(Courtesy of PeopleTree.co.uk)

Emma Watson strikes us as the type of intelligent, thoughtful actress who really considers the impact her fashion choices can have on her young fans. So we are pleased to see this open letter on fair-trade brand People Tree’s website posted by the Harry Potter star, following a summer trip to Bangladesh with People Tree founder Safia Minney:

The contrast between the slums in Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh) where the people who work in the garment factories live and Swallows (the Fair Trade community supported by People Tree) was all too apparent. …

I cannot imagine how I would have the mental ability and strength to go into the garment factories in the slums everyday and have my children living six hundred miles away.

We interviewed a woman in the slum in Dhaka. She was very candid about the fact that there just wasn’t any hope for her. There is no hope for anyone living in those conditions and being paid that kind of wage. Coming to Swallows I see that there is an alternative.

The living conditions are modest but it’s clean and there is a real sense of community, their families are together and they seem to love and be proud of what they are doing – many things that we in the West take for granted.

Swallows is special and I need to believe for my own peace of mind that there will be more places like this in the developing countries in the world.

The whole interview is worth reading for its candid look at the benefits fair-trade manufacturing offers workers, and it concludes with a video of Ms. Watson touring Bangladesh and modeling People Tree’s fall collection.

(Courtesy of Jezebel.com)

Jezebel is really on the ball lately when it comes to spotting photoshop disasters in fashion advertising. The latest offender: London Fog, which recently hired Mad Men‘s curvaceous Christina Hendricks to star in its fall ad campaign.

The trouble is, her famous curves are way less recognizable after London Fog’s photo retouchers overzealously took the Liquefy filter to her waist, hips, and even her wrists. The proof is in these photos — candids from the shoot compared with the finished product. There’s really no question that she’s been digitally slimmed down.

Why any brand would go to the trouble to hire Christina Hendricks — the proud poster child for curvy girls — and then change her proportions in post-production is beyond us. Talk about missing the forest for the trees.

(Courtesy of Harper's Bazaar U.K.)

Interesting data analysis of the makeup of models and celebrities on the September covers of the 29 mainstream fashion magazines currently on newsstands, courtesy of Jezebel.com:

Number of people on all the covers of these magazines: 48 (including six people with covers of LOVE, not pictured)
Number of covers featuring Gisele Bündchen: 2 (counting one cover of LOVE, not pictured)
Number of covers featuring Naomi Campbell: 2
Number of covers featuring Kate Moss: 2
Number of covers featuring Lady Gaga: 2
Number of covers featuring one or more people of color: 6
Total number of people of color on all of these magazines: 12
12 out of 48 makes: 25%

The data also shows that of the 48, ten of the cover girls (women?) are over 40 and the oldest star in the glossies is Lauren Hutton at age 66. Dakota Fanning, at 16, is the youngest. And there is only one man: Tom Cruise, on Harper’s Bazaar Japan. And as previously noted, this is the first time in 21 years that a black woman — Halle Berry, in this instance — scored the September cover of American Vogue.

So while there isn’t a ton of gender or racial diversity (and regrettably, zero plus-size models or celebrities made a cover this month), at least there’s some variety this year as compared to Septembers past. Progress is slow but it’s a-coming.

(Courtesy of Vogue.com)

If you’ve ever watched the documentary The September Issue, you know just how important the fall fashion is at Vogue headquarters — and by extension, for fashion followers around the world.

So with Halle Berry gracing the cover of the biggest issue of the year, it’s somewhat mystifying why it’s been 21 years since a black woman had the honor. Naomi Campbell appeared on it in 1989, and since then? Nada.

Really, Vogue? No Beyoncé, no Rihanna, no Liya Kebede, not even Michelle Obama had the opportunity in the ’00s? Or going back into the ’90s: Tyra Banks, Alek Wek, and Ms. Berry herself, all blacklisted, as it were?

Speaking of Halle, even she acknowledged in the interview that it was long overdue:

The only reason she is submitting now, she says, is that Vogue made her an offer she couldn’t refuse: the September cover. ”What that means for a woman of color and what that means in the fashion world, what that means to pop culture, there was no way I could say, ‘No, I’m not going to be on the biggest issue of the year.’”

There’s no good reason for such a long drought, and with so many accomplished black women working in Hollywood and the fashion industry today, it would be shameful if we have to wait until 2030 for the next September cover girl of color to appear on the newsstands.

(via The Cut)

Over on Tesco’s U.K. website, The O.C. actress Mischa Barton is promoting 10 bags reportedly of her making.

However, we can’t help but notice the similarities between one of her bags and a design by a favorite eco-designer of ours, Novella Royale.

A key difference between the Mischa Barton Oversized Bowler (£45, or $70.25 in USD, pictured on the left) and the Novella Royale Mister Stud Bowler ($584, on the right) is that while Novella Royale prides itself on its high-quality recycled leather and organic cotton lining, the Tesco bag is made from polyurethane in Asian factories. Boo.

What do you think, E.S. readers? Is the similarity a coincidence or suspicious to you?

High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens looks totally adorable in boyfriend Zac Efron’s plaid shirt, and with a few easy DIY tips courtesy of the Prom Mafia, you too could be rocking the feminized version of the classic men’s button-down.

All you’ll need is an old shirt from your dad, brother, boyfriend, or BFF, some simple tailoring to emphasize the waist, and easy alterations to the sleeves. (Follow along with the visual aids here.)

Wear it as a minidress with espadrilles like Vanessa, or with leggings or jeans if you’re less daring about bare legs. The men’s detailing means you have license to go hog wild with jewelry and accessories, so have at it!

Call us fangirls because the shoe fits: We fell in love with Ellen Page in Juno, cheered her on in Whip It, and we’ll be first in line when Inception comes out tomorrow.

But what we didn’t know is that Ellen is also a big-time greenie, and that just makes us love her even more.

Ecorazzi.com has the proof: She has studied permaculture while shoveling manure in Eugene, Ore., for a month after filming Juno; she was snapped by the paparazzi looking at sustainably-built condos in Los Angeles; she drives a Smart Car; she says she and Leonardo DiCaprio talked “about the ecological situation” while filming Inception; and she appears in the environmental documentary 2012: Time for a Change.

Could showing some love for eco-designers on her next red carpet be next? We certainly hope so!

Grotesque photoshop jobs are most often a women’s issue, affecting more female models than male. But now athlete Lance Armstrong — who is currently competing for his eighth Tour de France title — knows what it feels like to see the finished product bear little resemblance to reality.

And he’s not happy about it.

On the July cover of Outside magazine, the cyclist poses in a tee-shirt that reads “38. BFD.” (That is to say, he is 38 years old and is still a big freakin’ deal.) Only problem is, the shirt he really wore was blank; the editors added in the copy in post-production.

Annoyed at the revisionist history, Mr. Armstrong used his Twitter account to call the retouching job “lame” and “weak.”

And if he was really unaware that he’d be depicted wearing something with an arrogant slogan, we’re inclined to agree.

The deliciousness of a three-day weekend looms just within reach, and the writers at E.S. wish you all a happy Independence Day.

On that note, want more inspirational stories on free-thinking designers showing serious moxie? We’ve got you covered for reading material:

• Indie rocker Morrissey offers his candid reasons for why he makes allowances for leather shoes, even though he’s a vegan.
• These small businesses are sticking to their ideals and succeeding at every turn.
• Help silk weavers in Thailand achieve financial independence by buying one of these fair-trade silk shirts and scarves by Kohtrad. Part of the proceeds support microfinance programs overseas through Kiva.org.
• Want to know what you’re really getting when you buy organic? Independent third-party certification is the way to go.
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, our favorite independent movie star, also shows serious commitment to eco-ideals in fashion.

Enjoy the break, and we’ll be back at you on Tuesday.

We love Christina Hendricks for so many reasons, but now we have a new one: She has enough body confidence that she doesn’t let the fashion critics get her down with insensitive, body-shaming comments.

The 35-year-old star of Mad Men tells the July/August issue of Health magazine:

“I made the grave mistake after one awards show of reading comments online about what I wore, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, people are so mean!’” Hendricks reveals. “I still remember all those negative comments, despite all the wonderful positivity. That’s why we’re all in therapy!”

Because of the criticism, the newlywed admits she’s surprised to learn she’s often cited as one of the most desirable bodies in Hollywood.

“Really? They dont say Jessica Alba? ‘Cause that’s what I say!” she laughs. “It’s such a compliment, because of all those times I had agents who were like, “You have to lose some weight,” and all of a sudden, people are celebrating it.”

We understand why she doesn’t read blog comments about her looks anymore, but we hope she wouldn’t mind ours. We are big fans of any intelligent, confident actress who is willing to stand up and say she’s healthy and proud of her body, damn the torpedoes.