SeerSUCKER: A Garden Party

 A number of Monday's readers commented on what a funny word "seersucker" is. I decided to do a bit of research and learned all sorts of things about this fabric.

• It comes from the Persian words "shir o shekar", meaning milk and sugar, which may refer to the smooth texture of milk and the bumpy texture of sugar.
• the way it is woven causes some threads to bunch together creating the wrinkled appearance, but holding the fabric away from the body for air circulation
• It was a popular fabric in Britain's warm weather colonies, as well as among gentlemen in the American South prior to the advent of air conditioning.
• The fabric was originally worn by the poor in the U.S. until undergraduate students in the 1920s, in an air of reverse snobbery, began to wear the fabric. Damon Runyon wrote that his new habit for wearing seersucker was "causing much confusion among my friends. They cannot decide whether I am broke or just setting a new vogue."
• The US Senate holds a Seersucker Thursday in June, where the participants dress in traditionally Southern clothing.  Today, this includes male and FEMALE senators alike.  (source).
  

Visible Monday: Signs of Summer edition

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I've been on a bit of a break between semesters this past week.  Here you see me in what has been my "uniform" for the past few summers--a loose fitting skirt, a sleeveless top, and flip flops.  (This skirt in particular is one I asked your advice about several weeks ago.) Capris remain the typical uniform of women my age in my neck of the woods and although I own a couple pair of shorts and wear them around the house, I rarely go out into the world in them.

This cropped top reminds me of the homemade tops my mother made for me as a girl and of the cropped circle tops I wore in young 20s.  They were a very simple design and very cool.  This one is a pale yellow seersucker.  I was mid-way through a lengthy photo session when I stopped to count the number of seersucker items in my wardrobe--both pair of shorts, one pair of slacks, a skirt, a dress, and this top.  Guess I must like the crisp look of this light fabric. 

This past Tuesday, I rode to Columbia, Missouri, in our beater pickup truck with DH to pick up the 8th antique organ he has acquired since the first of the year.  This pickup is very basic--it has no air conditioning and no radio and you can see the highway through the floor board in spots.  Somehow road trips like this make us feel like we're in our 20s again.  This is what I wore.  The blouse is by Tommy Hilfiger, the bowling shoes by AMF, and the flowered sunhat is unknown,but all items were thrifted.  The flowered hat proved to be a godsend before the end of the 8 hour trip as I was facing into the sunset on the return trip.

On Thursday, we thought we might soon have a swarm on our hands as we found ALL of our bees on the outside of the hive.  I don't think I've ever suited up in my super-hero beekeeper's suit for the blog.  If they are going to swarm it is often this time of year and often at the time of day we took this photo. We've since decided that they may simply be ready for an additional honey super up top. 

Another day, we took my step-son C.'s canoe for a trial run in our local city lake.  He's planning to float the length of the Mississippi this summer.                     

And finally, we've taken our tandem bike for spin or two.  

It's nice to be a little more active for a change.  Hope your summer has kicked off well.  

This post is part of Visible Monday, a regular feature at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style.  This round up of looks is open to all.  Come join the fun.

Window Shopping Project: 1/2 of 1/2 stores

I hope readers can forgive me for not visiting every fast fashion outlet in the KC area.  We have no Zara store, but I could have visited American Apparel, Armani Exchange, Charlotte Russe, Gap, And Wet Seal.  I'm not their targeted customer and since I'm not fond of the "fast fashion" model, the project is moving on to a type of store that my sources describe as "off-price department stores."  I plan to visit an additional six of these stores in my area in the weeks to come:  Burlington Coat Factory, Gordmans, Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, Steinmart, and perhaps, Nordstrom Rack.

Part of my job involves meeting infrequently with publishers' reps trying to interest me in their textbooks.  One, who often liked the way I dressed, told me about this store years ago when she learned that I liked to thrift.  The store is housed in a building off the frontage road of an interstate highway and is pretty unpretentious.  I waited until a Wednesday to visit, having learned from their web-site that this is when new merchandise is rolled out.  The store offers "customers the best department store and mall store brands on current merchandise at the best possible prices, usually 1/2 of 1/2 of retail."

As I entered, I truly did not know whether to be overjoyed by all the bargains as far as the eye could see or to be dismayed by rack after rack of clothing packed so tightly it could not breathe.  DH was with me and I could tell that he was dismayed by what he saw...as he knows how long my "window shopping visits" can take.  He did browse through the men's clothing (always looking for classic Levi's with double stitching on the seams).  I decided to start with the perimeter of the store and then focus in on the center display, where the bargains of the day were located.

Immediately, I was impressed by the numbers of Anne Taylor items I found.  And, by the numbers of crisp white blouses, the bane of a thrifter's existence.  (I will return here next time I'm in the market for a white, white blouse.)  Much of this merchandise would be items that customers have previously bought and returned.  Sometimes, the merchandise is returned because of a defect, and just as in a thrift store, it is necessary to inspect carefully for the flaws.  Some of the items are easily reparable; their website even includes basic instructions for some repairs.   But, many items that customers return are without a defect.  We all know that sometimes an item doesn't fit quite the way we imagined it did in the store OR we spent too much on a shopping trip.

Additionally, the store includes items that have been shoplifted and catalogue buyouts.  The video above shows you the wide range of merchandise--from Sonoma to Chadwicks, Anne Taylor, Talbotts, Lane Bryant, Caslon, BCBG, Free People, Soft Surroundings, and even, St. Johns.    And I actually purchased something for a change, a front closure, crossed strap bra of good quality for $8.

As I shopped, I found myself reflecting on how much of our shopping experience (and the price) is shaped by the surroundings one shops in.  The shoppers were absorbed in their shopping (one spoke an animated language I did not recognize) and many seemed to be old hands at this type of shopping.  Their carts were full of merchandise perhaps taking advantage of "preferred customer" status or just the bargain of the day.

This is where unwanted department store merchandise goes to die...and as I departed after 90 minutes in the store, I did not know whether to laugh or cry.    It's an ideal way to shop for those who are wary of thrift stores; the prices are better or similar.  But I was haunted by a vision of the seamstresses who had constructed these pieces--a warehouse full.

Is there a store of this type in your area?  And have you shopped there? 

On Branding and Authenticity

In a former life, castrating and branding the young bulls was spring-time ritual.  The smell of singed hair & flesh is memorable.  In another former life, I had a million dollar spread on Farm Town that I turned into a sub-division.  In my current life, I don’t own a cell phone, an iPad or an e-Reader.

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Klout that my “influence” has declined in the past 30 days by 2 points.  Klout also informed me that I seem to have some expertise in “anxiety.”  I reacted to this information as I have to the 401K statements I’ve received over the past few years…with mild amusement.  It’s always been a tiny, supplemental account; I would have been better off to invest the money in a piggy bank.

In January, I deactivated my Facebook account for a variety of reasons.  One was that the Missouri legislature was attempting to outlaw Facebook relationships between students and teachers.  My college at the time did not have a social media policy, but I was assured that this state policy would not apply to college instructors.  Mostly though, I did not want Facebook to “go public” with “my privacy.”  It was Klout suicide—my score dropped 20 points.  It might have been different had I had the foresight to set up different accounts for my professional life, my family life, and my blogging life.  Nevertheless, it has taken some of my “friends” months to realize that I’m no longer there.

I have a Tumblr account that I update erratically (it’s full of experimental looks and funny outtakes from my photo sessions).  I have maintained my Twitter account.  I don’t offer much there and I’m not very good at promoting my friends’ blogs, but I like to think that I’m a thoughtful curator of articles related to topics that I’m interested in.

I joined Pinterest months before it fully caught on.  Initially, I thought I would use it primarily as a “wish list” of things I admired, but could not afford.  But, as it’s turned out, I pin mostly recipes of healthy dishes I’d like to try, cleaning tips using green materials I already have on hand, and DIY projects I’ll try when my grandson grows bored with his summer vacation.  

I’ve mostly experimented with social media as a way to have some awareness of my students’ sensibilities.  In short, I do not use any form of social media to promote myself as a “brand.”

In the two years I’ve been blogging at Rags, I’ve come across so many articles on SEO and building one’s brand.  These things are on my mind because of an excellent article I read at n+1 magazine, which thoughtfully examined the intersection of fast fashion, Facebook, and branding.  These excerpts are Rob Horning's words, with my emphasis:

      “Much as fast-fashion companies are routinely accused of pirating designs, Facebook continually oversteps once sacrosanct norms of privacy, opting users in to data-divulging mechanisms by default and backpedaling only when confronted with public outcry.  It offers a space akin to the fast-fashion retailer’s changing room for the ritual staging of the self, inviting users to seize upon ‘stylistic elements’ from wherever they can be grabbed.  We become involuntary bricoleurs, scrambling to cobble together an ad hoc identity from whatever memes happen to be relevant at the time.” 

                “The personal brand, in its concatenation of fame hunger and dismal self-exploitation, is the evolutionary end point of a tendency implicit in fashion since the rise of consumerism.  As fashion strayed from its pre-capitalist role of expressing established hierarchies, it helped usher in a reflexive sense of self, set in terms of constantly shifting social meanings.  It reconciled people to the idea of an identity not foisted upon us by birth and circumstances, but one for which we must hold ourselves personally responsible….fashion has been a form of institutionalized insecurity.”

                “We need a sympathetic community within which to realize our individuality.  Social media tends to turn that effort to preserve that community into the pursuit of fame.  And when we pursue fame, our behavior devolves into the familiar forms of self-commodification.  We replace the pleasure of what we do with fantasies about the measurable notoriety we imagine we’ll reap.”

I’ve been paranoid about my online presence since 9/11, not out of anything I have to hide, but out of concern for my privacy.  I recognize the value of carefully guarding one’s online presence and I do actively protect my reputation as an educator.  But, I also do random searches on esoteric subjects to deliberately toy with advertising algorithms.  My internet signal is shared with 12 other adults who share the building in which I live—one is training to be a minister, one is disabled, two are gamers, another is a young mother, and my husband is forever doing searches on “antique organs.”  I can only imagine the search profile for my ISP.

I want to believe that my failure to fit into ANY neat “marketing” demographic is a bid for authenticity.  And little by little, I’ve come to believe that bloggers of a certain age know something about authenticity that younger users of social media may never have known.

Now, I’m curious to know about the various ways my readers might use social media and if you ever think of yourself as a brand.  And, is authenticity possible in the world of social media?

Visible Monday: the FINAL final

I wore this to my last final last Wednesday evening.  It was the most casual attire I've worn to campus all semester and when I struggled into it in the mid-afternoon, I feared it might be too small.  Not until I took it off that evening, did I discover the zipper in the side!   Nevertheless, the dress announced that I was free of my official duties for the semester.

The days since have been busy ones with two guests from Montana, including a grandson who now looks like Harry Potter.  The live-in grandson lost his first tooth at a Royals baseball game and arrived home so exhausted he asked the tooth fairy to wait a night. 

While my daughter has entertained these guests, we've had two highly successful thrifting outings.  On Friday, I found the bowling shoes I've been looking for for two years and...a cashmere sweater by Eileen Fisher in prime condition!  On Sunday, we visited the newly opened Goodwill Outlet and pawed through a few bins.  I've read about such places on other blogs and was very afraid that the place would be smelly and the bins full of items no one else wanted.  Instead, we were greeted with the fragrance of clean laundry as we came through the door.  After an hour of digging, we weighed our cart.  DH walked out with an artist's valise and I had 6 new-to-me items, all for $4!  It's quite a jaunt to visit this place, but I am certain we'll return.

In addition, I've finally hemmed the skirt I queried my readers about weeks ago and made a second draw string skirt from previously thrfted pieces. 

I'm not sure I entirely understand this meme.  I first saw it on Sheila's Ephemera blog and then later on MeganMaeDail.  Celebrating the end of the semester, I snapped a photo #under my desk.

And finally, take a gander at the COMPLETE manuscript of my students' collaborative novel--Under the Plastic Sky! 

This post is a part of Patti's weekly roundup of bloggers, Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet Style.  It is also part of the monthly Ethical Fashion Bloggers round-up.  Interested readers are welcome to join either group.

The Window Shopping Project: H&M

I should explain that I live in a small town 20 miles south of the Kansas City metropolitan area.  I would estimate the combined population of Kansas City to be around 2 million people, but our first H&M store just opened its doors this past fall and the "new" has not yet worn off.  Of all of the stores I have featured to date, H&M has the largest reach with 2300 stores in 43 countries, and it employs 94,000 people worldwide.  It is second only to Zara.  KC has no Zara store.  Production is outsourced to approximately 800 factories in Europe and Asia.

I was surprised to learn that its first non-Swedish store opened as long ago as 1964, in Norway and it has been expanding ever since.  Germany is the largest market with 377 stores, while the US boasts just 233.  The first American store opened in March, 2000.  A flagship store opened in Denver, Colorado, in 2011.  Our KC store, I am certain from the cramped quarters is not a flagship. 

H&M has worked with a number of designers over the years--Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Madonna, Roberto Cavalli, Comme des Garcons, Matthew Williamson, Jimmy Choo, Sonia Rykiel, Lanvin, Versace, and Marni.  In October, 2012, Anna del Russo will launch an accessories collection at H&M, as Paris Fashion Week draws to an end.  It will be stocked in 140 H&M stores worldwide...though I somehow doubt KC will be one.

When I visited the store early in May, I tried to keep an open mind.  The store is located on the Country Club Plaza which is a pedestrian shopping center where many of the city's designer stores are located.  Parking is often at a premium, though we found a spot just around the corner.  DH asked if he could wait outside in the bright warm sunshine and people watch as I did my sleuthing.  The store was jam-packed with shoppers younger than myself in shorts and flip-flops.

I would have to say that I found the weight and quality of the fabrics to be higher than what I expected, having previously visited F21.  Things were not in the disarray I'd found at F21 and clothing was not quite as crammed on the rack; it was often wrinkled, but had some room to breath.  I found much of the merchandising to be eye-catching.  The store has high ceilings and many of the displays were mounted up high so as not to compete for floor space.

I was astounded by the length of the line for the fitting room.  You'll see in some of my photos that the line was 20 people long, though it seemed to move quickly.  This was the first place that I have seen men and women shopping together and I don't know whether to attribute this to the fact that the store has a men's and children's department upstairs or if it is due to the nature of the shopping center where it is located.

In response to criticism about unsold clothing that was found destroyed in New York City dumpsters and the factory conditions I described in Wednesday's post., H&M has adopted Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)  You'll see it in my video with the window display and merchandise that raises money for HIV/AIDS.  Its "Conscious Collection" uses environmentally friendly fabrics like organic cotton and recycled plastic bottles.  Leah Bourne, a writer for Forbes, wrote recently, "The brand has also made changes like using lower-impact water-based solvents to make nearly 2.5 million pairs of shoes last year." 

The problem as I tried to point out with Wednesday's t-shirt is that when brands are caught doing something wrong, they can point to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) divisions and claim a lack of knowledge of what their suppliers are up to..." (source).  Forgive me if I'm a little cynical. 

I exited the store after 45 minutes, without visiting the mens and children's departments upstairs.  I found DH lounging in the shade with his sunglasses.  He told me that he had been approached by an Asian man who wondered if he was a rock star!?  And, NO, I did not wear the t-shirt I worked so hard on.  Our visit to H&M was a spur of the moment side-track during a Saturday of thrifting.  However, the store so busy that I didn't even notice any employees and it was not my chest that others were there to see.

As one commenter pointed out on Wednesday, many higher end and designer clothes are guilty of turning a blind eye to the working conditions of those who manufacture their clothes.  I think I need to wear the shirt to every store I visit for the remainder of the Window Shopping Project. 

Now, do you own any H&M clothing?  Have you purchased any of their designer items?  And how might this store compare with the H&M nearest you.

Subversive Shopping

Watch Triangle Fire on PBS. See more from American Experience.

Visible Monday: Celebrating Moms!

Here's hoping that everyone had the best possible Mother's Day.  My own mother, whether she thinks of herself this way or not, is the matriarch of a sprawling brood of 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren.  Trying to find a time to celebrate appropriately and coordinate everyone's schedules grows more and more challenging as the years go by.  Here we are at the doors of the Gaslight Grill heading in for the evening meal and live New Orleans jazz provided by Lynn Zimmer.

Several prime ribs and a pistachio encrusted salmon steak later, we convened at my daughter P.'s home for dessert and coffee. The day had begun with wet hair and a walk around the block with Mia, the pygmy goat we gave the grandson for Easter.  We received a "certified letter" this week from the city fathers who this time decided to enforce the city ordinance against "livestock."  So this walk was a poignant one as "Mia" nibbled all her favorite leaves in the neighbor's yards and sampled a mum on our deck.

You may or may not be able to tell from this photo, but her horns are about an inch long now.  Our grandson stands to loose his first tooth sometime this week so both the tooth fairy and other house guests are expected to arrive before the end of the week.  My grades are due in Thursday and I walk in graduation that evening.  And the house has not been cleaned in...months.  Yikes!

I'm not complaining.  My daughter M. worked on Mother's Day, took time out for dessert, and then resumed studying for her finals.  I sometimes think we need a separate day to celebrate the single mothers of the world who often do the job of two...for a votive candle in a painted baby food jar and a lima bean planted in a paper cup. 

So here is to the unsung heroines in our lives.

This post is part of Visible Monday, a weekly round-up of women who choose to be visible sponsored by Patti at Not Dead Yet Style.  Come join the fun.

Blast from the Past a Prom Dress

I'm approaching the end of my grading...but Gracey has put together a cool post of prom looks and there is one of Terri in 1971...here.

EBEW: Nautical Edition

 

Striped blouse by Ralph Lauren

Skirt by St. John's Bay

Shoes by Grasshoppers

Scarf--all of the above thrifted

collapsing telescope via FrenzyUniverse.com 

Wonky pose--all my own

Two stacks of papers down, three to go.

Trinkets and Treasures~a Thank You.

Finals are upon me.  In the past week, I've awarded creativity awards, lit a fire under the print shop to get the campus literary magazine printed on time, begun to put the finishing touches on a collaborative novel written in the past 8 weeks, and collected work in all five of my classes.  Whew!

I cannot guarantee how "present" I'll be in the blogosphere this coming week as grading must come first.  What better time to show off the gifts I've received and owe belated thanks for than now.  In this first photo, I'm sporting a felted brooch made by Franca at Oranges & Apples that I won in a giveaway for her 1,000th post!  The tee I'm wearing is purple though that doesn't show well against the "We the People" print that hangs in our dining room.  That would be George Washington in the background. 

And the brooch on the right is one I won from Arianne at Style Montreal Sud-Est.  It provided just the right finishing touch to an outfit I wore this past Tuesday and received many compliments on.  The jacket is sort of "Butte" knit, an item my mother recalls from her working days.  I found it in the vintage section of a local thrift for $3.99 and love how it wears like a sweater, but fits with the structure of a jacket.  Notice the rare appearance of my glasses!

And finally, the last garment is one I lusted after so shamelessly that Curtise at the Secondhand Years simply sent it to me!  The dress reminded me of a 50s cocktail dress I had located in a costume shop years ago--with big white off the shoulder pouffy sleeves.  When I went back to get it, prior to a cruise several years ago, it was gone and I was so disappointed.  Few occasions in my life ever call for a true cocktail dress, but DH took one look and this and said we would FIND somewhere to go.