Picture this: you're a qualified and eager potential employee looking for work, but you've been out of the workforce for some time, maybe even years. You need suitabe interview attire, but perhaps don't have anything appropriate or the means to go out and buy something new. This is the reality for many women in Greater Vancouver. Plum, together with Dress for Success, is eager to help these women.
Dress for Success is an organization that promotes "the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life."
Today until November 11, 2012, all Lower Mainland Plum locations will be accepting donations of interview-appropriate clothing in support of Dress for Success Vancouver. Donations can be dropped off at our South Granville, Kitsilano, North Vancouver, Richmond, White Rock, Langley, or Coquitlam locations. For our store hours and locations, click here. Donations can also be taken directly to Dress for Success; check below for complete details.
Donations can also be taken directly to Dress for Success. I've copied the main donation deets here for you.
"We gratefully accept donations of suits and other business wear (no more than 3 years old) - cleaned and on hangers. Our clients may need to wear their outfit to an interview the next day, so clean, current, stylish clothing is important!...Our test is whether or not you the donor would feel proud having one of our clients wear the suit to an interview.
We are also grateful for donations of handbags, footwear, outerwear and unopened toiletries and pantyhose/knee highs.
Out of respect for our volunteers' time and our clients' needs, we cannot accept:
casual clothing
evening wear
items older than three years in vintage
items in need of repair or cleaning.
Drop off hours - you are able to bring the donations up to our facility:
Monday through Friday 9:30 AM until 3:30 PM
Saturdays 10 AM until 11:30 AM
Please note that we will be closed for drop offs on Saturday March, 10, 2012.
Please call ahead for access instructions. 604.408.7923"
You can check out the Dress For Success Vancouver website here
This week on the blog, I have some very special news to share. And while I'm bursting with jokes about how this is a 'plum place' to work, I'll resist the temptation to pun and just come out and say it.
At the national Big Brothers Big Sisters convention earlier this month, Plum was honoured with the Community Mentor Award for 18 years of continuing support. What does that mean? In their own words, "this award is presented annually by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada to a company that has made a meaningful contribution to a local agency to better serve children in the area with mentors."
Since 1994, Plum has donated $110,000 to Big Sisters through event sponsorships, auction donations, and annual in-store fundraising campaigns. Plum also sponsors Big Sisters’ annual volunteer recognition event to show appreciation to the hundreds of women who commit to making the lives of Little Sisters better.
Of course, we would never be able to generate the kind of support and awareness that Big Sisters needs without our fabulous staff and equally fabulous customers. Once again, a huge thank you to anyone who made a contribution during our May-long fundraising campaign!
Plum founders and owners, Katie O'Brien (left) and Ed Des Roches (right) with Justine Greene, Executive Director of Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland.
This award was made possible by the company owners, Katie O'Brien and Ed Des Roches, who wanted to support organizations that would resonate with their employees and customers. Big Sisters aids tremendously in the confidence building and development of women and girls, something we can all recognize the value in. Right on!
Last Wednesday, Plum was lucky enough to attend a screening of the documentary “Miss Representation,” by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. This film has been making waves after being shown at the Sundance Film Festival 2011 and on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. As both a woman and a media-conscious person, I was curious to see what it was all about.
The film analyzes the negative impact the media has on the minds of young girls and women. This, of course, is not new information, per se. However, "Miss Representation" stood out to me because it delved deeper than just saying (I am paraphrasing) 'media representations of scantily-clad women are bad for our daughters because they objectify women.' In short, what I took away from the film is that a culture as a whole is deeply affected by these images, men, women, and children alike.
The point that the film makes is that we all grow up in a society that largely focuses on a woman's appearance rather than her intellectual value, and this is harmful to us all. Children are raised in an environment in which they all learn to believe that women do not make good leaders. When they reach adulthood, few women are prepared to aspire to leadership roles, and there are men who are prepared to quash the ones who do. And then suddenly you find yourself living in a country that is 51% women aaand...represented by only 25% of the parliament. Stat here Yikes!
"Miss Representation" celebrates strong female role models with the aim of counteracting the outpouring of negative, sexist messages we are often subjected to. Interviews are conducted with "politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists, and academics, like Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson, and Gloria Steinem." -Miss Representation 'About the Film' page The interviews generally revolve around their experiences as women in the public eye (and under public scrutiny) -the challenges, but also the victories.
My only critique of "Miss Representation" (you may already be able to guess it, based on the list of interviewees) is that it has a significantly American slant. For example, one of the more shocking facts they throw out, hold on to your hats, is that Iraq and Afghanistan both have more female members of parliament than the United States. That being said, the majority of the examples they use are valid the world over, if indirectly.
Nevertheless, seeing the film was a moving and challenging experience, and I would wholehartedly recommend seeing it, and sharing it! I left the theatre with a new internal mantra: Lead by example and become a role model as a strong and confident woman, not only for your own benefit, but for the benefit of those around you as well. (Hmm yes, Ok, it's a bit wordy, but I think I can make it work).
There has been a lot going on at Plum this past month! As you might know, each May is Big Sisters month. We campaign to raise money and awareness for Big Sisters by asking customers for a $2 donation. In turn, we match each and every donation we receive up to $25. Our fabulous customers (that's you!) raised nearly $2500 for a very worthwhile organization. Plum DOUBLES this contribution so that we can pay the cost of matching up two girls with a Big Sister each.
Donations from the Calgary and Kelowna locations will go to their respective local Big Sisters locations.
And since we figured we may as well have a little fun while we fundraised, we also entered everyone who contributed to the effort into a draw to win a $350 gift certificate! Congratulations to Denise, our lucky winner!
We love supporting Big Sisters because it's a cause that is very dear to our hearts. But this campaign got us wondering about causes that were important to our customers as well. So we conducted a survey to find out, with the incentive of $200 cash to one randomly-selected winner at the end. Véronique scooped up that prize. Congrats!!
Thank you so much to everyone who either made a donation at Plum or took the time to fill out our survey (if you did both then you might just be my new best friend). The survey yielded some very interesting results, and there were a few comments that kept coming up again and again that I'd like to share.
Here are some samples of the responses we got:
We said: Company decision makers feel they have a responsibility to 'give back' to the community in the form of corporate sponsorship and financial support for non-profits.
You said: 87.13% of respondants either agreed or stronly agreed.
We asked: How should a company tell customers that they support non-profits?
The responses we got for this one were quite divided, but 52% said it should be mentioned at the bottom of all advertising.
Once again, thank you to everyone who filled out our survey. It almost broke my eyeballs, but I read every single response and they were very enlightening.
And now enough with the serious stuff. Come and read my new blog post! You can find it here:
It doesn’t take a style guru to know that you feel the most fashionable and put-together in a well-fitting garment. I spoke with Plum designer Claudia Agusti about fitting dresses for every woman. The focus is of course on accentuating a woman’s best features. For Claudia, the neckline and the waistline are key.
One of the most exciting formal dresses for Spring 2012 is this classic LBD (available in a dreamy cream colour as well). You can take this number from work, to a wedding, on a date, and back again. The natural waistline falls at the smallest part of a woman’s figure. This slims the body and gives the illusion of an hourglass figure, if you need a little help faking it like most of us do!
This ultra-feminine neckline shows off another great ladylike feature, the décolletage. It also makes a great backdrop for any kind of necklace you want to showcase.
Sheath Dress with Bust Detail in Black and Cream, $129
If you're looking for a colour with a little more pop, try this one on for size. It has similar design features as the dress pictured above and a to-die-for peekaboo back. It's still appropriate for any formal event, and the eye-catching print is fun and feminine.
Dress with Peekaboo Back in Green, Pink, Purple, and Red, $120
When you look great, you feel great! That’s why Plum invests so much time and care into each Simone dress it produces. Check out this video from Shaw TV and watch the design and production process from start to finish.
Think of your favourite Simone dress. What is your favourite feature of it?
We think jeans and a T is a great look that seems to endure! But this spring the look has the benefit of coloured jeans. We know... we know... you probably are a little hesitant to go for those bold jean colours, but wait a minute … it is not that outrageous if you remember a couple of tips.
If you are going to wear a bold colour on the bottom don’t over do it with colour on top. Wear something plain like a white or neutral coloured T on top then punctuate with a bold coloured accessory like a scarf or bag.
And if your look is denim, like the yoga jeans, then any of this season’s fantastic colours can go on top!
For a limited time: Buy a pair of jeans at Plum, and get a Cap Sleeve T-shirt for $5 (reg. $20)! See details.
Kensie Tape Yarn Sweater Cardigan in Driftwood. $88 Mavi Molly Straight Leg Jean in Light Brushed Dominique. $98
BB Dakota Micro Twill Belted Coat in Navy $134 Mavi Alexa Highrise Skinny Jeans in Barcelona Green $98
Plum Dolman Sleeve Side Pocket Top in Navy/White $59
Co-Lab Small Nylon Tote in Yellow $65
Kersh Ribbed Waist Cardigan in Pansy $49 Mavi Alexa Highrise Skinny Jeans in Daphne Blue $98
Wish Tonic Charm Necklace $22
Mavi Alexa Highrise Skinny Jeans in Dark Sateen $98
Plum Longer Back, Slub Tank Top in White $39
Multi Chain Necklace $35
Second Highrise Skinny Yoga Jeans with Zip Ankle in Rinse Indigo $120
Plum Striped Knit Tank Top in Black and White $49
Necklace with Large Resin Center Pendant $35
Mavi Alexa Highrise Skinny Jeans in Dark Sateen $98
Plum Longer Back, Slub Tank Top in White $39
Multi Chain Necklace $35
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