Ideal Bite

I’ve pondered this question, especially after reading yesterday’s Seattle tip on a local girl and 24 other women who plan to turn a blind eye to store windows and shop only in their closets for a year. My friend Natalie Linden did the same thing last year and lived to blog about it. I’m not a big clothes horse but I do get really sick of my clothes and often purge a bunch to Goodwill when I buy something new. But while that might offset my shopping guilt – good ol’ Goodwill has plenty on its plate (it receives more than 1 billion pounds of donated clothing each year.) So I’m thinking this could be a good New Year’s resolution – Read the full post... 

That's right. Because she cared enough to star in a video about a fake eco-clothing line. And I cared enough to post it for you below.



So what do you think? Anyone in the market for some new shants made by the lovely actress that also got to star in 10 Things I Hate About You (I so should have gotten that part)? Give Julie Stiles Styles a closer look-see here.

-Seattle Editor Jen...off to fashion a sarong out of doggie poop bags...

From Seattle
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We recently returned from a big, fancy family wedding and Roxane, my 11-month-old daughter, looked like doll.  There’s not much more adorable than a big bow on the back of a little girl’s dress, but this confection was also sleeveless pink and white seersucker with a scallop-edged collar and tiny flowers on the gathered bodice.  Edible, right?

And the best part: free. The designer dress, which I understand cost a pretty penny at the store, was a hand-me-down from Roxie’s older cousin. 

Passing or swapping clothes through the chain of family and friends is nothing new, of course - kids grow out of stuff so fast and we’d all rather not fork over the cash, especially Read the full post... 

...ok, not really, but Gomi does mean trash in Japanese. NY-ers, today after work get your booty moving to GomiNYC (a store stocked with hot sustainable garb) to check out the trunk show for Ryann's spring and summer line. You’ll score 20% off Ryann (stock up on tailored shirts and skirts and vintage-y dresses) and Gomi is slashing prices up to 50% off too.
 
When: Today, Thursday, June 25 from 5-8 pm.
Where: GomiNYC, 443 E. 6th St. 
 
-NY City Editor Brianne…off to slip outta my heels to book it to the sale…
 
From Read the full post... 

Last weekend, I went to a student fashion show, where a group of young designers from San Francisco's Art Institute showed off their original creations. The students who put together these shows often creatively incorporate used materials in their designs and obviously do their original stitching locally.

So what happens when they get more recognition and need to produce more samples, maybe even start their own lines for retail? For this group, there's a great option, which we gave a shout out to in the SF edition awhile back - MIO: Made in Oakland (the program and product dev manager, Hiroko Kurihara, was one of the Read the full post... 

Narrowing down wedding dresses was complicated, but in the end, I got it down to two designers, each doing eco work in different ways:

Adele Wechsler  - South African born and raised, Wechsler moved to Toronto, where she manages her bridal business with a focus on fair-trade and eco design.

Amy Kuschel - San Francisco-based Kuschel hits the eco bullseye by doing all her work locally (no sending off for a dress to be made abroad and shipped here) and repurposing leftover fabrics into sweet, sassy wedding dresses that are perfect for beach weddings.

I gotta be honest, people: I really wanted to get two dresses - the Misty by Wechsler (vegetable-dyed Read the full post... 

After a few more forays out to try to find vintage dresses, I determined that it was going to be impossible to get JUST the right dress that way, unless I happened upon it nearly accidentally. See, just as these dresses have required time and seasoning to reach their vintage juicy-ness, in order to squeeze the best out of your vintage shopping experience, you need to give yourself some time and space to find the PERFECT dress for you.

There are amazing finds online, but you need to order them, try them, and send back the rejects. Likewise, there are amazing finds in little shops all over, but again, you need time to search in an unhurried manner, find the perfect alterations expert and cleaner, and then craft the ideal look and feel to complement the dress.

If you - like me - are planning an entire wedding in 5 months, the leisurely pace that vintage requires Read the full post... 

No surprise here, but as a new mom I’ve got zero time (let’s not get started on money) to shop for myself. And to be honest, I’m not much of a browser/gatherer type anyway - which probably explains why I still wear sweaters that date to the first Bush administration.

But grabbing a few minutes to order much-needed shoes online seems totally do-able, which is why we put together yesterday’s Mama Bite on online spring fashion. And, oh yes, the hard work of rounding up fun, stylish jeans, shoes and handbags - the things we do for you, dear readers.

Stuff we’re coveting this spring:

Jenifer bid on and won a new eco outfit at SF’s Read the full post... 

Vintage dress shopping is an exercise in humility. See, I'm not a little girl. Oh sure - I go up and down in weight, sport varying levels of fitness, feel puffy or lean, depending on the time of day/week/month/year… But by and large, my set point is a size 8, and I'm not going to deviate from that by much, even if I never eat a starch again between now and October 17th.

But all those women who wore wedding dresses years ago? Apparently they were all a whole lot more Gwyneth Paltrow than Jane Russell.

So thus far, vintage wedding dress shopping is feeling a lot like losing my luggage in Singapore in 2002…go to Singapore and try to buy a bra and shoes and clothes sometime if you are 5'8" and a 34D. It’s a REALLY solid check on your ego.

I DID find an amazing couture site called Read the full post... 

After a day full of April foolin' (I got ya, didn't I?), I plan on bee-lining it to this sample sale (starts tonight in NYC) - complete with gratis cocktails (hello liquid dinner) to sustainable duds (read: dresses, jeans, tees, accessories) from eco-lines Angelrox, Ryann, naturevsfuture, and Teich - I've been jonesin' to get my hands on one of its sleek clutches since I tipped 'em. If you're too busy still pulling pranks, swing by April 2nd-5th from 12-7 pm.

-NY Editor Brianne...off Read the full post...