Tag Archives: vegan

February 1, 2013 · 12:25 am

Red Jacket for National Wear Red Day

It’s National Wear Red Day® again. Last year, I wore a red dress, and today I’m representing in a red jacket. This day is meant to raise awareness about the #1 killer of women: Heart disease.

Jacket: Lulu’s
T-shirt: Target
Skirt: Swapped
Tights: Target
Boots: Lanvin via consignment
Clutch: Alchemy Goods

I wore this jacket at Vegan Thanksgiving, a strange coincidence–if you know me, you’ll know I like to promote a healthy, plant-based lifestyle. The American Heart Association, who sponsors National Wear Red Day®, urges women to control risk factors for heart disease. Many factors, like blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity can be eliminated with healthy food choices. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has a lot of information about how to keep a healthy heart, including:

Eating a low-fat, vegetarian diet
Brisk walking for a half-hour per day or an hour three times per week
Not smoking
Managing stress

Back to the outfit! Did you check out the purse? It’s made of recycled bicycle inter tubes–vegan and green! I love supporting local, ethical, sustainable businesses, and Alchemy Goods fits that bill. They’re right here in Seattle. I bought mine at Click! Design That Fits in West Seattle.

And the shoes? No I didn’t blow a mortgage payment on them (although new, that’s what they’d cost). I found them on consignment at Ragamoffyn’s–for a fraction of the cost of what they’d be new. Not only did I save major bucks, but I don’t like to buy new leather. If it’s second-hand, I consider it recycling.

Are you wearing red today? What are your heart-healthy tips?

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Filed under Ethical, Events, Fashion, Healthy Living, Thrifty

Tagged as alchemy goods, boots, fashion, Lanvin, national red dress day, skirt, style, thrifty fashion, upcycling, vegan

January 27, 2013 · 1:55 am

Sheer Sweater and Jeans

I forgot about these photos. This is a sweater I bought a couple of months ago. I jumped on the sheer sweater trend because they’re great for layering and aren’t too hot in milder climates or indoors.

Sweater: Target
Tank: Old Navy
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity
Shoes: Crossroads Trading
Purse: Matt & Nat
Bracelets: Gifted (thanks Jon!)

I also liked that the color is a brighter version of coral. Not quite neon and deeper than melon. I’ll showcase these boots better soon. They’re a chocolate-brown faux suede that I picked up at Crossroads trading. Second hand, but never worn. Score! And my thoughtful brother, Jonathan, bought me these bracelets. How nice!

By swapping out what I wear under it, I can really change the look. The only trouble is that is snags really easily. So I use my handy crochet hook to pull errant threads to the inside of the sweater, where they’re less visible.

This piece should take me well into spring too. Oh, the bag is made of recycled water bottles but to look at it, you’d think it was suede. Pretty neat!

I’ve linked up with Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet today. Check out all the other look-at-me women!

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Tagged as fashion, jeans, style, sweater, thrifty fashion, vegan

November 28, 2012 · 11:16 pm

Glazed Denim and Velvet

I’ve been digging the glazed denim that’s hit the stores recently. And when I saw these at Zara in Vancouver, I snagged them. Glazed denim looks almost leather and is a great vegan alternative. It’s more affordable than leather too. Plus it stretches and is machine washable. And an added bonus: chocolate wipes off it in a snap (don’t ask).

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Blazer: Doki-Geki
Shirt: Loving Eco
Glazed jeans: Zara
Shoes: Old Navy
Purse: Crystalyn Kae
Rubber bangles: eBay

Coincidentally, my purse is made of glazed fabric too. It has a leathery sheen, but it isn’t (making this 100% vegan outfit!).

I wore my new glazed denim skinnies with an old velvet blazer and an asymmetrical striped shirt I bought last winter. Have you heard of glazed denim? Do you have/want some?

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Tagged as fashion, glazed denim, jeans, skinny jeans, style, vegan, velvet

November 25, 2012 · 12:30 am

Thanksgiving Feast Part Two

This evening, hubby and I attended the Feast for the Turkeys at Pasado’s Safe Haven.

guestcard

Instead of having turkey, the turkeys had us! Butterball was the official host, but Stacie, our lovely guide, took us on the tour. First stop: Turkeys, of course!

turkeys

Turkeys are gentle and kind. It’s not true that if it rains and they look up, they drown. On the contrary, they’re smart birds who protect each other, “talk” to their friends (including people), and are loving parents to their little ones. I got to pet Butterball–what soft feathers! As smart as she is, I’m not sure she noticed that I color-coordinated with her today.

At Pasado's

Next, we met these little piggies, who were rescued from a fire. They loved popcorn, carrots, apples, and bananas.

mini pigs

While I was taking their picture, look who snuck up on me!

goat

I made sure to give him a carrot, and he was happy. As we fed the goats and sheep, I spied a rooster, well, roosting.

roosting rooster

I found lots of chickens in the coop next door. The white ones are rescued laying hens. To think they used to live in cages with no more room to move than if they were standing on an iPad. They love their freedom now! And they’ll never end up in a pot.

chickens

They loved lettuce and grapes. Look at that blur–she sure was a fast one!

feeding the fowl

This photo doesn’t show how big these two pigs are. They’re each over 600 pounds! Splash, on the left, saw her siblings slaughtered and escaped certain death by swimming across a river where a startled, but loving woman took her in until she could find a proper home for the pig. Nora, on the right, was rescued from a horder and was starving. They’re both happy, healthy, and safe now.

Splash and Nora

The cows loved the carrots I brought for them, but they look a little suspicious of me, don’t you think?

Eddie Cheddar

cow

After an amazing tour, we toasted the animals with a glass of bubbly and went inside for a feast!

I got teary-eyed as our hosts read the menu: Autumn vegetable samosas with plum chutney, carrot miso spread on baguettes, and baked chickpeas; red kuri squash and coconut soup with cashew cream and beet reduction; massaged kale salad with pomegranate, hazelnuts and pears; parsnip apple puree, root vegetable latkes, orange balsamic glazed Brussels sprouts, and maple baked tempeh with apple cider glaze; pumpkin cake with chocolate-hazelnut ganache.

feast

I was overcome with emotion because as we dined on our vegan meal, rescued animals were snuggling in their stalls in the barns next door. Animals that would have been pork chops, turkey cutlets or hamburgers. I wished for peace for all living creatures and longed for every restaurant and household to serve delicious, cruelty-free meals like this.

What a wonderful time! I hope you take a tour of Pasado’s or a similar sanctuary in your area. They’re amazing places.

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Tagged as Pasado's Safe Haven, Thanksgiving, turkey, vegan, vegan thanksgiving

April 17, 2012 · 11:36 pm

Locally Made Outfit

I’m joining up with the Ethical Fashion Bloggers for a locally made challenge. There are many ways to interpret the “shop local” mantra. Here’s what I did.

Sweater: Papaya
Skirt: Una
Boots: Naughty Monkey via Labels
Necklace: Forever 21
Bracelets: Gifted (thanks Jon!)
Clutch: Crystalyn Kae

As you can see, I didn’t wear head to toe local, but I incorporated a few key pieces into my outfit. The skirt is a soft bamboo knit made by a local designer: Una. I wore this skirt with gray in another post. This time, I paired it with oatmeal and pea green.

The green boots are from Labels, a consignment shop in Seattle. I like shopping second-hand and using things others don’t want. So even though these aren’t locally made boots, I supported a local shop and reused an item.

Finally, the clutch is a glazed fabric creation by Crystalyn Kae. I love her designs and actually own four of her purses. Like I said, shop local!

Do you have any favorite local shops?

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Tagged as ethical fashion bloggers, fashion, local, skirt, style, thrifty fashion, vegan

March 30, 2012 · 9:29 am

Hot Pink and Houndstooth

You know I love hot pink. And I love houndstooth. So it was only a matter of time before I paired this color and pattern combination together.

I got this little Valentino-style rosette purse from a flea market in Florida. I absolutely love it! I don’t usually go for frills but the way the pleather is ruffled to create a flower was so appealing.

I wore my houndstooth coat with black pants. The surprise element was the fuchsia dolman-sleeve top I wore under my jacket. The infinity scarf came with the coat! What a deal!

Jacket: Macy’s
Top: JC Penney’s
Jeans: Banana Republic
Shoes: Thrifted
Cuff: Greenbelts
Purse: Flea market

Whenever I wear this top, people say, “wow that’s bright.” I’m not sure it’s a compliment but it’s a sign I’m getting noticed! What do you wear that gets you noticed?

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Tagged as fashion, houndstooth, skinny jeans, style, thrifty fashion, vegan

February 26, 2012 · 9:41 pm

Fashion Saves the Birds

You might sometimes think that fashion has gone to the birds, but in the 1920s, it actually saved a few species.

You see, in the late 1800s, large, ornate hats were all the rage. Adorned with lace and pearls and feathers, some even had entire bird nests or cages incorporated into them! And a Victorian lady never left the house without a hat.

A Victorian hat at the Shark Valley visitors' center in Florida

Hunters descended on the Florida Everglades in search of spoonbills, flamingos, herons, and egrets. These birds were favored for their plumes so they were killed by the millions. Conservationists tried to stop the massacre (around this time a few of them formed the National Audubon Society), but still the demand grew.

Eventually, feathers were worth more than double their weight in gold! That meant it was more lucrative (and easier) to kill birds than to pan for gold. In a time when a month’s rent was $10, the plumes of four birds would fetch $32.

Hunters killed millions of birds in the lucrative feather trade

Hunters shot every adult bird they could find, leaving orphaned chicks and unhatched eggs to die. Two generations of birds were wiped out because of a fashion trend.

Even after hunting was outlawed, the slaughter continued. One of the country’s first game wardens, Guy Bradley, was hired to patrol southern Florida and prevent poaching. He was murdered by a hunter while protecting the Everglades. Two other men–a game warden and a deputy sheriff–were killed soon after.

An egret in the Everglades that I shot (with a camera)

It seemed like nothing could save the birds and end the senseless bloodshed of human and animal life.

Then, the Jazz Age hit and flappers abandoned large hats for bobbed hair and smaller hats or headbands. As the demand for feathered hats diminished, bird populations began to recover.

An example of the flapper haircut: feathered hat not required

Perhaps the flappers didn’t choose a new style because they thought of the birds, but the shift in sartorial trends made a huge impact on animals. All it took was for people not to buy feathered hats. It’s a simple strategy that we can do today: decrease the demand to stop questionable practices.

Every time we buy something we’re voting with our dollars. Whether it’s fur (and feathers–even today, birds die to satiate the demand for trends), sweatshops, or sustainability, industries thrive or wither away because of consumer choices.

What are you interested in? Fair trade, recycled, thrifted, locally made, handmade, vegan, cruelty-free, organic? There’s a lot to consider–and it does make a difference. I hope you don’t find it overwhelming. It’s empowering to know we can make a difference in how we choose to shop.

References:

The displays and helpful staff at the Shark Valley Center.
My Everglades tour guide, Jose Portuondo, who also happens to be a very talented artist.

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Tagged as ethical, ethical fashion, fashion, feathers, Florida birds, florida everglades, national audubon society, style, vegan, Victorian hats

January 16, 2012 · 9:51 am

Why I don’t Wear Fur

I usually keep this blog light. It’s not a soapbox or forum for me to rant. Fashion is fun, right? But today, I want to explain the fur-free blog badge I added to the right column of this blog. It’s subtle. This post isn’t.

Fur is a cruel, cruel industry. I’ve been to mink and fox farms, and I’ve seen firsthand the horrors that these poor creatures endure day in and day out in the name of fashion.

No one can be 100% cruelty-free or eco-friendly, no matter how hard we try. My computer is made of petrochemicals. I eat avocados knowing they were shipped thousands of miles to get to me. But fur is an easy one. I can simply avoid it. It’s an unnecessary “luxury.”

Here’s why:

It’s bad for the environment. The waste runoff from fur farms pollutes rivers and streams. Chemicals and feces are often found in waters near fur farms. Fur is natural, but in order to keep fur from decomposing like a dead squirrel on the road, it gets treated with a bevy of chemicals–from formaldehyde to ammonia. Trapping is no better. Deer, birds, dogs and cats often end up in traps meant for other animals. Plus, the ecosystem is affected when people mess with the balance of nature.

It’s cruel. Foxes are anally electrocuted before they are skinned. Mink usually have their necks broken or are injected with poison. Death is slow because their precious pelts need to be preserved. Their lives in filthy cages aren’t better. The foxes I saw were despondent. The mink ran endlessly in circles–driven insane by captivity. Mink that are free live solitary lives near water where they can travel for miles a day. Foxes are intelligent, social creatures. Watching them in the wild is amazing; seeing them suffer in cages makes me hate humanity.

Alice looks good in fur

From beavers, chinchillas, and mink, to rabbits, seals, and even dogs and cats, millions of animals needlessly suffer. There are no laws protecting fur-bearing animals. If you’re unconvinced, check out this video. If you wear fur you need to see it so you know where fur comes from. If you just wear “a little” like fur trim, remember that no amount is humane. Animals die all the same.

The good news is, fur is completely avoidable. If you think suffering and death is too high a price to pay for fashion, you’ve got choices.

First, you can support retailers and designers who don’t use fur. There are hundreds! From Stella McCartney to H&M, you’ll find something stylish that isn’t cruel. Here’s the fur-free list. If you’re buying faux fur, make sure it really is faux. Sometimes, real fur from China is labelled faux because so many people aren’t buying real fur and it’s cheaper to use the real deal.

If you really like the look of fur, visit Fabulous Furs, an online shop devoted entirely to high-end faux fur items, from pillows and throws to full-length coats.

If you’re concerned about the synthetics used in the making of faux fur, well, then don’t wear tennis shoes or lip gloss! They’re made with synthetics too. If you truly want an eco wardrobe, you probably aren’t wearing fur (real or faux). You’re most likely into alternatives like hemp and bamboo or recycled plastics like the ones Patagonia and Nulethics are working with.

Vote with your dollars. Fur sales are on the decline. Let your favorite retailers know that you don’t support fur and you won’t support them if they carry fur. You can be cool without being cruel.

If you have fur you can donate it. My mom and I were always sad that her mother wore fur. Oma was a wonderful person but never connected the dots regarding where her fur came from. The soft, wavy Persian lamb coat was once a fetus that was ripped from its mother’s womb. Two lives lost for a collar on a coat. We donated the coat to a wildlife center that uses them to line the beds of orphaned animals. It’s a nice way to give back to animals and keep fur (even vintage coats) from being fashion statements.

I wrote this post to educate and inform. I want to share my concerns–the things that keep me up at night and the images that haunt me. I want to increase the circle of compassion. So where do you stand on the fur issue? How do you incorporate ethics into your fashion choices?

Resources:

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Tagged as fashion, fur, fur-free, no fur, style, vegan

January 15, 2012 · 12:03 pm

Vintage Leopard-Print Slip

Here’s the slip I debuted on my video blog. I wore for New Year’s already, and here are two more ways I’ve styled it.

A short, fitted skirt in such a sexy print doesn’t need any help in the hotness department. In fact, in both cases, I’ve toned the look down. First, I wore it with flat boots, bright tights, and a long blazer.

Blazer: Bebe via Goodwill
T-shirt: Target
Slip-as-skirt: eBay
Tights: Target
Pleather boots: G by Guess
Necklace: eBay
Jelly bracelets: eBay

Later, I paired it with a billowy top in blue. Blue is unexpected and doesn’t vamp up the look. The tights are opaque and the heels are chunky.

Top: Nordstrom
Slip-as-skirt: eBay
Tights: Sockadilly
Faux-suede shoes: Old Navy
Necklace: eBay
Bracelet: Gifted

I found this slip while searching eBay for the term leopard skirt. If you’re looking on eBay, try multiple search terms. For example, animal print or faux leopard. Search in the vintage category if you’re looking for a certain era, type a decade to narrow it down more, or keep the search broad (for example, search all women’s and apparel).

Sometimes I get a lot of results so I filter by price or by which auctions are ending soonest. Try different choices and see what you find. If you’re not looking for a specific item, try fun search terms like boho blouse, scooter dress, or goth skirt to see what comes up. I’ve found interesting items that way. Costume jewelry is fun to shop for too. Type in a descriptor, like owl necklace, or the name of a designer and see what you find. That’s how I found this Vivienne Westwood necklace.

Do shop on eBay? What’s a thrifty find you scored online?

Snakeskin Dress

I’ve got a real animal-print theme going on lately. I do love wild patterns like zebra, leopard, and tiger. Until recently, I didn’t have any snakeskin patterned clothing. Until, that is, I found this little number at H&M. I wore it to the Burlesque Nutcracker but in the post about that event, I barely mentioned my outfit.

I love the pattern, and the price was great ($19). It’s really low cut so I added a cotton cami under it. The ruching is flattering. I recommend a ruched dress. The front doesn’t lie flat so I could eat dinner and not worry. And the back is gathered in a way that makes me look curvy. Genius!

Dress: H&M
Cami: Papaya
Clutch: Crystalyn Kae
Tights: Kushyfoot
Earrings: Premier Designs
Shoes: Badgley Mischka

I wore gray tights and my gray Badgley Mischka shoes. And of course I carried my Crystalyn Kae clutch. I’ve been carrying this around with me almost every day since I got it. It’s really versatile and great for day and evening. Best of all, it’s glazed fabric. A great vegan alternative to leather (and just as durable).