Friday, December 16, 2011

organic clothing information


For consumers who are looking for organic clothing information, buying organic clothing is the only "natural" choice. The clothing industry is a $7 trillion industry worldwide. It has been plagued with accusations of worker exploitation, child labor and environmental pollution. As a result, sales of organic clothing have been growing at a rate of at least 11% per year. Today, it is possible to be well dressed and environmentally conscious.
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How does buying organic clothingaccomplish this? The benefits of choosing organic cotton over commercially grown cotton are clear; pesticide reduction and environmental responsibility. Sales of organic cotton clothing are expected to top $3 billion by the year 2010. To learn additional facts about cotton. It is the second highest pesticide-laden crop in the world. Thousands of deaths per year are attributed to the use of pesticides in cotton growing. Making a single t-shirt from regular cotton requires 1/3 of a pound of pesticides. In West Central Africa, cotton provides employment for approximately 10 million people, and it is their only cash crop. Change may come slowly for cotton growers, however. Organic cotton costs about twice as much to produce because it is labor-intensive and it can produce a lower yield. But instead of pesticides, ladybugs are used to control pests, and manure is used instead of fertilizer.
Organic wool clothing and yarn provide the most natural environment for the sheep and the sheep growers, not to mention the lack of pesticide residues and synthetic chemicals next to the skin. Commercially grown wool is laden with chemicals. Sheep are first treated with pesticides to kill parasites; the fleece is cleaned with petroleum-based detergents. Then the dyes used are high in toxic heavy metal content. Finally, the runoff from these processes pollutes our streams, and workers exposed to these chemicals may suffer neurological damage. New Mexico is the U.S.'s largest producer of certified organic wool, representing about 80% of North American organic wool production.
Silk, a natural fiber harvested from the cocoon of the silkworm, is a smart choice for organic clothing. The mulberry tree is the silkworm’s primary food source. The major concerns with silk production are labor exploitation and the harm cause by using synthetic dyes. A better choice is dye-free raw silk, and silk which has been treated with natural, plant-based dyes.
Hemp is the newest star in the war against pesticides. A naturally insect-resistant plant, it can yield three times the amount of fiber as cotton, with virtually no need for pesticide use. It is, however, still illegal in the U.S. It is currently grown in many countries throughout the world and is imported to the U.S,

The latest trend is for organic bamboo clothing. For more information, visit the 
Fox News story "How green is bamboo-based clothing?"

What about synthetic clothing?
Clothing made from synthetic fabrics take a toll environmentally. Polyester, for example, is made from petroleum, is not biodegradable, and its manufacture pollutes the environment. One exception is Tencel, which is made from wood pulp. It is biodegradable and its chemical by-products are recyclable.

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Effects of Race, Gender, and Clothing Style on Stereotype Activation


The Effects of Race, Gender, and Clothing Style on Stereotype Activation For many years people have thought that the clothing one wears has a serious effect upon  how they are perceived.  Understanding how one’s outward appearance shapes the perceptions  others hold of them can be incredibly useful for people in all points of life, from interviewing for a  job to making a good impression on a date.  Various phrases and slang across the vernacular indicate that people are always judged to an extent on face value.  “You are what you wear” is just one phrase that shows how ingrained this logic is in the collective consciousness of society.  In a series of interviews with women, Guy and Banim (2000) discuss the importance of clothing on a woman’s sense of personal identity while still maintaining a sense of appropriateness in various circumstances.  Understanding how clothing plays a role in person perception has been a recent focus of psychological research, and can have implications for various social situations involving impression formation.
Probably the biggest area of impact that this research may influence is the business world. In recent years, research on clothing has focused on perceptions of professionalism and other work-related traits in a job interview setting.  This research has examined the crucial first impressions that clothing may cause during a job interview which, practically, could be the difference between landing a job and another job search.  Willis and Todorov (2006) investigated the importance of first impressions in their study. Results indicated that first impressions crafted in one-tenth of a second correlate strongly with perceptions made in the absence of time constraints; furthermore, they found that increasing the time to analyze the subject to half of a second did not significantly change the correlation of the variables under examination (including attractiveness, competence, and trustworthiness).  In fact, the only thing that continued to increase without time constraints was the confidence that their perceptions were right at the beginning.  Among professional workers from various fields, a study found that 81% rated appearance of a professional employee as “very important” to the evaluation of the product or service to potential customers or clients (Easterling, Leslie, & Jones, 1992).  Thus, first impressions and appearance are important regardless of whether they are accurate or predict work performance. Gender Stereotypes and the Workplace Social psychologists agree that social perceivers automatically categorize people into visually perceptible social groups, namely race, gender, and age (Blair et. al., 2002). Research has shown that social categorization, or the grouping of people into mental categories, is strongly linked to the activation of stereotypes; that is, stereotypes are activated simply by perceiving physical attributes of social groups (Blair et al., 2002).  Furthermore, Devine (1989) showed that people do not have to be high in prejudice against a particular group to have stereotypes automatically activated about the group.  Rather, all social perceivers, regardless of individual levels of prejudice, automatically activate learned stereotypes as a result of social categorization.  As reviewed in the study by Blair et al., research has demonstrated that gender is one of the  categories that captures the attention of social perceivers (Zarate & Smith, 1990). Studies have shown that categorizing someone by gender automatically activates gender stereotypes that range from domains of intelligence, such as the alleged gap between math and verbal skills (Nguyen & Ryan, 2008), to underlying personality differences.  Most gender stereotypes indicate that women and men are separated into different trait domains, with men considered to have more “competent” values such as competitiveness, independence, and ambitiousness, whereas women fall into the “warmth and expressiveness cluster” that includes gentleness, interest in art, and sensitivity to emotions (Broverman et al., 1972).  Various studies have shown that there are gender differences in self-evaluations, with women rating themselves higher on average on agreeableness and the emotional stability/neuroticism scale than men (Costa et al., 2001; Goodwin & Gotlib 2004).  Additionally, these findings have been shown to replicate across cultures (McCrae et al., 2005). Despite their integration into the workplace, recent research shows that perceivers still have a negative perception of women in the workplace. For example, men tend to be judged as being significantly more associated with “business” words such as ambition, leadership ability, and competitiveness than women (Prentice &Carranza, 2002).  While men are often seen as powerful in a business setting, Cuddy et al. (2004) showed that women in the workplace are more likely to be perceived as less competent than men, especially when they reported having children. In this study, however, women were rated as “warmer” when they had children, although this is not necessarily a desirable trait in the business world. This shows that even when women are able to overcome the negative perception of their competence in the workplace they pay a penalty for that respect in another domain, whereas men do not have this difficulty. Recent studies have examined how gender may interact with clothing style in the workplace. Glick et al. (2005) found that women who dressed in an attractive manner, or “sexy,” at work were not thought of as less competent if they occupied a low prestige job such as a secretary, but if they were in a more powerful job such as in management then dressing in an attractive manner damaged their perceived competence.  Even when women are considered to be competent, they receive negative evaluations because of that competence, for literature indicates that women are often perceived as either “warm” or “competent,” but not both (Cuddy et al., 2004).  Another study investigated how clothing style and gender affected the perceptions of therapists; results indicated that formal clothing was viewed more favorably than casual clothing and that, overall, females were viewed more favorably than males (Dacy & Brodsky, 1992). 


Seattle's Clothing Style


People say clothing style helps you to express your personality or characteristics--this sounds pretty vague . . . Nowadays, not only women but men also spend much time expressing themselves by wearing nice looking outfits or wearing distinguishing apparel to show their uniqueness. Since each city has its own climate differences, local people in most cities in the States have different clothing styles, too. When it rains, Seattleites put on jackets with hoods instead of using umbrellas. When you walk around the streets in Seattle’s downtown area, you will see that people’s outfits are most likely divided into various branches. In Seattle, based on the author’s downtown observations, the clothing style is distinguished by three major categories.



- The Hippie Look:
The Hippie Look is observed mostly in the Broadway area of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, which is geographically west of downtown actually, it's east of the waterfront . . .. When you walk along Pike Street and reach Broadway Avenue, you are then entering the right place: the middle of hippies and punks [rephrase slightly for grammar--you are not literally entering into the bodies of these people, but their domain, where they hang out]. The Hippie Look includes punk style, too. People with hippie outfits usually wear black colored leather or cotton jackets, skinny jeans that cover thighs and legs tightly, and boots. The overall color of the style is black or dark in tone. Besides the main clothing apparel, people who are in favor of the Hippie Look prefer wearing accessories, too. Sometimes they put on a belt with a big buckle, various custom made emblems, or metallic earrings, rings and a necklace to show their sparkling fashion taste.



Money clothing


Money Clothing is a UK based designer streetwear brand that was first launched in 2003. The menswear label was the brainchild of Nick Cordell and Melvyn de Villiers, who wanted to create an urban label that was popular by both its brand and the quality of the product. They broadened their articles, preserving the variations they were prominent and even beloved for; but additionally adding to their style with more sophisticated, cleaner styles built with the help of special, unique supplies and equipment. The designers, especially Takashi “Maru” Marujo, arranged for their denims to be developed in Japan. These kind of Japanese built jeans usually are built implementing Kojima selvedge woven with vintage looms
The name of the label was derived from the obsession with money that many people have and this was portrayed in their early jeans collections which would often display the currency symbols such as the British Pound and US Dollar on the rear pocket of the jeans.
The Money clothing collection is made up of four main types of garment. Money T-Shirts which often feature large slogans to the front such as the brands logo or the King Ape logo, Polo Shirts which are either striped or plain with the King Ape logo featuring on the left breast, sweatshirts and their range of Jeans.
Money have quickly developed a cult celebrity following in a short space of time with David Beckham, Jay-Z, Chris Brown and the Italian soccer teams all devotees of the brand which has led to the credibility of the company rising and its distribution expanding Worldwide.



How to Display Clothing


Clothing displays in retail stores should be attractive and easily accessible to customers. There is nothing worse for a customer than trying to sort through a pile of disorganized clothes on a shelf or rack. The best way to display clothing in a store will depend on the customers you aim to attract, the limits of the store's square footage and the clothing for sale


1.       Purchase clothing racks and shelves. Get vertical racks with two arms on opposite sides of the upper rack, and round racks. The vertical racks will be used for displays of new clothing near the front of the store. Round racks are used for clearance items near the back of the store. Shelving is used to display folded items. If specific clothing does not come with hangers, purchase those also.

2.     Organize clothing by size from smallest to largest, and by color. This not only makes it easier for the customer to find what she is looking to purchase, but also makes it easier to count inventory. Get familiar with the color wheel and display complementing colors alongside one another.

3.     Display clothes as complete outfits. On a vertical rack, hang shirts or sweaters on one arm and matching pants or skirts on the other. The front shirt or sweater on the rack can be displayed with a necklace or scarf around the top of the hanger. The front pant or skirt can include a belt. This encourages a customer to purchase not just a single item, but two or more matching items.

4.     Place at least one sale item on a display near the front of the store to draw customers inside. Sale items are different from clearance items, which should be displayed in the back of the store. Sale items are those clothes that are still considered new product, but you are slightly discounting them for the purposes of luring customers into the store. Sale items should be clearly marked with the price and discount. Clearance items are those items that are old or from the previous season and are deeply discounted in order to expedite their sale from your inventory.

5.     Dress mannequins for window displays and within the store with new items. Pay attention to the seasons and dress the mannequins appropriately. During winter months, highlight sweaters, pants, long skirts, jackets and boots. In the spring, focus on tank tops, skirts and sandals.


How to Find Deals on Kids Clothes


Mothers of young children all know one thing: Children grow quickly and are constantly outgrowing their clothes. Because of this, the need to regularly shop for kids clothing is a necessity throughout the entire year and not just when special "back to school" offers are on sale. Fortunately, there exist a plethora of great, affordable options for fulfilling the need to restock the apparel items in your child's closet. From online offers to discount priced stores, there are a wide variety of kids clothes shopping solutions that can satisfy even the pickiest child or the most discerning mother. As an easy, convenient first choice, online clothing retailers are often the perfect solution for busy mothers. With items delivered straight to front porches, there is no need for driving to a store, picking out items, and then waiting in line for a dressing room to try on the selected kids clothes. With online retailers, most of the frustrating parts of the shopping experience are easily eliminated. Additionally, often the shipping prices for online retailers are wonderfully low. Some clothing stores even offer free shipping deals for orders over a certain minimum p Take a Look at STD Testing Baltimore A great way to make online shopping even more affordable is to look for coupons. Many online kids clothing retailers offer special coupons on the Internet that can't be used in stores. Sometimes these coupons offer a modest percentage off kids clothing, but other times they can represent huge savings. It's worth keeping an eye out for these and other online offers, especially if they can be combined with kids clothes located in a website's clearance section. Non-online options are also great choices for shopping for kids clothing as well. While large department stores often offer decently discounted apparel items, second hand stores can also be a terrific place to investigate. Stores such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill can be full of gently worn items at very affordable prices. Goodwill department stores usually even have special "color coded" discount offers, so keep an eye out for these discounted tags while shopping. No matter where you choose to do your shopping, remember to be flexible. Don't turn down a great deal just because it's a little too big or not quite the right color. Large kids clothes can always be taken in by a skilled seamstress, and clothing in non-tradition colors can often be made to match something. As long as you keep an open mind while shopping and do your homework, you're bound to come up with plenty of great deals on kids clothes.



Parkinson and clothing


Wearing clothes that you like and feel good in  can do wonders for improving self-confidence.  While people with Parkinson’s disease can sometimes experience problems with clothing,  professionals, such as occupational therapists, can advise on various dressing techniques, equipment, assistive technologies and an ever increasing range of fabrics and styles, which all help to make dressing and choosing clothes very much easier. Dressing and undressingDifferent techniques may enable you to maintain your independence in dressing and undressing, and may also enable you to keep wearing your existing wardrobe. Experiment to find the easiest way of dressing and undressing. This may involve trying different positions (for example sitting down), different fabrics (stretchy fabrics can be easier to pull on and off) or using different items in the room to help (for example, using the wall, bed or a solid chair next to the bed).
The following tips may also help:
• Consult an occupational therapist for advice about dressing and undressing.
• Allow time and space to dress, and try to choose a time when you are ‘on’ and your medication is having the maximum effect.
• Make sure that you stay warm when dressing or undressing, particularly if you need a long time.
• People with difficulty fastening buttons often find this becomes much easier if they sit down and describe the movements to themselves along the following lines: “Grip button … find hole … push button into hole … and … pull.”
It is a lot easier, safer and quicker to sit  when dressing – both upper and lower halves of the body. Concentrating on the task and avoiding distractions such as talking or listening to the radio while dressing will also improve the ‘flow’ of movements. Describing actions as you do them, as in the button fastening example above, using as few words as needed appears to help the fingers to ‘work on manual control’ when habitual movements lose their natural automatic flow as in Parkinson’s. When it is necessary to stand to pull up or straighten garments, touch the back of the calf muscles against the bedside or chair, for good balance.
•  You may be able to cut down on the  number of items that you have to put on by choosing, for example, lined skirts or dresses (so that you will not need a slip), or quilted items (so that you need to put on fewer layers).
•  It may be helpful to attach garments, such  as trousers and underpants, together with Velcro so that you can put on two items at once. Remember that Velcro must always be closed before washing.
•  There is equipment available, such as dressing sticks and shoe horns, that may be useful, although these may not suit some people with Parkinson’s and may be frustrating to try to use. Consult an occupational therapist for more advice on this. Visit your local Disabled Living Centre for further advice and an opportunity to try out dressing aids. An appointment is often necessary, so phone beforehand. 



Mountain Man Clothing


The Fur Trapper era was only a short period in American history, but it remains a favorite. Every  weekend somewhere in the United States there is a Rendezvous taking place where re-enactors can live out this period in history. We are excited about offering the Varsity Scouts the opportunity to learn about this period in history, and we want to do all that we can to encourage them to take part in the fun. Included here are a few basic ideas and descriptions of period clothing to help them dress as mountain men.
“His dress and appearance are equally singular. His skin, from constant exposure,  assumes a hue almost as dark as that of the Aborigine, and his features and  physical structure attain a rough and hardy cast. His hair, through inattention, becomes long, coarse and bushy, and loosely dangles upon his shoulders. His head is surmounted by a low crowned wool-hat, or a rude substitute of his own manufacture. His clothes are of buckskin, gaily fringed at the seams with strings of the same material, cut and made in a fashion peculiar to himself and associates. The deer and buffalo furnish him the required covering for his feet, which he fabricates at the impulse of want. His waist is encircled with a belt of leather, holding encased his butcher- knife and pistols- while from his neck is suspended a bullet pouch securely fastened to the belt in front, and beneath the right arm hangs a powder horn transversely from his shoulder...The mountaineer is his own manufacturer, tailor. shoemaker and butcher; and fully accoutred and supplied with ammunition in a good game country, he can always feed and clothe himself, and enjoy all the comfort the situation affords. No wonder, then, his proud spirit, expanding with the intuitive knowledge of noble independence, becomes devotedly attached to those regions and habits that permit him to stalk forth, a sovereign amid natureʼs loveliest works.”



winter clothing


Because the area around you may get cold during the winter you must have good winter clothing and gear. Having clothing and gear that will not stand up to the weather conditions could cause you to die.  It may sound cliche, but layering is the best approach to winter outerwear. Layering should consist of at least three layers: a base layer - thermal underwear of silk or synthetic cloth, a mid layer such as a long sleeve shirt or sweater and an outer layer. Many people with extreme cold experience will wear a base layer, a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, a lighter weight jacket and then their parka. Some wear a down vest for core warmth which also provides additional warmth in extreme cold when they will not be active. A down vest and mid-weight jacket can provide warmth in most cases when combined with other layers. By using layers of clothing you can more effectively control your temperature, being too hot can be as dangerous as being too cold as you will be tempted to remove a heavy layer of clothing. You can unzip or remove one or more layers if you get hot, you can also zip or put on another layer if you are cold.

·         Thermal Underwear

Thermal underwear, NO COTTON, comes in several weights (and insulation values) - silk/tech silk weight, medium, heavy, polar/expedition and then goose down. Each level is designed for a different level of cold. Silk/tech silk is the lightest weight and is for cool days when there is a possibility of sweating, it will wick away the sweat while also providing some insulation, thereby keeping you warmer than without any thermal underwear. Heavier weights will keep you warmer at colder temperatures and will also wick away any sweat.
Goose down thermal underwear should be warn with a silk/tech silk weight set to wick away any sweat. If you are going to wear breifs or boxers beneath your thermal underwear these should be of a "technical" or synthetic fabric that is designed to wick sweat away from your skin, the same applies.



How To Buy Maternity Clothes






Maternity wear has come a long way from the flowered tents of yesteryear.  Whereas once even
the word “pregnant” was taboo in the media and polite society, now the watchword is basically if
you’ve got a baby on board, flaunt it.  And though this can be taken a bit too far, creating a new
life is definitely not something which needs to be hidden away under yards of fabric.  
Fortunately, nobody knows that better then the department and specialty stores that are selling
maternity wear these days.  Though you will still find some downright ugly dresses, for the most
part the emphasis is on comfort, convenience and stylishness.  One thing you should remember
as you shop for maternity wear however is to accept your changing body and dress accordingly. 
You are not “fat,” with all of the negative connotations our society and ourselves place on that
word.  You’re pregnant, and you naturally have to accommodate the fashion needs of that second
person you’re carrying around inside you.  Trying to squeeze into too small or otherwise
restrictive clothing will be a battle that you can’t win, so why even try.  Enjoy your pregnancy as
much as possible along with the changes your body is going through, and use it as an opportunity
to develop healthier eating habits, if necessary, as well as getting regular exercise.  
In addition to specific maternity wear, such as “empire” style dresses (which are fortunately
becoming fashionable again) for special occasions, you can also find business and professional
wear.  Maternity pants with elastic panels in front to accommodate a growing baby, longer coats
and tunics which lengthen the body, t-shirts, shells, elastic waist skirts and stretch fabrics that are
already popular and stylish can all help you look neat and accommodate a pregnancy.  Unless
you have a specific reason for not doing so, informing your coworkers is always a good idea, not
only for advice and tips they may have but also because, frankly, you may need a break now and
then in terms of dressing a bit more casually if necessary.  Remember, when it comes down to it,
it’s also about how you feel, because your perception of how you look may be skewed by the
dramatic changes you’re going through.
For non-professional situations, leggings and big shirts (raid your husband’s closet) can provide
easy outfits for shopping or just around the house.  And if you attend a lot of formal occasions,
consider supplementing your wardrobe with outfits that may have only been worn once or twice
available at your local thrift store or women’s exchange.  You may find you want to put some of
your own maternity outfits there as well once the baby arrives. With maternity wear, which can be a little bland or monochromatic, accessorizing is even more
important.  Give yourself a maternity makeover, with a new easy care haircut and color.  Shop for
diaper bags as well as totes and bigger handbags to accommodate all the things you’ll need to
carry.  Don’t forget shoes and underwear, even if you’re a dedicated thong and Jimmy Choo kind
of person, you’re going to need some sensible underwear and some stylish, but flat soled shoes
once your pregnancy progresses and for some time after the baby is born as well.  And have your
partner keep up a steady flow of jewelry, watches, hair-wear and the like, there’s nothing like a
little gift of fashion to lift your spirits as well as enliven wool leggings and a cashmere sweater.  
Finally, don’t forget basic black (and other neutrals and basics from navy to cocoa to winter and
summer whites.)  Whether you’re dressing for work, for a formal occasion or just knocking
around, an elastic skirt, a pair of elastic waist pants, short or long sleeved shell and a long
deconstructed blazer, coat or tunic can form the backbone of a stylish and not overly expensive
maternity wardrobe which you can then supplement with more fun pieces, items borrowed from
friends and relatives or thrift shop finds.  Just remember to buy yourself one outfit (and American
designers like Donna Karan are moms’ best friend) that makes you feel as fabulous as you are.