January Filers at the CSC - How are you doing?

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Hehe - I think it's going to take me quite a long time, too.

I love seeing women in pretty, feminine clothes but I must admit I am not quite there yet myself! I've finally bought a pair of heels but I'm a little wobbly on my feet when wearing them. I love the skirt/court shoes combo for work, but since I walk to work and it's cold I nearly always wear trousers and flat shoes. I think well-applied make-up can really enhance one's features and I love how eyes look with a little eye-liner and mascara but I rarely make the effort to apply it myself. So I'm a bit of a hypocrite, really.

I'd love to have the money to go shopping and buy a few wardrobe classics - I'd like some v-neck sweaters that are proper cashmere and not acrylic, and I'd love a decent pair of boots and more A-line skirts, but every time I do go clothes shopping I end up buying clothes that are cheap and more suitable for work.

[BlakeandOlha 0]

It was my first visit to Stratford and, yes, it is really lovely! As a dutiful tourist I of course visited Shakespeare's birth place - interesting to see that the first two people to sign the first guestbook the house kept were from the US (Boston and Philadelphia, if anyone's curious). It's interesting to realise that people were touring far-off countries long before aeroplanes and railways made it easy to do so.

I know that snow can be a real nuisance and that it's probably a good thing that it didn't last long - icy slush can be dangerous! - but it was so pretty it was a shame that it couldn't even last just the one day.

MissYoko - I am glad that you had fun with the girls teaching them about how to make themselves beautiful! That's definitely one thing I missed out on with my own mother - she's not very feminine and has no clue about hair styling, make-up or fashion, and I was always very envious of girls who grew up knowing how to make the most of their features and apply the right shade of eyeshadow/find flattering cuts of clothing/etc.

Rachel I know you'll be in California in the San Jose area - but mammoth is very close to there and they get Meters of snow each winter (see my attempt at using metric measurements?) Great skiing as well. But the snow there is different than snow in the Midwest - here slushy icy is the rule, and we're reasonably good at driving through it. Sunnybear - I know Michigan very well - and you folks get a lot more snow than we do here, this has been one heck of a winter for snow hasn't it. I think it would be wonderful to get as many of us together as we can. Kids of all ages and dispositions are invited as well Actually for those of us who are not only assimilating a new spouse but also assimilating new children it would be good for us to be able to share and support each other beyond the visa process.

Edited April 8, 2008 by BlakeandOlha

[BlakeandOlha 0]

I'd love to have the money to go shopping and buy a few wardrobe classics - I'd like some v-neck sweaters that are proper cashmere and not acrylic, and I'd love a decent pair of boots and more A-line skirts, but every time I do go clothes shopping I end up buying clothes that are cheap and more suitable for work.

Alex is a lucky man hehe

Being a man my views on fashion are not found in the pages of vogue magazine. Most of the men I know appreciate casual comfort rather than high priced cutting edge stuff. It is possible to dress quite stylishly without spending the big money, especially if you don't mind wearing last year's fashions (as if any guy would really know what was last year vs. this year). There are many ways to skin the cat, as they say. I worked in the apparel industry for 7 years, even had my own office overlooking Time Square in NY, and our mantra was - never pay retail prices for anything. With a little work and creativity you really don't have to.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I certainly don't follow fashion - I'll wear what suits me; sometimes it's in fashion and at other times it's not. It's actually rather frustrating when certain cuts aren't in style - for example, skinny-leg jeans overtaking boot-cut jeans in the market, or how it's impossible to find clothes in shades of dark red, purple and blue because lime green, orange and yellow is what it's currently all about. There's a huge difference between being fashionable and being stylish and unfortunately right now I feel that I'm currently neither.

I know the way to go is to hunt in the sales for past-season's clothing or search in charity shops, but unfortunately because I am an average size anything I would like is snatched up very, very quickly!

If I have the chance to I'd love to fly to Chicago to meet you all.

And I'm lucky, too! Alex doesn't have a clue about fashion or stylish clothing so ultimately I could wear a paper bag and he'd still think I looked good. I'd rather it was that way round than having a man who insisted his wife always wear a skirt or had a matching handbag and heels (yes; apparently some men do care about that sort of thing!)

How did you find it working in the industry, Blake? Was it as cutthroat a business as I imagine?

Edited April 8, 2008 by Alex & Rachel

[MissYoko 4]

I'd love to have the money to go shopping and buy a few wardrobe classics - I'd like some v-neck sweaters that are proper cashmere and not acrylic, and I'd love a decent pair of boots and more A-line skirts, but every time I do go clothes shopping I end up buying clothes that are cheap and more suitable for work.

Alex is a lucky man hehe

Being a man my views on fashion are not found in the pages of vogue magazine. Most of the men I know appreciate casual comfort rather than high priced cutting edge stuff. It is possible to dress quite stylishly without spending the big money, especially if you don't mind wearing last year's fashions (as if any guy would really know what was last year vs. this year). There are many ways to skin the cat, as they say. I worked in the apparel industry for 7 years, even had my own office overlooking Time Square in NY, and our mantra was - never pay retail prices for anything. With a little work and creativity you really don't have to.

i never said that you have to spend a lot of money. I like to have some high quality pieces, i have some clothes that i have for some years and because of the quality and the style i can still wear. And most of the time i buy my clothes to stores like Mango, La City, Sinequanone etc... Its not expensive clothes. and when i say fashion, i mean i love nice looking clothes, i never gonna to wear something because its fashion right now. Like you will never see me in a slim jean, its fashion but it look uggly on me. So i'm a fashion victim in my own way

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

I certainly don't follow fashion - I'll wear what suits me; sometimes it's in fashion and at other times it's not. It's actually rather frustrating when certain cuts aren't in style - for example, skinny-leg jeans overtaking boot-cut jeans in the market, or how it's impossible to find clothes in shades of dark red, purple and blue because lime green, orange and yellow is what it's currently all about. There's a huge difference between being fashionable and being stylish and unfortunately right now I feel that I'm currently neither.

I totally agree! I only wear black clothes and haven't been lucky with fashion of these past years Either too pale colors or very bright colors. Never black. And I hate loose tops... it makes me look so small... (but I hate tight jeans... go figure). Anyway... it's hard to find clothes for work. it's hard to find clothes "not for work" that I will like. And that's the same for shoes... Either the high heels are way too high, either it's too flat.

I guess we're not supposed to buy clothes we like but clothes that they decided we should buy.

I won't be too far from Chicago either! I doubt I'll travel there very often, but I'll probably come once or twice!

[BlakeandOlha 0]

I certainly don't follow fashion - I'll wear what suits me; sometimes it's in fashion and at other times it's not. It's actually rather frustrating when certain cuts aren't in style - for example, skinny-leg jeans overtaking boot-cut jeans in the market, or how it's impossible to find clothes in shades of dark red, purple and blue because lime green, orange and yellow is what it's currently all about. There's a huge difference between being fashionable and being stylish and unfortunately right now I feel that I'm currently neither.

I know the way to go is to hunt in the sales for past-season's clothing or search in charity shops, but unfortunately because I am an average size anything I would like is snatched up very, very quickly!

If I have the chance to I'd love to fly to Chicago to meet you all.

And I'm lucky, too! Alex doesn't have a clue about fashion or stylish clothing so ultimately I could wear a paper bag and he'd still think I looked good. I'd rather it was that way round than having a man who insisted his wife always wear a skirt or had a matching handbag and heels (yes; apparently some men do care about that sort of thing!)

How did you find it working in the industry, Blake? Was it as cutthroat a business as I imagine?

Not quite as bad as what Hollywood would let on. There's several layers to the industry depending on the target consumer. The Prada's and exclusive design houses are quite competitive with one another, and the buyers/design staff are quite self-important. Since price isn't that much of an obsticle at this level the focus is more on perceived "value." The next level down is high quality mass merchandising (Nordstrom, Saks, etc.) this more of a regular business - with a lot of who-you-know type relationships (this is the market my company sold into). At this level you deal primarily with buyers (entry level positions really) and merchandisers. They look at product lines like any other retailer will and see things in terms of price/value and take many of their color cues from the design houses so they can persent themselves as fashion forward, but also provide enough classic merchandise to still make money. Then you get the real mass merchandisers that deal in volume - there you have more of a cut throat business (Steinmart, Coat Factory)- but it is focused on price (how low can they drive down prices from manufacturing houses).

Having been to a goodly number of industry parties in NY I can say (but not here) that at least some of the Hollywood stories are true (or were at least).

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I guess we're not supposed to buy clothes we like but clothes that they decided we should buy.

Exactly! Very frustrating.

I don't understand why cuts and sizes are continuously being changed, either. I bought some cheap v-neck sweaters from H&M that I found very flattering and clung nicely without showing off every lump and bump. However I could only buy them in black as they were sold out of the red and purple ones.

A couple of months later again I was in H&M and they had plenty of red and purple V-necks. I nearly bought them then and there but decided to take the precaution of trying them on first. They looked the same but were completely different! The shoulders were too wide, the arms far, far too long and the body was shorter!

I've been feeling like a mess recently. Right now my sweater is all bobbly from too many washes, my trousers are looking a little faded and worn (they're 4-5 years old, though, so they've lasted well!) and my shoes are spattered in mud and a little scuffed.

Oh, and we must probably congratulate ourselves for having the most verbose thread on these forums.

I love San Jose (and you'd all be welcome to visit!) but I don't know how long we'll remain there. It's just so expensive! I've said to Alex that I'd definitely prefer to stay on the west coast and I'd also prefer not to be too far north so we're currently looking at Portland, Oregon and Californian cities that are further inland at the moment.

[BlakeandOlha 0]

I certainly don't follow fashion - I'll wear what suits me; sometimes it's in fashion and at other times it's not. It's actually rather frustrating when certain cuts aren't in style - for example, skinny-leg jeans overtaking boot-cut jeans in the market, or how it's impossible to find clothes in shades of dark red, purple and blue because lime green, orange and yellow is what it's currently all about. There's a huge difference between being fashionable and being stylish and unfortunately right now I feel that I'm currently neither.

I totally agree! I only wear black clothes and haven't been lucky with fashion of these past years Either too pale colors or very bright colors. Never black. And I hate loose tops... it makes me look so small... (but I hate tight jeans... go figure). Anyway... it's hard to find clothes for work. it's hard to find clothes "not for work" that I will like. And that's the same for shoes... Either the high heels are way too high, either it's too flat.

I guess we're not supposed to buy clothes we like but clothes that they decided we should buy.

I won't be too far from Chicago either! I doubt I'll travel there very often, but I'll probably come once or twice!

It's really not far from St. Louis - I used to go there quite a bit in my post college days. If you and Bryan could make the quest someday I would love to meet you both. If your favorite color is black you might want to make your POE NY, there the official color is black and I'm sure you'll be able to find everything you could want. Of course that would probably not be high on your list of priorities at that time.

[BlakeandOlha 0]

Oh, and we must probably congratulate ourselves for having the most verbose thread on these forums.

I love San Jose (and you'd all be welcome to visit!) but I don't know how long we'll remain there. It's just so expensive! I've said to Alex that I'd definitely prefer to stay on the west coast and I'd also prefer not to be too far north so we're currently looking at Portland, Oregon and Californian cities that are further inland at the moment.

Gratzies

Too much time on our hands is my guess.

I know San Jose (and CA is general) is very expensive, I lived down in San Diego for a couple of years and while beautiful, the prices were crazy - especially for real estate.

[Cecile and Bryan 0]

It's really not far from St. Louis - I used to go there quite a bit in my post college days. If you and Bryan could make the quest someday I would love to meet you both. If your favorite color is black you might want to make your POE NY, there the official color is black and I'm sure you'll be able to find everything you could want. Of course that would probably not be high on your list of priorities at that time.

maybe they'll be nice with me if they see I'm wearing the right color

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Yes - of course, coming from the UK I'm used to paying a premium for food, electronic goods, public services and fuels, but when you factor in the cost of healthcare and the ridiculous rent prices (and the UK isn't exactly cheap in that regard, either) the cost of living in both the UK and California is roughly equivalent. So although I'm not entirely unprepared what is going to be a problem is me not being able to work for a few months. On two salaries we should be fine but even then we'll have to start seriously thinking in a few years' time about how we are going to manage raising children (we'd prefer it if one of us could stay at home or only work part-time), hence we're thinking about moving and living in a city that may allow us to save a little more money.

Thank you for the fashion industry explanation, Blake! I find it all very interesting.

Edited April 8, 2008 by Alex & Rachel

[shes 0]

uhhmm...anyone here who'll be at or say atleast close to Oceanside Cali?? talking about clothes here...yeah, im kinda like thinking wat should i get considering whats "in" there and considering the weather too

[shes 0]

I was originally a September filer but due to a CSC mistake had to refile in January so I feel like this I-129F petition process is never going to end!

Thanks,

Gerald

dang! and were originally an October filer..but same as you, they mistakenly sent it to Chicago

[dbears 1]

Skinny jeans??? Who mentioned skinny jeans? I love skinny jeans!!! Well, as long as I'm not the one wearing it

I think i would have to stick with boot-cut and flare jeans even if they went out of fashion. At least it looks better on me rather than forcing myself to wear the skinny jeans which would look totally off on me.

like most, i also have a few blouses, shirts, pants... I like them and it hides the bulges pretty good though I also go for lighter shades from time to time. I'm not really trendy, my younger sister (who graduated from college today by the way! :dancing: ) is more of the "fashionista" but she's really skinny so she can wear whatever she wants.