Archive for September 2011

It's almost the weekend and we are giving our work clothes a break and jumping into something a little more comfortable. My comfy outfit includes an American Apparel v-neck tshirt, a sweatshirt from my alma mater and yoga pants. This weekend, it may change a bit in light of some American Apparel controversy I learned about this week.

It was striking to read about the sex slave allegations against CEO Dov Charney (not sure how we got past that one) and now American Apparel is back in the negative limelight. 22 year old Nancy Upton caught wind of a contest from the LA based brand to find the "next BIG thing" and was disgusted by what she read. The company was looking to find a plus size model to be part of a new campaign to promote the additional sizes added the notoriously "small size" clothing line:

Think you are the Next BIG Thing?

Calling curvy ladies everywhere! Our best-selling Disco Pant (and around 10 other sexy styles) are now available in size XL, for those of us who need a little extra wiggle room where it counts. We're looking for fresh faces (and curvaceous bods) to fill these babies out. If you think you've got what it takes to be the next XLent model, send us photos of you and your junk to back it up.

Disgusted by AA's approach, Upton decided to model and submit herself for the contest, and she won! The controversy continues with AA denying her the crown of contest winner. With no end to this saga in sight (read more about it on Upton's blog) I have decided to boycott my AA clothing and felt it was my duty to share one of her images for photo phriday!

TGIPP (and you go girl!)

This week JMI hit the road! We packed the books and our iPads, and made the scenic drive up to Boston, where we met some awesome art buyers and got to brag about our fabulous photographers!

In honor of our trip, we did some research and found out some cool facts about Boston. Not only was this historic city host of the biggest tea party in history, it also served as muse for the first successful aerial photograph in America! On October 13, 1860 Boston photographer James Wallace Black ascended over the city in a hot-air balloon to capture Bean Town from new heights! This particular image sparked an idea in the Union Army, who almost immediately began using aerial photography to spy on the Confederate troops from the sky. By 1862, President Lincoln had even created a Balloon Corps to man the effort!

What’s your favorite cityscape?

Now that fashion week has come and gone, it makes sense to spend a little time on Photo Phriday dedicated to recapping what JMI found to be one of the many highlights of this iconic week in the style world, let's get started.

You have for sure found yourself in a conversation about it, no need to deny. Between the pop-up store (which was supposed to last for three nights and was sold out after only a few hours) and the website crash of the century on target.com, Missoni For Target has been the buzz of NYFW. At JMI we for sure contributed to the craze but we were shocked and a bit confused when we came across this photograph.

What in the heck is that you may ask yourself? Well that is Marina the Missoni For Target the "real doll. That’s right, joints, hinges and all. And like every doll, I'm obsessed with everything stylish in the world. So that's what my blog is all about. I hope you enjoy the view."

This "real doll" (who claims to be "obsessed with everything stylish in the world" aka Missoni For Target ONLY) moved around NYC blogging, tweeting and photographing throughout the week from all NYFW "hot spots" including The Standard, Lincoln Center, Times Square, and Bryant Park. Just when we thought Target had outdone themselves with the amazing commercial spot they did for the line, the fast-selling pop-up store, the several page long ad's in the big fashion mags, etc...they went ahead and got even crazier and created this awkwardly large blogger puppet which took the publicity to new heights, literally. When you look beyond the minimal creepy-ness of Marina it's actually a pretty cool marketing scheme.

Bravo, Target. We hope that the when we recieve our orders it is all that your marketing hype made it out to be!

TGIPP (Thank God It's Photo Phriday)

Welcome to the very first Photo Phriday here at JMI. Each week we’ll post something —a photo, video, ad, etc.—that catches our eye. We thought we’d kick things off with a true icon, who needs no introduction. (shameless plug: our very own Mort Smidt worked for the legend himself!) What have you seen this week? We bet there will be lots to report after NY Fashion Week. It can be anything you find noteworthy in photography, advertising, magazines or just the world! Share it in the comments below!