Wow, this woman is trying to sue Victoria’s Secret for a piece of thong that flew off into her eye. She’s lucky the thing wasn’t on fire. (Yes, that’s my attempt at a cheap fabric joke.)

(Thanks to dlisted.)

Grand Theft Auto is one of the few post-Super Mario Brothers 1 videogames that I have actually played, but it still took a little ‘splaining on the part of my colleague Erik Henriksen to convince me that Karl Lagerfeld’s involvement in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 4 doesn’t mean you can play as the famously eccentric Chanel designer, running around smashing car windows and such (kind of a bummer, actually). Instead you can play the game to “DJ Karl“‘s soundtrack (he’s an avid music fan and collector), leaving the criminal acts to the game’s main protagonist. Still, it’s a testament to Grand Theft as more than mere video game that they cast such a wide net to diverse corners of the current culture, creating a kind of snapshot of the times. Look for Earnest “Nex” Cavalli’s review of the game in an upcoming issue of the Mercury.

LAGERFELD: not that I couldn’t picture him smashing car windows.

As some of you may now, the Mercury’s Spring Fashion Issue in coming out later this week, which features the 12 lines of locally designed clothing that will be showcase at our 4th Annual Fashion Show: “Installations”, taking place this coming Sunday at the Wonder Ballroom. (You can get tickets to the event, which also features live music from Tu Fawning, turntablism from DJ Beyonda, and visuals from E*Rock through Ticketmaster and at the Ballrooms box office.) To commemorate the issue and event, our kickass new-ish art director Mark Searcy made me this fancy, pretty new toy. Check it out for more information on the show and featured participants, plus even more content that will be added once the paper issue hits the streets. This is not the last you’ll see of our micro-sites, either…

Are you interested in finding out about all the free events going on around Portland each week? Are you wondering how to save a little cash in this town, but still get out of the house? Well, Around the Sun, a local blog dedicated to the art of saving money lists free shows, readings, openings and more in one place. If you would like to keep some of your hard earned cash in your pocket, check out the blog, right here.

The fourth season of Battlestar Galactica starts tonight (though you can watch the episode on the Sci-Fi Channel’s site at noon), so it’s going to be a long day on the Mercury blogs. Among the many mysteries the next season will solve and perpetuate is this: what fab space-tramp outfits will Number Six wear next? Clearly, she is the best dressed sexy Cylon on the show (though I would argue that Sharon is cuter). My only quibble is that her clothes look like they are made out of super-cheap material, giving her wardrobe a sad, slightly Bebe-ish dark cloud, and considering the overall quality of the show’s production, there’s just no excuse for that. Still:

When you clear out your wardrobe with some spring cleaning, here’s another place you can put it to good use: BodyVox is getting into the eco-thing with their upcoming premiere of Horizontal Leanings, which is being produced using sustainable practices including costumes made from recycled clothing. Here’s what they’re looking for:

This world premiere work will feature 12 performers in multiple dances, with multiple moods. The clothing needed to help create those moods reflects the same variety; included on the wish list are: Formal wear, men’s and women’s (think prom formals to bridesmaid dresses, trousers to dress shirts and tuxedos) Bathrobes of all kinds (but sorry, not plaid!) Overcoats Green clothes – literally, clothes in the color green Hats & Scarves Neckties, neckties, neckties! For an original creation to be fabricated completely from – neckties

Clothing drive days at the studio (1300 NW Northrup) are this Friday and Saturday, 10 am-2 pm, and donations will be rewarded with 2-for-one vouchers for tickets to the production.

It sure feels funny talking about “Spring” after making my way through the snow to get to work this morning, but here goes: spring cleaning. Forget cleaning the house, for me this means an annual analysis and overhaul of the closet and drawers, a good and necessary exercise. However, considering the fact that I’ve never had a job with a dress code, business suits don’t really factor in the equation. If, however, you will be editing out some good condition women’s suits, here’s a great way to offload them: Surely You’ve heard of Dress for Success, the non-profit that, among other things, collects and distributes interview suits for its clients as part of a larger effort to help them attain career goals. On Thursday, April 3rd, Hotel Monaco (506 SW Washington) and Hotel Vintage Plaza (422 SW Broadway) will be collecting donations from 6:30-9:30 am, and offering coffee and pastries in return. Later that night at the Vintage Plaza, there will also be a benefit: The Art of Wine, featuring uh, wine, as well as mini makeovers from MAC Cosmetics, massages from Relax and Rejuvenate, raffles, art, and more. The event runs 5-7 pm, with a suggested donation of $25 at the door, and all proceeds going to the cause.

SCRAP, one of my favorite art/craft supply spots in Portland is in need of our help. SCRAP provides the community with workshops, kid’s camps, and a creative retail center promoting the value of reuse. Due to their rapid growth, they are experiencing a lack in the funds needed to keep the operation’s growth on track. There are several options for how you can help. Please consider donating some time, supplies, or money to SCRAP today.

This is the beginning of SCRAP’s 10th year and unfortunately we have started the year that should be celebratory with financial challenges due to a funding shortfall. Over the last year, our staff has grown so that we can better meet the creative and environmental needs of our community. With growth comes a need for expanded funding. The proceeds from store sales only cover about 40% of our annual budget. We rely on grant funding, membership dollars and individual contributions to cover the rest. An easy solution would be to raise our prices, but we really pride ourselves on keeping the prices low and affordable. As we await word back on several grants, we ask you, our supporters, to consider making a financial contribution to SCRAP.

On a daily basis, we hear how much people appreciate the services we provide at SCRAP. We want to continue to support the creative and educational communities of Portland, but we can’t do it without your support.

Please make a gift to SCRAP today. Donations can be dropped off at the store, mailed to 3901 North Williams Ave. Suite A, Portland, OR 97227 or made online through Network for Good.

In you are unable to contribute financially, there are other ways that you can help. Volunteer, bring a friend to SCRAP the next time you stop by, post a blurb about SCRAP on your blog or in your school/work newsletter, round up at the counter, donate a portion of your art sales to SCRAP, share your marketing or graphic design skills, link to us on facebook and myspace, and anything else that can spread the word about who we are and why it’s important that we continue to exist.

The real positive in all this is that the staff, the board, and enthusiastic people in our community are committed to reaffirming SCRAP’s vision and to developing a strategic plan for moving SCRAP to the next level as a sustainable non-profit. Last month’s survey was part of this SCRAP ACTION that you will be hearing more about throughout the year! Thanks to everyone that participated in the survey. Look for a recap next month!

Everybody who loved/hated Christian from this season’s Project Runway is gonna go ga-ga over this one. In this clip from Saturday Night Live, Amy Poehler does a dead-on impersonation of Christian right down to his hot mess tranny fierceness. FIERCENESS! TRANNY-NESS! And… HOT MESSINESS!

There is a brand new issue of N.E.E.T. magazine on-line now! Check it out here. The current issue features lots of great handmade and vintage finds for spring. They also include the “wow rain jacket” by Emily Katz as one of their great finds.

There’s a new blog in town: ShopVintagePortland.com is all about vintage clothing, decor, records, and more, all in Portland. So far the entries consist of short descriptions of familiar stores, from Rock ‘n’ Rose to Flutter, they promise interviews with local store owners, and vintage related classifieds. Behind the operation is Anne Weiland of LulusVintage.com.

The SHOP/08 Portland conference is coming to town. The deets:

Crave Party is proud to present SHOP/08 Portland, a conference to honor, invigorate, and educate independent retailers of all stripes. For new businesses still figuring out the nuts and bolts or a business veteran needing fresh ideas, this all-day conference is for all business owners seeking knowledge and improvement. The only conference of its kind, this one-day event teaches practical skills, offers wise encouragement, and builds camaraderie amongst retail professionals. Whether your shop sells cookies or candles, high-heeled shoes or hardbound books, the public is invited to join us. Guests are encouraged to bring all business questions, frustrations, fears, worries, and hopes. Prepare to be inspired. Attendees will participate in panel discussions and group sessions geared to enhance all areas of business. Topics covered include how to attract new customers, predict future trends, effectively build your brand, and how to use the online marketplace to enhance your brick and mortar store. The SHOP/08 mission is to bring the community together to be inspired and educated while keeping the local small shop owner thriving. Featured local experts this year include Carol Gardner of Zelda Wisdom, Kathi O’Neil of Portland Picks, Suzanne Hein of LexiDog Boutique & Social Club, Hallie Janssen of Anvil Media, Mark Hayes of Flowerbud.com, Melissa Shaw of What Counts, Craig Opfer of Magneto Works, Katherine Gray of Tweak Interactive, Lisa Radon of Ultra PDX, Andi Koegler of The Changing Room Magazine, Rebecca Luke of les Egoistes and Rob Smith of the Portland Business Journal – to name just a few. Past speakers include seasoned retailers like Mario from Mario’s, Jeri Rice, Michelle Manasie of Fireworks and Lisa Myers of Capers in Seattle. SHOP/08 is an all-day conference that takes place in Portland on Monday, March 10th from 9-5pm at the Gerding Theater @ The Armory in Portland’s Pearl District. Registration is $100 for a full day pass, $75 for a full day pass if you purchase two or more. Please visit http://craveparty.com/shop08 for event information and www.craveportland.com to purchase tickets online.

It’s just around the corner, folks. And if you’ve got any plans to get hitched in the near future, there are a couple events coming up you may want to scout:

First, tonight is The Art of Weddings bridal show, from 6-8 pm at the Secret Society Ballroom (116 NE Russell). It’s $10 at the door, but if you reserve on the web site (like, now) it’s only $8/person. Browse vendors providing everything from DJ service (DJ Teenage, believe it or not) to dresses (Duchess!) to flowers and cake.

Got plans tonight? Mark your calendar instead for A Novel Romance, the Sequel, a reprise of last year’s bridal event as brought to you by The English Dept. (Wed, Feb 13, 7 pm ay Maison, 1611 NW Northrup) This year, in addition to showing lines carried in the store’s bridal department (Vera Wang Maids, Jenny Yoo, Thread, Simple Silhouettes, and more), co-owner Elizabeth Dye’s bridal work will be joined by other local notables—as promised—including Holly Stalder and Adam Arnold.

I’m sorry, but in my opinion The Dark Crystal beats Ratatouille on any given day. That’s why I’m excited to see what’s in store tommorrow night at Rererato.

Here are the event details:

The show is open to the public. It’s at an art space, Rererato, the doors open at 7:00 with vintage cartoons, and the show starts promptly at 7:55. There is a
$4 suggested donation at the door and will be running about an hour and a half.
Rererato is located at 5135 NE 42nd Ave., 97218. Ice Cream Truck Face will be
performing and premiering, “Ice Cream Truck Face” the Cartoon. The Mudeye
Puppet Company is doing a new show with live musical accompaniment and
Gregular is doing a shadow puppet show of his own creation to one of
ICTF’s songs and there might even be some popcorn. All ages are welcome.

This ain’t no Punch and Judy “the poor man’s Peewee’s Playhouse” states the Oregonian’s Stephen Beavan. This puppet performance is more of a live music video than a classic puppet show. Ice Cream Truck Face is puppets, homemade cartoons, and a touch of lounge singing. This show is for those seeking outside the box musical entertainment.

Check out the first cartoon by Ice Cream Truck Face. I’m sure the new one will be equally as great!

I’m not sure that I need to know the top five design trends of 2008 as revealed by the four panelists participating in tomorrow’s panel discussion at OFFICE tomorrow night, as it says on the invite, but I’m sure it’s going to be a stimulating and lively discussion. Michael DiTullo of Core 77 and Converse, Rebecca Huston of Twenty Four Seven, Lisa Radon of UltraPDX, and David Hawkins of Umpqua Bank are serving on the panel of this free event. Tomorrow, 6-8 pm, RSVP: info@officepdx.com.
(In other OFFICE news, their quarterly vintage sale is coming up on Feb 1-3, so save up for some swank mid-century office supplies.)

Just a couple of kitty faces to brighten up your Wednesday afternoon.

Sorry this blog isn’t about design or fashion, but I had to share the treasure I found at The Bins last night.
I’ll update this post when I actually watch the tape, but for now the cover is priceless. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Here are a couple pieces from local artist, Michelle Ramin, that just might brighten up your day.

Her work can be found on Etsy or on display this month at Amensia Brewing (832 N. Beech).

While you are out stocking up for Thanksgiving Dinner, add an extra pound of cranberries to your list for an easy post-holiday treat.
Here’s what you need:

1 pound cranberries
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, split
1 bottle of vodka

Place cranberries, sugar and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Place pan over medium heat and stir. Simmer cranberry mixture until the berries burst, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Divide mixture in half and pour into large, clean mason jars. Pour vodka into the jars to cover the berries. Set aside and allow to sit for 1 week. After 1 week, strain out the cranberries and store cranberry vodka in a clean jar in the refrigerator.
(recipe thanks to Michael Chiarello)

My serving suggestion is to shake the infused vodka with ice and strain into a cocktail glass, add a splash of soda and garnish with either a lime or orange wedge.
Perfection!
Happy Thanksgiving!!

After Saturday’s Moth Love show (see post below) there will be precious few fashion shows until Spring, at which point I hope all of you are planning one. In case you are, but are stuck on a good venue, consider Dirty Little Secret (1909 NE MLK). Amie contacted me a bit ago hoping to let people know that they are open to hosting fashion and trunk shows, and if you haven’t been to the salon in some time, you may not have seen the huge expansion that has allowed them to offer a full range of services beyond hair. This is an especially great offer if you’re just starting out—don’t think you need to rent out a huge space to make it happen! Contact Amie for details, and in the meantime she sent in some photos to give you an idea of the potential:

Pledge to buy handmade for the holidays by adding your name to the list of over 4100 shoppers at www.buyhandmade.org. With all of the artisans, designers, and craftsters in this town and a craft sale almost every weekend around the northwest, there is no excuse not to support your friends, colleagues, and the local economy by buying handmade.

We’re coming up on Local.35’s (3556 SE Hawthorne) 4th anniversary, which they will celebrate with a performance by Copy and live painting by the Panda Bros. on Thursday Nov 8, from 7 pm ‘til late, and a weekend-long sale to follow. They’ll also be unveiling their new logo, signifying a milestone in their ongoing development away from your basic screenprinted tees and ever-more fashion forward merchandise. And… it looks a little something like this:

Pants on, please, pants on.

My friends over at Nolita (923 NW 10th) are having a best butt contest called Maximus Gluteus—perhaps you’ve noticed an ad for it our paper. If not, I just wanted to encourage everyone to snap a photo of their denim-clad ass (or someone else’s I suppose) and send it in to bestjeansbutt@gmail.com; the deadline is November 22nd, so you have a little bit of time to squeeze in some more lunges. I, along with my fellow judges Jonny Shultz of Q6, stylist Allison Jones, photographer Matthew Brush, Nolita’s Katy Kippen, and my own Pilates instructor Lori Midrano will determine which contestant has the best butt, and the lucky winner will get a shopping spree in Nolita’s premium denim department, Brazilian butt lifting classes (which I highly recommend) at Lori’s Core Essence Studio, or a shopping trip with Allison. So go on, show me your butt. It’s for your own benefit. If you need inspiration, I recommend this web site.

So you are going out tonight, but you don’t have a costume at the ready. MOD to the rescue! Faye Dunaway’s style in 1967’s Bonnie and Clyde is a quick and easy fix that works for both Halloween and everyday (minus the gun). All it may take is a quick trip to Goodwill for a beret.

Or if you want to take it that extra mile, you can always do a split costume, half bonnie/half clyde. You’ll be sure to rack up the compliments.

“Fashion and the Creative Economy in Portland,” the second installment of the Talking Fashion series took place at noon yesterday.

The day’s panel included designer Adam Arnold, Seaplane owner and designer, Holly Stalder, Jesse Beason, Senior Policy Director for the Office of City Commissioner Sam Adams, Sue Bonde, director of the Apparel Program at Art Institute of Portland, Heather Larimer of the Portland Tribune, talent agent and designer, Jonny Shultz and Elizabeth Dye, designer and owner of The English Dept.

As Marjorie predicted, the day’s topic did prove to be a feisty discussion. Topics ranged from Portland’s assets to manufacturing to creating a fashion industry association. One of the day’s more energetic subjects was the concept of banding the fashion industry of Portland together as a force (similar to the Creative Capacity Strategy) to aid in getting funding for the arts, bringing manufacturers to Portland, and putting Portland on the map for leading sustainability, not just by using bamboo fabrics, but also by bringing larger production local. The idea of a local manufacturing co-op was brought to the table. Sue Bonde from the Art Institute of Portland mentioned that she will spearhead this idea if there are people interested in helping with the project. The co-op would provide designers access to local pattern makers and sewers, all possibly housed under one roof. In my opinion this is a remarkable concept that could bring many talented people to Portland and provide manufacturing options to designers that would now either avoid it or go overseas. If you are interested in helping Sue with this endeavor, please e-mail her at sbonde@aii.edu.

Portland is a unique city, and instead of copying Fashion Weeks and Incubators of other cities, we need to come up with our own way of doing things. It is what we do best. The manufacturing co-op is just one of these innovative ideas that can bring Portland to the next level. Now all we need is the support of the designers and shoppers of the city to get this moving!

Please feel free to add comments or e-mail me at amy@crazycoconut.net with ideas on how to create this fashion force in Portland.

Last night’s Art Spark was the first event sponsored by the Creative Capacity Strategy. You may recall the Creative Capacity town hall that Commissioner Sam Adams held this past June calling the artists and supporters of the arts of Portland to band together in order to raise more money and awareness for our local art scene. Last night’s packed event at Holocene did just that. With a loose format, the goal for the evening was networking and getting the artistic community motivated to work together. They need the strength in numbers in order to achieve their goals of making “Portland an even better place to live, a stronger competitor in the global marketplace and an incubator of innovation,” so let’s all join in on the fight!

To receive future invites and lend your support, you can sign up here.

Today’s lunchtime panel was the first in the Talking Fashion series, and included speakers Erin Rackelman (PR rep for locals like entermodal and Pinkham Millinery), freelance writer Elianna Bar-El, Tracey Forrest, who runs the showroom True Collaborative Fashion, Rachel Gorenstein of the Moulé stores and the Rachel Mara line, Sam Huff of Hecklewood, and Emily Katz of Bonnie Heart Clyde and the EmilyKatz line.

The crowd was heavy on burgeoning designers, and the discussion was geared to their interest: starting a fashion business in Portland. This ranged in topic from issues of production to having a business plan to getting press. Bar-El, representing the press, emphasized photos as a good way to get attention in the local press. (I would add to that that, for me, tying yourself to anything event-related gives me an easy way to make print space for you, whether it be a fashion show you are having, a sale, an anniversary, a debut, an opening, a trunk show—something that gives me a reason to write about you on a given week.)

Tomorrow’s topic is “Fashion and the Creative Economy in Portland,” which should prove to be a feisty discussion.

Here’s to wishing all the Portland Fashion Week models good luck, with no falling or ankle twisting, or shoe breaking. Just make sure to look before you leap.

Just got a voicemail from BAWLS Guarana, an energy company that’s the official beverage of Portland Fashion Week. Now you know what to expect the specialty cocktails to be spiked with. And what all the models and press people will be using to propel themselves through six straight days of shows and forums. BAWLS Guarana, although I choke on your name a little bit, here I come. I’m sure you’ll be delicious. Just keep me awake.

Ingredients: Water, Citric Acid, Potassium Benzoate (as a preservative), Natural Guarana Flavor and Artificial Flavor, Caffeine, Sucralose, Acesulfame, and Potassium. Warning: This product contains high levels of caffeine.

I never quite know what to say about events like Runway to Rooftop, a fashion show of women’s clothing from the via C boutique of up and coming designers, without sounding like a total windbag. I liked the production, interspersing a well paced show with short entries from the 10 Tiny Dances series. The crowd was fresh and sort of mid-formal bohemian, looking good. I like that the merchandise is available to examine and shop, although the tight crowd made serious browsing unpleasant. At the end of the day these big department store fashion shows are just fancy ways to shop. Nothing wrong with that I guess (although I would so rather see clever, well heeled Portlanders drop their money on equally elegant if more obscure pieces at Una, or on custom Adam Arnold), but it’s hard to think of something to say when the clothing being shown isn’t new design and the up and comers are still names you know: Anna Sui, Philip Lim, M Missoni… So just enjoy some photos courtesy of Minh Tran.

This past weekend I rented Don’t Look Now, the 1973 mystery thriller starring Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland, and taking place in a marvelously eerie Venice full of shadows and far less tourists and pigeons than there were by the time I got there. Christie’s wardrobe in this film is immaculate—one of those instances where I’m taken with the clothing to the extent that it distracts from my appreciation of the rest of the film. My favorite is a black jacket with a huge, dramatic collar that she wears out on an evening—the perfect thing for seeing possible apparitions in the Venetian night. It’s worth renting (and not just for the clothes), and it’s also got me on a Julie Christie kick as my muse of the moment.

More of Christie’s great hair after the break.

The Japanese streetwear company Uniqlo is throwing a party tonight at the Ace Hotel. Wanna go? Follow instructions!:

RSVP at pdxjapan@acehotel.com Title the email ‘Art of Travel Guestlist’ and add your names to get entrance! There’s free booze and snacks, it will be so great. Lots of super cute Japanistas are flying in for this event, so come represent.

More about the exhibit/party:
In celebration of the recent collaboration between the ACE Hotel and
UNIQLO in Japan, the ACE is hosting a VIP Party for the kick off of
the “Art of Travel” gallery show in the hotel’s event space on the
corner of 10th and Stark in downtown Portland.

It’s this Friday September 28th, 9:30pm-late! Come check out original
pieces for sale by Amy Ruppel, Justin “Scrappers” Morrison, Evan B
Harris, Shawn Wolfe, David Kaul, Brent Wick, Jeremy Pelley, Philip
Iosca, Sarah Gottesdiener, Liza Rietz and Storm Tharp.

Music by Kanda, the CHROMATICS, and lovely miss Beyonda.
Photos by Rhys (Cute Alert!)!

Just make sure you email pdxjapan@acehotel.com to RSVP so you can come
in and party.

If you need a place to get your afterparty on, call up the Ace Hotel
Portland, mention UNIQLO And get a 10% discount on your room.

P.S. If you can’t make the party the exhibition runs from Sept. 29-Oct
2, 11am-7pm

Ha ha, the green queen of fashion seems to have had a mis-communication with whoever designed the invites to her Adidas show at London Fashion Week this year:

At least they got the color right, but the invites are a whopping 16 x 10 inches, and come with these giant, ahem, Styrofoam hands. Way to go.

Did you hear about the brouhaha with Adidas and kangaroo leather in California? Federal law allows the use of kangaroos in Adidas’ products and others, part of the effort to cull Australia’s overpopulation of the cute little buggers, but California state law forbids sale of kangaroo products. This weekend, from Friday through Sunday, animal rights organization Viva! USA is kicking off a boycott of Adidas at the USA headquarters (5055 N Greeley), planning to confront them with a video called “Killing for Kicks.”

Jane magazine bit the dust. Founder and Sassy icon Jane Pratt left her position as editor some time ago, but her replacement, Brandon Holley didn’t have much luck either. I remember first reading Sassy at my product-obsessed piano teacher’s house when I was probably seven or eight, and I latched on to Jane from the very first issue (Drew Barrymore was on the cover). I don’t remember exactly when I drifted from the mag… probably about five or six years ago, but the last few times I’ve picked it up (inevitably at the airport), it’s been a sort of queasily interesting read. I was fascinated by how gross its voice had become, a quality that was hard to pinpoint, but had to do with its transparent desperation to simultaneously relate to me on a borderline inappropriate level, and generalize me into a huge mass marketing demographic. Still, I’d pick it over Cosmo any old day, though frankly these days I’m more likely to pick up Teen Vogue or Seventeen (cute, high-low dressing that has a more realistic approach how young women really shop), or even Lucky (straightforward, practical layout, wide price ranges, lots of indie designs). But what do you think? Are you going to miss the old Jane, or are you happy to see it go?

(current cover girl Zooey Deschanel)

A couple weeks ago I wrote an article about Sameunderneath, which mentioned in the all-to-brief space available for such issues that the company had their clothing manufactured in the same region of China that the bamboo used in their product is sourced—the idea being that instead of transporting the raw materials to a second location for production, and then to the third retail destination, this would reduce a bit of the carbon footprint left by transportation of goods. Of course, when many people see “Made in China,” their first thought is “sweatshop.” Portland companies such as Sameunderneath and Nau have spoken to these concerns by assuring their inspection and contractual policies with the factories are trustworthy, but a letter in response to the article, sent in by Ese Carnal creator Donovan Skirvin disputed the reasoning held to make it seem “sometimes okay” to buy goods manufactured in China:

MADE IN CHINA

DEAR MERCURY—Regarding Marjorie Skinner’s Sold Out column last week [“Sameunderneath Branches Out,” Sold Out, June 21]. When we buy products made in China, we give away our local wages. The laboring humans that live here have their quality of life eroded by the fact that our designers spend their money in China and elsewhere where labor is cheap. Every time we support a company that exports our labor, we make it harder for our workers to have normal standards of living. Sameunderneath is not avoiding transportation by having their clothes made in China. They are saving money on labor. Is that ethical? Portland’s own Duchess has a similar practice. They have that “family of tailors” that builds the suits they design. And, that “family” happens to live in China. Consumers have to realize that if they want to buy a shirt, a suit, a pair of shoes, or any goods that come from a humane and ethical source, they have to pay a lot of money. The fact is consumers in the States are not ready to pay for the humanity they dream of.

Donovan Skirvin

Today, I received a letter in response from Seyta Selter, the creator of Duchess. Read it after the break.

Beyonce at this week’s BET Awards.

“Does this robot suit make me look fat?”

Woah. David Lynch has been named as director for the commercial advertising the new Gucci perfume, called, er, Gucci. Can’t wait to see what he comes up with for this. Check out what he did for cigarettes:

The suddenly PR-savvy Naomi Campbell, well known for her diva antics and violent outbursts, is cashing in on her bad reputation: Earlier this week she shot a commercial for Dunkin Donuts in which she has one of her famous freakouts, which involved on of her shoes going through a window, while meanwhile another woman sipping some kind of Dunkin Donuts frozen drink (?) remains calm. It apparently just shot on Monday, so it’s not up on You Tube… yet.