Gertie, Girl Reporter {06.25.10}

Hey, we haven't done one of these in a while! There are lots of good stories out there this week, though, so let's jump in.

• My favorite article of the week is this piece on Mad Men's costume designer Janie Bryant. A great quote from Matthew Weiner, the creator of the show on working withing the time period: "People don’t always change with the times. Part of the story that we are trying to tell is about the loosening of all this stuff—the crudening of manners and style as the period changes. Janie and I talk about that all the time and try to signal it in little ways, like with a character taking off his hat in the elevator."
• P.S. Did you know Janie Bryant has a style book coming out this fall? Pre-order here! I am psyched.
• This article made me want to move upstate and live in a tiny Victorian cottage.
• Definitely go see the images for the 50s-inspired Fall 2010 Louis Vuitton ad campaign (pictured above). Could Karen Elson be any more beautiful? I think not.
• Interesting piece about celebs who get paid to advertise for fashion lines on their Twitter feeds.
• From Jezebel: "Edith Shain, the former nurse whose image became world-famous on August 14, 1945 when an unknown sailor dipped her back for a kiss, died on Sunday at the age of 91."

• On the "Rhetoric of the Real Woman," I say this: THANK YOU.
• A play about Isabella Blow will take stage next month. Will you see it or wait for the John Galliano-produced film?
• Full-Figured Fashion Week happened, to positive response. Hurrah!

And last, but not least, you have nine hours left to enter my Blogiversary Giveaway!

Have a happy weekend, friends.

Gertie, Girl Reporter {05.08.10}

Welcome to the Movement, from Hollaback's new Executive Director from Emily May on Vimeo.

Happy Saturday, folks! How about a little reading with your morning coffee? (Yes, I'm pretty much just rolling out of bed.) So many good articles this week!

• Have you ladies and gents heard of Hollaback? It started as an NYC-based blog where women and LGBT folks can post pictures of their street harassers. Now they're launching a worldwide website and an iPhone app to report harassers. I will definitely be downloading this when it becomes available at the end of June and contributing financially to the new Hollaback. As the weather gets warmer here, harassers on the street get bolder - and every dude I pass seems to have something to say about my appearance. I'm sick of it! Of course, there's a line between verbal harassment and actual assault, which makes these jerks very hard to prosecute. Even actual physical assault usually goes unpunished - so hollaback, people! Check out the video above. (via Jezebel) (Also: I see a post on this issue and how it relates to vintage dressing in my very near future.)
• Another article that will have a dedicated post here: Beyonce, Sade, retro, and race.
• As you might have heard, the Met and Brooklyn Museum opened two high-profile fashion exhibits this week, heralded in by the posh Met Costume Institute Ball. This blogger's thoughtful review is definitely worth a read. Also: I will SO be high-tailing it down to Brooklyn in one of the coming weekends!
• Huge difference between the way American Glamour and French Glamour look at plus size women.
• I love Simon Doonan. That is all.
• NYT's Style section looked at vintage shopping this week.
• They also wrote about the "video haul" wherein shoppers display their purchases on YouTube - sounds like lots of Ugg boots and pricey mascara. I find this distasteful.
• Shorts: as polarizing as jumpsuits?
• Lovely article on the art of Rodarte.
• A very trippy vintage Maidenform ad.
• I want to like everything that Christina Hendricks wears. But what the heck was this?
• A look back on Betty Friedan's effect on feminism that I admit I was too time-crunched to read. Let me know how it is!
• Cook's Illustrated: the last sign of civilization? Great cooking mag, by the way.
• Male mannequins get super skinny! Yikes.
• I liked this post on the myth of fat acceptance in black communities.
• Londoners: please go to the Grace Kelly exhibit and report back!
• Did you guys see this massively Photoshopped Sex and the City poster? Also: I am so over these women. Make it go away.

Gertie, Girl Reporter {4.30.10}

Hey hey, Girl Reporter is back! This is where I channel my inner Lois Lane to bring you the most interesting stuff from my Google Reader for the week. $550 khakis, the latex designer to the stars, and more!

• In my absolute favorite article of the week, the New York Times looks into why a pair of khakis would possibly cost $550 in fascinating detail. I was prepared to be disgusted, but found myself pleasantly surprised by the amount of workmanship that goes into these pants. The retail mark-ups are ridiculous of course, but they're made in a union shop in Brooklyn which is pretty awesome. (New York Times)

• Interestingly, Etsy linked to the article above in a newsletter sent to sellers to demonstrate the importance of not under-pricing their wares. I have to admit, this made me stop. Should Etsy sellers consider a 250% mark-up after parts and labor, just like Bergdorf's does? (Etsy)
  
  

  

[From Etsy's newsletter]

• But then there's NYT's miss of the week: suggesting that it's okay to wear a biking unitard as an outfit with high boots and a cardigan. It's not okay, people! (New York Times)
• Meet Aksudo Kudo, the designer responsible for Lady Gaga's latex get-ups. (Salon)
• You know how brands like Always are often promoting their charitable contributions of feminine products to third world countries? The general understanding is that, in underdeveloped countries, lack of these products keeps girls from attending school while menstruating. According to this article, though, that is only a fraction of the problem. (Jezebel)
• Love this quote on feminism: "Unlike almost every other social movement, [it's] not a struggle against a distinct oppressor...It's against a deeply held set of beliefs and assumptions...This is the ultimate gift of feminism, that the personal is in fact the political." - Kavita Ramdas (Ted via Jezebel)
• We may be seeing more plus size models in high fashion these days, but where are the plus-size models of color? (Jezebel)

That's it for this week, folks. Happy Friday!

Gertie, Girl Reporter {4.9.10}

Good morning, dolls! How about a little Girl Reporter with your coffee? No need for makeup, we're going au naturale, like J. Simp here. My fave stories of the week, after the jump.

• I'm really digging that Jessica Simpson went on the cover of Marie Claire without makeup or retouching. See the pics here.
• Not so much digging the new Bristol Palin abstinence PSA.
• The Bounty Hunter looks terrible, but Feministing's review is entertaining at least.
• The production of designer knockoffs involves child labor and possibly funds sex trafficking and organized crime. But according to America's Next Top Model, the real victims are high-end designers. Because their brand integrity is diminished. Wah!
• "Greenwashing" is the term for falsely marketing something as eco-friendly. You really do learn something new every day!
• And my favorite item of the week: a post on women with tattoos that I almost feel like I could have written myself.
  

Happy Friday to one and all!

Gertie, Girl Reporter {4.2.10}

Hello, friends! And welcome back to Girl Reporter, in which I channel my inner Lois Lane to bring you the week's most interesting stuff from my Google Reader. This week, there's my fave celebrity, Gabby Sidibe, an analysis of hipster glasses, and a look at Cotton's disturbing new marketing campaign. Let's read some articles!

• Every week, I read basically every online recap of Project Runway, usually because I find the recaps more entertaining than the show itself. Case in point: Jezebel writer Dodai missed the show this week so her recap is an interview with her mom, who did watch. It's adorable.


• This story about eldery otter friends got me a little teary.


• I lurved Worn Through's analysis of hipster glasses. (Also: apparently I am a hipster.)


• French Elle featured plus size models this month, woo hoo.


• I kind of agreed with the Broadsheet's feelings about the viral little-boy-dancing-to-Single Ladies video: it was kind of sad how upset he got. Man, I'm emotional this week! Sniff.


• Guys, Gabby Sidibe is going to host SNL! Love her! I mean, I don't watch SNL but I think this is pretty cool nonetheless.


• That Sartorialist dude got his knickers all in a twist when someone made a parody blog. Also, did you know about the Catorialist? Kittehs! Much more to my taste than the Sartorialist, I have to admit.


• Really interesting thoughts on Cotton's new marketing campaign, which romanticizes cotton-picking. (Yikes.)


• Boob jobs are on the decline!


• Jennifer Hudson is the new spokeswoman for Weight Watchers. Is anyone else sick of hearing, "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change!"?
• You definitely want to check out this slideshow of Grace Kelly's famous looks. Drool!

Happy weekend!

Gertie, Girl Reporter {3.20.10}

Surprise! It's Girl Reporter Friday - on a Saturday! Just keeping you readers on your toes. I took the day off yesterday, but I was way too preoccupied with Jeff's book auction to blog. Thank you all for your congratulations . . . I'm happy to report that he landed a fantastic two-book deal with a top publishing house. Woo hoo! Anyway, on to this week's stories - this week we have more ugly shoes, the brilliant rise of Betty White, Lady Gaga in Diet Coke can curlers . . . and more!

Gertie, Girl Reporter {03.12.10}

[My favorite image of the week: the Oscar gown color wheel from Jezebel}

Welcome back to Girl Reporter Fridays, where I channel my inner Lois Lane to bring you the most interesting stuff from my Google Reader. This week there's my award for the most annoying celebrity quote of the week, furriness at Chanel, possibly the world's ugliest shoes - and more!

But before I begin, an important message about this feature: As you've probably picked up by now, feminism, pop culture, body image, and mainstream fashion are important parts of this blog. Throughout the week, I talk about these issues specifically as they relate to sewing. However, these Girl Reporter posts are a bit of a deviation in that the articles I link to rarely have anything to do with sewing. I understand that these posts aren't for everyone. Which is exactly why I do two posts on Friday: something for everyone! Huzzah!

Now on to the stories!

• This "article" about Kendra Wilkinson's feelings about her postpartum body wins the prize for the most annoying story of the week. Quoth she, "Having a different body was such a culture shock. I'm so used to being hot and fit." Hmm, culture shock? I don't think that means what you think it means, Kendra.


• Are these indeed the ugliest shoes ever created? I think it's very, very possible that the answer is YES.
  


• Just try to look at the first picture of the very furry Chanel RTW collection and not LOL.


• Nearly every blog I read mentioned the release of these Mad Men Barbies.


• I thought it tacky and inconsiderate (and possibly sexist) that Bea Arthur and Farrah Fawcett were left off the Oscar memorial montage.


• All the feminist highlights from the Oscars in one convenient article!


• A color wheel of Oscar gowns = brilliant!


• Alexander McQueen's final collection: beautiful and haunting.


• Howard Stern is dead to me. Revision: if I'd ever cared about him in the first place, he'd now be dead to me after these disgusting comments about Gabby Sidibe. I'm Team Gabby for life!


• The Louis Vuitton collection was surprisingly gorgeous, often in a retro way.

That's it for this edition! Happy Friday, friends!

Gertie, Girl Reporter {03.05.10}

Welcome back to Girl Reporter Fridays, where I channel my inner Lois Lane to bring you the most interesting stuff from my Google Reader. This week there's tabloid drama, Lewis Carroll whimsy, fugly prom dresses, and more!

• Life & Style sunk quite low (even for a tabloid) when they twisted this stylist's words to criticize 3-year-old Shiloh's boyish clothing. There's a lot to be said about gender and clothing here.


• As a longtime Lewis Carroll fan, I was delighted by this article on fashion taking inspiration from Alice.


• Did you see any coverage of the 60s-inspired Rochas show? I adored the hair!


• I thought Jezebel's post on the joke of the violent woman was incredibly insightful.


• Also on Jezebel, Dodai's commentary on the Anthro catalog is never to-be-missed.


• More Jezebel, but I just had to share: prom dresses have always had a bad rap as fugly, but I can't believe it's come to this.


• I loved Feministing's "In Praise of Johnny Weir."


• Will you be watching the Oscars this Sunday? This article provides an interesting lens through which to view the fashion.

Happy Friday and thanks for reading!