Bitten: The Age of Vampires Brought to You by Elle

Did I mention that I'm a magazine junkie? No, not The Enquirer but fashion magazines. In another month I'll be in fashion heaven when the monster September Autumn 2007 issues hit the stands. Anyway, the August issue of Elle arrived yesterday and Sarah Jessica Parker graces the cover along with the ballyhoo of her new cheapo line of clothing called Bitten. Here is a not-so-lovely acrylic 20 dollar cardigan (page 60) shown over a $995 D&G silk top. Ok, I'm all for pairing moderately priced basics with pricey designer gear but in this case the cardi looks worse than what WalMart offers. Dolce and Gabanna surely must be offended.

The Bitten line was a hot topic over at the On the Runway blog simply because we really don't need more of the same basic crapola that is already served off the backs of foreign labor. Please, make it stop by choosing garments made by your friendly local designer. The designer and sewers make a fair wage, you have something fabulous to wear (again and again) and you didn't support any slaves or a blood sucking CEO.

I'm sure Ms. SJP is a nice person and since the movie deal of Sex and the City is looming off in the future and probably hasn't realized any profit from her new perfume Covet, maybe her finances are a little tight. Shame on Elle for labeling her as fashion designer and shame on SJP for believing that a $10 handbag retailed through Steve and Barry's leaves much for the garment worker after the cost of the material, marketing, transportation across the high seas and most importantly, the cost of using the "designer's" name. I used to be someone who got excited over bargain clothing until I realized that it is seriously flawed when Lagerfeld owns multiple mansions, Valentino throws 10 million dollar anniversary bashes while a woman in Pakistan sleeps on a dirt floor and works 20 hours a day. Oh, and don't forget where the clothing ends up, after you've worn it a few times and it's not worth keeping. When it doesn't sell in the thrift stores, it goes to Africa where the 2nd hand clothing business displaces their own garment industry. Ok, some of it goes straight to the landfill because it wasn't regarded as valuable in the first place.

--End of Rant--