Fashion Musings

Corduroy Comeback

On a recent shopping trip, a good friend of mine discovered her “soul pants.” I think everyone has their own “soul pants.” Mine would have to be this lovely pair of skinny grey trousers from ZARA which are… lovely. :)

Anyway, her “soul pants” were on sale (which automatically makes them fantastic) for, wait for it, $10!!! (jaws have just dropped everywhere) They were smokey colour and were the last, non-ripped pair on the rack.

The main point of this story (this friend also says I’m awful at telling stories) is that they were in fact, corduroy.

Ahhh corduroy… The softness of its feel, its understated stripy-ness, the classy colours it comes in and of course its warmth for the winter months make corduroy a great choice for both clothing and accessories.

Heading into winter, we’ve started to see the re-emergence of corduroy as not just something which your grandfather would wear, or what you would imagine a baby boy in. Seriously, have you noticed how many parents dress their sons in corduroy?? It also doesn’t have to be a-trying-to-be-retro-but-not-quite-getting-there trend either. Personally, I think corduroy is incredibly funky, and though not always extremely versatile, can be added here and there to an outfit.

A few brands have started to introduce corduroy into their winter collections:

Glue:

Levis:

Quirky Circus:

Sportsgirl (of course):

And something I’ve never really seen before...

Yes, that is a dress.

From Dotti.

Made out of corduroy.

=O

Okay, it’s not exactly corduroy, but, I have seen it in real life and it certainly has a corduroy-ish feel to it. A little wacky but hey, why not?

Lily Allen, known for her… unique taste in clothes wore a corduroy dress out and about in London...

Can’t say this gothic look is doing her any justice.

Maybe just stick to jackets and pants, eh???

-Varsh

Fashion with a price:

And no, I'm not talking about expensive designer clothing. I am talking about fashion that comes at the cost of human lives.

You've probably seen jeans that have a deliberately 'worn-out' look at stores like Dotti, Portmans and Just Jeans. Unfortunately these brands, which are all part of 'The Just Group',all use an incredibly dangerous method called sandblasting to achieve this look.

In Turkey alone, over 45 people have died recently operating sandblasting equipment. That's how dangerous it is. The process is known to cause silicosis - an incurable and often fatal lung disease.

We often hear of overseas companies like Nike and Adidas mistreating their workers but The Just Group is an Australian company and their continued use of sandblasting is really incredibly disappointing. SHAME!!

Thankfully, brands like Levi's, H&M and the lovely Zara (yet another reason to love all three of those fantastic brands) have banned sandblasting and found other ways to get that 'worn-out' look:

These fabulous denim pieces from Zara look fantastic and best of all, no one died making them.

Hopefully Dotti, Portmans and other The Just Group brands will follow the lead of those fantastic brands that have banned sandblasting but it's pretty clear that they aren't going to do it without a bit of a push from the public, ie: you.

Oxfam is running a letter-writing campaign to the chairman and managing director of The Just Group asking them to immediately stop selling sandblasted products. It will literally take like, 2 seconds for you to make a big difference!

Click the link below to participate:

http://www.oxfam.org.au/act/take-action/workers-rights/killer-jeans-stop-sandblasting

Once you've finished, here's your prize- quite possibly the funniest song ever made about jeans.

The jeans in this video are all kinds of tacky (hello, bejewelled flowers)  but no one had to risk their life to make them... which I guess is worth singing about.

Plus I love how dramatic the clip is. SPOILER: SHE GETS THE JEANS - OMGABC123.

Don't worry, Jenna Rose. I wouldn't dare jack your swag.

- Jesie-A