(Faux succulents for this time of year.)
Wow, winter really came back to Texas this week and we had two days of weirdly dense fog, followed by a “snow day” that was completely absent of any snow. It’s felt like January for a while now, but the sun finally appeared again and things are looking up. I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend to catch up on blogging and reading. Here are a few things that caught my eye this week.
“The marriage of dance and art” at the New York City Ballet.
An elevated version of mother-daughter dressing.
A glimpse at street style from the 1940s. (The lingerie made from a silk map is really lovely.)
One mother used poetry to reach her teenage daughter.
The trailer for season 3 of “Orphan Black.”
And the lovely flowers of “Downton Abbey,” Rose and Daisy, take on Cinderella. Robb Stark plays Prince Charming. (I guess Jon Snow was too busy.)
Have a wonderful weekend!
(The first four books in The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner.)
Last week, I mentioned that I’m reading The Boxcar Children series to the boys each night before bed. We’re currently halfway through the second book in the series and enjoying it as much as the first. All three of us look forward to the chapter each night, and we’re trying to figure out what mystery is coming our way. I’m thrilled that James and Rhys are finally old enough for chapter books, and reading aloud is something I hope they’ll let me do for many more years.
After I published the post last week, I received a very nice email from Dan Chuba, who introduced himself as the director of the recent movie version of the first book! He thanked me for mentioning the movie, now on Netflix, and the series, and gave me a few exciting details. His company is planning to start work on a second Boxcar Children movie this spring, and they also have plans to create 15 different films based on other classic children’s stories. The goal of the upcoming films is to enhance the reading experience for children, and the movies will follow each book’s storyline, just as the first film did. According to Mr. Chuba, The Boxcar Children movie helped to increase sales of the book series by 30%.
I was really excited to hear about the upcoming movie and I definitely recommend the first one, too. It’s a very touching story that is appropriate for young children, and the books are so much fun to share with young readers.
(Anthropologie’s March 2015 Catalog.)
Anthropologie’s latest catalog arrived in the mail over the weekend, and I spent a little time perusing it Friday night. I’ve written about this brand in the past and even dissected their site to find ethical clothing options, which is the way I shop these days. I just can’t seem to completely let this brand go, and I’ve been excited and hopeful as they sometimes work with ethical and fair trade lines.
But this month’s catalog left a bad taste in my mouth from my first glimpse at the cover, and I can’t say I’m really surprised at all. The lookbook is beautiful and was photographed in India, as you can see from the picture above. It’s filled with pages and pages of clothing inspired by India, but I can’t tell if they are actually made there, since most things are labeled as “Imported.” I’ve shared my frustration about this issue in the past, and it doesn’t seem to have improved over time. As I glanced at the pages, I was struck by the irony of this artfully directed shoot in an exotic location, filled with clothing that was, in most cases, made in a completely different country.
Looking through the catalog, I found three brands that sounded, simply by their names, like they might be based in India. Two were husband and wife design teams, Pankaj & Nidhi and Deepa Gurnani. Pankaj & Nidhi is a successful clothing brand based in India, so you can assume their clothing is made there, though it’s possible it’s not. But there’s no mention of production methods on their site. The second, Deepa Gurnani, is a line of jewelry inspired by India, but again, there’s no mention of production practices. To be completely fair, both lines may have completely above-the-board production methods, but offer no transparency.
The third brand really made me raise an eyebrow, when I discovered that Jasper & Jeera, a line of leather bags and accessories, is actually a trademark owned by Urban Outfitters, who in turn owns Anthropologie. There isn’t an actual site for Jasper & Jeera products, since it appears Anthropologie either designs or purchases the items and attaches a Jasper & Jeera label. According to Anthropologie’s site, “A trip around the globe surely will not yield as many handcrafted, artisanal finds as are designed by Jasper & Jeera each season. With an eye for the offbeat and the hand-touched, each piece showcases beading, embroidery and printing to the worldliest degree.” But seriously, what does that even mean?
According to this Mother Jones article, India is the third largest garment exporter in the world, after China and the European Union. While there are fair trade and artisan groups growing within the country, there are still many people working in unsafe and inhumane conditions within garment factories. Are these workers, many of whom are essentially slaves, producing clothing sold by Anthropologie, and if so, what does the company plan to do about it? Simply sweeping the issue under the rug, or in this case, distracting consumers with an Indian-sounding name owned by an American company, does nothing.
If these items are indeed made in India, why doesn’t Anthropologie just say so in the catalog? They clearly label items made in Spain or the United States, so what’s wrong with actually labeling a product’s country of origin, instead of the vague “Imported” description? It’s 2015, and customers are beginning to expect transparency within their favorite brands, so it’s definitely time for Anthropologie to jump on that bandwagon. Obviously, they understand the handmade, artisanal look their customers want, but without an explanation of the products’ origins, Anthropologie isn’t offering us the full package and is, in reality, misleading us.
