Category Archives: Events

Women Artists at the SAM

Last year the Seattle Art Museum had an exhibit of women artists. People like Frieda Kahlo and Tamara de Lempicka. Of course photos weren’t allowed in the travelling exhibit. Fortunately SAM also curated a collection of women artists’ work from their permanent collection–and I took photos of those.

I wait for the day when artists are artists, regardless of gender and we don’t need a special event just to give women the opportunity to have their art seen. However, male artists still seem to dominate galleries and I was grateful for the chance to see so many talented women’s creations who would otherwise be in the shadow of their male peers.

Suzy Frelinghuysen

Suzy Frelinghuysen

Maude Irving Kerns

Maude Irving Kerns

Maude Irving Kerns

Another Maude Irving Kerns

Lee Krasner

Lee Krasner

Joan Mitchell

Joan Mitchell

Helen Frankenthaler

Helen Frankenthaler

Ghada Amer

Ghada Amer

Charmiond von Wiegand

Charmiond von Wiegand

Alice Trumbull Mason

Alice Trumbull Mason

Abie Loy Kamerre

Abie Loy Kamerre

To say that these artists are similar to Rothko, Klee, Kandinsky, Picasso, Gris, or others doesn’t serve these women. They are all amazing artists in their own right, regardless of their male counterparts.

Some, like Abie Loy Kamerra and Ghada Amer are working today. Others, like Suzy Frelinghuysen and Joan Mitchell, painted in the mid- to latter part of the 20th Century. They hail from France, America, Egypt, Australia and beyond. If some of these jump out at you, I encourage you to look up the artists online and learn more about them. There’s a treasure trove of great artists to discover!

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Filed under Art, Events, Feminism

Getting Ready for Summer with Pure Barre

All the cute outfits in the world aren’t worth it if you don’t feel good.

For me, feeling good starts on the inside, with a healthy vegan diet and plenty of sleep. Physical activity is crucial too. I’ve always enjoyed being active. The gym is a chore, but hiking, biking and roller derby have held my interest. Recently, I discovered Pure Barre. It’s a fantastic antidote to my desk job.

Jean and Hannah

Here I am with Hanna, one of the inspiring Pure Barre instructors, at a recent open house.

Pure Barre is a challenging workout that uses a ballet barre, stretching, strengthening, and isometric poses. I went when a friend invited me to a class and I thought, “how hard can it be?” Was I in for a surprise!

It’s a workout great for all ages, body types and skill levels, but it isn’t easy! I worked muscles that hadn’t had a lot of use, and I felt it! Classes focus on working abs, seat, and thigh, and there are upper body weight components too. The goal is a strong, lean body.

The first class left me sore (in a good way) for days. I knew this workout would change me so I signed up for more. Now, a few months in, I see results! I have obliques. My abs are flatter. I have more defined quads. I can do “real” push-ups, and a 90-second plank. I love that class is still challenging and that I will always be able to improve and grow.

If you haven’t heard of Pure Barre, here’s an intro from their site. There are over 300 studios in 42 states. Your first class is free, so why not try?

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Filed under Events, Healthy Living

Anniversary Date

It’s hard to believe that December 24th marked my 8th wedding anniversary to hubby.

the happy couple

It’s a busy week, with Christmas and New Year in the mix, but we made time to get downtown to ride the Seattle Great Wheel, a 175-foot-tall waterfront Ferris wheel.

hubby

me

The views it offers are spectacular.

After riding the wheel, we wandered around downtown, peeking in storefronts and watching last-minute shoppers trying to complete their lists.

It’s hard to find places to eat dinner on our anniversary, because a lot of restaurants close early on Christmas Eve. Luckily, hotels are often the exception. We ate in the Boka Restaurant in the Hotel 1000. They had a great chickpea burger, which surprisingly went well with champagne!

drinksAfter dinner, we crossed the street to another hotel, the Alexis, and had a celebratory drink in their bar, called, oddly enough, The Bookstore.

I wouldn’t be a very responsible fashion blogger if I didn’t at least mention my outfit. Under my cozy pink scarf and warm, wool-free coat (by Vaute Couture), I had on this outfit.

anniversary outfit

Blazer: Bebe via Goodwill
Top: Swapped
Leggings: Fred Meyer’s
Pleather boots: Diba
Vegan purse: Stella McCartney
Necklace: Swapped

black and gray

satin blazer

all black outfit

I hope you had a great Christmas. Happy New Year!

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Filed under Ethical, Events, Fashion

Lucite Heels and a Wrap Dress

When I say lucite heels, you might picture plastic soles from the ’70s, like these:

goldfish shoes

Or maybe your mind went to a clear heel of the exotic dancer variety, like these:

stripper shoes

But I bet you didn’t think of a wearable shoe like the ones I recently bought:

qupid shoes

I wore my faux-leather, clear-heeled sandals with a purple Hawaiian floral patterned wrap dress I bought in NYC this past summer.

wrap dress

Dress: BEBENOIR
Tank top: Swapped
Pleather shoes: Qupid
Vegan leather purse: Shiraleah

Hawaiian pattern dress

I think the look is elegant and appropriate for the fashion show I attended with Mr. Jean of all trades at Neiman Marcus. (Click to enlarge.) The show was fun, but it was full of wool, leather and even fur. Boo for that. One ray of hope is that Stella McCartney’s fabric purses adorned many of the models. The world is slowly changing.

fashion show collage

Here are a few other transparent-heeled shoes I have my eye on (these are all by Cri de Coeur, one of my favorite ethical shoe brands):

Cri de Coeur collage

Have you considered clear heels? If so, I know a shop where you can get a matching, vintage purse!

Oh, I’m joining Style Elixir for a link-up. See what everyone else is wearing!

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Filed under Events, Fashion

Floral Dress for a New York Day

I’m in New York again! I’m having such a fantastic time and I’m so busy that I’m almost forgetting to blog! I’m here with my parents and so far we’ve gone to dance performances, flea markets, jazz concerts, museums, and vegan restaurants–I even got my hair cut here. We still have Shakespeare and comedy on the agenda.

Today we went to a fantastic event in Soho called The Seed. It’s a plant-based experience complete with vegan food, cooking demos, beauty products, clothing, animal rescue organizations, and fabulous speakers. I got to see Lois Eastlund again too–she’s the designer I met last year. You might remember her name from the mint dress I posted. In fact, Lois told me about the event. I’m so glad she did! I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this!

cinnamon snail

Dress: Forever 21
Shoes: Reneu
Purse: Crystalyn Kae

I was in heaven before I even entered the building. The Cinnamon Snail vegan food truck was selling scrumptious sandwiches outside.

food truck

Once inside, I posed on the red carpet before checking out the booths.

the seed

I found one of my favorite handbag companies–Gunas–and they were having a sale!

gunas

I got to meet Jenny Brown of Woodstock Animal Sanctuary, and Tha Vegan Dread, a professional bodybuilder (who’s as nice as he is strong).

jenny and jean

tha vegan dread

After looking at all sorts of products and learning about great animal organizations, we headed over to Mooshoes, a vegan shoe store that happened to be having a shop-up event with baked goods and other vegan product from local vendors.

mooshoes

shop up

The Seed is yet another reason why I love New York!

I’m linking up to Visible Monday today. See what all the other bloggers are up to.

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Filed under Ethical, Events, Fashion

Ten Years of Roller Derby

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Rat City Rollergirls, Seattle’s roller derby team. I can’t believe it’s been a decade. I was a founding member and it seems like yesterday.

It all started in 2004, when my friend Lilly asked a group of her friends (myself included) if we wanted to start a roller derby league with her. She’d fallen in love with the sport after watching the Texas Rollergirls play in Austin.

Meeting One was between Hurricane Lilly and two of her friends, Rae’s Hell and Dixie Dragstrip. Meeting Two expanded to seven. I remember meeting in a living room and planning what would become part of the fabric of Seattle–although we had no idea at the time.

founding members

We researched locations, looked into things like insurance and marketing, and planned fundraisers, media strategies and recruiting events. The league needed uniforms, coaches, managers, players–everything! It was almost a full-time job, and we all had jobs!

We were engineers, writers, developers, baristas, managers, you name it. We combined our skills and passion and built up the league from humble beginnings in a rink in White Center to Key Arena! I never played at the Key though. I played at the hangars at Magnusson in front of 1500 screaming fans, but after season one, I retired.

I’m Jean of all Trades, and I didn’t have the commitment to devote to one thing. I was busy with motorcycles, art, animal rights, and I had a boyfriend and friends to fit into the mix (not to mention a new job).

skates and helmet

But I’ll always remember the year and a half that I was Lady Die #83. I met powerful women, made great friends, and reached a level of athleticism I didn’t know I had.

Lady Die 83

I’d highly recommend catching a bout and celebrating season ten. Roller derby has exploded onto the scene in the last decade and there are other leagues in Washington State, the country, and all over the world. There’s probably one near you. If you go to a Rat City bout, you’ve got to cheer for Grave Danger, my former team.

grave danger season one

(starting back row, left to right) Edie Brickwall, Daisy Mayhem, PamOpticon, Lil’ Hateful, Sake Bomb, Bruise Lee, Lisa Lawless, Rettig to Rumble, Lady Die, Darcy Rant, Tashya Round, Ann Munition, Jinx (Photo by Lilly Warner)

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Filed under Events, General

Visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass

I recently visited Chihuly Garden and Glass, an exhibition, garden and theater showcasing the life’s work of Dale Chihuly.

chihuly glass and space needle

The exhibit is new to the Seattle Center. It’s a permanent collection housed in a new building under the Space Needle–and it’s worth a visit. I was impressed with the size of the collection and with the variety of styles.

When I see a chandelier like these (Beneroya Hall has a couple, and there’s one in the foyer of Lincoln Center in Bellevue), I recognize it immediately as a Chihuly. I was lucky to see many of these pieces at the exhibit, and I got to see a film about how they’re made.

The neutral vessels in one room were delicate and subdued compared to what I imagine a Chihuly to be. They fit in perfectly with woven baskets.

The glass garden was a sight to behold. Chihuly’s work is organic and imperfect. These pictures can’t show the scale. The glass balls were about three feet high!

This breath-taking display was also larger than life. In the film about Chihuly, I saw him and his staff throwing similar floats into the water. Amazing! Floats were originally made to keep fishing nets afloat, so I know they must be durable. Still, it seemed so reckless. Great fun though. The beautiful floats in the film were sent downstream for an art installation on a small island and under a bridge.

boat and floats

Chihuly’s work fits into the natural environment and that’s probably why the glass garden was so mesmerizing. It was hard to separate the artificial from the living. In summer, this garden will be stunning!

I got to walk around Chihuly’s work, and even under it. The glasswork in the ceiling cast colorful shadows. I saw a similar installation in Tacoma, where a glass bridge welcomes visitors to the Museum of Glass.

Similar vessels were on display in a room where I got up close and could appreciate the variations in the glass colors and patterns.

I’ve taken a couple of glass-blowing classes and I have a true appreciation for the art and craft of glass art. It’s an amazing combination of creativity, physical labor and chemistry.

Jean at the museum

Have you been to a glass museum? I highly recommend Chihuly Garden and Glass if you’re ever in Seattle.

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Filed under Art, Events

Celebrating Thanksgiving at Plum Bistro

I blogged about my Thanksgiving feast on my vegan blog yesterday and I thought enjoying delicious food is something everyone loves, so I’m reposting my experience here.

For Thanksgiving this year, hubby treated me to a four-course meal at Plum Bistro, a vegan restaurant in Seattle. Most restaurants were closed today, but Plum had a special prix fixe menu. Hubby thought it would be nice to eat without cooking or cleaning up. He was right!

We started our meal with roasted heirloom carrots and Brussels sprouts with a maple and thyme glaze. I could have gone home happy at this point, but there was more.

starter

Our appetizer was Plum’s famous smoky mac and yease. It was creamy and delicious–vegan comfort food at its finest.

mac and yease

For the main course, we dined on smoked seitan roast with gravy and cornbread stuffing. The stuffing, with cranberry reduction on the side was so satisfying I didn’t need dessert.

main course

But when dessert came–a bourbon chocolate pecan pie–I didn’t hesitate to devour it. It was drizzled with caramel, covered with a dollop of smooth, dairy-free whipped cream, and garnished with pomegranate seeds and a pecan.

pecan pie

I have a lot to be thankful for, and this meal was no exception! I enjoyed a cruelty-free meal and I loved seeing everyone in the packed restaurant enjoying healthy, vegan food too.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. If you’re in Seattle, you’ve got to visit Plum!

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Filed under Ethical, Events, General, Healthy Living

The Lure of Horror Film

October is a spooky month–perfect for a visit to the scary exhibit at Seattle’s EMP museum: The Lure of Horror Film.

Can't look away

Truth be told, I’d rather laugh than be scared, but I was intrigued by the exhibit. And despite not being a die-hard horror fan, I’d seen a lot of the movies featured in the exhibit, which made it extra fun to see the props used in the film.

spooky selfie

The exhibit was curated by three horror film directors: Roger Corman, John Landis, and Eli Roth. They’ve put together a terrific collection, including a scream booth, movie artifacts, a shadow monster installation and horror soundscapes. Examples like:

The axe from The Shining:

shining axe

A stick man from The Blair Witch Project:

Blair Witch man

The alien creature suit from Alien:

Alien suit

Props from The Fly:

The Fly

Jason’s hockey mask and machete from Friday the 13th:

Mask from Friday the 13th

And a zombie suit from Michael Jackson’s Thriller:

zombie suit from Thriller

One of the scarier things I found in the museum was not intentional. I took a few pictures in the reflective ceiling in the EMPs expansive atrium. The combination of curved metal and screws turned us into monsters of sorts.

Are you going to see the show? What do you have to be scared of?

scream gallery

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Filed under Architecture, Events, Film

Art, Albums and Vintage Clothing

A couple of weeks ago–I can’t believe it’s been that long–I had two invitations for the same evening: One for an art show and the other for a store opening. Never one to miss out, I went to both. First hubby and I went to eat at an Indian restaurant in Issaquah, a quaint town just east of Seattle. I dressed for dinner, the art show, and the grand opening. orange and caramel

Fox Sweater: Old Navy
Skirt: Forever 21
Boots: MIA
Cuff: Rogue City Killers
Bag: Snap Designs

After dinner, we headed over to ArtEAST, an art gallery that also offers art classes. I’ve taken a couple of classes there and really had fun! On this occasion I saw a whole new batch of paintings, sculptures, and photos.

I enjoyed a lot of the works, along with a glass of wine, and then we had to leave.

The next stop was Seattle’s Phinney Ridge neighborhood, where Beats and Bohos was having a party. My friend and fellow blogger Citizen Rosebud sells vintage apparel on consignment from this shop and it was great to see her. Our mutual friend, stylist and blogger Catie Beatty was also there and we chatted and sipped on bevvies while we perused the displays.

art at Beats and Bohos

Last stop of the evening was a nightcap at a well-known Seattle institution: Carmelita’s. This vegetarian restaurant is closing because its owners are retiring. I’m going to miss it so I said good-bye with a glass of sangria.

I’ve linked up with Lena B Actually, Rachel the Hat, and The Life of the Party. Have a look at what everyone else is wearing!

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Filed under Art, Events, Fashion, Thrifty