a brand new bag & a brand new me

a new year, a new home -- in downtown jersey city -- but i needed some new stuff. can't remember the last time i bought anything new (thanks sis for the lovely hand me downs). my only pair of jeans looks threadbare and feels uncomfortable. lucky for me, i moved right around the corner from life, a hip, out of the ordinary boutique stocked with clothes and accessories from local jersey city designers, such as billykirk (whose bag/wallet collection is made by a group of amish leather workers in PA), as well as other collections by rag & bone, mike & chris, joe's jeans & more.

i walked into life, having read about the store in NEW guide/magazine, eager to find something to perk up my lame closet of clothes. life, set in a beautiful brownstone building at quaint 112 morris street in paulus hook, just steps from the light rail, doesn't overwhelm, instead you feel invited in, comfortable browsing and touching the materials. soon enough i met cliff, the owner of life, who chatted with me in a familiar, casual way (unlike the many city boutiques i've shopped at which have a tendency to either make you feel pressure to buy or too uncool), then he magically picked up a few items to show me after i said, help i need a wardrobe boost (but i want usa/locally made items). cliff carefully described each designer's style, and how that item could best solve my clothing ills. everything he presented (billykirk bag, mike & chris grey jacket, jeans, black pants, grey james perse shirt) completely matched my style & fit almost perfectly (life handles alterations). cliff's knack for finding exactly what i craved doesn't feel forced or sales-person-y. with an air of genuine friendliness and expertise with all the designers he carries in the store, he treats each and every customer personally, listening to what the shopper seeks, yet not pushing the purchase or leading one astray.

so now, comforted in my new jeans in the new neighborhood, i praise life, the urban boutique i couldn't seem to find in hoboken, nyc, san francisco or paris ... where i go to shop, browse, pick up the latest NEW guide or visit with cliff to talk about jersey city happenings.

the problem with "fast fashion"

if i'm not obsessing about my healthy food choices (go veggie or not? buy local? buy organic? recyclable packaging?), now i'm worried about my clothing choices... i never really thought about it much, except to look for sweatshop free options. and it's not easy to find reasonably priced clothes (suits, jeans) that aren't made in third world countries under extremely horrible conditions. but all this worrying has helped my budget... i spend way less on clothes and have a functional, but limited wadrobe (good for my small closet).

thanks to grist, i found this in-depth article from environmental health perspectives and realized there is a reason to be seriously worried about our country's need for "fast fashion" -- cheap, endless clothing options that get used and then discarded swiftly:

• For example, polyester, the most widely used manufactured fiber, is made from petroleum. With the the rise in production in the fashion industry, demand for man-made fibers, especially polyester, has nearly doubled in the last 15 years, according to figures from the Technical Textile Markets. The manufacture of polyester and other synthetic fabrics is an energy-intensive process requiring large amounts of crude oil and releasing emissions including volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, and acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, all of which can cause or aggravate respiratory disease. Volatile monomers, solvents, and other by-products of polyester production are emitted in the wastewater from polyester manufacturing plants. The EPA, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, considers many textile manufacturing facilities to be hazardous waste generators. see photo: waste products from a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, spill into a stagnant pond.


• Once bought, an estimated 21% of annual clothing purchases stay in the home, increasing the stocks of clothing and other textiles held by consumers, according to Recycling of Low Grade Clothing Waste, a September 2006 report by consultant Oakdene Hollins. The report calls this stockpiling an increase in the "national wardrobe," which is considered to represent a potentially large quantity of latent waste that will eventually enter the solid waste stream. According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year, and clothing and other textiles represent about 4% of the municipal solid waste. But this figure is rapidly growing.
  

stuff you can do:

**thrift shop when possible... i recommend housing works thrift shops in nyc (either for donating or buying). you can find high end clothes, gently used, and all sorts of accessories for cheap.

**buy alternative fibers such as bamboo and hemp, explore other eco-fashions and sweatshop free clothes. see also REI's eco-sensitive products.

**buy less stuff... ask if you really need that item? save some bucks and space in your closet.

**save energy... wash your clothes in warm or cold water instead of hot. and set up a clothesline to reduce your energy bill. i have a makeshift clothesline on my fire escape. i save quarters, conserve energy & our clothes have a nice, fresh scent (less wear & tear than the dryer)!

r u b e e ' s c l o s e t -- hoboken's style secret is out!

step into rubee's closet on 720 monroe street in hoboken & you will find many treasures... including its owner beverly alonzo, the creative force behind rubee's closet (lovingly named for her grandmother). the store is ultra comfortable, airy and calm. there's no pressure to buy unlike other boutiques i've encountered. try on some items -- the dressing rooms are cozy with furry, shag-type throw rugs. you won't find your typical trendy, overpriced designers here... rubee's carries independent and reasonably priced labels. she also has a select choice of jewelry, handbags, sunglasses and other beauty items.

i spoke with beverly aka rubee (at right, you can call her either name) and she shared her story with me... she's a risk taker with a fiercely independent streak. just what hoboken needs to nurture, especially in this newly developed part of town (where condos continue to take over, let's hope this neighborhood keeps its character).

cashing in her IRA with almost no business experience, she wrote a plan and launched rubee's closet with a love of fashion, style and creativity. beverly created her own line of tie-dyed tee-shirts in high school and sold them to friends. she grew up with a love for hand sewing, often buying vintage pieces of clothes and sewing on details, fabrics and more to revive the item, creating something new. she later studied at the school of visual arts in the city and worked as a photographer.

in 2004, she starting selling clothes out of her apartment. then in may 04, she rented space upstairs in the monroe center with other artists... and finally, in april 2007, she moved into the current street level space.

check out my recent purchases... (you can shop online or go visit rubee's yourself, you won't be disappointed!)

a cool 2-layered design, long sleeved tee-shirt (on sale!) from drifter (which i wore for 3 days straight).

a skull necklace (at left) from colombian designer mercedes salazar

(which i wore to a wedding & i think i got funny looks for it).

stick figure gal-- the fashion of THIN

the new york times style section has done it again!

first the clavicle nonsense, now the bikini stick figure gal.

i felt nauseous looking at this photo spread from last week, highlighting bathing suit season & wearing one no matter what size you are... this gal needs a hearty meal or many protein shakes.

Girls, Brandish Your Collarbones!

BARE BONES The well-chiseled clavicle is in. And with that, styles showing deep necklines, like this Moschino dress, are highly coveted by women who brandish their collarbones as a sign of thinness. (article from the New York Times, Style section)

i saw this last thursday in the paper & can't stop thinking of it... how crazy those words are when i read them. i thought the clavicle was something you broke playing basketball or falling from a bike. now it's the new measure of cool. jesus! i'm slim so my clavicle bumps out a bit, but i'd never view it as my fashion accessory or something to "brandish"! one minute i need to have ample curves, the next i need to be stick thin. thick, bushy eyebrows are back... wait! no, they're gone. i certainly don't keep up with fashion trends anymore (not on my budget!) but this little tidbit of fashion advice and forecasting infuriated me. i've know too many women trying to get obsessively thin, sickly thin & i know too many young girls hyper confused already as to what their shape should be. while i do read the NYT for arts & books, this article makes me cringe. what next?

if you want to read the entire clavicle article, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/fashion/10clavicle.html?_r=1&oref=slogin.