Air Hostess, I Like the Way You Dress…

The Japanese fascination with the air hostess uniforms given to employees of Japan Airlines (JAL) has prompted such a high demand for the goods that a black market has been created.

Although shops selling replica uniforms are very common on the streets of Japan, the desire to own the authentic JAL uniform has created a remarkably competitive market for them, with the genuine article often selling for thousands of dollars.

Those shops supplying the uniforms hope that many more will soon become available as the company filed for bankruptcy back in January.

Suit up!

Going for a job interview can be a nervous experience, and as such anything you can do to make it less daunting is surely a good thing? A good, professional, suit is a great way to give you that boost of confidence; after all, clothes make the (wo)man.

So, it seems understandable to read that Job Centres are handing out almost £10m a year to job seekers for vouchers to enable them to buy suits at high street stores to help them get jobs.

Certainly we've written many times about the work that goes in to making top quality suits and, while high street suits may not be bespoke, or suitable (no pun) for working in the Bank of England, for those looking to get back in to work, a smart suit is a great way to put a spring in the step as those at the interview stage sit down behind a desk to those familiar words of "So, tell me why you think..."

Fighting off Swine Flu while looking suave

As we head into the winter months the risk of Swine Flu returns once more. The colder conditions, people staying indoors more, all leads to the possibility of catching the dreaded disease. Fighting back could involve washing hands regularly, avoiding people who have had the illness and so on - but also you could wear this suit, which claims to keep the disease at bay.

On The Telegraph the story says, "The suit is coated with the chemical titanium dioxide, which reacts to light to break down and kill the virus when it comes into contact with it, according to Junko Hirohata. The chemical is a common ingredient in toothpaste and cosmetics."

The suit retails at £365 but with 4,100 deaths already confirmed due to swine flue around the world, it wouldn't be surprising if it found a fair few customers.

Suits you sir

Savile row is a name synonymous with fashion and suits. It's world famous, renowned amongst those who see the suit as 'making the man' as the final word in sartorial elegance. But...there's always a but...all is not well on the row.

For, the old guard, who have been there for many years, are not happy with 'interlopers' who they accuse of selling suits under the 'Savile Row' brand, without offering the same level of service or quality. On the back of this they are going as far as setting up an Association which will bestow a 'kitemark' upon those who are regarded as genuine Savile Row tailors, to let discerning suit shoppers tell who will offer them, the genuine experience.

This is the trouble though isn't it - a world where costs are high, margins are tight, and pennies need to be watched will undoubtedly lead to people wanting high-quality products for the cheapest possible price, and if there are companies willing to offer this, there will always be customers to buy. Still, if the new association does its job, at least everyone can be clear who is offering what and after that it's down to the consumer as to where there heads, hearts and wallets lead them.

A decision on swimsuits

We've covered swim suits before here, here, here, and even here and now a decision has finally been made by the sports' governing body in the States. Watch a video about it on the BBC site here.

A hot suit

Government ministers in Bangladesh have been told, nay, ordered to stop wearing suits to work in an effort to save energy. Due to the heat of the country many offices run air-conditioners all day long, causing mass energy use and often power outages too.

To combat this dress codes have been re-written so government workers may wear just shirts and trousers, and the shirts can be worn untucked. Businesses across the country will be asked to consider implementing similar dress codes to help save energy too.

An interesting development no? Someone Company Clothing knows was most perturbed to be told by his employee that wearing shorts in to work - even on the hottest day(s) of summer - was not acceptable, despite not being a customer facing worker. Perhaps he should move to Bangladesh?

What do you think? A wise move? Would you be happy for staff to wear shorts or untucked shirts if it helped save energy, or does it remove a layer of professionalism that the suit brings? Let us know below!

Suit Rock

News today has revealed the leader singer of popular youth band Maximo Park has his own tailor to make sure the designs of his suits are able to withstand his energetic leaping around on stage.

Paul Smith (the singer - not the designer), said, "He's really good at adapting to my needs because I jump around quite a lot - there's certain places on my outfit where there's some stretchier little knots and fabric."

Paul said he uses the outfits to stand out at heavier festival so crowds remember the band:"We've played at heavy metal festivals in Slovakia where nobody knew who we were, and I am wearing a white suit and a white hat trying to deliberately stand out."

He should just be thankful he's not Patrick Wolf whose cape (yes, cape) has gone missing, and he wants it back. These rock stars eh?

Drowning, not waving

We've covered swimsuit technology before, and the problems it's causing for the sport of swimming as it helps swimmers smash world records they might not otherwise have broken, and now, with the swimming world championships taking place, the debate has reared out of the water once again.

An in-depth piece on The Guardian underlines the extent of the problem, and the sports governing bodies indecision as to how best deal with it. It's hard to know which side to fall on. In many ways the evolution of technology is as much a part of sport as rule changes and nutritional improvements. If the suits are available to all then surely it's still a level playing field? But, then again, if the suits give an unnatural advantage against the very element that is supposed to make the sport what it is, then the essence of the sport, the competition and, at a basic level 'fair play' is scuppered.

It seems as if the suits will be scrapped for 2010, meaning the next Olympics will not be involved in this dispute. However, it seems unlikely, given the regularity with which this topic is covered, that 2010 will see all the problems simply washed away.

Under the skin

A New Zealand airline company has hit upon an ingenious way to make the flight safety video a little more entertaining: present it in the nude! But, while having the uniforms painted on to look as if they are wearing clothing. Confused? Take a look here



As you can see those in the video can barely contain their laughter and it's testament to some clever camera work that more intimate areas are not exposed. But you have to say, the ties and scarves are certainly well done; they do look quite real.

Spacemen

Did you see James May in Space last night? If not we would urge you to head to the iPlayer when you get a spare hour and enjoy one of the most moving, interesting and brilliant bits of TV from the year so far.

One bit that did catch our attention in particular was all the information about the space suits they have to wear to survive in space. It's all well and good building rockets and having men willing to fly them, but to survive you need clothing that can withstand pressures and forces like nothing anywhere on earth. That NASA did this is a marvel in itself.

Suit up

We've blogged a few times before about really cheap suits - for £50 and £20 - but this is one that no one could accuse of being cheap - a suit that costs, wait for it, £70,000.

The suit is a one-off creation made from the finest fabrics in the world and has taken in excess of 80 hours to complete with over 5,000 individual stitches equating to £14 per stitch. What a world. In the middle of worldwide global financial crises stories like this rightly make you question - what crises? Clearly for some people nothing is beyond their wants.

Designer Alexander Amosu said the economic crisis had not completely stopped the demand for designer fashion: "Buying an Alexander Amosu suit is the ultimate in luxury. We create the finest bespoke suits using fabrics which emphasise character, style and individuality. I firmly believe that in the wake of the recession, there is still a demand for uncompromising quality. We might not be catering to everyone, but the people who buy Alexander Amosu want to wear the very best suits in the world."

It's getting easier to be green

A suit for £50? Made from recycled plastic bottles? Yes, it's true and it's available from highsteet clothing store Debenhams.

In fact we've seen this sort of thing before with ASDA's £20 'credit-crunch busting suit' for woman that drew a couple of interesting points. It's great to see though that something that is made entirely from recycled plastic bottles can be remade into something that is both highly useful, but also that can retail at such a reasonable price.

If the cost of recycling the bottles and reproducing them can be covered by selling something at £50 then it suggests the costs of recycling are coming down drastically and that business will become more and more willing to follow this route if it helps save money. We've covered the business benefits of going green, so the more this sort of thing is promoted and done on the highstreet, the more it will continue in the long run; we hope.

In these economically uncertain times producing clothing that saves money for both consumers and companies and help them save the planet is surely a good thing?

More swimming suit news

Well, after a weekend of recovering from the excesses of the Company Clothing Industry Awards, it's back to the grindstone and another story about the issue of swimsuits and how they are helping swimmers break more world records than is natural, 108 last year were broken. That is a lot.

The swimming body Fima has announced that "swimsuits should not cover the neck and must not extend past the shoulders and ankles" explaining that, ""Fina wishes to recall the main and core principle is that swimming is a sport essentially based on the physical performance of the athlete," said a statement from swimming's world governing body."

A very interesting development that underlines the growing rise of technology in clothing. Thing is though, if all athletes are able to use the same kit, doesn't that make it even, everyone's faster? Are the clothes part of the race? Like a fuel strategy in F1, or subs in football, or a runner pacing themselves? What do you think?

BOA seeks tenders for formal and parade wear for Team GB

A serious story for a moment, concerning the Olympics and the chance to perhaps design and supply the uniform for the formal and parade wear of Team GB at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Right, in best Boris Johnson whiff-whaff-is-coming-home voice:

"The British Olympic Association (BOA) is now seeking tenders for the appointment of the supplier of formal and parade wear for Team GB for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The chosen partner will supply Team GB clothing including the official suit that will be worn on all formal occasions, as well as providing a distinctive parade uniform for Team GB members to wear at the opening ceremony.

The tender is for the design and supply of clothing for a team of 150 athletes and support staff, of all sizes and ages and is a chance for a UK company to showcase the best of British design on the international stage. The BOA is looking to appoint the supplier who can best handle the process of design, production and delivery.

Commenting on this tender launch Chief Commercial Officer Hugh Chambers said: ‘For many, representing your country at an Olympic Winter Games is a once in a life time achievement. Team GB athletes walking out in to the stadium during the Opening Ceremony in Vancouver will feel a huge sense of pride and we are looking for an exceptional partner to work with who can dress our athletes in a manner fitting for such an occasion.’

Suppliers of past uniforms include names such as Lee Cooper, Roots, Ben Sherman, Marks & Spencers, Aquascutum and Next.

Any interested parties should submit their proposals to Jo Kingston jo.kingston@boa.org.uk or 020 8871 2677 ext 207) at the BOA by 20 March."

Right there you go - something to think about and perhaps get working on!

What? I should have buttoned up my suit? Poppycock!

American Idol

Brown met Obama yesterday and had a right old chinwag...for 20 minutes. The Guardian have today written a short piece on the choice of suits for the occasion and have come across as a big old (blue) meanie having the temerity to suggest Brown can't carry off a suit compared to the President. Not very patriotic is it?

All change

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last year you'll know there's a new guy at the White House, and he's rather popular. As the 'new guy' everything Obama is doing is undergoing close scrutiny, particularly in reference to how Dubya did it before.

This is a fascinating article from the New York Times looking at how dress codes have changed in the space of a few days. Where once jackets and ties were a must in the Oval Office, now a more laid-back, casual approach is allowed - partly because the Hawaiian-born Obama has the heat turned up higher than Bush did.

Not only that, it's now a casual Saturday at the White House too. It must be strange for the staff, having to suddenly reconsider their wardrobe. Where once a suit was the one and only, now there is suddenly a choice - or change if you will - in what they can wear.

Would you want that? If a new boss suddenly said you could wear what you like? Or does the staple suit-and-tie mean you can get up safe in the knowledge you don't have to think about what to wear - beyond what will match and what won't? Let us know below.

2 cents worth

So yesterday was pretty historic then. What little opinion we would add merely concerns the clothing on display, which understandably, was smart, upstanding, and very respectable - which is as it should be. Doesn't Obama look good though in his suits. Our statesmen, while never looking bad, rarely look good in them like he does. But perhaps we're all just peering through a haze of misty-eyed optimism that will soon dry up.

For a fantastic satellite image of the crowds from yesterday, click here. Trust us, it's worth it.

Suits you, madam

The Credit Crunch has outstayed its welcome don't you think? It should move on now and let us all get back to normal. However, while it continues to hang around, ASDA have decided to capitialise by producing a women's business suit that costs just £20.

No doubt high-profile tailors, from all sectors, will be rolling their eyes, saying you can't get a good, proper suit, for such low money. But if people are strapped for cash it's going to be a popular choice you would imagine.

However, as we often cover in the magazine, it is important to know where such garments come from, how they are made, by who and under what conditions. Only last year Primark were found to be sourcing clothes from a company that was employing child workers and have since ended their business with them. It is probably fair to assume ASDA are producing these garments ethically but when the cost is as low as £20 for an entire suit, it's not unfair to raise the issue.