Ethics…

I had a philosophy class about ethics, once, and my professor was promptly fired for calling another professor a douchebag and telling him to do Oedipal things to his mother. Needless, to say that class was more interesting than helpful. The next couple of years, ethics in terms of Journalism and Public Relations had been beaten into my brain, however the “Navigating Ethics Pane” at the Independent Fashion Bloggers Evolving Influence conference I attended on February 15, left me struggling internally.

“To be a good PR professional, you have to, first, be a good journalist,” is the mantra of my many public relations professors.

“Never, NEVER accept gifts from people or brands you are writing about. A journalist is supposed to remain unbiased,” tout my journalism professors all having either worked at Newsday, The New York Times or both.

“Getting free stuff for writing a blog post is like the barter system,” exclaims a semi-scandalous blogger at the IFB conference. What can only be described as a rant by said blogger, went downhill fast after making slightly anti-Semitic generalizations about the Jewish people (read about it here).

None of this information is helpful in the blogging ethics situation.

Even the discussion had between the panelist of the “Navigating Ethics Panel” at the blogging conference— The New York Times‘ Carl Hoyt (also, a Pultizer Prize winning journalist), What I Wore‘s Jessica Schroeder, BlogHer‘s Gina Garrubbo, The Business of Fashion‘s Imram Amed, A Shaded View of Fashion‘s Diane Pernet, Still in Berlin‘s Mary Scherpe, and jewelery designer/blogger Wendy Brandes as moderator— left things quite unresolved.

Carl Hoyt takes the stance of The New York Times and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) about accepting gifts.

“Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity,” states the SPJ Code of Ethics.

Many will argue, bloggers aren’t journalists, and to be quite honest, when it comes to writing for Pink Rock Candy, I do not consider it journalistic writing. I consider writing on PRC more personal commentary, though I don’t believe this gives me leave to act unethically when it comes to honest content. So, why should I have different ethical standards in terms of gifts?

Others will remark, fashion editors are regularly gifted items, a notion Diane Pernet, who is also the co-Editor-in-Chief of Zoo Magazine, will not contest, however she does say these gifts are nice but never does she feel forced to write about said gift. Does accepting, but using personal judgment to remain unbiased make accepting gifts ethical? Is this practice too trusting of a blogger’s personal judgment?

I’m not regularly offered free goods for blogging, and if I am, either the offer seems like a bribe and I decline or the offer comes after I’ve already written a post and rarely do I ever write about a brand more than once.

If I am offered and do accept a gift after writing a post, do I have to go back and write an update saying I’ve received said item after this feature from the brand?

Also, I intern regularly, and have received items as trade/pay for my hard work. Is it unethical to omit that I did not buy said item with cold hard cash but a clothing allowance? (As a side note, I always admit if the brand I’m speaking about is a brand I’ve worked with.)

In terms of the larger blogging community, and not simply my little self-obsessed universe, would it be helpful to create some sort of blogging code of ethics? There may be no true way of enforcing it, but simply having said code written out and online so bloggers can refer to it if ever they have an ethical dilemma may be helpful. There is the FCC FTC regulation (Thanks, Wendy B. I must have PR class on the brain), but that doesn’t touch on ethics just disclosure two similar but very different things.

It’s obvious a longer discussion needs to be held about blogger ethics.

Were any of you at the panel or watching it online? What did you think? Also, what do you think should be done about the unwritten rules about gifts, disclosure, and blogger ethics in general?

The other day, I was making an impromptu Taco Bell run with a friend of mine, and he was commenting on how he has noticed a lot of guys wearing skinny jeans, of late. He then asked what I thought of guys in skinny jeans. After a slight pause, and a ponderous “Ummmm,” I gave the most uninspired of uninspiring answers, “I don’t mind it.”

That was the truth! I don’t mind guys wearing skinny jeans. Being a fan of emo bands, whose members have been following the go-skinny-or-go-home rule for as long as I’ve liked them, has most likely jaded my impression of the look. I could walk past a guy wearing pants so tight my parents and grandparents would undoubtedly question his sexuality, but I wouldn’t give it a second glance.

Apparently the people at Bluefly’s Flypaper blog have been noticing this trend too, because they’ve had not one but two posts about male skinnies in the past 5 months, the latest of which is a video of Fashion PR’s HBIC, Kelly Cutrone, running around NYC asking random hotties about their snug bottoms.

After watching the video, I may still be unfazed by the onslaught of men wearing tight jeans, but I now know where all the hot guys are hiding in NYC!

Before you cast your vote on the guys wearing skinny jeans trend, here’s some food for thought, thanks to the Flypaper blog:

“1. Skinny jeans are a great way [for guys] to show off spanking new sneakers — especially hightops.
2. Many guys can’t wear their skinnies without a fedora. It seems they just feel naked without one on. To a lesser extent, they must have on a vest or kerchief too.
3. They must be worn with a belt— unless you mean to let everyone know your thong matches your sneaker’s fat laces.
4. No matter how skinny they are on a dude, they will still look like boyfriend jeans on a girl.”

The first issue of The Zoe Report, super-stylist Rachel Zoe’s daily newsletter full of “glamour”, and I kind of think it’s great.

It was simply a blog post from her newly launched website about a pair of Brian Atwood shoes, but sent straight to my email— I know this can be done with most blogs, but then my inbox would be even more cluttered, so I’ll stick to my feed reader, thank you— but my anxiety for this was palpable.

You’re probably thinking, it’s just another celebrity taking over our internet with a blog/newsletter the most likely didn’t even write, but there is no GOOPiness— you know, long lists of randomness that no one really cares about, sorry G. Paltrow— and there is no excessive use of caps lock— I’m talking about you Kanye. All there is an expensive shoe lust in the form of gorgeous Brian Atwood shooties. She does, however, think of the little people who can’t afford $680 shoes, no matter the appeal, and gives us a similar style Steve Madden shoe in her “Parallel Universe” section at the end.

What I’m trying to say is, if you haven’t already signed up for The Zoe Report, go do it right now, or at least go read it on the website. Tomorrow is another day and another report destined to stoke the fire in my chic little heart.

p.s. I can’t wait until the new season of The Rachel Zoe Project starts— August 24th, baby!

Diva in a Carry On has been a must-read of mine for quite some time. If you haven’t read it before, go so quickly!

Thanks again, Dana!

Creating the dream prom experience has three aspects: what you wear, the friends you party with, and your date. The days of prom are long over for me, but I can still talk about the “shoulda, woulda, couldas” of my perfect prom. Luckily, Lord & Taylor gave me the opportunity to play pretend prom one last time.

The Garb:
Last week, I was able to wander around the Lord & Taylor on 5th Avenue in NYC and choose anything and everything I’d theoretically wear to prom. I had my pick of the litter and was slightly overwhelmed by the number of great dresses they stocked. Long or short? Sleeved, sleeveless, or strapless? Bold colors or basic? I initially thought I wanted a bright dress, but the black ‘Shadow Stripe’ Dress from Calvin Klein completely made me fall, perfectly pleated and slightly demure with a dash of “wow!” in the form of the varied-texture stripes. I used accessories to bring in a pop of color and excess without being too blingy— hello bangles, bracelets, and cuffs! Oh, and did you notice the sherbet colored DKNY pumps with an ankle strap? I know, right!

This is what I finally ended up wearing: Calvin Klein black ‘Shadow Stripe’ dress, $238 • DKNY sherbet ankle wrap pump, $275 • Kate Spade orange faceted bead necklace, $95 • Lord & Taylor gold bangle, $35 • Robert Lee coral bracelet, $28 • Catherine Stein coral wood bracelet, $32 • Carolee gold multi-strand bracelet, $40 • Carolee gold single strand bracelet, $40

p.s. If you plan on heading to Lord & Taylor to buy your prom dress, make sure to print out this 15% off Savings Pass valid until April 22nd on all regular-priced and sale dresses.

The Group:
Just a tip for those heading to prom this year or in the future, go with people you like and know, but since I’m a prom vet, my faux prom was spent having seated dance parties to 90s classics with Jackie Johnson of Some Notes on Napkins (Finally, we meet!) and Kristen Vang, one of Jackie’s partners-in-crime on The I’m Just Sayin’ Show. Later in the night, I got to watch in awe as Nitro;licious’ Wendy Lam power-shopped the jewelry and shoe departments like a pro. Those girls are pretty much fashion blog royalty, and it was like meeting celebrities except with less paparazzi and more witty remarks. (Make sure to ogle Jackie’s and Wendy’s prom styles too!)

The Guy:
Okay, so maybe there wasn’t really a guy, but my perfect prom date would be Johnny Depp or maybe Robert Downey Jr., or just some mix of them. You know, almost my parents age, unavailable, tragically gorgeous…

Follow the jump for more pictures (click any photo to enlarge)!

Everything pictured (unless otherwise noted) is available at Lord & Taylor – New York City: 424 5th Avenue, NY, NY 212.391.3519. Contact your local Lord & Taylor for other availability.

Photographer: Jeffrey Donenfeld

A-List Beauty Picks – Get red carpet ready with SkinStore’s A-List beauty picks at The Beauty Counter + get a free red velvet clutch with $75+.

Fashion Week F–k-Ups – See which designers screwed up and screwed over What’s Haute.

Senora Cartera: Spotlight On…..Gucci “Hearts” NY Collection – Check out Gucci’s latest limited edition handbag and accessories collection dedicated to the Big Apple.

So Frugalicious is Tickled Pink – Valentine’s Day may be over, but pink is here all spring.

Tarte Health Couture Set is What the Beauty Doctor Has Ordered – The Tarte Health Couture Set is what the beauty doctor has ordered at a price that won’t raise your blood pressure at Fashion Fling.

Stop smiling girlie! Since when is fashion fun?

Now I understand why Alex Norden was oooing and aahing at his own photos yesterday.

Head to Coutorture for more of the collection. ]]> http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2008/02/06/backstage-at-karen-walker/feed/ 0 http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2008/02/02/fashion-week-fix-2208/ http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2008/02/02/fashion-week-fix-2208/#comments Sun, 03 Feb 2008 03:28:49 +0000 Chelsea Rae Simmons http://pinkrockcandy.net/fashion/2008/02/02/fashion-week-fix-2208/ Fashion Week. Fashion Week. Fashion Week. Today I officially went to New York fashion week for the first time. I mean, I was actually in the tents, I was beyond stoked because before I even went in the tents I passed Nigel Barker and Hilary Alexander. Nigel looked straight at me, but it might have been because I had on my giant sunglasses.

I didn’t actually get to see any shows (I was helping the Coutorture girls), but I think things were more exciting off the runway than on anyway. I also saw Leigh Lezark and Geordon Nicol (that’s 2/3 of The Misshapes) going into Lacoste and Patrick McDonald sipping an espresso.

As for the actual shows. It looks as if Baby Phat is trying to rid itself of the typical ghetto fabulous vibe and has thrown a bit of flapper in the mix. Victorya Hong (yes, Victorya who was auf’d from this season of Project Runway) showed her Na-Be collection, and it looks a bit blah, but I heard the music at the show was great. BCBG Max Azria will have everyone tying their belts instead of buckling them next fall, and Nicole Miller shows us how to match that oh-so-fall mustard yellow color. So much has gone on, but by far, my favorite look has come from the Academy of Art runway show. Hot pink and ruffles— score!

Head to the Coutorture gallery to see pictures and video of the shows.

Interested in combating the signs of aging? The Beauty Counter found a great weapon to aid in the fight.

Fashionably Cute dug around and found out even stilettos at the beach can be fashionable.

Your significant other will appreciate Diva In A Carry On’s suggestion for the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

Designer Planet is bowled over by the metallic brilliance of this stunning scarf.

Spring brings a bright spot in Fendi’s horizon all thanks to a handbag favorite. Read the details at Señora Cartera.

Fashion Fling spotlights a fashion sale that’s too hard to pass up.

Fall in love with Elite Choice’s latest extravagant discovery.

Style Talk shows us how modern fashion takes a page from the past to brings us a new twist on clothing.

Browse splendid spring fashions at affordable prices courtesy of So Frugalicious.

GLAM & TONIC brings a bit of sunshine to our winter days with stunning fashions from Dior.

Spork Fashion brings us the secrets to indie fashion favorite Smashing Darlings’ success.

Discover a stylish take on tempting accessories via Designer Tips.

Lifestyle Buzz showcases a spot-on trendy bag with classic appeal and an enticing price tag.

Is Louis Vuitton’s Monogram Shearling Bag haute or not? What’s Haute wants to know what you think.

What could be better than a classic pair of ballet flats? Well, nothing at all if you ask Designer Sense.

Designer Sense shows us why layered necklaces are out and chokers are in for 2008.

The Beauty Counter spotlights great deals available at SkinStore.com.

It’s “tea time” at Fashionably Cute.

Diva In A Carry On is smitten with the fashion accessories from B-Native.com.

Find out why Paul Sruart-Holden’s knee length coat has caught Designer Planet’s eye.

Browse Fashion Fling’s “stormy blue” fashion selections.

Elite Choice showcases a truly unique and elite jeweled bracelet.

Style Talk hearts bold-colored headbands as the perfect fashion accessory.

So Frugalicious picks fabulous and frugal Target fashions worthy of any budget-conscious fashionista.

Check out GLAM & Tonic’s choices for the ideal LBD.

Discover Sandy Rueve’s SheBeads unique jewelry designs via Spork Fashion.

Check out bold and beautiful cocktail rings via Designer Tips.

Feast your eyes on Rita Saardi’s hypnotically romantic designs courtesy of Lifestyle Buzz.

Fendi’s got a dead bird purse that redefines the term “fugly” according to What’s Haute.

Diva In A Carry On has found the ultimate rolling carry on that meets the needs of every traveling fashionista.

Style Talk unleashes the inner style freak and marvels at the chic wooden clutches by Pucci.

Designer Tips shares the names of the participants of the New Gen shows at the London Fashion Week.

Throw a party with Designer Sense parading a cool metallic Kate Spade bag.

Stand out of from office crowd with Miu Miu Metallic A-Line Skirt, suggests Lifestyle Buzz .

Elite Choice is smitten with the luxurious Bottega Venetta Lizard Clutch.

Spice up your New Year Party outfit with the wild and glossy Jonathan Kesley Metallic Shoe Bootie discovered by Designer Planet.

Choose between the Classics, the Bombshells and the Ladies to figure out your handbag style with the help of Señora Cartera.

What’s Haute admires the tiny but practical Prada Dressy Gauffre Mini Saddle Bag.

Enjoy the sweetest Christmas themed eye candy from Flickr at Fashionably Cute.

Find out how you can plant a tree by buying a Green & Gorgeous eco-friendly bag, courtesy of Fashion Fling.

The Beauty Counter spotlights the refreshing Island Michael Kors Capri collection. Perfect for a cruise around Italy!

Glam & Tonic becomes a fan of Nicole Kidman after seeing her stunning outfits in the Golden Compass.

Spork Fashion talks to Twisted Silver jewelry designer Debra Mitchell about her inspiration, favorite pieces and plans for the future.

So, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes fame has a blog. (Did that sound professional?) Anyway, as I said, Travie has a blog, and its chock full of pictures of his adventures with stupid/funny blurbs, videos about god knows what, and the meaning of life, or not! But, that’s not the important part. Travie also has this little side project going on with Nick Scimeca called Tequila Mockingbird, and he posted a song for your listening pleasure on this blog of his.

The song is called “Brooklyn Basement”, and Travis says, “it came from living in louis logic’s basement in bushwick, it was soooooo cozy and soooooooo depressing, kind of like this song”. I don’t really find it that depressing, but I do love how near the end, the smooth, sort of electro R&B beat gets turned into this trashy, electro, garage beat, and just as soon as it came, it was transformed back to the slow R&B, fuck-me beat. If this song is any representation of what the EP will be like, I’m so there!

Also on the blog is a remix 5G did of the Gym Class Heroes song “Biters Block”. I couldn’t tell you who 5G is, but the remix is boss. Apparently, they remixed the entire As Cruel As School Children album with a bunch of Daryl Hall and John Oates songs, which is pretty awesome. I assume this will be coming out sooner or later because Travis said they were already finished with this little project. I hope that means sooner!

If you want to experience the radness of Travie’s blog for yourself, go to www.traviesblog.com.

Yesterday, during the rundown of her amazing trip to Las Vegas which included her getting an internship at Seventeen (Congrats hun!), Miss Couturable mentioned the stereotypical trends of high school girls, “Uggs, Northface jackets, Abercrombie camisoles, Tiffany & Co. charm necklaces, and True Religion jeans.” She wanted to know what people thought about them. Many people who left comments admitted to wearing some of the common trends, but not because they were “status symbols,” and it was never more than a couple of the trends worn by any one girl.

Though I’m not in high school anymore, I haven’t been out of it for too long (only 2 years), and from what I can gather the trends are pretty much the same. When I was in high school, the trends were: a North Face fleece jacket, Uggs, HardTail roll-down yoga pants, and Abercrombie/Hollister clothes(optional). We had the whole Tiffany & Co. phase in middle school, but there were still some remains of that trend floating around too.

What do I think of the general trends of high school girls? Buying something because it’s trendy is completely overrated. In high school, the only trend I slightly bought in to was the HardTail trend. This was only because I had to wear black yoga pants for a cheer performance at pep rally, and they weren’t real HardTail pants, they were $15 black yoga pants from Target. All the other trends didn’t fit my personality. I have and always will detest Uggs; they may be the least attractive shoe other than Crocs ever to be created and sold to the masses. North Face fleece jackets never seemed warm enough for the price, so I opted for a great new pea coat each year. I’ve never purchased anything from Abercrombie or Hollister, and I truly doubt I will. I have nothing against people who do, but I think they should know they’re being swindled. As for the Tiffany & Co. trend, in middle school, I bought in to it, that is to say, my parents bought into it. I wore the necklace they bought me from the time I received it to probably sophomore year of high school, and it now sits safely in my jewelry box while I opt to wear the cheapo necklaces I bought from Target, Forever21, and the likes. Was the money my parents spent a waste? I don’t think so, because eventually it will be an heirloom I could give to my grandchildren. Will it cost much in the future? Probably not considering every girl in my grade probably had one, but who knows!

To be more concise, its much harder for high school girls to break away from the clothing norms and try to have their own style. There is so much peer pressure in high school, and stores like Abercrombie will always have that mass appeal. For a girl with little to no income of her own, and little to no knowledge of the fashion industry, Abercrombie, North Face, Uggs, and HardTail are the only designer products they truly know (other than the Louis Vuitton, Coach, and Chanel handbags), and perhaps the world is better for it. What would happen if all girls were intrinsically obsessed with couture, and the newest high school trend was the Black and White Fendi fur coat Kate Moss and Kate Bosworth have been seen wearing? Let’s just hope for my sake, trends stay on the cheap, yet undeniably cultish side with high school girls.

What do you think of the trends high school girls choose to wear, or for that matter, what do you think of trends in general? How many of the high school clothing trends do/did you follow, and how many current trends do you follow now (if not currently in high school)?

Unfortunately none of the Pink Rock Candy readers won last weeks Coutorture Giveaway, but another week means another giveaway. Actually this giveaway will go on for two weeks, so you guys have an extra week to add your names into the drawing. This time Coutorture is giving away two, yes two, dresses from New York based designers Lewis Cho. All you have to do is sign up using the form in the far right sidebar on in our fashion section. Don’t be afraid to enter, they won’t spam your inbox, I promise!

Lewis Cho was started by two friends, Annie Lewis and Helen Cho, who first met while working for Anna Sui. They describe their designs as “stylish, versatile pieces meant to be worn from season to season” and was inspired by “the casually elegant lifestyles of their busy and creative friends.”

The dress you could win is a Royal Blue Jersey Dress with a retail price of $198, and is available in petite, small, medium and large. I absolutely love the modern looking sleeve with the ruching across the chest. This would be perfect for a girl with a smaller bust or just one who loves to draw attention to what her momma gave her.

For more information on Lewis Cho including store locations visit: www.lewischo.com

You may have notice the contest widget we’ve had in our sidebar for a month or so. I put it up, but never really talked about it. Well, I’m going to explain. Every week the great people at Coutorture, give away a new item to one lucky reader, chosen from all of the fashion and beauty blogs in the network, but the catch is you have to enter. You just have to give your email address and you can choose if you’d like to be contacted in the future or not. It’s super easy! This week Coutorture is giving away a gorgeous Madewell scarf.

Madewell, is a new project from the J. Crew team, who recently opened a pop-up shop at 532 Broadway, in Soho, but will soon be the proud occupants of a permanent shop on the corner of Broome & Broadway. Though their newest store is in NYC, Madewell also has shops in Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, Las Vegas, Natick, MA, and Short Hills, NJ. You can also visit the Madewell website to see their newest collection and a great denim guide.

The scarf is a beautiful maroon, washed-wool scarf valuing at $48, but you could get it for free. Scarfs are “so in” this season, with it being winter and all, and even if you live in a warmer state scarves looked great juxtaposed with a t-shirt. So, don’t forget to enter, because you never know, you could be America’s Next Top Model the proud owner of this radiant scarf!