- An activist group sent pairs of job applicants to various stores with matching résumés. In each case, one applicant was transgendered. Although the trans job-hunters fared worse than the controls 42% of the time, J. Crew was particularly discriminatory:
- Of the 24 stores that were part of the experiment, J. Crew was the only one that offered both of the control applicants jobs, and ignored both of the trans applicants (who, because they had the same résumés, were stated to have identical qualifications, ages, and experience as the controls). All testing pairs were of the same race. Spokesperson for the group Make The Road, Irene Trung, says this happened to one of the trans applicants at J. Crew: “[He] was treated brusquely, told to fill out an application and was never called. His testing partner, Leigh Cambre, who entered the store a few minutes later, described a very different experience, ‘I filled out an application, was interviewed on the spot and offered a job soon after.'” Discrimination in retail definitely exists — though it’s kind of mystifying that any company would think it could be so brazen about it. [Gothamist]
- Watching the film adaptation of her book, Desert Flower, “was very disturbing and emotional, especially scenes from my childhood,” says supermodel Waris Dirie. Especially the scene where her experience, at age 3, of FGM is depicted. “It is a barbaric crime. It’s incredible it is still happening now in the 21st century…Eradicating female genital mutilation can only happen there if the living conditions of the people and the social and legal status of women improve.” [ToL]
- Madonna‘s licensing deal with Iconix evolves: the eyewear mentioned earlier will be co-branded with Dolce & Gabbana, which of course featured Madge in its main line’s campaign this season. Six sunglasses branded MDG will hit stores beginning this May. [WWD]
- If there were anyone who would be deranged enough to publicize the notion that models like Adriana Lima are “full-figured,” and that their inclusion on the catwalk represents “a Victory for All Women!” it would be Bonnie Fuller. [HuffPo]
- This weekend, Teen Vogue debuted a pop-up store at the Westchester mall called the HauteSpot, where teens pay $100 for a one-hour session on personal style with magazine staffers and makeup artists. Condé Nast plans to launch four of the mini-salons in wealthy areas of the U.S. [MW]
- Karl Lagerfeld got a sandwich named after him in Paris. It contains Alaskan king crab, extra virgin olive oil from Sicily, black pepper, bread crusts, sea salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. But Karl can’t eat white food! We read this in the Karl Lagerfeld Diet and now we are very confused. [WWD]
- “If you want easy, don’t pick fashion. Life is full of challenges, and it is how you deal with them and use them to help you grow that sets you apart. I am proof that you can break the rules, you can push fashion to the extreme, lose backers and still bounce back.” — John Galliano. [ToL]
- “It’s many years [now] that everyone sees everything immediately, and there’s no going back, it’s part of the progress. Sometimes though, the invasion of privacy is terrifying.” — Miuccia Prada, on live-streaming shows. Miu Miu was shown live online in Paris last week, and this September, Prada will have its first livecast. [WWD]
- Please. The old Karl Lagerfeld will retire, to be replaced at Chanel by Alber Elbaz rumor? Again? Even if it were true, why would Tommy Ton know about it before everyone else, Grazia? [Refinery29]
- Natalia Vodianova ran a half-marathon for charity in Paris in 2:19. She plans to do a marathon next. [WWD]
- Middle-aged women, despite being some of fashion’s wealthiest and steadiest consumers, are still among the worst served. [Telegraph]
- Advanced Style is a street-style blog that documents the wardrobes of older folks. We want to be the shaven-headed lady in the Issey Miyake when we grow up. [AdvancedStyle]
- The Times of London on Nicole Richie‘s fashion line, Winter Kate: “The clothes are all predictably silky, slouchy and very LA. Less predictably, they’re also rather good.” For certain values of “good,” perhaps: most of the line looks like mass-market, overpriced-but-cheap versions of the booty shorts and “boho” leather pieces Richie was wearing back when she was still high on the pills. [ToL]
- Gisele is launching a line of “eco-friendly” skincare products under the brand Sejaa Pure. [People]
- Kate Moss wore a dress made of recycled mosquito nets. [Sun]
- Fashion TV broadcast a re-run of an Alexander McQueen show in India last September, and some activists complained about the fact that several of the models’ breasts were visible. The channel has been ordered off the air for nine days. [Independent]
- Ra’mon Coleman, of Project Runway fame, actually designed most of the stuff that bears Lauren Conrad‘s name at Kohl’s this season. Which explains why the collection is actually…kinda good. [Lol/OMG]
- Russian model Anne Vyalitsyna is “officially dating” Adam Levine, who apparently still plays in that band that got him famous for five seconds in 2005. [NYP]
- French Connection Group has sold Nicole Farhi to a private-equity firm for a reported £5 million, which is less than Farhi’s annual net loss of 2009, £5.6 million. FCUK will close up to 17 of its U.S. stores this year, at a cost of roughly 100 jobs, in an attempt to return the company to profitability. [WSJ]
- Phillips-Van Heusen bought Tommy Hilfiger. The reported price? A cool $3 billion. [NYTimes]
- When Avatar‘s Sam Worthington paired Payless shoes with his borrowed Brioni tux for the Oscars (the loaner shoes made him look “like a goblin,” he said) he triggered a run on the style. The faux-leather Oxford Worthington wore is now sold out nationwide. [WWD]
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