Category Archives: Fashion

Creative style and experiments.

February 8, 2016 · 4:22 pm

White Shirt and Convertible Boots

Well hello there! I’ve come out of hibernation on this sunny day to show off some new items.

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Shirt: Old Navy
Skirt: Nordstrom
Vegan boots: BHAVA Studio
Wristlet: Crystalyn Kae
Jacket (below): eBay

I’ve heard a crisp, white shirt is a wardrobe must-have. For years, I didn’t own one. Even now, I rarely wear one. It’s hard to keep them clean and neat. I do agree that they go with everything and are a great part of any wardrobe.

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I paired this shirt with a stretchy pencil skirt and a pair of convertible boots. Yes, convertible. I’m wearing an ankle-length boot with boot sleeves for a knee-high effect. I’ll show you the look in ankle length soon.

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These nifty creation are by BHAVA Studio. There’s also an OTK sleeve option if you want extra tall over the knee boots. Love this! What a great travel accessory.

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I hope you’re enjoying February and that a bit of sun is gracing your day. I feel spring in the air, and that makes me happy!

2 Comments

Filed under Ethical, Fashion

Tagged as BHAVA, boots, fashion, pencil skirt, skirt, style, vegan, white shirt

December 31, 2015 · 3:40 pm

Happy New Year!

As 2015 comes to an end I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. It’s been a great year and I’m looking forward to what 2016 brings.

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Jacket: Target
Top: Thrifted
Skirt: Swapped
Tights: H&M
Pleather boots: Guess

I’ve often thought about how to join the themes of this blog and my vegan blog and I think I’ve found a way (don’t worry, Jean of all Trades and Sunshine and Slaughter will still be around). But in case you’ve wondered about what I’m up to in between posts, well, I have tales to tell. I’ll have to wait a bit though, before I spill the beans.

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For now, have a look at what my garden looked like just a few short months ago. In no time, flowers will be blooming again and I will feel the warmth of the sun on my SPF-slathered face.

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Be safe, celebrate with loved ones, and see you in 2016!

4 Comments

Filed under Fashion

Tagged as boots, fashion, skirt, style

December 13, 2015 · 12:48 pm

Cloudy Day Skirt

Today I’m wearing mostly black with red and white accents. Not exactly Christmas-y, but a popular color scheme for me. I often fall into the black (or black and white) with red palette. I try to swap out the pop of red for hot pink or bright yellow but I tent to gravitate to this.

Jacket: Swapped
T-shirt: Target
Tights: H&M
Skirt: OPP
Booties: DSW
Bag: Couch

I won this skirt in a silent auction at last year’s Seattle Area Feline Rescue gala. SAF-R is the rescue groups where I adopted my three cats. The skirt is by Konnyaku, which has since been rebranded as OPP (Other People’s Polyester), a Seattle upcycled/repurposed fashion line.

I love the asymmetrical clouds accents and just how cute and comfy this skirt is. I wore it with black tights and a black T, and made my bag stand out against the dark backdrop.

My bag is made from upcycled automobile vinyl. It was deadstock intended for a Volkswagen. Couch is a company that specializes in guitar straps but also does a great job with bags and wallets.

4 Comments

Filed under Ethical, Fashion

Tagged as fashion, skirt, style, thrifty fashion, upcycling, vegan

November 24, 2015 · 12:03 pm

Punked out Plaid

I buy clothing only if I can wear it with pieces I already own. I also want to make sure I can make it look different with my choice of accessories. This plaid dress is an example of how I like to change things up.

Dress: Kara NY
Boots: Hot Topic
Necklace: DIY
Cuff: Boutique in NY

I wore it with bare legs and big boots for a punky look. These are my dancing boots. They’re very comfortable and if anyone steps on my toes (literally), I’m protected. I made the mistake of wearing sandals to a club once and had someone careless fool’s stiletto heel dig into my foot. Ouch!

I made my necklace from a simple chain, jump loop, and fabric store tassel.

Then I switched things up by adding weather-appropriate tights and a jacket. Totally different vibe! I’m also sporting my Nicora boots. I love Nicora! They’re all vegan, made in LA, and are doing their part to keep the US manufacturing industry alive. We spend billions on footwear in the USA every year but 98% of our shoes are imported. Nicora enables local craftsmen and women to practice their trade. Love that!

Jacket: Swapped
Tights: Target
Boots: Nicora

I got this jacket at a clothing exchange years ago and I still wear it.

Stay warm everyone and have a great Thanksgiving to my US readers! I’ll be sharing a delicious vegan feast with friends and giving thanks that places like Pasado’s rescue turkeys like these two:

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Filed under Dress Up Dress Down, Ethical, Fashion

Tagged as boots, dress, fashion, Nicora, plaid, style, vegan

November 8, 2015 · 12:31 pm

Black and Yellow is all the Buzz

I like bees (we need them to pollinate or we wouldn’t have flowers and produce!) but I hope this outfit doesn’t look too beelike.

Top: Boxhagner Flea Market, Berlin
Pants: See by Chloe
Boots: Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather
Necklace: Boutique in Berlin

My mom asked me to join her style challenge. We’d both bought this black top with matching cami at the Boxi flea market in Berlin. You can see how my mom styled it here (and see the cute donkeys at the animal sanctuary she was at the day of her photo shoot).

I wore yellow pants and new shoes that I also bought in Germany. These faux suede western-inspired booties are by Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather, a vegan French company. I bought them at Veganista, an adorably vegan eco boutique in Munich. (You can read about Veganista in the München section of this post.)

Next time I challenge myself to mix this top into my wardrobe, I might try a contrasting cami and black pants. How would you wear it?

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Filed under Ethical, Fashion

Tagged as boots, colored denim, fashion, Good Guys Don't Wear Leather, jeans, style, vegan, Veganista

October 26, 2015 · 12:07 am

Striped Top and Culottes

My Mayamiko pants arrived! I love the wide, cropped cut and organza trim.

I was recently gifted a Mayamiko top and fell in love with the soft cotton fabric and solid construction. Their mission of helping women struck a chord with me as well. So I ordered these pants when I saw them on the site.

If you order something by Mayamiko, remember that the sizes are UK. I’m a 6-8 and the UK 12 fit perfectly. Of course the elastic waist meant there was wiggle room—I didn’t have to worry about an exact fit.

I paired my culottes with a neat two-tone top from my friend Andrea. She’d contributed it to a recent clothing exchange and I picked it out. I gravitate toward her items because she has fantastic style.

If my boots look familiar, it’s because Andrea wore them in the fashion shoot I linked to in the previous paragraph. I love extending the life of clothes and shoes my sharing among friends. These are in my closet now, and I have a couple of pair of shoes for her.

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Filed under Ethical, Fashion, Thrifty

Tagged as boots, culottes, fashion, Mayamiko, stripes, style, thrifty fashion, vegan

October 2, 2015 · 8:27 am

It’s Plaidurday Again!

In my first year of blogging, I discovered Plaidurday. I had fun with my first post about all things plaid, but sort of forgot about the event until Citizen Rosebud reminded me.

Luckily I just got a new pair of plaid pants.

Blouse: Bebenoir
Pants: Joe’s Jeans
Vegan boots: Cri de Coeur
Cuff: Express

I was innocently returning a skirt at Nordstrom Rack when I spotted these jeans. Normally $180. On sale for $30. How could I resist?

I love their punk rock vibe. I realize a white blouse isn’t very punk, but I can wear these with a black t-shirt too.

I like that the plaid has gray in it, so this will look great with gray or red as well.

Citizen Rosebud is having a Plaidurday link-up, so check out all the tartan lovers over there.

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Filed under Fashion

Tagged as Bebenoir, Cri de Coeur, fashion, plaid, plaidurday, style, tartan

September 28, 2015 · 10:24 pm

Blue Camo Pants and a Denim Shirt

Last time I wore these pants, I paired them with a crisp, white shirt.

Top: Old Navy
Pants: Old Navy
Belt: Couch
Boots: Urban Outfitters

This time, I wore a denim shirt. Funny, how I still wore a red belt. I didn’t notice that until I looked for last year’s post. I guess I’m drawn to blue and red. And I matched my shoes to my hair (accidentally). How many times can you say you’ve done that?

Wearing these blue pants with chambray reminded me of my Rosie the Riveter post from a few years ago. It’s trending again because Halloween is just around the corner. Rosie is such a recognizable (and fun and feminist) character and the costume is so easy to assemble from things you probably already have.

I was happy with my asymmetrical shirt tuck. Shirts often puff out and get bulky so I remedied this by leaving the last few buttons undone and folding the shirt over itself before tucking it in. Surprisingly, this didn’t come undone over the course of the day (although a tank top underneath might be a good safety measure).

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Tagged as camo, camo clothing, camouflage, chambray shirt, fashion, style

September 17, 2015 · 10:12 pm

Striped Dress

I discovered a new brand while shopping my way through Germany. Armed Angels is an fair-trade, organic, eco fashion line that proves ethical fashion is stylish.

Dress: Armed Angels
Coat: Thrifted
Peace necklace: Brooklyn Flea Market
Cuff: Express
Pleather boots: Bucco

I love the quality and details. See how the stripes from the front and back panels line up perfectly? That’s the kind of thing I love. I’ve found great patterned items before and the stripes or whatnot didn’t line up. It drove me crazy and I didn’t buy the pieces.

This dress came from Veganista, a vegan eco boutique I visited in Munich. The shop was fantastic! A cute little place with loads of treasures. Owner Rahel Goldner was so nice and took the time to answer all my questions and show me pieces that I found interesting. It was so exciting to meet other veganistas!

I bought a shirt, a pair of jeans, and a couple of t-shirts from Armed Angels, so expect to see a few more posts down the road.

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Tagged as Armed Angels, boots, dress, ethical, ethical fashion, fashion, organic cotton, stripes, style, vegan

September 13, 2015 · 11:09 pm

Uncommon Jewelry

Have you heard about Uncommon Goods? It’s an online marketplace that showcases unique items from artisans and designers around the world. I’ve shopped the Uncommon Goods catalog in the past because it’s a fantastic place to find gifts—especially ones that are handmade, recycled and organic.

I had a unique opportunity to work with Uncommon Goods and style a couple of pieces of jewelry from their catalog. I chose a cuff and a pendant. Finally something for me!

Pendant and bracelet c/o Uncommon Goods

Artisans in Namibia made this tribal-inspired upcycled pipe cuff (yes, it’s made from actual plastic pipe!) I love it looks like ivory, but is cruelty-free. I learned that all of the Uncommon Goods items are green and sustainable and that they’ve never sold products made with leather, feathers or fur. You know how important that is to me!

The mini rock stack pendant on a silver chain reminds me of the cairns I sometimes see on hiking trails or by the beach. It’s so calming, and I love that I’m supporting artists with this piece. People should make a living wage through their work, and Uncommon Goods advocates for that.

As for styling these pieces, I went with a monochromatic look. The pieces were so nature-inspired, that I thought my black and white leaf-print skirt would work.

Top: Swapped
Skirt: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: Aerosoles

If you’re looking for gifts for others—or treat for yourself—check out the Uncommon Goods site. Besides jewelry, you’ll find art, home goods, garden items, and things for kids.