fun, and commitment-free way to give your look a little punch. You can freshen your face by switching your normal neutral eyeliner for a purple without having to embrace Lady Gaga's Poker Face. The nice thing about Allure's list is that the six shades their featuring can be made to work on just about any skin tone or face. There's nothing on their list that's so crazy you can't give it a try.

Wash before wearing!

This one is not for the faint of heart or obsessive compulsive.

A while back the Today show performed a little shopping experiment:

The news team removed price tags and hygienic strips from panties, stained them with baby oil, and marked tags with two black dots for identification purposes.

Wouldn't you love to be the intern assigned that job? Anyway, they then returned the panties to several retailers in the metro New York area and then went back to the store later to find that the untagged, soiled panties had been returned to the sales floor.

Gross.

They went back for a post-exposé check and found that all the stores they had busted had changed their dirty undies – or at least stopped selling them. That's the good news. The bad news is they caught new retailers selling soiled panties and swimsuits this time around.

The full story and list of stores is at the link, but the point is always wash before you wear when you buy swimwear or lingerie no matter what the corporate office says their policy is. There's always the chance that some lazy employee didn't correctly process used garments.

An example from my retail experience:

I worked for a popular mall store that sells prank gift items for a year in college. During one of my first shifts I learned that one of our assistant managers had been taking returns on "personal massagers" and returning them to the sales floor. Nauseated, I asked him if he did this a lot and wound up spending the rest of that shift going through the entire product shelf looking for open packages to drop in the damaged merchandise bin. (That was not my favorite job and I should state for the record that I'm pretty sure re-selling the used items in question was not the company norm.)

I also worked for a popular clothing retailer a few years ago, however, and we had a strict policy not to re-sell any clothing that had been worn by the customer. Swimwear, intimates, winter coats, it didn't matter. If it was used, it got sent back to corporate. (That was a much better job.)

But like I said, all it takes is one lazy employee to give you some free bacteria with your purchase. Personally I tend not to buy intimates or swimwear without a tag or hygienic strip, but it's always a good idea to wash those items before you wear them anyway. Even if the item isn't used, you never know if you're getting a formaldehyde bra like Victoria's Secret was apparently selling a few years back.

Capri pants: yay or nay?

To capri or not to capri? That is the question that women face every time the temperature starts to rise.



The capri pant is everywhere. You can't enter a mall without seeing store windows filled with their ankle-baring glory. Women (myself included) turn to the capri pant because it's a safe sort of compromise between long pants and shorts – when shorts are too casual but it's too warm for long pants, the capri comes into play. Or we wear them because we dislike the look of our legs and want to be comfortable while still covering up.

But there's a growing backlash against the capri pant. There have been blogs devoted to hating them, and if you Google "hate capri pants" you'll get a plethora of links to which I will not subject you. Even Tim Gunn (who I consider to be my personal Patron Saint of Fashion) hates them!

So why all the capri hate?

Let's be honest: they're usually not that much cooler than long pants, especially if you go for the ankle-length version. Pedal pushers (knee-length capris) are a cooler option. But at that point you could just cut off an inch and have a pair of bermuda shorts.

The other problem with capris is that unless you shop very carefully you wind up with a pair of pants that hits you at exactly the most unflattering part of your leg. Most capris are either pedal pushers, which tend to hit at the knee and cut your legs in half, or they're cut halfway down the calf, which is the widest part of your lower leg.

We hear the word "capris" and think of elegant images of Audrey Hepburn riding a bicycle, looking young and carefree. Unfortunately we're not all built like Audrey.

Saint Tim tends to advise replacing all of one's capris with skirts or casual dresses. And while I do love a comfy summer dress, sometimes you want to wear something that won't expose your bits and pieces in a stiff breeze. Something more practical. I've learned to love the bermuda short, but shorts aren't always appropriate either. So what's a girl to do?

If you still want your capris it's a matter of smart shopping. Look for a length that hits at the slimmest part of your leg. Avoid anything too tapered as it will only make your hips look wider in contrast. Avoid cuffs; they'll make your calves look wider. And try to find a cut that hangs straight from the hip to the hem. Too tight and you'll look stuffed in, too baggy and you'll look sloppy.

When I wear capris, I tend to employ a few tricks to create a more flattering silhouette. If the capris are fitted (as most denim capris are), I keep my tops loose and bright to draw attention away from my hips. And I tend to wear shoes with a heel (a wedge sandal or something) because higher heels create a longer leg line and minimize the the dreaded cankles.

Have you sworn off capris, or do you still wear them with pride? Let me know in the comments!

Quickie: Cover Girl's color match

Looking to shave some costs off your makeup budget? Check out Cover Girl's website where you can compare your favorite designer shades to the CG product line and look for a match.

The selection is a little limited – for instance, the only Nars products you can match are lip glosses. But every penny counts when you're on a budget. If you can get a $7 Cover Girl gloss instead of a $24 Nars gloss, why not? With the difference you can get a Liberty of London dress on sale at Target!

On Target: Liberty of London on Sale

Target has become the new place to be for big-name designers looking for a budget audience. Most of these collections (like the current Zac Posen for Target line) are geared toward younger shoppers. They're made in juniors' sizes and tend to feature sky-high hemlines and young looks. (I remain a tad bitter that Isaac Mizrahi left Target for Liz Claiborne since his line for Target was filled with gorgeous clothes that were beautifully fitted for women, but I digress...)

What's great about these lines is that they give the average consumer a chance to own some designer looks. But you have to be careful: not all the prices are actually very budget-conscious, and some of the fabrics that have been used for capsule collections look and feel very cheap in person. (Jean-Paul Gaultier, I'm looking at you.) The long and short of it is that you're better off checking out any designer collection in-store instead of buying online. You can find some real treasures sometimes.

With that in mind I hit my local Target this weekend to check out the Zac Posen line (which didn't wow me) and was pleasantly surprised to find the Liberty of London capsule collection on clearance. This sale seems to be in-store only since items on Target.com are still listed at their full prices, so if you see anything you like hit the stores!

I picked up this cute halter-top dress for $14.98:



The LoL line features home decor, women's and children's clothes, swimwear, and even a bicycle in one of LoL's signature bright prints. Oh yes, I said prints. The LoL brand is known for their colorful and flamboyant prints. I love this, but it's not for everybody.

One word of advice: if you're shopping the dresses in this collection, try going a size down. They run on the large side. I usually wear around a size 10 or 12, and the size 12 dresses I tried on were swimming on me. (Which actually wound up being handy, since I could only afford to buy one thing, and if all the adorable dresses I tried on had fit me I would have had a tough decision on my hands.)

The selection was already pretty limited when I shopped on Friday, so if you see anything online that you love you'll want to hit your local Target ASAP to get the sale price.

Quickie: The Beauty Brains

The Beauty Brains is a blog written by a group of cosmetic chemists who let you behind the curtain of the beauty industry to reveal what really works (and why) and what's a load of bunk. Their website has a forum where readers can exchange ideas and ask questions, and they update daily with posts that can help you shop smarter when choosing beauty products.

Yesterday's feature on TBB: Seven ways you waste money buying beauty products.

The "simple" math of fashion and attraction

Ladies, are you trying to attract a man? (Of course you are!) Do you go out to clubs every night just hoping someone will ask you dance, but instead you go and you stand there alone like you're living inside a Smiths song? Well fret no more, for England's Telegraph has solved your man-hunting woes once and for all!

And the answer is this: you're not showing the right amount of skin:

Using tape recorders hidden in their handbags, the researchers took note of what female clubbers were wearing and how many times they were approached by men asking them to dance.

For the purposes of the study, each arm accounted for 10 per cent of the body, each leg for 15 per cent and the torso for 50 per cent.

Women who revealed around 40 per cent of their skin attracted twice as many men as those who covered up.

However, those who exposed any more than this also fared worse. Experts believe that showing too much flesh puts men off because it suggests they might be unfaithful.

It's so simple! All you have to do is show exactly 40% of your body's skin. Too little and men will think you're a prude; too much and men will think you're a tramp. And what's really nice is that this super simplification of human attraction isn't insulting or patronizing at all.

It does raise a few questions, though. For instance, does my face count? Is this like the SATs where I'll get 200 free points just for not leaving the house in a ski mask every day? And given that the study was performed in England it seems only fair to ask what women are expected to do in the winter. Should we just suck it up and get hypothermia or expect men to ignore us if we choose to avoid frostbite? Do men find amputated limbs sexy as long as their uncovered? A truly thorough study would have addressed these things. After all, we women need this information so that we can achieve our true purpose for existing: attracting a man!

Obviously we need more information. For that, I direct you to this clip from The House Bunny. At 47 seconds in there's a primer on "skimplifying" which I think is very helpful for just this sort of thing. Except of course for the part about revealing your torso, because that will make men think you're going to cheat on them. So just ignore that part.

Beauty Buy: The Sephora Color Play 5-in-1 Palette

This is my new favorite toy:

[caption id="attachment_107" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="Sephora\'s 5-in-1 palette"][/caption]

It's Sephora's Color Play 5-in-1 color palette and it includes 50 eye shadows, 10 lip glosses, and 5 blushes all divided into five color stories:

• Dinner in Paris: Grays and blacks
• Coffee in New York: Browns
• Shopping in Milan: Purples and pinks, green
• Tango in Buenos Aires: Blues and greens
• Clubbing in Tokyo: Baby blues, pinks, and yellows

Each color story pops out of the large compact and can be popped into a smaller compact that's included so you can take it with you for touch-ups. It's basically five full makeup kits in one big set for only $29.50. $29.50! You couldn't buy the same amount of makeup in drug store brands for that price!

And the really good news is that the makeup in this set is worth it. I have oily eyelids that cause even the most carefully applied eyeshadow to crease and smudge, and these shadows lasted on me all day. The color stood up to being outside on a hot day and even looked perfect after I took a nap with my makeup on (but don't be like me – sleeping with makeup on is bad for your skin, and I always wash my face before bed!). The colors are buildable so that you can wear them sheer or layer them for a more dramatic effect, which makes this kit work whether you like to play with bright colorful looks or prefer a more subtle effect.

I bought this kit partially because I swear by Sephora's house brand cosmetics. I have allergy-sensitive skin and it's hard to find makeup that won't irritate me and still wears well and comes in a variety of shades. Sephora fits this bill beautifully. This kit in particular is a lot of fun for me because I have so many colors to explore and try.

The only downside is that the kit doesn't come with any brushes. I picked up this kit at CVS for $9.99, which comes with a travel case and four eye brushes. I've been using the eyeliner brush with some of the darker shades in the kit to trace my upper and lower lash lines in place of wearing actual eyeliner on humid days when makeup tends to smudge and run. The shadows in the Sephora kit lend themselves to that really well and glide on smoothly with no mess.

If you like makeup and playing with color, this kit is a lot of fun and a great value. I highly recommend it. (And gents, if you know a woman who loves makeup, keep this in mind as a gift!)

Skinny Jeans: Rape Proof? Jury says YES.

Editor's Note: Apologies for the delay in posts. Technical difficulties kept me from updating, but we're fully operational again!

Skinny jeans are one of the scary scary trends that appear here to stay for a while. I say "scary" because most of us aren't built like models and thus fear the skinny jean because we believe it's the equivalent of wearing a sign that says, "HEY WORLD! Look at my enormous ass!"

(As the owner of both a not-inconsiderable ass and two pairs of skinny jeans, I can say that this isn't necessarily true if you choose a good fit and pair them with the right tops – but that's another post for another time.)

But now we have an exciting new reason to fear the skinny jean, thanks to a jury in Australia who acquitted an accused rapist on the grounds that skinny jeans cannot be removed without the wearer's assistance, and that said assistance qualifies as consent.

Did you get that? This woman could not possibly have been raped because apparently it would be impossible for a man to get her jeans off without her helping him. As if that statement isn't ridiculous enough, the assumption also seems to be that if you take off your clothes you're consenting to sex.

Hooray! Another reason rape is the victim's fault. Well, she wore that short skirt... well, she got drunk... well, those jeans were so tight she must have helped him get them off...

Technically this isn't a "fashion" article and I'm sorry for that. But I find it relevant because women are judged in so many ways by what we wear. Our clothes form perceptions about us. It's the reason we dress differently for a job interview than we would to a barbecue. Some of that is fair. Men are also judged to a certain degree by their appearance; people use things like hygiene and fashion to make decisions about a person at a glance. But a line is crossed when it's determined that the clothes someone chooses put that person at fault for harm that befalls them.

Let me be clear about that: sometimes it is our fault. It's my fault if I wear 5" heels and trip on them and fall. It's my fault if I wear bright blue panties under white pants and people snicker at me. But it is not my fault if I get raped while wearing tight jeans just because some idiot in a courtroom decided what it would take to remove them. That's just a new form of victim blaming and it's ridiculous.

An Italian court upheld a rape conviction appealed on the same grounds, saying that "jeans cannot be compared to any type of chastity belt." So Viva Italia! At least there's common sense somewhere.