(not so) random links

so much to talk about, so little time. my apologies.

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-there's a new book out by a guy named kelsey timmerman (see his blog here) called where am i wearing?, in which the author "picked [his] favorite items out of [his] wardrobe and traced them back to where they were assembled." he traveled to bangladesh, honduras, cambodia, and china, and along the way, he met the garment workers who make said clothes, and saw the conditions in which they work.

in a recent post on the mental floss blog, he divulges some of the info he gleaned about the global garment industry, and it's workers, some of which are startling (to me, anyway): 97% of our clothing is made overseas, over half of the world's shoes are made in china, and...that "one-third of american consumers are willing to pay more for clothes produced under good working conditions".

but...i wonder if this is really true...would the average consumer REALLY pay more for their clothing if they knew it was produced in an ethical manner? what about in these leaner times? if money is tight, does quantity supersede quality for average folks? or is the converse more likely to be true?

what about you?

do you HONESTLY care where your clothing and other accoutrements come from? would you like to know? if you knew that something was produced in an ethical manner, would you be more likely to buy it? would you be likely to NOT buy something if you knew where it came from, and who made it?

be honest: if you have less cash, are you more compelled to buy more for your money, or fewer items, that are of higher quality? i know the hip thing, the ethical (at the moment) is to say "less is more," but is that REALLY what you, and others want to do?

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the quick and dirty linkage:

-whip up is always, always amazing. love this round-up of the best free knitting patterns on the web....i want to make like, all of them. starting with these jaywalker socks, from grumperina!

-some mighty interesting street fashion in tokyo, may be found on this site, drop. (via sea of shoes)

-burdastyle knows our wallets are being hit hard by the (increasingly) crappy economy, so they offer up a few tips on how to save money sewing AKA how to be frugal during hard times. also on burdastyle: this terrificly cool bow tie pattern (for the boys, the girls, or whomever!). very classic, yet very now.

-galadarling hits one out of the park with her dead-on, perfect post: how to cultivate your personal style. biggest point, that resonates with me and my own ethos (and the things i say here!)? that personal style is about so much more than the clothes you wear....it is also about how you live your life.

-i adore this little knitted waistcoat pattern from drops. i spotted it on mettetations.

-i usually don't post this sort of thing, but i'm making an exception, on the off chance that some lucky new york cit-iers will be able to take advantage of low prices on high quality clothing:

my favorite NYC boutique, i heart is having a MAJOR BLOWOUT SALE. according to their latest newsletter:

"Items will be marked down from past seasons up to 85%!!!! There will be a $30 rack! It's the best time to come and get some good deals before the holidays. Plus this season is marked up to 50% off!! It's going to be nuts in here!!!

3 DAYS ONLY!!!!! FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY DEC 12-14TH"

(not so) random links

-according to the new york times, ugly is the new beautiful. evidently, a recent rash of articles, books and papers have been penned on the subject of ugliness. long a neglected subject of study and interest, pondering ugliness and at times, celebrating the less than perfect/beautiful is now de rigeur.
which got me thinking...
-can ugly be fashionable? -or, is ugly (already) fashionable? -in what ways is ugly now fashionable? (i immediately think of the old/outdated/"ugly" coming back into fashion again, i.e., the ironic, hipster-favored trends of the last couple years...)
-is ugliness, like beauty, merely in the eye of the beholder?
-or, can one argue that are there specific, solid, irrefutable standards that define beauty, and it's allegedly less attractive stepsister, ugliness?
-what does this alleged fascination with ugliness say about our culture? has something significantly shifted? or is the passing fancy with "ugly" just that, a passing fancy?

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-some speculate that the long coveted size zero figure is perhaps trending towards going the way of the dodo (at least for a little while) (via the times online). a culture-wide fascination with a more voluptuous figure is now on the rise, in some fashion and fame circles, anyway. as to what is exactly meant by "curvy" to these fashion folks is up for debate, but some say the bony girls that have dominated the runways in past years have been told, by some fashion designers and editors, to take off, in order to make room for women with a "bigger" presence. how long this ("new") obsession with curves will last is anyone's guess, but if it's true, it's certainly worth noting.
my questions:
-could this new fascination with curves (and "realness") in fashion be a reflection of the turn our culture is taking in a general sense? are people craving "realness" in aesthetics at the same time they are asking for "realness" in economics, politics, and beyond? in times of leanness, do we sometimes value that which looks even a little bit excessive? i put this idea forward in light of how the impossibly skinny reigned so long in the inflated, excessive years most recently past. i also think of how even further back in history, "rubenesque" women were celebrated in leaner times, as their shape suggested wealth and easy access to resources...
see also: even in a reeling economy, the rich spoiled brat is a fashion and cultural heroine (via the new york times)

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-psfk, in a recent post, posited that the DIY lifestyle will become culturally mainstream as the economy slides ever downward. i've suggested this many times here on bits and bobbins over the past few years (and feel like they are thus a little behind the times in suggesting this, but nonetheless)...
i wonder:
-IS the DIY lifestyle indeed becoming more mainstream? in what ways? posit, if you please.
-are more people taking classes, and consulting books, the internet and other resources in order to educate themselves on ways to DI(y/themselves) instead of buy, buy, buying or employing the services of others (things they may have done in a bull market)? can (or has) this increase be(en) quantified? surely, someone has done research in this area...?

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the quick and dirty stuffs:
-i am sure you street fashion fan girls (and guys) will be glad to hear that the sartorialist's scott schuman has allegedly scored himself a book deal (via farpitz, via fashionista). a nice coffee table coup for someone who doesn't even consider himself a street fashion photog. not my cup o' tea (i rather loathe the guy and all he stands for), but i'm passing on the word to you anyway.
-treehugger has crafted a huge, multi-part guide to greening your wardrobe, chocked full of suggestions, stats, and sources. well worth a major peruse on your part.
-word of the elder-focused street-style blog advanced style has been making the rounds...i'm mentioning it here with the intention of giving it another spin. genius idea...sartorially sassy and snazzy grandmas and grandpas duly deserve recognition and accolades.
-LOVE this idea for shredding a tee (really, it's just knits "laddering", but anyway!) from childhood flames. someday i'd love to give it a go.
-these scarves made by spool sewing using quilt/knit master kaffe fassett's shot cotton fabrics are stunning...they feel utterly modern with their deconstructed looks. and oh my, the colors...luscious.
-a fab idea to fashion a few decopage decorated bangle bracelets, here, on one pearl button (via whip up)

(not so) random links

yes, it's been a long while! i know...
and it may still be a while before i can devote the time (and mindspace) to the typical lengthy lists of deep questions/long, insightful (heh!) observations i usually pose along with the links in question in my (not so) random links posts.
why? because my newly born babe needs me! :) and, honestly, it's only been about two weeks out from her birth, and i am still recovering. it took me days and days to put this together (it used to take just a few hours, max)! oy, how times have changed.
anyway, i thought i'd share some notable stuff i've come across in past weeks, albeit in what i feel is a very truncated fashion (for the time being). those pesky links are piling up!!

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-uk-based fabulous mag asks: so which woman has the perfect body? seems women favor a skinnier figure, whist men favor more curves. is there such a thing as an "ideal figure"? what's YOUR idea of the "perfect figure"?

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-according to WWD (who FINALLY have a nice selection of free content available online, yay!), (fashion/lifestyle) magazine circulation is down, down, down. magazines may not want to face it, but...is it possible that the increasingly fast and easy digital access to visual/design/fashion content is honestly doing print mags who specialize in similar fare in? whatever the reason, it's clear their bottom lines are suffering...

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-SF indie fashion suggests 10 cheap, simple ways to up the eco-fashion ante...

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-remember tavi of style rookie? i mentioned her here a while back. the NY times' T magazine recently published a round-up of adolescent style bloggers you might want to take note of...

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-according to counterfeit chic, the UK's house of lords has issued a "speeding ticket" to fast fashion:
"in its report on 'waste reduction,' the rapid production of cheap clothes involves the use of low quality materials in garments of high complexity, which makes it difficult to capture any value from the material at the end of the garments' lives. mr alan wheeler, National liaison manager at the textile recycling association, commented that "fast fashion" items were "harder to re-use" and that there was "not much thought about how recyclable an item is at the end of its useful life.'"
more on the same from the independent...

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and of course, the quick and dirty:
-jamie is my friend and former neighbor from my bushwick, brooklyn loft-living days. he's the man behind the known universe. he and his (new) wife, deborah, recently acquired a mannequin that looks suspiciously (and apparently, intentionally) like model kate moss. they are having fun dressing faux kate in deborah's outfits. answering the pleas of some of his friends, jamie's started a fluffy little blog called kate moss mannequin modeling deb's outfits daily, that documents these dress-up sessions, replete with descriptions and stories about the featured threads. jamie and deborah, you guys are, uh...silly. but...it's awesome. i'd love to see where this ends up going, if anywhere! ha.
ETA: keep updating, you guys!
-i like the catorialist better than that snooty sartorialist. *grin* (via buzzfeed)
-who knew? apparently wallace and gromit are the latest style icons...they're featured in an ad campaign for harvey nicols (an upscale department store chain in the UK). i'm tickled, for one... (via the daily mail)
-this discussion, where do you buy bras? in the ravelry group the bust line (where it's all about fitting and flattering the bustline you have) is FAB-U-LOUS. good go-to suggestions for gals of small and large sizes alike.
-on the subject of knitwear, the telegraph just offered up a PDF of 5 free, updated, chic vintage knitting patterns taken from lise-lotte lystrup's new book, vintage knitwear for modern knitters. i'm particularly in love with the fine gauge zig-zag scarf pattern! but the sweater patterns on offer in said PDF are pretty darn sweet too.
-how to bleach your jeans, a tutorial by that's just my vibe. awesome. what would be even more awesome, imo? wearing your awesome bleached jeans with one of the aforementioned vintage sweaters, knit by you...
-meta knitting ala slip slip knit: knit a scarf made from i-cord. (via craft:)
-that ever-so smart and savvy nubby twiglet shows us how closet organization is done...go girl!