Tag Archives: vegan

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!

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Filed under Ethical, Fashion

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

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

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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Filed under Ethical, Fashion

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

August 13, 2015 · 11:10 pm

Bermuda Shorts and Basket-weave Top

Seattle’s summer is showing no signs of slowing down—and I’m not complaining! I love the warm weather. In summer I gravitate toward dresses, but shorts are a nice change.

Bermuda shorts

Top: Damselfly Seattle
Shorts: Saltworks via swapped
Shoes: Aerosoles
Purse: Crystalyn Kae
Bracelet: Brooklyn flea market

Shorts are usually too short and casual for work, but Bermuda-length shorts are fine in creative and/or casual environments.

woven-pattern top

I wore these to work with a loose top. I was drawn to this pattern because it looked like a thick, woven fabric. It’s an illusion—the pattern is printed on the fabric.

I like the dark background and how the top incorporates so many colors. It means I can wear this with almost anything. I like it with denim (so the denim shorts are a good fit), but it will look great with any solid pant or short.

shorts and sandals

I met up with Crystalyn Kae at Urban Craft Uprising this past July and I ended up with a cute lime green cross-body purse. Adorable, isn’t it?

Crystalyn Kae purse

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Filed under Ethical, Fashion, Thrifty

Tagged as Crystalyn Kae, sandals, shorts, style, vegan

August 6, 2015 · 10:45 pm

White Shorts and a Sweater

I love the look of a long-sleeved top with shorts. But it’s not always practical. If it’s cool enough for a sweater, it’s usually too cold for shorts. If it’s hot enough for shorts, who wants to wear a sweater?

coral sweater

Sweater: H&M
Shorts: Old Navy
Shoes: BHAVA Studio
Sunglasses: Convenience Store

On a summer day with a bit of cloud coverage, I knew this combo would work. As the sun set, I was right. My legs weren’t too cold, and the cotton sweater was perfect in summer evening.

shorts and a sweater

I chose my white jean shorts because they’re sturdy (aka not transparent). A lot of white fabrics are sheer and seams and underwear show through. White denim is a perfect solution.

white shorts

My BHAVA shooties are making another appearance. I predicted they would, they’re just so comfortable and versatile!

Floral Pants and Shooties

Okay, okay, I know. “Shooties” (shoes + booties) is a silly word like “jeggings.” But if “skorts” and “brunch” have staying power, maybe “shooties” will too.

floral pants

Cardi: Goodwill
T-shirt: Old Navy
Pants: Terra Cotta
Shoes: BHAVA Studio

I styled these floral pants on the blog last summer and the summer before, but the shooties are new. They’re by a vegan company called BHAVA Studio. These opened-toed booties are terrific for summer but will carry me through fall as well.

coral and floral

I’m looking forward to wearing my new footwear with shorts, pants, dresses—they’ll go with practically everything.

BHAVA

Another item that looks great with everything—especially bright colors—a simple white t-shirts. I don’t wear them often, but they’re classic and don’t fight for attention with busy patterns. So I went with a white T this time.

semi-sheer pants

Safari Jacket with Scarf and Jeans

No, I’m not heading out on safari, but I am wearing a handy safari-style jacket. I found this in Vancouver, and as soon as I checked to make sure the sleeves were faux leather, I bought it.

Jacket: Bedo
Jeans: Suzy Shier
Sweater: Express
Scarf: Bebenoir
Boots: Novacas
Tote: Crystalyn Kae

It works well with lots of outfits, but this time, I paired it with a bright sweater and scarf with a bird motif (Put a bird on it!).

I’ve been trying to shop locally, buy sustainably, and support fair trade brands. I find these types of articles last longer, even though they often cost more–so it evens out. Of course it will take a while to convert my wardrobe to the ethical closet I want it to be, but with each outfit, I try to incorporate such pieces.

For this outfit, my Novacas boots fit the bill. Made in Portugal, from green (non-leather) materials, the company prides itself in good working conditions and fair wages.

My tote is glazed fabric and handmade by Crystalyn Kae, so it counts too (made in the USA, small business, sustainable, and ethical). I love her work and I’d encourage you to check out the line. She was one of the first brands to reach out to me to review a product, and I fell in love with her bags.

I’m joining the Penniless Socialite, Rachel the Hat, and Happiness at Mid-Life for link-ups. See what everyone else is wearing!