I love the fashion business but it has changed a great deal since as a young girl I first dreamed of having my own store.  One of the saddest events for me occurred on April 24^th of 2013 when the Rana Plaza collapsed killing and injuring thousands of innocent garment workers in Bangladesh.

It took months for leaders in the “fast-fashion” world to help those that were struck by tragedy that day, and some companies have done nothing.

At the same time there are many companies doing a great deal to improve conditions for their workers in these countries but the result is higher costs for their garments. 

I know fashion is important to us.  It adds to our self esteem, our creativity and our image in society.  But it should not be at the expense of people in other parts of the world just so we can have it at the lowest possible price.

As consumers and small retailers, we cannot fix all the unsafe buildings, underpaid workers and child labour abuses, but we can take responsibility for what we purchase.  If we purchase clothing that is so inexpensive that we have no guilt about throwing it away after a few wears, it was likely made at the expense of workers in countries such as Bangladesh.

Today, when we remember the 1133 workers that died, let us also remember that we have some alternatives.

1. Shop with intelligence. Purchase what fits you and will last for more than one season.  Try to resist a purchase simply because it is such a great price.  You may find you spend less if you buy for quality.
2. Be conscious of where your clothing is made. Not everything made abroad is made to be the cheapest price.  Look for quality made clothing.  If you don't know how to determine this, ask the sales associate.
3. Vote with the power of your wallet because it will directly influence the actions of corporations.

If we care as much about what we put on our bodies as what we put in our bodies we will find alternatives to cheap clothing. There is a great deal of information available on the web if you want to educate yourself. (see below).

Katie O'Brien

Co-owner and buyer at Plum Clothing Ltd.

More information on the Rana Plaza Tragedy:

http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/episodes/2013-2014/made-in-bangladesh

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/20/rana-plaza-bangladesh-disaster-anniversary

http://www.businessoffashion.com/tag/rana-plaza

http://www.businessoffashion.com/2014/04/op-ed-rana-plaza-disaster-marks...

Your body shape is determined by the proportions between your shoulders, bust, waist and hips. But no two bodies are alike. By knowing the shape of your body, you can understand the different effects clothes have when you wear them. If you find that one part of your body is out of balance with the others, you can choose to draw or detract attention from those areas of the body by using different garments. Because they hang from the shoulders to the hip, jackets can affect the perception of our body shape.

Are your hips wider than your waist and bust? If so, you have a triangle shape. Because of your lower half’s proportions, you might want to draw the attention upwards to create balance. Have you tried something with a strong shoulder? A jacket with structured shoulders paired with a simple bottom can create more balance in your shape. If you attracted attention to your lower half instead, you might only emphasize your hips’ width against a smaller waist and bust.

 

You have an inverted triangle shape if your shoulders are wider than your bust, waist and hips. If you wanted to create balance, solid coloured fitted jackets don’t attract as much attention to the span of your shoulders, while you can play with adding more of your clothing’s details on your bottom half.



 

If your waist is wider than your bust or hips, you have an oval shape. Because of your proportions, you might not want to draw attention to your mid-section so you can create a straight line between your shoulders and hips with the right garments. Why don’t you try an unstructured jacket that falls below the waist? Because it would fall straight down the sides of your body, it would even create the illusion that there is a dip where your waist is.

 

If you don’t have a noticeable difference between your bust, waist and hips, you have a rectangle shape. You might find that drawing attention to your waist just shows how similar your bust, waist and hips are in relation to each other.  Instead, try a jacket that falls below the waist and has an unstructured fit so it creates balance between your proportions.



 

You have an hourglass shape if you have an obviously smaller waist than your bust and hips. Because your shape is the most balanced naturally, you can choose to highlight your proportions by drawing attention to your waist. A fitted jacket with shaping seams through the waist works well because it draws attention to the X shape of your body.


Find out more about the rules of shape and how to wardrobe at plum.ca

   ... read the full post and reader comments

If I need to look polished, quirky, elegant, or even sexy, I have the perfect item in my closet. When paired with my closet staples, I could wear a blouse every day of the week.

Whatever I’m in the mood for, there are plenty of styles to suit. For the office, a fun printed blouse adds a touch of my personality under a jacket. Then for weekend brunch, I can wear that same blouse over my distressed denim and with a bright Kersh cardi.

If I’m feeling casual, I’ll wear a button-up loose over a tank with my boyfriend jeans. But if I’m looking for something more polished, I can wear the same blouse buttoned up to the neck with a high-waisted pencil skirt. There's a blouse to interpret every bit of my style.

Plum blouses are exclusively designed by Plum and made in Vancouver.

The sheer Plum polka dot tunic is the perfect travel companion.

Throw it over your denim then, wear it over your bathing suit as a cover-up.  

Also available in Black and White. $82

Polish up in this crisp Plum short sleeve button up.

Wear it tucked into some Mavi Keira cropped jeans and accent it with red accessories.

 Also available in Navy. $75

For a romantic look, this Plum sheer blouse in off white is the perfect top.

Also available in Black and Aqua. $79

A Plum floral button up worn loose over a pencil skirt is dressy casual for the weekends.

During the week, it looks sharp with your work wear.

 Also available in Brown/Multi. $79

See what other blouses we have in stores here on our window shop page.  

   ... read the full post and reader comments