Tag Archives: shoes

asksnanswers

Alexa is working toward a vegetarian diet, and is loaded with questions. Jennifer’s got answers. We talk about anything as long as it is vegan. Are tattoos vegan? How do I politely not eat Thanksgiving dinner? How do I order without pissing off the waitress? We know you are dying to ask!

asksalexaWhen going vegan everyone focuses on food, but what about clothes? How can I tell shoes are vegan? And where do I get them?

There are lots of vegan shoes out there, but it can be a little hard to find. Sure if you type in “vegan shoes” in google you get a bunch of stuff. There are stores that specialize in vegan shoes like Moo Shoes (which has a brick and mortar store in New York City and Los Angeles) but they can be pretty expensive. There are other all vegan shoe stores like Lookie Lou, Vegan Chic, and Alternative Outfitters. Some companies have vegan shoe tags like Modcloth, Zappos, and Lulus. But I’ve found sometimes these searches aren’t the greatest. For example if I went to DSW and search “vegan” I get a few hits. But truthfully there are MORE shoes available. So why the low results? Because they are basically showing only brands the identify the faux leather as VEGAN faux leather. 

So how can you tell what your shoe is made out of? Well, luckily it is all in the tag. Do yourself a favor and grab a shoe from your closet (hopefully not too old that the label is worn down) There are several different ways shoes have their materials listed. They sometimes have a chart, sometimes they have a small note, sometimes it is on a sticker, or printed on the inside of the shoe. Just keep looking around. 

The shoe should have materials listed for upper material (this is what you see on the outside of the shoe), lining/inner (you know, the stuff your feet touches), and outer sole. Some shoes will have these graphic charts. It will have these images, and whatever is next to upper shoe icon will be the material they use. 

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So for example I grabbed an old pair (pre-vgan days) of shoes from my closet (it’s this pair if you are wondering). I flipped the shoe over and on the sole there was a sticker that looked like this: (synthetic outside, leather inside, synthetic sole)

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So not vegan, but only the inside isn’t vegan, which is actually very common. The problem with these icons is that they are vague. For example, they have “textile” but it doesn’t need to specify what the material is. So you could picking up a pair of shoes that have a fabric that is made from silk or wool. Some people even have found that the icons don’t match up with information on the box, or catalogue. There is also the chance the glue isn’t vegan, and it is pretty much near impossible to find any confirmation about the glue source. So it is always a good idea to check the box the shoe comes in to see if there is any additional information.

Truthfully I am loving Target’s website as they do a great job listing the materials in their shoes. It is nice to be able to look around and read the materials before heading out to the store. In general I find that vegan shoes are usually super expensive or super cheap. Why? Well, leather is a little expensive, and is actually desired by most people. So most shoes want to have it. Most cheap shoes are cheap because of the lack of leather. The downside is that this can be bad for the environment and be made in sweatshops. Some of the more expensive vegan shoe brands are trying to have better quality and better working conditions for the workers.

How do you guys buy vegan shoes? Any favorite sites or store to shop at?


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I went to my Grandmother’s on Saturday for the family Easter get together. I talked about the trip last year, which is a grueling trip to Amityville Long Island. Things worth noting? My outfit was pretty much the same- same shoes, same skirt, different shirt and tights. ha. Yes, it is Amityville as in the Amityville Horror, I really need to pick up that book. And Alec Baldwin and De La Soul are from Amityville, I wonder if they know my Grandma? Oh and most importantly Alien Ant Farm will be performing in a bar there in April. Betcha you didn’t know they still kept making music after Smooth Criminal. Neither did I.

Sidenote, I finally bought two bags of Vega protein powder. The more frequently I run, the more I want a quick shake. So I finally got the vanilla and berry smoothie powders and they have already been a huge lifesaver. I made a shake with the berry powder, a banana, and strawberries. Perfect. Today I had a mango blended up with kale, water, and the vanilla powder. Perfection!

Recipes:

This is giving me inspiration for the beets I get from my CSA…. months from now.

Gotta make these mole roasted chickpeas. She uses Kevita cinnamon tonic, so maybe I will make a special cinnamon kombucha for this.

Emily is making me drool with this strawberry cashew cream cake… hey I just got really cheap strawberries. Maybe I should be making this.

I am not the type of person who likes cutesy holiday themed sweets, but I am stealing this idea for my second Easter get together (uggg… married life)

Food/Vegan News:

New York Times talks about the myth of a high-protein diet. People are misinformed about when protein is important.

I loved this article since I have this debate often with my Mother in Law. We never get very far because we don’t actually know which would be more harmful for the environment- animal products or fake leathers.

Farmers are going on strike.

This article gave me hope that working conditions can improve in restaurants. Working in the food industry sucks, and it is hard to point the blame on a person. Most of the time it is just being misinformed.

Fun Stuff:

Coloring clubs for grown ass adults? I need to start my own chapter!

And OMG OMG OMG OMG I need this shoe! Too bad they don’t have my size T_T

What is going to happen in the frozen sequal? Experts give their predictions! Probably gonna be everyone’s birthday.

Alexa needs to come and visit me soon so we can walk around the gaybourhood and cross the street like we are fucking unicorns.

National Geographic talks about bioluminous life. Note: there are cool photos and a video on the left side when you are done reading the article.

Every year SXSW keeps getting cooler and cooler acts. Last year it was Glen Check, this year it is PERFUME! Apparently they released a stellar live video (meaning a video you create/edit in real time) that has been described as being from the future.


Hubby and I went for a walk together last Sunday and I noticed a sad little hole in my favorite pair of shoes. I am not very kind to my shoes, I only own a few pairs and I wear them to death. It probably doesn’t help that I rarely pay more than $20 for a pair of shoes either. Realistically I’ll probably check out shoes at a thrift shop and try and jazz them up. But for now, I can check the internet and make a vegan shoe dream list.

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Who Could Be Saddle Shoes byPinup Couture ($39.99) | Confetti Cork Oxford Shoes by Golden Ponies ($42) | Carefree Choreography Flat in Cognac at Modcloth ($34.99) | Holographic Oxford Shoes by Golden Ponies ($42) 

I’ve been noticing that I am feeling more and more comfortable in shoes with a slight heel to them. I think this because when I am in flats I kind-of walk like I am running, on the balls of my feet. Either that or my walnut crushing bunz are so HUGE that I walk funny. But I like when shoes have a pretty traditional style but are pretty quirky, like those holographic oxford shoes. Yes please!

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Razzle Dazzle by Irregular Choice ($125) | Swift Stride Flat by BC Footwear ($59.99) | Green Velvet Foxy Flats by Tuk Shoes ($55) | Foxy Herringbone Heels by Tuk Shoes ($65)

I love heels, but realisticly, they are the only shoes that I don’t wear to death (they can actually get donated to charities!) Which makes me wonder why I bother buying them new. Then they make cute heels with metalic turquoise bows and foxes on them. Ugggg! Life’s not fair! And I am weirdly realistic in my shoe fantasies and still put some flats in there. I keep eyeing up some leopard print flats, which is probably a sign I should bite the bullet and buy a pair.

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Bikila EVO WP by Vibram ($150)

Oh and I am starting to think I’ll need to replace my running shoes soon. I am loving this bright pink and orange sole. It will be my own little fun running secret. Right?

Anyone has some dream shoes they been pining over?