Meatless Monday: Shop Your Closet

In these tough economic times, shopping for new clothes, shoes and accessories is something a lot of us have come to know as a luxury. It's so fun to try on the newest trends and stock our closets full of shiny new things. Financially, it's not always an option. And for those of us trying to be more green with our fashion choices, it's not always a great environmental option, either. Take a long, hard, honest look at your closet, and you will likely discover that you don't need to purchase anything new. We often do not NEED the clothes we buy, we merely WANT them. I'm very guilty of shopping when I shouldn't. That is why I've found Kendi's 30 for 30 Challenge to be inspiring.

Every few months, she hosts this challenge, and I admit, I have yet to participate. But even though I'm not physically participating, I still feel involved because I enjoy rooting the participants on! It's also exciting to see how creative some of these women can be. In case this isn't clear, the concept is simple: choose 30 items from your closet and create outfits using only those 30 items for the next 30 days. It's sort of an extended wardrobe capsule concept. I find that week-long wardrobe capsules work for me because I don't like being limited in my clothing choices- 30 days sounds like torture to me!  Generally, with these challenges, accessories like jewelry, tights, scarves and belts don't count towards the 30 items. Shoes, however, do count. If you're someone who finds it difficult to avoid shopping, a 30 for 30 Challenge can help curb your shopping craving because it forces you to shop your closet and your closet only for an entire month. The best part is when you discover an outfit you didn't even know you had.

So hop on over to Kendi's blog post where she shows which 30 items she's selected from her closet to mix and re-mix for the next 30 days. You might find it inspiring! Maybe even inspiring enough to do it yourself!

Meatless Monday

Have you guys heard about the "Meatless Monday" trend? More and more people are choosing to eat less meat in the hopes that it will be one more step towards a more healthful lifestyle for themselves as individuals and for the food industry on the whole. So in keeping with that trend, today I am going to show you many different vegan clothing and accessory options as well as recycled, upcycled, re-purposed and re-used pieces. Enjoy!

Maggie Recycled Seatbelt Handbag, The Ultimate Green Store, $76

Hemptress Mona Satchel Hemp Bag, The Ultimate Green Store, $175

Umbrella Skirt, Supermarket, $90

X-Ray Earrings, Etsy, $18

2-Tone Dress Shoe, Vegan Chic, $34

Elegant Oxford Pump, Vegan Chic, $42.50

Patent Dress Boot, Vegan Chic, $56.95

BB Dakota Faux-Wool Coat, Alternative Outfitters, $72

So there you have it- a small, but varied collection of vegan and cruelty-free clothing and accessory options. I'm always curious about what people think of these types of items and this movement within the fashion industry. I admit, I am a skeptic. At this point in my life, I'm happy to wear leather shoes, carry a leather handbag, knit with pure wool and alpaca yarn as well as purchase real wool sweaters, coats, etc. When I think of being green with my sartorial choices, I prefer to purchase pieces that are recycled from other materials. Not only is it more creative, but to me, it's a far better choice to rescue something from a landfill and turn it into a useful and/or beautiful piece than it is to continue to flood the market with newly manufactured goods- vegan or otherwise. 

One could argue that while a faux-wool coat or faux-leather shoe may be "cruelty free," they are also potentially far more environmentally damaging than a 100% wool coat purchased at a thrift shop or a pair of arm warmers re-purposed from a worn-out sweater. I wonder what types of manufacturing procedures are used on many of the "vegan leather" options. What chemicals and synthetic materials are used to create such realistic fakes? Will they decompose in a landfill more quickly than non-vegan items? 

And on a personal note, I have a few minor complaints about some vegan options. For example, faux leather shoes do not stretch. At all. Which means that if the vegan shoes I bought are a little too snug, I have the choice to suffer, or to let the shoes go to waste, or to pay a lot more to have them fixed at the cobbler, if that's even possible. In addition, faux-leather does not breathe, making for much more sweaty, stinky feet. 

As far as wool and silk are concerned, well I also have no problem with them. The sheep aren't being killed for their wool, they're merely being shorn. And all the pure wool and alpaca yarn I buy to knit with comes from local farmers who maintain pleasant living conditions for their animals. I know there are likely a lot of huge farms that supply to manufacturers and their treatment of the animals is probably less than ideal, so I understand why the choice is being made not to purchase those products, but if you can purchase locally and see how the farm runs and treats their animals, would that change your mind about using synthetic faux-wool materials? 

I honestly do not know enough about how all these items are manufactured to make a strong case in either direction, but I do think we should question where it ALL comes from and how it ALL is made. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries and of course I would hope we can all work to change that, but just like some people choose to eat local organic meat rather than go completely vegetarian, I think we should be able to make similar choices and compromises in the fashions we buy and make.