O C TO B E R . 2 0 1 0
INSPIRATION
for the C U R I O U S M I N D No. 04
“Quote” ... MORE SMALL TALK
From Little Empress to
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SPICY MOM
CURIOUS TID-BITS
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I N S I DE THIS ISSUE OF SCOOP
FORWARD
04
DOSSIER
HOPE, OPTIMISM & POSSIBILITIES
HOPE
08
O P T IM IS M
13 15 16
P O S S IB IL IT E S
Loads of Hope • From Little Empress to Spicy Mom • The Scarf • Waiting
21
• Swapping is the New Shopping • I Found it in Paris • Dress for Success
25
STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
19 20
A GL I M PS E I NT O H E R W O R L D
• From The Planners’ Corner
India, USA, Mexico, Italy, China, France, Turkey, Poland, Nigeria. SMALL-TALK
43
Mom’s the Word
Eight quotes by and about moms C U R IO U S T IDB IT S
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Did you know?
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No. 04
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COLLECTING STORIES
F RO M DIF F E RE NT CO RNE RS O F T H E W O RLD
C HINA USA
P AKISTAN U.K
M E X I CO
IND IA NIGERIA
VEN E Z U E L A
POLAND F RANCE
IT AL Y TURKEY
Contributors: Angie Ma, Coco Videla, Helen Chapman, Julie Dombreval, Maria del Mar Muns, Sophie Robbins, Subul Sabih, Vipasha Shah, Wanda Pogue. A r t D i r e c t i o n : Geor g i a B A R R E T TA - W H I T E L E Y, C o p y w r i t e r : K rew B oy l a n
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D
SAATCHI & SAATCHI
OCT, 2010
04
FROM THE
PLANNERS’ CORNER ‘Old clothes are old friends.’ Coco Channel was definitely onto something. Something other than creating a fashion empire, that is. She truly understood the psychology of clothes. That a soft, jersey sweater can snuggle you like an old friend. That a flowy summer skirt will dress the joy in your feet. That a simple pair of slacks could change the fate of women forever. This issue of Scoop is filled with such stories of hope, optimism and possibilities. We’ll hear how freshly washed shirts helped families get back on their feet after a natural disaster. How the ‘Spicy Moms’ in China rely on fashions to express their individuality and get some fun out of life. And how pretty clothes proved to be more effective than chicken soup in nursing a grandma back to health. We were also inspired by the knowledge that clothes don’t have to be new to work wonders. As we learned from vintage aficionados in Paris, swapping fashionistas around the world and newly employed working girls from ‘Dress for Success,’ a garment’s ability to touch people lives and go on new journeys with each owner has everything to do with how clean and cared for they are. Finally, in the tradition of Scoop, don’t miss the glimpses into her world, our favorite mom sound bites, and some fun laundry facts to muse over. To clothes, the everyday girl’s best friend! Coco Videla, SCOOP Editor.
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05
A BRAND WITH A PURPOSE
A WORD FROM WANDA
A BRAND WITH A
PURPOSE We all need a sense of purpose. A greater reason for existing... Last year a team of us embarked to define that Purpose for Tide / Ariel. We took into account our heritage, our inherent values, our role as a brand and we tried to build on the things that had made us most proud. We wanted a purpose that could rally everyone and inspire great things. We wanted a purpose rooted in our category but capable of mobilizing people, internally and externally. We worked tirelessly to better define our values and in the end wrote a purpose statement, that while slightly clumsy in its wording, is truly meaningful and big. We underestimate the impact and power of pristinely clean clothes. Their wonderful ability to transform someone’s bleak outlook, to inspire someone to start anew or to empower unlikely opportunities...
Tide and Ariel exist to give people the hope, optimism and possibilities that come from clean clothes. I hope the stories that follow help inspire the potential of our purpose so that the statement isn’t only a set of words that sit on our pyramid but true inspiration to building our brand.
Wanda Pogue Global Planning Director on Tide, Ariel and Dash
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HOPE “In times of disaster people need the basics - food, water, shelter – simple human needs. But that’s just what they are, the basics, they are meant to solely keep you alive. In order to get back on your feet you need a little bit more than just what human’s need. You need something to make you feel human.” Loads of Hope Volunteer
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When disaster strikes, sometimes the littlest things like a fresh, clean t-shirt can make a big, big difference. That’s what LOADS OF HOPE is about - providing a small relief to help families get back on their feet. Since 2005, Tide and Ariel have washed, dried and folded clothes in over 18 cities in the US, Haiti and Pakistan. These are their stories of hope. By
S ophie R obbins & S u bul S abih
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SAATCHI & SAATCHI
OCT, 2010
07
Ca lifo r n ia W i l dfi res “We’re going to be just fine.” Julie was the ultimate optimist. Her entire town, just a week before, had been engulfed in flames.
“You couldn’t see more than a foot in front of you. People were walking because they couldn’t drive, driving because they couldn’t walk. It was chaos.” She shook her head in disbelief continuing, “What is normally a 20 minute drive took us 4 hours.” 198 homes had been destroyed, and that was only in her, as she called it, “podonk” town of Ramona CA, and who knows what the final damage count would reveal. “But we’re Californians, we’re positive sunny people. It’s just who we are. You can burn down our town,” she paused, not for effect, but with genuine belief “but you can’t burn our spirit.” She said that a year from now, the fire would be seen as a good thing, a start of re-growth, a way for new life. It’s with this positivity and incredible outlook that she jumped at the chance to work for Loads of Hope as soon as the truck rolled into her hometown. “I’ve been twittering my thumbs, antsy to do something. I just want to help!” And that’s exactly what she did. Every piece of clothing that Julie took to wash she asked about – Was this a gift? What position did you play when you wore this jersey? The clothing that had been smoked filled and deemed un-wearable was
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now given the chance to be brought back to life. Retired jerseys could be seen as potential games. Christmas gift sweaters to be brought back for portraits. With every load Julie felt as if she was helping to put people back together. “Everything smells like smoke. It’s going to be so nice to be able to wake up and put on clean clothes!” Over and over, this was the sentiment. To be able to wash the smoke, soot, and remnants of the fire wasn’t enough, it needed to smell clean, to feel as fresh and crisp as the shower you just took. To be able to put on a renewed version of what was yours before the disaster. Julie understood that it was a small something that helped to show that not all was damaged or lost. “It’s incredible to have our things clean again. To get back to a normal way of life. To just get our life going again,” a young woman said as she passed Julie a faded blue sweatshirt to be washed. Julie smiled, took the garment with care, and placed it carefully in the laundry bag, hoping that when the young woman came to pick it up, she would slowly be able to resume her daily life.
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09
LOADS OF HOPE
Loa d s
HOPE, OPTIMISM, POSSIBILITIES
of H O P E
F loods i n Pa kista n “We feel like outsiders, we have nothing for our convenience.” Salima, one of the flood victims explains.
Pakistan has witnessed some of the worst flooding seen in modern history, bringing down homes, subsistence, and morale. Heavy Monsoon rains have created havoc in people’s lives wrecking power and communication lines, roads and bridges, homes, agriculture and livestock. In such dire circumstances all help comes as a blessing, even being able to wear clean clothes on their bodies, a feeling that was long forgotten by the victims of the flood. Salima, one of the flood victims explains, “We feel like outsiders, we have nothing for our convenience. We don’t have any food or groceries, no oil to cook food in…no clothes
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or soap… we have nothing on us. We have been handicapped from taking care of ourselves. Ariel has come as a blessing to us all where we can just walk up to a stall whenever needed and can wear our own clean clothes in a matter of hours. In a time like this, something as simple as that is such great comfort.” Ariel Loads Of Hope has helped families like Salima’s gain a little dignity, find a little lost resilience, and grow a little seed of hope that they can, once again, feel whole, “As small as it may seem day to day, a clean pair of your own underwear can give just enough stability and optimism to keep even the most devastated moving.” ”
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SAATCHI & SAATCHI
Loa d s
OCT, 2010
10
of H O P E
Kat ri na “I remember hearing over and over, ‘I lost everything,’” Megan recalls of the days and months following Katrina’s devastation in Orleans.
August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, leaving its residents with nothing. “I remember hearing over and over, ‘I lost everything,’” Megan said as she recalled the days and months following Katrina’s devastation in her hometown of New Orleans. At first, she thought everything meant the stuff in the garage or the living room, but eventually, it became clear it was more – the food in the fridge, the food in the supermarket, the supermarket, the banks, the post office, the police station – everything in people’s homes, and everything outside that helped make their home. It’s been almost five years since Megan lost everything. She spoke about the Red Cross, which granted her and her family immediate survival at the time, and the Hands on Gulf Coast that helped them rebuild shortly after. But when she talked about what made her feel human again, feel a little whole, she talked about Loads of Hope.
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“Clean underwear. That was my thread of dignity,” Megan recalls, swearing with water in her eyes that she wouldn’t tear up as she talked about that fall. “I had three outfits, well, I don’t know if I could qualify them as outfits. But I had three things to wear.” She tried to rotate them, but when you’re bathing yourself with baby wipes, and the clothes you keep putting on have never been washed, you never really feel clean. “I stank. Not just a little smelly, but really stank. With each day that went by I could see the layers of dirt accumulating on me. It was if all my inside undoing was unravelling on the outside too.” Eventually, what stopped Megan’s undoing was, as she recalled earlier, her clean underwear. “They were mine, not something given, or donated, but something that was already mine.” The food, water, and shelter restored her health, but it was her clean underwear that made her feel healthy again. “I felt like me again.”
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OPTI MISM “Pass me the raspberry-colored robe. Today I feel happy.” 89 year-old Grandma
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13
CHINESE WOMEN
HOPE, OPTIMISM, POSSIBILITIES
CHINESE WOMEN FROM LITTLE EMPRESS
to
Spicy Mom
by Angie Ma
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SAATCHI & SAATCHI
B orn into C hina ’s one child policy era ,
the ‘Little
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14
family. This independent spirit and desire to enjoy life
Empress’ generation has enjoyed a childhood showered
are the defining attitudes that make modern Chinese
with love, attention, aspirations and money from doting
women and modern moms different and distant from
parents and grandparents. Bursting with optimism and
their parents.
individuality, this new generation of spicy moms are asserting their inalienable rights to happiness and all the cute outfits that come with it.
”Do you know what a La Ma is?” Sisi, a mother of 2 and former Little Empress asks us.
“No” I say, “Tell me more….” “A La Ma (Spicy Mom) is someone like Xiao S (a popular Taiwan TV celebrity). Her family is #1 and her centre, but she also looks after her figure and beauty. She looks young for her age, she knows what’s new and exciting, she has her own interests and there is a smaller generation gap with their kids. I adore Xiao S. I want to be a Spicy Mom like her.” She proudly shows me the funky curtain designs she has picked for the house. Printed on the curtains is a cute cartoon scene of a pretty blond haired mother in a fashionable red dress, carrying shopping bags, walking her poodle dog along a beach boulevard, “This is the cool, fashionable mom I aspire to be,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. Over the next few weeks whilst chatting to various ladies I learn more about the Chinese ‘Spicy Mom’. They tell me about a range of well-known Celebrity Chinese Spicy Moms and how much they admire their beauty, style, lifestyle, career success and happy
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As SiSi explains, “My role model is definitely not my mother. She lived a life of sacrifice and I want to enjoy life. I want to live my own life.” These sentiments were echoed across China, “There’s no way I’d want to be just a housewife, I want to have a life.” Another mom confessed, “If I dedicated 100% to the family, I’d think I’d lose myself,” and a newly married woman in Shanghai insisted, “A husband and wife relationship should be equal.” Modern Chinese moms love their families but they also love having their own careers, spending their own money, voicing their own opinions and showing off their unique fashion style. This cultural shift was best described by Chief Editor of Hers, China lifestyle magazine, who we were lucky enough to meet, “The 80’s generation have grown up in a bubble of attention and care in a single child family. When they grow up, they still want to satisfy their own emotions rather than devote 100% of themselves to the family. They still want to be unique.” Her wardrobe plays a crucial role in helping her achieve this. The last thing they want is for their clothes to scream ‘boring housewife’ or ‘power hungry business woman’ or worse yet, stained or dingy clothes that condemn her as an ‘un-kept mother’. What they want is clean clothes that make her look beautiful, unique and full of energy and express her cheerful and contagious spiciness!
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THE SCARF
HOPE, OPTIMISM, POSSIBILITIES
E X C E R P T from
“
T H E S CA R F
”
by Michelle Smith I always know when she leaves the café; there’s a shifting of energy, a focusing of attention as everyone watches her go. At the table, her cup is full and her scarf is on the floor. Looking around furtively, I stuff the scarf up my sleeve. In the staffroom there’s a mirror just big enough to show my round face, the face so much like my grandmother’s. Imagining a 1950s American starlet – banishing the 1970s Communist peasant that I actually resemble – I drape the scarf loosely over my head, wrap it around my throat, see how it brightens my face. I turn and surprise myself by making a single movement so smooth and natural that it looks practiced: I throw the scarf over my shoulder, glancing coquettishly back at myself, observing myself making that age-old movement of feminine power and allure. All I need is a pair of white sunglasses and some red lipstick. I’d almost be pretty.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Michelle Smith is a Canadian writer, blogger and mommy living, working ad raising two gorgeous boys in Warsaw.
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SAATCHI & SAATCHI
OCT, 2010
16
E X C E R P T from
“
WA I T I N G ” E.C. Osondu
My name is Orlando Zaki. Orlando is taken from Orlando, Florida, which is what is written on the t-shirt given to me by the Red Cross. Zaki is the name of the town where I was found and from which I was brought to this refugee camp. My friends in the camp are known by the inscriptions written on their t-shirts. Acapulco wears a t-shirt with the inscription, Acapulco. Sexy’s t-shirt has the inscription ‘Tell Me I’m Sexy’. Paris’s t-shirt says ‘See Paris And Die’. When she is coming toward me, I close my eyes because I don’t want to die. Paris just got a new t-shirt that says ‘Ask Me About Jesus’, but we still call her Paris and we are not asking her about anybody. You cannot know what will be written on your t-shirt. We struggle and fight for them and count ourselves lucky that we get anything at all. Take Lousy for instance; his t-shirt says My Dad Went To Yellowstone And Got Me This Lousy T-shirt. He cannot fight, so he’s not been able to get another one and has been wearing the same t-shirt since he came to the camp. Some people are lucky: London had a t-shirt that said London and is now in London. He’s been adopted by a family over there. Maybe I will find a family in Orlando, Florida that will adopt me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: E.C. OSONDU is a Nigerian writer whose work has appeared in Agni and Vice, and is forthcoming in Fiction. He was a finalist for the 2007 Caine Prize.
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POSSIB ILITES “ You’re used to being the side-kick and you dress like one. We need to revamp your wardrobe with clothes fit for a leading lady.” Louise Roe, Host of Plain Jane
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SWAPPING IS THE NEW SHOPPING
HOPE, OPTIMISM, POSSIBILITIES
P O SSI B IL T I E S
S wappi n g is the New S H O P P I N G by Coco Videla & Krew Boylan On a Sunday afternoon, a group of girls leaf through glossy fashion magazines fishing for their next purchase. One girl has her eye on the “boyfriend jeans” hoping she’ll look as good as Keira Knightley in them. Far away in Jakarta, a young man rummages around the second-hand market for pants that will fit his slender figure. Although seemingly disparate, these two scenes are connected through the surprising life cycle of clothes and their magical ability to create a world of possibilities for every new owner. In the past year recycling, repurposing and swapping clothes seems to be the new way to pay it forward. According to the BBC, even Fashionistas are saying that cheap chic is out and investment clothing is most definitely in. In an article in the September edition of Vogue, Prince Charles writes that wearing vintage and “upcycling” clothes are the kinds of things that the global fashion industry should be promoting, “for this trend is not only about an attraction for retro design and the charm of the old, it is very much about the future.” Luckily, adopting a new mindset in the way we care for and treat our clothes has never been more rewarding and full of possibilities. Many women love shopping, however often feel guilty spending the money, or don’t have the money to spend. Introducing Swapping as the new shopping…ergo, the new retail therapy!
“Everyone’s swapping now, darling - it’s so fashionable”. Swapping, Swishing, Worn Again, Clothing Swap, Clothing Exchange, Swap Central, Swap Meet, Swapping in the City, Stop n Swap, Swap Till You Drop…are just a few of the female groups world wide that get together and swap clothes, and that’s not even to mention all the groups online. From all corners of the globe, women are gathering, nibbling and sipping, as they swap their clothes for someone else’s. It’s eco-fabulous recycling at its best! Sashka, 25, sums it up, “I’m in Sunday female afternoon heaven.” Londoners are known for, Swishing, as “to rustle, as silk”, parties. Everyone must bring at least one clean, good quality item of
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clothing to donate to the rails, but people can leave with as many items as they wish. The rules are (tongue firmly in your cheek): no scratching, no spitting, no biting. Three, two, one and they begin to SWISH.
“Be good. Be Green. Be GLAM!” ...is the mantra for Clothing Swap Inc, in the USA. Creator Suzanna Agasi fashionable philanthrapreneur has created and hosted 220+ Clothing Swap events in New York, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, & Los Angeles, since she began in 1994. Gathering fashionable swappers together in a fun environment where they relax, mingle, get pampered and then exchange clothing, shoes and accessories and thus, happily augment their wardrobes in a “Girl’s Night Out” atmosphere. These events simultaneously raise awareness of, and donate to charitable organizations that benefit women and families in need. Milan, recognized as the fashion and design capital of the world, has the title Swap and The City, influenced by the hit TV series Sex and The City, for their clothing swapping parties. While Amsterdam’s Swap Till You Drop, has caught the clothes swapping fever as well. And stretching across the globe to Australia, where women swap at the Clothing Exchange events. These parties worldwide have adopted the same philosophies - to gather, nibble, sip, and support a sustainable consumption while being nice to the planet. Women from different cultures, socio economic backgrounds, and countries are bonding over clothes, sharing, and passing on positive energy from one hand to another. For Ann Tardy, Founder and CEO of LifeMoxie, this means a new thrill, “I recently spoke in front of an audience of 1000 people and realized I was wearing an entire Clothing Swap outfit! My pants, shirt and jacket! How cool is that?” In this simple exchange, when all the ladies return home, there lies in each garment the possibility of newfound confidence and new beginnings. Memories of how that garment landed in her hand, and the excitement of where it’s going to take her. This exciting phenomenon is revolutionizing our approach to clothes and the multiple possibilities that come with them.
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SAATCHI & SAATCHI
OCT, 2010
20
P O SSI B IL T I E S
I fou n d it i n Pa ris ! Buying vintage clothes has become the new black in Paris. There has been resurgence in vintage shopping as fashionistas seek unique, as opposed to designer, pieces that are cheaper and seen as more authentic. No doubt the dire global economy and environmental woes have turned shoppers off modern times and towards the nostalgia of yesteryears. However, walking through the array of Vintage shops in Le Marais, there is a strong pull of possibilities and excitement busting around these shoppers. The first stores that reel you in are Free ‘P’ Star and Fripes Star, they are sister stores and are heaving. Wall to wall vintage jackets, boots and purses, a teeny spiral staircase leading to the least expensive leather jackets found in Paris, and racks and racks and racks of dresses, selling for 10-15 euro a piece. The chaos and the sheer mass of clothing can intoxicate even the snobbiest of shopper, with the promise of a unique find, the re-birthing of a classic and the child like rush of finding the treasure. Not to mention the cherry on the cake of it being a steal to purchase. As you scramble through vintage stores and battle with frantic shoppers, there is an element of survival that is thrived upon. All shoppers feel it and want it. It’s the face-to-face interaction. The need to be amongst people, to achieve a purchase that is authentic, sleek, cheap and full of possibilities. Once the transaction is complete, and all the hard work is done, you slide on your new purchase and you feel a door of potential open up. You feel special that this vintage garment, with so much history, has found you and you it. It provides a glimmer of promise into the future, which you will both travel into together.
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DRESS FOF SUCCESS
21
HOPE, OPTIMISM, POSSIBILITIES
DR E S S FOR S U CC ESS A CHANGE OF CLOTHES, CHANGED THEIR LIVES Coco Videla & Krew Boylan
Women don’t realise how clothes make them feel until they bounce out onto the streets of London after an appointment with the women at Dress For Success. Created by Nancy Lublin in 1996 with a $5,000 inheritance from her great-grandfather, Dress For Success has turned into an ever growing international non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of women in over 110 cities across 8 countries by providing professional clothing, employment retention programs and ongoing support for their clients. But don’t mistake this charity for just a makeover factory. As Delyth Evans, Executive Director of the North London branch will tell you, it’s more than that, “Clients walk out looking, thinking and feeling like professionals, ready to enter the workforce and knowing that they have potential.” Not to mention the head to toe smart, classy, outfit to go with it. Angela, Azelia, Jay and Marion were all finding it extremely difficult to climb back on the career ladder, but with help from Dress For Success they all got the jobs they’d set their hearts on.
out of work for any length of time, you haven’t got the money to spend on new outfits. An adviser referred me to Dress For Success and they helped me choose a dark blue striped trouser suit. It had a really flattering long-line jacket, and wearing trousers made me feel more in control than a skirt would have done, because you don’t have to worry about your hemline riding up when you sit down. It has certainly been a lucky suit for me, because now I work for Hillside Clubhouse, a mental health employment and education resource for North London. I go into organisations to find full-time work placements for people and I take a lot of the women to Dress For Success. One of Sarah Brown’s regular designers, Britt Lintner, donates a lot of clothes to Dress For Success. It’s really nice to know you can dress like a prime minister’s wife when you need to!
AZELIA NZINGA, 38, came to Dress For Success last summer in search of an interview suit because, as a full-time mother who had been out of the job market
ANGELA WILSON, 47, split up with her husband
for five years, she had got into the habit of not
ten years ago.
thinking about what she wore.
It was a particularly bad time for her as she had had a miscarriage, she had to support her elderly mother who was ill and two of her cousins had died suddenly. This led to a breakdown and she couldn’t find work for six years. During my marriage, I helped my husband run his consultancy business, but when I found myself single again, I couldn’t get a job for six years – even though I had a BA in applied social sciences and an MSc in occupational psychology. My degrees and my marriage were supposed to make me confident, but they didn’t. Maybe I looked too desperate at the interviews to get a job offer. Certainly my clothes didn’t help. When I went for one corporate job, I was told that my skirt and jumper were not smart enough; when I got home afterwards, I cried. That was four years ago and it finally made me realise that I needed advice on work clothes in order to fit in. But when you’ve been
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My priority is to buy clothes for the children, and I now have five of them aged between two and 15, including twins. After having my first child at 23, I went back to college at 28 to take a BA in pharmaceutical science. I graduated in 2001, but I gave up my job in the science industry two years later to have more babies. Then we made the decision that my husband, who is a chef and works evenings, would share the childcare by taking over during the day so that I could restart my career. I began looking for work again by contacting the Gain project in Lambeth, South London, which helps the local long-term unemployed. When you are properly dressed, it really boosts your confidence, so I asked my adviser there about interview clothing. He said that I had two options – either an £80 voucher towards the cost of a suit or a visit to Dress For Success. I opted for the latter. They helped me choose a navy blue suit that I’m quite sure helped me to get my new job as a lab technician in Chislehurst, Kent.
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Once I was well dressed, it immediately improved my posture, so I felt very confident and less worried – even though it was my first job interview in five years. I’m looking forward to having a Dress For Success mentor who will keep in touch with me. And my dream is to get my masters degree and to have a long-term career in the science industry.
JAY HUDSON, 41, used to be a full-time nursing auxiliary, but she had to stop work 14 years ago because of severe endometriosis that left her with chronic fatigue.
MARION CLANCEY, 60, was made redundant after 21 years of working with special-needs students at a local college. She then got an admin job in 2005 but had to leave after the London terrorist attacks. I had gaps in my working life when my daughter Grace, who is now 33, was very young, but I was never the kind of wife who stayed at home. My marriage broke down when Grace was eight. My ex-husband has been a great help financially, but as a single parent, I did have to bring her up on my own.
I had to leave my job after becoming disabled by this debilitating condition, which was only finally diagnosed five years ago. Luckily, I was able to home-educate my daughter Iona. When I was able to work again I contacted the job-seeking organisation Work Directions. My wardrobe was so out of date that all I had was a pair of old trainers, two ancient suits and a hippie skirt, so I was referred to Dress For Success.
When I was made redundant from my job working with special-needs students, it felt like losing a family. I had to leave my next job in admin after the terrorist attacks as I was finding it a struggle to do the journey to work - I was travelling on one of the tube lines that had been bombed. Then my mum died and I really went downhill: I had been very close to her and started having panic attacks.
They not only helped me select a smart suit for interviews but also advised me on body language – smiling, looking the interviewers in the eye and giving a firm handshake.
But I made myself do an NVQ business course to keep my brain ticking over, and I started applying for jobs again even though I was worried about my age being a barrier. It’s financially impossible to keep up with the latest fashions when you’re not working, so you tend to dress casually.
When I turned up for my interview as a teaching assistant with the Gower Montessori School in Islington, North London, I was wearing an outfit from Dress For Success: a blue trouser suit with a pink stripe and a lilac blouse. I know it was instrumental in landing me the job because my boss said I stood out among the applicants as the only one in a suit. I was also holding myself well as it made me feel professional. It was wonderful to be given something nice to wear after coming off long-term benefits, and then have the opportunity to come back for a second outfit to wear at work once I had landed the job. It has made such a difference to my life - I can pay my rent for the first time in 14 years. To me, that’s great, because long-term unemployment grinds you down. Iona is 15 now and has just won a place at college to study fashion and textiles. She’s seen how I have turned things around, and she has the attitude that if her mum can achieve, so can she.
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I realised I needed formal clothes for interviews so I was referred to Dress For Success by the DSS last summer. There was such a treasure trove of goodies there, and a black-and-white jacket said ‘Marion!’ to me as soon as I saw it. A black pair of trousers fitted me like a glove too, as well as a white shirt and a pair of black shoes. That outfit helped me to get my new job at Barnet College near my North London home, where I work as an administrator two days a week, as well as doing two more days at the Richmond Fellowship charity, which supports people with mental health problems. Grace, who works for one of the Olympic organisations in London, is really proud of me.
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DRESS FOF SUCCESS CONT’D
HOPE, OPTIMISM, POSSIBILITIES
N ancy L ubli N The Fairy-Godmother for the modern-day Cinderella
by Helen C hapman “The best things are born out of misery, they just come out of the darkness.” A strange thing to hear from a woman who created one of the most positive propositions for a non-for profit charity to come out of the indulgent 1990’s. I’ve known Nancy Lublin, founder of Dress for Success for over 10 years now and I can honestly say that it’s a rare moment when you don’t feel super charged with new ideas and up for a new challenge when in her presence. Reassuringly though, it’s a sentence which ends with a giggle as she realizes how downbeat her observation sounds.
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SAATCHI & SAATCHI
OCT, 2010
Still, wh ilst the epiphany to set up Dress for Success came
picking them on quality rather than fashion or fit. They were
by her own admission when she was ‘a sad miserable law student
super picky, it was very funny to watch.”
on a dark rainy day in an elevator’, there’s nothing ordinary about turning a simple observation regarding the way we manage our wardrobes into new hope and confidence to find a new job. Thanks to Dress for Success and it’s volunteers or ‘personal shoppers’, over 550,000 women in 110 offices across 8 countries have be styled and ‘suited’ with the clothes that we neglect at the back of our closets. Having fallen on difficult financial times, Nancy’s dream was to re-purpose and appropriately style each client to the industry that they are seeking to be employed within – to give them the clothes
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How did your clients feel coming into DFS offices for the first time? “At first they didn’t know what to expect, it’s supposed to feel like being in your big sister’s closet, seeing who you can be in the mirror. Our volunteers are personal shoppers. They are there to help build their confidence and to find the right clothes for the right industries.” Tell me about a magic moment.
that would boost their inner and outer confidence, to enable them
“There really were many times when I just watched on in wonder.
to reach out for the ‘success’.
This one time a size 40 plus woman was trying on some of the bras
I wanted to find out more about the kind of possibilities that Nancy believes clothes bring to women. So, as she drove from New York to Boston to launch a new book for Dosomething.org (she is CEO and Chief Old Person), we talked about the early days at Dress for Success, the days when her dream was forming. Why Dress For Success? An escape from a life stuck in court? “I was miserable, it was a dark rainy day and I opened my mail box to find an envelope from a law firm Florida. Inside, a cheque for $5,000 from my Great Grandfather, Poppy Max’s estate. You’d think as a student I would have had this one logged, but he passed away years earlier so it was a complete surprise to me. In the elevator to my apartment, all I could think about was how he came to this country from Poland as an immigrant with nothing. He started out as a peddler pushing a street cart around New York and on his death he now had enough money to leave part of his world to me. America helped him get started in life, it enabled him to achieve his goals.” How did the idea of re-cycled suits and corporate
donated by a company. When she came out of the dressing room she screamed with joy, “they’re up here! I’ve never had them up here before.” Her shoulders had never been put back in that position before! She was a new woman, standing differently, confident and tall. Ready to go for it. The power of a bra, eh?!” What kind of situations were your clients facing? “We’ll maybe this isn’t a typical client, no client was really ‘typical’. But one day I found myself alone in the office and suddenly I was swamped with clients who needed help. I couldn’t manage everyone. I asked one of the clients to help me out, her name was Cynthia. She had worked at NY Telecom, she had a son who was deaf and blind who required round the clock care which her mother provided. Sadly, when her mother took ill she had to take leave from her job and everything then slowly ran out and she became homeless. Homelessness isn’t being on the street with a cart, it is about constant movement from one friend’s house or sofa to the next. She lived like this for 7 years until her son won a scholarship. She told me that now her only wish was that she could go and become a role model for
work wear occur to you?
him, not just to get a job. I asked her if I could make a call for her.
“As a woman I get dressed everyday (of course) and I know how
for Gloria for three years.”
the right clothes for the right moments can make you feel fabulous. I wanted to give something back to my country and the idea of a ‘re-cycle your suit program’ did literally just pop into my head there and then in the lift. I had plenty of items myself that I could donate!”
I called Gloria Steinem who needed a secretary and she worked
Which items provided the greatest possibilities for a new future? “Avon gave us pearls and it never ceased to amaze me what
So how and where did you start?
happened to a woman when she puts on pearls. They’re just such an
My college tutor sent me in the direction of three Spanish nuns in
say, ‘My Grandmother has pearls like this”. I mean really, women’s
Harlem. Funny really, there I was a Jewish kid with three Fairy God-
clothing is complicated. A guy can graduate, get married and die all
mothers, except mine were black and white. They ran a program to
in the same jacket. For a woman, it’s just so different.”
help victims of domestic violence and women coming out of prison, it was a great place to start. We decided that we never wanted to place judgment on the women who came to us, and so all our clients came by referral from agencies. There were some hilarious moments - Sister Catherine said pant suits were a passing “feminist” fad and I had to convince her that pant suits (and feminism) were likely here to stay. So in the early days, what do you remember
amazing symbol of a working corporate woman. We’d hear the ladies
So how do you feel about Dress for Success now looking back on what you’ve created? “Well I’ve always thought that Czars build things whereas leaders build things that are sustainable. Since Dress For Success is still growing – I hope it makes me a leader. I still dream about it. Like a good mummy I spy on it, Google it and read about all the possibilities that it’s given women around the world.”
ABOUT the clients you helped? “One day we had eight Russian immigrant women who came into our donated space in Spanish Harlem, they were my favourite clients, just fascinating to watch. They’d inspect every seam, check zips and buttons and size up the workmanship of the clothes we had. Always
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Check out Nancy ’s new book: “Doing More with Less: What the Scrappy World of Not For Profits Can Teach Big Business.”
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GLIMPSE I N T O H E R W O RL D
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GLIMPSE I N T O H E R S T YL E
Never underestimate the power stitched into every seam of that shirt, dress, scarf, sock, underwear or even that t-shirt you got as a souvenir in Acapulco. As these stories will attest, keeping these pieces clean can result in glimpses of hope, optimism and wonderful possibilities.
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IN D I A
POOJ A
C le a n S l at e s a n d S e c o n d C h a n c e s Clothes are clothes, and stains on clothes are inevitable. But then, all stains or all dirt is not merely that. Sometimes stains and dirt penetrate beyond the garment - into the fabric of our mind and soul. Especially stains of disappointment, defeat and loss. I realised this when my son Arjun came home from school one day, took off his sports shirt and declared, “I never ever want to see it again!” He had lost an important soccer game and the stains on his shirt were a reminder of his defeat, hurt and pride. A week passed and it was the day of the next match. I brought out his sports shirt looking dazzling and with no signs of last week’s stains. I saw his eyes light up. He grabbed the shirt and gestured a “YES.” He seemed excited to give it another shot. Clean clothes are not just great to look at. They also tell us that the dirt, grime, fatigue and grief of the previous day has been washed away and a new day can begin.
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F RA N C E
A URELIE T i n y S oc ks
I am on my knees in the spare room, frantically packing a baby bag in preparation for the hospital. As I rifle through boxes my very pregnant belly pops out from beneath my sweater and goose bumps trickle over my body. I stop and pull the sweater back over and realize that it was the first moment, without the chaos of my other three children, to myself with my unborn child whom I was soon to meet. I open a box labeled ‘Eloise, Isabelle & Guillaume’s baby clothes’. Each tiny soft singlet, every petite sock brought back flooding memories of those first few sacred days of meeting your baby, their unique personalities and just how small and precious they are to your life. Overwhelmed with excitement, my baby kicks, and instinctively I know that my contractions will start in the next 12 hours. Happiness.
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USA
CHRIS B riefs of C hampio n s
I got them my freshman year of high school, I remember because I had found them when we went to the 1996 summer Olympics in Atlanta. They were white briefs, hanes I think, with the Olympic rings screen printed on the bum. I wore them to every track meet that I ran in, which was a lot considering I ran track every season freshman to senior year. Every night before a meet my mom would take the ringed tighty whities and make sure they were washed and clean for my race the next day. By senior year, they were on their last leg, transparent from wear, but as religiously as I wore them, my mom cleaned them. But it wasn’t just about the ritual- it was more than that. It was wearing those Olympic rings, the symbol of ultimate athleticism and being a champion, and knowing that the Olympic spirit was with me when I ran. That’s what inspired and pushed me to run faster. I felt if I was wearing what an Olympian would, that maybe I could emulate the true greatness of an Olympic Athlete.
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M E X I CO
VERONICA A n O ffer i n g to D ie F o r
My mother passed away 10 years ago but she visits us every 1st of November on the day of the dead. In preparation for her visit, it is tradition to prepare an offering that includes favorite foods, beverages and personal belongings so our dearly departed may enjoy them again. My children and I go to the market every year to buy my mother’s favorites: marigold flowers, “calaveritas”, “pan de muerto”, “papel picado”, fruits, bowls and even candles to decorate our offering. At the center is a beautiful flower-embroidered tablecloth that has been a family heirloom for generations. As time has gone by it has thinned and one of the embroidered roses has unraveled and fallen away. But apart from those character-building imperfections, we have kept it in remarkable condition. Every year the tablecloth sits perfectly clean and pressed underneath the offerings with a beautiful picture of my mother towering over. We always hope that when she visits it will make her smile.
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I TA LY
GIN A T W EEN LI M B O
My nine-year-old wants me to get her cheek-huggers. “What are cheek-huggers,” I asked her? “You know, mamma, underwear like the ones you wear. The ones that hug the cheeks of your bum and make it look sexy.” And just like that, my piccolina turned into a little woman right before my eyes. “What happened with the really cute ones that Nona gave you, cara mia? The pink ones and the purple ones with princesses and fairies and pretty little children that never ever grow up?” I could feel the pitch in my voice rising by the second and Gilda was not approving. ”Mamma,” she retorted in a resounding mature tone, “we can give them to Simona. I’m sure she would love them.” Where’s this voice coming from? Why is the word “sexy” coming out of its mouth? For three straight weeks I couldn’t get her off the subject. I was caught in tween limbo: my little girl was too grown up for princesses and way too young for sexy. At the end we made a pact. We bought matching undies in every pastel color we found and we both wear them every Sunday brunch. It’s our own little thing.
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CHINA
S ISI Li ke M other , Li k e Daughter I have to admit I’m a bit of a shopaholic. On average I buy a piece of clothing every 2 days- even if it’s just a little something. It’s just that whenever I wear something new I get a little thrill. A little burst of confidence. I even feel like I walk prouder and taller (or maybe that’s just the effect of platforms.) I especially love buying ‘Hello kitty’ things. In all my independence I still embrace the kid in me. I can spend hours in the Hello Kitty store. In fact, I even have a Hello kitty tattoo on my hand! Now that I have a little girl, shopping and playing dress up is even more fun. Unlike me with my mother, I hope that my daughter will think of me as a cool role model. She’s only two and she’s already so much like me. She loves everything pink and is crazy about clothes. And my favorite part, she’s a fan of hello-kitty, just like her mom.
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F RA N C E
NUR A LI T T LE G I RL’ S D RE A M As a little girl I dreamed of living in Paris. I imagined myself as one of those women kissing in the streets, sitting in a café, wearing chic fashions and generally oozing culture and sophistication. A year ago I moved to Paris hoping to make that dream come true. At first I was swept away but as the days and weeks went by reality was quick to bite. I was in between jobs, money was running low and my confidence wasn’t at its best. For the first time, I felt lost and lonely. To cheer myself up, I would wander around amazing vintage stores to feed my latest fashion style: Parisian 40s. Then fashion week came by, and I landed this awesome gig translating for a journalist who was doing a story on Valentino. I was waiting to see the show when a photographer asked me if he could take my picture to put on his blog about fashion in Paris. I was flattered and surprised that my head to toe vintage fashions with a sprinkle of Balmain and H&M would make me stand out—at the Valentino show, no less. A couple of days later my picture was posted and people started to comment. One of the bloggers said, “My goal in life is to some day look and feel this elegant and classy. She just looks like she has her life together :)” This is when it truly dawned on me how I was, in fact, becoming the woman I wanted to be, whether or not my life was together.
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LEBANON
GAIA T I M E TO H EEL
As I sit down on the black leather poof, I fell comfort in feeling the warmth of my sister’s bottom as we sit back to back. A box arrives in front of us and the lid slides off. I let out a soft gasp as I gleam at the new heel. They are stunning. My sister slides the heels onto her feet and they drip over the curve for a perfect fit. She stands long-legged with a face caught between ecstasy and bewilderment. I admire my sister. She flickers between a classy sophisticated & complicated vixen, and the seven-year-old sister standing on her tippy toes trying to reach the naughty food shelf in the kitchen. I felt silly that I had only thought of that contradiction then, that the clash of those two images was the universal sexual appeal of wearing high heels. My sister smiles, and catches herself before she starts to cry. She is shining. It’s the first time she has stood tall & felt desirable after a catastrophic ending to a ten-year relationship. I smile back. It’s then that I justify the price tag as being essential.
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SMALL TALK
REMARKABLE QUOTES
SMALL TALK
Mom’s the word.
Honestly, I don’t like her. I respect her. I fear her and I want to drink quotes with her,mighty butmouth I don’t want to raise her. Not interested. Mary, on dealing with daughter Rose’s terrible two’s, USA
I love when your child smiles at you…because she needs to be changed. Chiara, on the joys of motherhood, Italy
My mother has this terrible habit of going through my closet and replacing my grungy clothes with floral-patterns. PAULA on her mom’s tactics to influence her style, MEXICO
As parents we have our limits, and mine start at 7pm. Christine, on needing time to herself, Italy
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I recently spoke in front of an audience of 1000 people and realized I was wearing an entire Clothing Swap outfit! My pants, shirt and jacket! How cool is that? ANN, on keeping up with trends when you’re a mom.
A woman needs to look after herself first, only then can she look after her family. Wang, on why she’s proud to put herself as #1, China
Over Christmas my daughter raided my mother’s closet. Do you think my granddaughters will want to do the same? Aurelie wonders if her wardrobe will stand the test of time, FRANCE
If something won’t be significant to you 3 days, 3 months or 3 years from now, don’t waste your time worrying about it now. Sisi, on picking your battles, China
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LAUNDRY WISDOM
CURIOUS TIDBITS
CURIOUS TIDBITS Did you know?
Ironing is a dying art: None of the girls seem to be doing it, but their boyfriends are.
SWITCH IT ON
When women want to change their mood, they instinctively start by changing their clothes. First thing she does after a long day? Slip into something comfy and cozy. The easiest way to uplift her spirits? Throwing on a pretty dress with bright bold colors and shoes to match.
Shades of Black
Women are so obsessed with black that it makes up around 41% of their wardrobe. On top of the little black dress, there also seems to be the little black jeans, the little black tops and many, many pairs of little black shoes and boots.
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The 80/20 rule: Women wear 20% of their clothes, 80% of the time.
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I have nothing To wear! No matter what country, culture or age, women never feel like they have enough clothes to wear…even when her wardrobe is overflowing and she is “borrowing” space from her brothers, sisters or partners.
Bottom of the drawer syndrome:
As T-shirts become yellow and old they inevitably end up in the bottom of the drawer, sometimes so far down, you may never ever see them again.
T he most underrated laundry satisfaction ?
A pair of
freshly washed sneakerS
Wear Rule:
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This magasine was printed on recycled paper.
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