Blog the Blogger: Designer Laundry

Chances are you haven't yet discovered Designer Laundry.com, dear readers, so I'm here to let you in on the secret! It's a blog/website that sells clothing and donates 40% of the proceeds to charity, which is no small percentage in the world of philanthropy, let me assure you. The charities they support are those which their donors and CEO are most passionate about, so there's a personal connection to those whom they give their proceeds.

Their blogger is Christina, who just recently let me know that DesignerLaundry.com will be sponsoring the American Cancer Society's Taste of Hope Event. "This is a big deal for us," she told me in an email, "as it represents our first engagement with one of the biggest non-profit agencies in the world. :) We are proud to share we'll be donating $2500 to the cause and will also donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of our clothing at the ACS as well." What a great example of looking good and doing good! Forthwith, her answers to the DCGF's soon-to-be Famous Five (plus One) questions...

1. What is the first article of clothing you remember that you loved to wear? My fashion formative years were spent emulating Olivia Newton John as best I could. Especially during her Xanadu phase. My dream was to transform into one of those awesome dancing muses. I spent a good deal of my pre-teen years in a pastel flow-y nightgown paired with pink Capezio leg-warmers. My girlfriends and I would sneak downstairs and dance around my basement singing “Magic” to an invisible audience. The dancing muse thing became a secret fetish in my adult years. My revised fantasy is to produce a Xanadu-inspired fashion show, staring Rick Owens.

2. Where is your favorite place to shop for a fashion bargain in the DC Area? I admit it. The local Target has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. Especially now that designers like Raffe, Thomas O’Brien and Issey Miyake are on board. Payless Shoe Source has also stepped up their styles with their Patricia Fields line which I adore. [the DCGF: I bought the Saki Pump, which is awesome, but no longer available at Payless. Patricia Fields Online, however, still has a couple of sizes left!]

3. Where is your favorite place to shop for a fashion bargain outside the DC area? I’m truly more of an Internet budget fashionista. I’m totally addicted to Ebay. I consider it the equivalent of Internet porn for bargain hunters [the DCGF: Her term, not mine!]. Discovering that elusive hidden gem inside such a massive market is a totally Zen-like experience. How satisfying is it to stumble upon something utterly fabulous obviously under appreciated buy its seller? I’ll never forget the time I picked up a brand new La Perla peignoir for twelve dollars and thirty-seven cents, complete with store packaging and retail tags attached… Fashion nirvana indeed.

4. Who is your current favorite designer? Currently…Catherine Malandrino. OK I’m biased. Her designs actually make up about 50% DesignerLaundry.com’s inventory. But now that I’ve gotten so intimate with her style, I’m hooked. She clearly appreciates femininity and cuts her clothes to flatter a real woman’s figure, but on the other hand she can be edgy and totally modern. Her repertoire is huge. Ranging anywhere from sumptuous Baby Alpaca and Cashmere knits to flouncy pastel dresses reminiscent of what I wore to prom. Her clothes just make you feel all girly and pretty, and at the end of the day, isn’t that secretly what every woman wants?

5. If you could own any single item from fashion past or present - money is no object! - what would it be? Wow that’s tough. Especially since I already used up my Xanadu answer. How about an era rather than a specific piece? I’ve always been oddly attracted to Renaissance fashion. Without sounding too cliché, I thought the costumes from Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette were to die for.

When I was a little girl I used to draw these highly-detailed pictures of cotillion ladies dressed up in thousands of layers of silk and petticoats. They looked like wedding cakes with heads, arms, and heels. I loved the tightly corseted waists and overflowing cleavage. Or maybe I just love Renaissance couture because the style would force the cleavage out of me. Being the product of parents that resembled Twiggy and Ringo Starr, I need all the help I can get ;)

Bonus Question: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop? I’m really more of a Teuscher truffle fan. With it comes to fashion I’m a bargain hunter, but candy whimsy leans more towards the decadent!

Well, gee, don't we all want to sit around eating our truffles while wearing beautifully corseted silk gowns? Great answers, Christina, I have to admit, although I'm still trying to figure out that Twiggy/Ringo Starr thing. It could work...

Perhaps you, dear readers, are thinking - what a great job she has! Well, you don't need to run your own blog and website to be fashionably charitable. Remember that anyone who sells items on eBay can donate a percentage of the selling price of their merchandise to a nonprofit of their choice by participating in eBay's Giving Works program. And guess what? Goodwill of Greater Washington is a participating nonprofit! Have questions? Check out their page for sellers and it will help you get started. Nice...