Tragic Sandwich

Tag: Old Navy

  • Cheap Clothes Can Cost Too Much

    Update: Unlike the other companies involved, Benetton is not compensating the families of the victims, so I’m adding them to the list below. If you want to let them know how you feel, tweet to @benetton with the hashtag #PayUpBenetton.(2/9/15)

    When Baguette was a newborn, we were very careful about sourcing her toys. We worked hard to buy toys that were made with safe materials, by companies that treated their workers decently.

    I will be the first to admit that we have not kept up that vigilance. So I am dismayed to learn that a number of major retailers have decided not to sign the Bangladesh factory safety plan, developed in the wake of a massive, tragic, and wholly preventable building collapse that took the lives of over 1,100 workers.

    More than a thousand people. I’m not willing to pay that much for Baguette’s clothing.

    Now, the deadline for signing has passed, so it’s not like I can persuade the holdouts to change their minds. That ship has sailed.

    But that doesn’t mean that these companies can’t improve working conditions in their factories around the world.

    So I’m calling on them to do just that, and here’s who they are:

    • Walmart
    • Gap
    • Macy’s
    • Sears/Kmart
    • JCPenney
    • VF Corp
    • Target
    • Kohl’s
    • Cato Fashions
    • Carter’s
    • Nordstrom
    • American Eagle Outfitters
    • The Children’s Place
    • Foot Locker
    • Benetton

    I do not intend to buy any new clothes or accessories from these companies until they ensure safe and humane conditions for the people who make their products–and that they do so transparently, so that we know that they’re using some of their profits to make the world better, and not worse.

    For some of these, that’s easy. I can’t tell you the last time I bought something at Foot Locker, and I’m not sure I’ve ever made a purchase at American Eagle Outfitters.

    But Carter’s and Gap? That’s tough. I can’t tell you how much I’ve counted on the seasonal sales at my nearest Carter’s store. And Gap? Baguette and I practically live in Old Navy. I’ve been blown away not just by the low prices of their baby and toddler clothes, but by how cute and well-constructed they are. It took me forever to find camisoles that I liked, and they’re sold by Old Navy.

    And Target. Don’t get me started on Target. I bought a cardigan there recently, and now I’m wondering if the person who sewed on the buttons is still alive.

    Here’s what it comes down to for me: It’s not a good deal if someone has to die. And 1,100 deaths–and that’s just the latest factory disaster–is far, far too high a price to pay.

    Who’s with me?

    boycott

    Photo by Martin Abegglen, via Flickr. Creative Commons.

  • What I Wore

    While the column on socialite Muffie Potter bugged (a lot), I’m less annoyed by the earlier column on The Good Wife’s Archie Panjabi–probably because magazines inundate me with celebrities and labels like the ones named here.

    But it got me thinking: What would a column about me look like? Much as I enjoy clothes, my days of working full-time out of the house, commuting, and being a mother to Baguette simply don’t afford me the time to shop–even though there are some specific garments that I know would help round out my wardrobe at work and at home. But in the interests of accuracy, here’s What I Wore:

    Monday, December 5
    I had to go to work and conduct one last interview for a video project, but I wasn’t leaving my building. So I wore a blue turtleneck of unknown provenance and a black Jones New York skirt with kick pleats, along with my black Aerosoles Mary Janes that I think of as my “commuting shoes”–but if I’m honest, I rarely get around to changing into the black Tahari pumps that I keep at the office. When I got home, I changed the skirt for Gloria Vanderbilt jeans that I bought at Costco and the shoes for Saucony running shoes. (I am not a runner. However, we do take Baguette and Wicket out for a walk after we all get home.)

    Tuesday, December 6
    Baguette woke up in the middle night and vomited twice; all of us were up for about four hours. Neither Mr. Sandwich nor I went to work, and Baguette stayed home from day care (she was fine from then on; as we suspected at the time, it was something she ate). I haven’t the faintest idea what I wore, although I know that I did go out to Whole Foods at one point. Let’s assume it was a yellow and grey long-sleeved shirt I bought at Penney’s and the aforementioned jeans.

    Wednesday, December 7
    We had an all-staff meeting for my division at work, which included the video I’d worked on. (BTW, I am not a videographer; I work behind the behind-the-camera people.) I wore a lavender cotton sweater set, a grey Calvin Klein a-line skirt, and the Aerosoles. After work I changed into some kind of t-shirt-like top, the jeans from Costco, and the Sauconys.

    Thursday, December 8
    No idea.

    Friday, December 9
    I was not at work and feeling lousy, so I wore the yellow-and-grey shirt and fleece cargo pants purchased on sale from Columbia, along with the Sauconys.

    Saturday, December 10
    I remember wearing jeans yesterday.

    Sunday, December 11
    Still feeling lousy; I’m wearing the fleece cargo pants, but this time with a blue cotton shirt with 3/4-length sleeves and vertical ruffles around the buttons and placket, courtesy of Old Navy.

    So what are the takeaways? Well, I have a small wardrobe, and I probably repeat items more frequently than I should. I am willing to spend some money on my work clothes, particularly staples that I expect to wear a lot, but otherwise I shop sales and discount stores for my casual clothes.

    Stacy London and Clinton Kelly would probably hate me.