More ...USA made, less...

Fresh off of a major buying trip, I'm eager to share the truth of fashion's current behind-the-scenes dilemma with all of you:

In a market inundated with "Made in CHINA" disposable fashions, it becomes more and more difficult to source, "Made in the USA" brands, but we maintain a passionate devotion, and a patriotic responsibility to do so. We are so blessed to have you, our loyal customers here in Prescott- who appreciate the efforts we go to in supporting "Made in the USA" brands, by in turn, supporting US! On any given day, we stock more than 20 brands of clothing, jewelry, gifts, accessories, and personal care products that are made right here in the USA. I believe that as Americans, each one of us has a responsibility to support these manufacturers, and keep our money at HOME rather than sending it to China. Many retailers make the argument that Made in the USA is "too expensive" or "consumers don't care", but our thriving business is proof that they do! I challenge you to hold other retailers to this principal. Check labels before you buy! Ask questions! Let shop owners know how important it is to you! We're all in this together.

A recent article in the New York Times really hit home for me:

"Before jeggings, back when there were letters, before texts and tweets, when there was time... before speed cameras, when you could speed... before graffiti management companies, when cities had souls, we managed. Before homogenization, when there was mystery, when the original had value, before digital, when there was vinyl, before Made in China, we had the impression we were doing all right. Before apps... when there were attention-spans, before “I’ve got five bars,” when bars were for boozing, before ring-tone selection, when the phone rang... when love was all you needed..."

It's so true! Granted, this quip plays to the hippie in me... I am a child of the 60's, but my boutique reflects this post-modern bar of excellence; It defines the type of buyer I am. I'm guided by the quality and preconditioning of fabrics, (a key point of consideration while sourcing Hop Sing's fashions) which result in the most glorious-to-the-touch fabrics, a vital component which many of you have come to expect in our boutique. Of course, one of the realities of fashion today, is that American manufacturers have been pushed out by their overseas counterparts- the result of which is those old world touches and heirloom quality details we love: smocking, applique, embroidery, crocheting, etc., being rarely ever "Made in the USA". At Hop Sing, we've found alternative brands that support fair wages, ethical working conditions, and produce excellent quality goods at market rate. It's a matter of doing our homework and looking deeper. The great Vivenne Westwood had this to say about educating ourselves as consumers:

"We are so conformist... nobody is thinking. We're all just sucking up stuff. We've been trained to be consumers and we are all consuming far too much. I'm a fashion designer and people think 'what do I know', but I'm talking about all this disposable crap. I'm saying, buy less, choose well, make it last! Everybody looks like clones, and the only people you notice are my age. I don't notice anybody unless they look great, and every now and again they do- and they're usually 70."

What does quality mean to you? For me it means supporting fellow Americans, supporting family-owned, supporting heirloom brands and practices. It means keeping my money domestic- paying for the roads we drive on, the soccer uniforms our kids wear, the bread baked around the corner, and the agriculture produced in American soil. I'm proud to say that we strive every day to select the best quality, ethical designs that the up-scale marketplace has to offer. We vow to continue supporting those labels proudly produced right here in the USA, and we have YOU to thank for it.

THANK YOU & GOD BLESS!

Frequently asked question..."why so expensive?"

Love at first.... fit!!!

Adriano Goldschmied has killed my old jeans!

Here's what I know about... AG Jeans!

I love jeans. They're by far the most versatile item in my closet, and my personal favorite too. Shhh... don't tell the shoes! But my AG Jeans have blown every other pair out of the water. I could list the dozen or so brands left pouting on the shelf since the AG's moved in, but I'll save them the embarrassment. AG has everything I'm after... fit, lift, comfort, and they are without a doubt, the softest, most beautifully flattering denim I've ever owned. Unless it's a serious crisis-of-a-laundry-day, I don't see myself wearing any other brand any time soon.

But that's just scratching the surface of these amazing jeans and the company behind them. I can feel good in them for so many reasons, not least of which is the moral and ecological commitment I'm making just by wearing them.

Love at first.... fit!!!

Love at first.... fit!!!

Adriano Goldschmied has killed my old jeans!

Here's what I know about... AG Jeans!

I love jeans. They're by far the most versatile item in my closet, and my personal favorite too. Shhh... don't tell the shoes! But my AG Jeans have blown every other pair out of the water. I could list the dozen or so brands left pouting on the shelf since the AG's moved in, but I'll save them the embarrassment. AG has everything I'm after... fit, lift, comfort, and they are without a doubt, the softest, most beautifully flattering denim I've ever owned. Unless it's a serious crisis-of-a-laundry-day, I don't see myself wearing any other brand any time soon.

But that's just scratching the surface of these amazing jeans and the company behind them. I can feel good in them for so many reasons, not least of which is the moral and ecological commitment I'm making just by wearing them.

Ok, ready for a little shop talk? Here's what I know about AG Jeans:

Did you know that in Los Angeles County, a woman stitching a pair of jeans earns as much as $15 an hour? While in China, her counterpart pulls in 68 cents to 88 cents. Los Angeles— the largest clothing manufacturing hub in the nation, and mecca for high-end denim manufacturing— is no stranger to the tumultuous forces of globalization. With China, Mexico, and even tiny Mauritius nipping at their heels, domestic manufacturers have been left little choice but to take their business overseas in effort to compete with an ever-increasing demand for lower manufacturing costs. The innocent casualty of all this? QUALITY.

Premium denim has been a rare hold-out in the crumbling domestic apparel market. Why? The big "Q" of course... In Los Angeles, experienced sewing contractors are absolute masters of their trade. They know how to make lifting darted back pockets— giving the appearance of a lifted derriere. Local laundries are also adept at expertly shading jeans so that legs appear longer and thinner, and at hand-sanding "whiskers" (light horizontal lines in the zipper area), so that hips appear narrower. They also employ what's called the "all in" method; which means using all techniques available, including grinding, stonewashing, baking, and applying oil stains and cigar burns to achieve an authentic worn-in look and feel.

Another advantage to buying domestic (and yet another reason to love AG), is the keen eye L.A.'s manufacturer's have kept on the environment. The routine process of obtaining those tricked out washes you love on your denim, is eco-destructive beyond your wildest nightmares. AG Jeans found these outdated and toxic practices unacceptable and in recent years, has led the pack in developing a new "clean denim” by overhauling their manufacturing process using organic and sustainable top quality fabric choices, and employing "Ozone Technology".

Wait, ozone? Isn't that just in the air? No, my friends, your jeans are now eco-friendly! Ozone is a process that significantly reduces water consumption, use of chemicals and dirty energy. Normally jeans are rinsed with large amounts of water to rid them of excess indigo, and toxic chemicals are applied to create fades while cleaning up indigo bleeds on pocket linings. When a jean is "ozonized" however, those processes are drastically reduced- if not eliminated, greatly lowering water, energy and chemical usage.

Thanks to a vertically integrated factory and 100% control of their wash processes (unlike other brands), they are one of the ONLY denim brands using this process on 100% of their products. The happy bi-product of supporting this process and striving to buy domestic, is a subtle but steady push for change from governments and our favorite clothing companies. It would be tragic if fashion and economics continued to come at the cost of our natural resources. Finally, we can be cute and eco-friendly. Responsibility and compassion looks great on you!

Experience this premium brand now @ Hop Sing!!!

There’s always something new in Las Vegas, and the apparel industry is doing its part to make sure that adage holds true for the upcoming apparel market. Next week this time I will be in Fashion-o-rama land! I love it! But just for fun I thought I'd share an insider's perspective... About 3 years ago my daughter wrote the article below for a publication... and it's an interesting read...

(yes... she is a fashion snob, and proud of it)

"So a friend of mine recently asked about my work, and specifically how she could get into it too. At first I thought, oh yeah... it's nice. As much as I complain- it certainly has its perks; Great clothes, cool people, a little travel... But when I really start thinking about it, it's much more than that. Good and bad, it's much more. Women love clothes, and young women especially tend to think of the fashion industry as glamourous, and beautiful and I don't know what... so when I tell people I'm a buyer for women's clothing, the immediate response is usually: "Wow!" "Awesome!" "Lucky..." or "Fun". Oftentimes I wonder what they're imagining my work to be... I try to think about it from an outside perspective and wonder, what would I imagine a "buyer" does all day? I can't. I've been up to my eyeballs in this business since I was 14 years old, working as a gopher and retail slave -girl for two years before wriggling my way into "Buyer's Assistant" at 16 (which, cool job title aside, was exactly the same job). It's impossible for me, therefore, to have any remotely unbiased views of this life or to relate at all to the countless girls that seek it out. Am I jaded? Not unless I started out that way. My opinions of, and interest in fashion are so deeply ingrained, they're hard-wired. My mother sourced and sold vintage couture. I grew up reading "W", "Vogue", and French "Elle" like they were nursery rhymes. I understood the nuances of "cuts" and "lines" while most girls my age were still dressing their Barbies in poly-blend. This may seem smug, but it's really the opposite of that. I didn't know any better. I had no idea that it was any big deal until I was helping squeeze Salma Hayek into a Norma Kamali boneless corset dress at 15 and said: "Well, it's all in the structure- her couture is influenced by architecture and swimwear of the 1940's, so it's really structured, without being restrictive. Flattering without being overt, you know? She sews you in and holds you there with these incredible dual-purpose fabrics, so you don't need the boning!" Salma looked at me like I was possessed, and then she bought the nearly $4,000 gown. My imminent promotion followed soon after. This was my "Oh, I'm not normal"-moment. The thing is, I knew so much about fashion by the time I went to college, that I couldn't have cared less if I ever went near the industry again. I lusted after the cuts and lines of industrial architectects rather than the cuts and lines of couturiers. Fashion was family, and home, and fall-back, and meh... it wasn't going anywhere. Inevitably I went back to it, simply because it came easily, it was what I knew and I knew it well. I went from gopher, to assistant, to buyer, to store owner and I can tell you- there's not a ton of differences between the four other than money; who's making it, who's spending it, and who's paying it out. Of all those little hats, the one that fit me best was buyer. I make my own hours, I work alone, and the better I buy- the more I earn. The best part is, as I get older, I buy better, I buy smarter and it just gets easier and easier. The worst part is, I'm not challenged, except by my own morals. You see, there is a new breed of consumer- someone who grew up on Claire's, Forever 21, and polyester prom dresses. They want more and more for less and less, and they don't care where it's made or how- so long as it's cheap and trendy. What's more disheartening is the fact that we (in the industry) are kow-towing to this woman. We're supporting disposable trends, and unethical manufacturing simply to meet the demands of debt-ridden consumers whom either don't know any better, or don't care. But it's cute? That dress you're purchasing at a bargain price was made of cheap, synthetic fabric, dyed with hazardous chemicals and some (illegal in this country) pesticides thrown in for good shipment. But it looks okay to you? It was probably sewn in a filthy sweatshop by a worker paid an unfair wage. There is nothing to be proud of in that prom photo, dear. Your dress is shit and it will fall apart on you. In fact, it's likely something will go wrong with it by the end of the night. Got a deal on your bridesmaid's dresses? Bad manufacturing doesn't bode well for the chicken dance, sister. You're better off having just one bridesmaid and buying her a decent ensemble. Better yet, buy vintage. The fabrics and tailoring are incomparable. Try the touch test. Vintage satin vs. today's cheap but oh-so-shiny and wrinkle-free impostor-satin... I mention the satin, in particular because I'm fresh off of buying for prom season and to my shock, I found the most incredible silk satin dresses by Joseph Walker. These feel like the vintage couture I know and love. These are the real deal- or as close to the real deal as you're likely to find for the price. Retailing for around $200 they blow the competition out of the water (*ahem* Jessica McClintock *cough,cough*). Even his palette is inspired and tasteful. There is nothing of the garish brights and neo-neons that pop up in nearly every showroom, nearly every Spring. Particularly, his pinks and greens... A subdued, and slightly greyed pink that just looks grown-up and beautiful and an absolutely sumptuous jade green; something universally flattering but oft overlooked. Furthermore, consumers, you're not actually saving on anything- here's a little fashion industry secret... YOU'RE BEING SWINDLED BY BARGAIN PRICED CRAP! Retailers know what prices you're used to, what prices you're immune to, and what you consider a "deal". The less they pay for the goods, the more they make off of you. Think they're passing savings onto you? Absolutely not. The "savings" are built into their profit margins, not passed on to the consumer. In other words, the less they pay, the more they profit. Is there a trendy little shop in your town that seems to ALWAYS have a sale going on? They actually don't... they're simply buying a dress for $10 pricing it at a 5.0 margin (WELL above industry standards). They then mark the dress at 50% off and you're thinking "Wow, I'm getting such a great deal", when in reality, they're profiting off of your trust and making more than they would on a higher priced, quality garment sold at full MSRP (a 2.3 margin). There is no bargain, my friends. The sale price was a farce and that damn dress will fall apart in a few months. Which just opens up a whole other can of worms... false economy, consumer culture, mass waste, etc. On this topic, the moral is this- hang on to your mother's and your grandmother's clothing; these are the items worth their salt, these are the items worth keeping and handing down to your daughters. Expect to pay more for items made ethically and appreciate quality craftsmanship. Have we forgotten what this is? With Levi's now made of varying materials in varying countries, two identical pairs of style 501 you've worn forever (and in the exact same size) will now vary by up to 3 inches in length and 2.5 inches in the waist. The washes and finishes will have no consistency and the cut and feel will most likely be unrecognizable. Inevitably, potential buyers think that this job is about style, trends, and getting clothing at cost. On style... Of course style is a key factor in maintaining relevance, moving merchandise and longevity in this job. I'm not sure if this factor is innate, it's a bit of an x-factor- but it's also about influence, and inspiration. On trends... This aspect of my job is really the science part of it, and again a bit of x-factor for good measure. Trends are about picking up on little clues and subtle cues in the collective consciousness. They are about understanding the motion and force of fashion from Asia, to Europe to America's East coast, to California, and back to Asia again. It's about the trickle-down effect of Haute couture to Prêt-à-Porter to up-market, to mass production. And once you understand all that, it's about timing. Computer-generated analysis of markets and retail analysts offer some help and take a bit of guesswork out of which departments and categories are moving well, but ultimately it comes down to your innate ability to time a given marketplace. Knowing months in advance what trends will hit at what moment and where. Will your consumers be ready? I can't tell you how many times my own timing has been off. Often as a buyer, having access to upcoming colors, collections, and designs- you're so far ahead of the collective curve that you overestimate your own clock. I've had to store away entire deliveries for months at a time, until such time as the trend hit and the consumer was ready for it. But more and more my job is really about protecting consumers and the marketplace from bad investments, it's about shielding stores from bad reputations, and finding a happy medium between style and substance, whilst maintaining a fair price-point for desirable apparel. And clothes at cost? Yes, it's a perk. If you're interested in being a buyer, you're likely something of a clothes-horse anyway, so you'll appreciate this aspect of it. I keep waiting for the stuffed-to-the-gills closet thing to get old (it hasn't yet)."

Hot & Ready... Yoga Apparel by Hard Tail

Hot Yoga anyone?...

Hop Sing is expecting a
Hard Tail shipment on Monday, December 12th!

Just in time to ask your Santa Baby to put you on his "Naughty or Nice" List!


If you want to get a fresh pick from this limited supply of really special pieces... because...(fyi, it takes 6 to 8 weeks for these orders to be produced) then don't delay!


UPS will deliver this order by 12:00 noon on Monday.

Let's have a box opening party!