One Love: Rose Mortem supports the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children

Starting in June, we’ll be donating 5% of all profits to the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC).  In time, I hope we can increase it.

There are so many inspiring and worthwhile causes to donate your time and money to, and selecting the official charity for Rose Mortem was a difficult decision.  My reasons for choosing the ICMEC in particular comes from my experiences as a mother, and as someone who has worked closely with the textile and garment making industry for many years.

When we chose to source fabrics only from companies who were complying with child labor laws and fair trade practices, we discovered just how ambivalent and dismissive many companies are on these issues.  It was as though the fabric stores in the United States simply assumed that because they were able to buy the fabric from their suppliers at all, those suppliers must be meeting the humanitarian standards of the US.  This just is not the case.  One sales rep at a major fabric supplier in the US actually responded to our inquiry with the question, “What is fair trade?”  They literally did not know that the fabrics they were purchasing from countries like India and China were at a very high risk of being produced by unethical manufacturers utilizing child labor.

Fair trade is about more than paying a fair price for a product.  It’s about how the person making that product is treated.  There is a direct connection between worker’s rights, and ending child labor.

So, how does child labor relate to missing and exploited children?

The ICMEC works to protect children from the worst kind of child labor: human trafficking.  My attention to child labor issues in general is what drew me further in to learning about the horrors of human trafficking, and the more I learned, the more I wanted to do something to help.  And because Rose Mortem is truly an international company with clients all over the world, I wanted to make sure we supported a cause that all of our clients could be a part of.

RoseMortem.com isn’t a corporate giant.  We’re a niche boutique fashion label.  We don’t have grandiose aspirations of selling thousands and thousands of garments to major retailers.  That’s not what we’re about.  But, that doesn’t mean our contribution will be meaningless.  After all…you’re reading this, and what might you be inspired to do?

We’re calling our charitable initiative “One Love” in honor of U2′s “One.”  As Bono wrote,

One life
You’ve got to do what you should.

ICMEC website: http://www.icmec.org

Plus Size Gothic Best Practices and Best Designs

Finding dark and beautiful plus size clothing used to be nearly impossible.  Several years ago when I started Rose Mortem, the common trend was to charge an extra fee for plus sizes – and some companies still do!  It’s like penalizing someone for being different.

Granted, it does cost more to create an article of clothing in a larger size, and that cost is not strictly related to additional fabric yardage.  Often the entire pattern must be changed to appropriately fit; tops need to be extra long, shoulder openings need to be a little looser.  The pattern grading process changes significantly, especially for custom sizing.

However, I still chose to never charge more for plus sizing.  The reason is simple: I just don’t believe that the additional fabric or work involved justifies it.  I would rather eat the cost than worry about the extra twenty minutes I had to put in to adjusting a pattern or the extra ten dollars for additional fabrics.  The bottom line, to me, is karma.

This karma-conscious attitude towards business has definitely been the best one to have, because Rose Mortem has done fantastically well.  I’m still overwhelmed by it at times.  And we’re still growing.  THANK YOU. 

With the above in mind, I’ve decided to share my three favorite Rose Mortem gown designs that I believe are best for plus-sized clients.  That doesn’t mean my other designs aren’t also going to look lovely in a plus size; it just means that these are my personal favorites.  These do the following:
- they visually elongating the torso
- they visually narrow the hips
- they cover upper arms

I hope you enjoy them!

Lavande Gown by Rose Mortem

1. Lavande Gown: Perfect because it features pronounced princess seams that are accented with cording.  This immediately lengthens the body visually.  The ribbon lacing at the bodice is ideal for subtle accentuation of the bust, but the neckline isn’t so low that it risks exposure!  Of course, the raised front hemline is ultra-dramatic, but fortunately comes just at the knee instead of high on the thighs.  This gives the design a sexy edge and lets you show off your fabulous boots, without making it all about leg.

Jessamine Dress by Rose Mortem

2. Jessamine Dress: Ideal because it also features accented princess seams and accentuation of the bust with a little bodice lacing.  The skirting length is short enough to be flirtatious without being a mini.  The beautiful drape sleeves are slit up to the shoulder which means the dress can even be worn in the summer months, but it features a small tie closure at the elbow to still keep upper arms delicately hidden.

Coriandre Gown by Rose Mortem

3. Coriandre Gown: Beautifully full and flowing, the Coriandre Gown features floor-length double layered circle skirting that cascades from an empire waistline bodice with long sleeves.  The simple elegance of this gown still enchants me after many years.  Because the skirting is so incredibly full, it easily creates a generous drape around even the fullest of figures.  The sheer length of the gown serves to elongate, bringing the focus up to the simple open neckline which is perfectly shows off feminine decolletage.

Rocking the Red Hair

I think hair color has the potential to transform your life. 

I’m not saying that dying your hair purple will make you interesting – that part is up to you.  But, I’ve found that maintaining an atypical hair color often causes people to react differently to me, and that reaction serves as a daily reminder to me of why I choose to look the way I do to begin with.  For me, it’s because I am committed to living a different kind of life; a life that isn’t focused on buying things and consuming them.  I love to break down stereotypes, and show the other moms that I’m just as caring and committed to my child’s welfare as they are; or show the CEO of the company I’m meeting with that I’m just as intelligent and educated as they are.  I know a lot of them still assume that, because of my hair color, I’m somehow not as responsible, mature, or reliable as someone with less interesting hair.  But I want to make the world a better place, so I’m keeping my strange hair color and I’m proving them wrong, one at a time. 

The world has really started to catch on.  My husband was recently visiting a very conservative corporation, and met with a creative director there who had a rather stunning Mohawk.  That, to me, is a huge victory!  And it’s a victory that could not have happened twenty years ago, and not without the people who have broken down the negative stereotypes.

An atypical hair color can now give the impression that someone is independent, innovative, and different — and those qualities now also mean you are more worth knowing.  The world is changing; even the corporate machine has realized that having some innovators is actually more important that having more cogs. 

And sometimes, just being treated like you’re special is all it takes to remind you that you are.

The #1 email/comment/question I receive is about my hair color!!  I’ve decided to share my recipe for my luscious dark burgundy here:
Please note: My hair has been every color imaginable, and I’ve worked with models and stylists professionally for fifteen years, but I’m NOT a professional stylist.  This is simply the process that I’ve found to work for me and for several other people I’ve worked with!

– How you start depends on what you’ve already done with your hair, and what color it currently is.  If your hair has been dyed black or very dark brown, lifting the color to a medium cool brown will be necessary.  Since bleaching can leave your hair too porous for permanent color, use a semi-permanent (level 2) medium cool brown hair color after bleaching.  If your hair has never been dyed, I still suggest using a semi-permanent (level 2) medium cool brown to get your hair to the optimum starting point. 
– Start with getting your hair to a medium *cool* brown or mahogany.  Often when dark reds are layered over warm shades (gold-toned browns, blonde, or lighter reds), they end up having orange/brass undertones.  Starting with a cool brown has helped me to keep my red from becoming orange or pink. 
– Once your hair is a cool medium brown, apply plenty of Manic Manic Vampire Red to completely DRY, UNWASHED hair.  Apply petrolatum jelly (Vaseline) around the hairline prior to applying Manic Panic to prevent staining on the skin. 
– Leave the color on for AT LEAST one hour; I usually leave on for about 80 minutes.
– Rinse with the coolest water possible; do not use shampoo.  Simply rinse, rinse, rinse.
– Do not wash hair for 24 hours.  Use a shampoo and conditioner for colored hair.
– Enjoy your fabulousness!

Introduction

Coming up on the 14 year anniversary of RoseMortem.com has reminded me to reflect upon all of the things one can learn and accomplish in that amount of time.  It was long enough to grow a hobby in to a full-blown enterprise, long enough to bring my two sons in to the world, long enough to meet many inspiring and amazing people who became clients and friends.  I realized with great happiness that the thing I enjoy most about running RoseMortem.com is also the reason for the label’s tremendous success: this company’s goal is to help make people’s dreams come true, to help them feel beautiful, to give them the clothing that helps to reflect just how unique and lovely they are on the inside.

I cannot thank my clients enough for sharing their creativity, beauty and support with me over the years.

It seems only fitting that I find a way to give the things I’ve learned and care about back to all of you.  To that end, I’ve created the official RoseMortem.com blog, where I hope to share a bit of everything from my adventures with weight loss and skin care to fabric and fashion guides to my latest musical and literary obsessions.   I hope you’ll also continue to share your thoughts and dreams with me here.

Enjoy!

~Rose