Category Archives: Clothing

Post Pregnancy Fashion

September 8, 2017

BB Cream: tarte | Lips: Baby Bat Beauty | Dress: Ezra via Modcloth | Shoes: Target
TRIGGER WARNING: body image talk

I am finally understanding why Mom’s have a bad rep for their fashion choices. I have a closet full of clothing and most are unwearable. Lots are too small, some have too many lacy holes and buttons for Wolfie to grab at, and some are too fancy. Some I’ve just haven’t even tried on yet.

One Bad Mother released an episode about self care. They talked about as you and your children grow, what constitutes self care changes. I know when Wolfie was born showering, eating, and sleeping were on the top of the self care list. But now that things are becoming more manageable, taking care of my self image is surfacing. I want to make an appointment to get contacts again, I want to dye my hair a fun color, and I want to wear clothing that are nice.

But my body isn’t the same. It is slightly different from when I was pregnant- I knew I would be totally different each day getting a little bigger and bigger, and suddenly go through the most extreme weight loss. Wanna loose 10 pounds in ONE DAY?! EASY! Just have a baby!** But now I don’t know what will happen with this body. I am MOSTLY “normal” but I do have a little more fat on my tummy. My boobs are very much so bigger, but what will they look like after I stop breastfeeding? When will I stop?! So how the heck am I suppose to buy new clothing if I have no idea what size to get?

**Disclaimer may take 9 months to create baby

If I go shopping I like to go alone, and I found out quickly, it is hard to shop with a little nugget. I can’t just pick clothing off the rack and know they will fit. My body has changed so much. My boobs are bigger, my hips are wider, I mean I’ve been living in t-shirts and leggings this summer. And I literally have no shorts or pants that fit (that aren’t for working out that is.) So I’ve been thinking about doing a subscription clothing service. While searching around I saw that Dia & Co has a Try-Day Friday fashion challenge- try to go outside your comfort zone.

The simple act of going into my closet and picking out a new outfit is very intimidating. I was so excited when Jon and I would go out for dinner, but 90% of my dresses didn’t zip up. It was incredibly frustrating especially since it use to be my waist that would be too big, not it is my chest. This alone has had me stick to the same tried and true shirts, skirts, and leggings for my wardrobe.

And having my clothing not fit properly around my chest only fans the flames of my personal discomfort around them. I’ve never liked my boobs. They are big, floppy, and pain to find both clothing and bras. The problem is only getting worse, I went from sometimes a D to E, and I can only assume they will look like deflated water balloons after nursing. Ugh. So I thought I would dig into my closet and find a dress or shirt that I would have to wear a strapless bra! Yikes!

I found a dress that I bought on sale from Modcloth. It doesn’t look racey or anything, but bra straps always show. So I never wore it. I went the whole 9 yards, lipstick, bb cream, hair pulled back, and some cute shoes. Once I had everything on, I really wasn’t sure why I put off wearing a strapless bra with this dress. It was all very comfortable.

Now, don’t think this is all sunshine and rainbows. Shortly afterwards I found out that strapless bras and babies are a horrible combo. I had to change before making my errands otherwise I would of been flashing everyone I walked past. But it will probably get worn out next time I am with little Wolfie or when he gets older and doesn’t need me to carry him everywhere.

Then when I looked at the photos on my computer I was not loving how my chest looks. But loving how I look in person is a place to start right? I know part of my dislike of the photos is the lighting. And you can’t see how sparkly the lipstick is, but it was nice to not be wearing an oversized t-shirt with leggings for once. It has definetly inspired me to clear out my closet. Try things on again, try and give my clothing a second chance.

Posted by Jennifer in Clothing Tags: baby bat beauty, body positivity, clothing, dia & co, ezra, fashion, modcloth, target, tarte, wiw

5 comments

Pregnancy Fashion and Body Image

October 6, 2016

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Pin: Kate Gabrielle (discontinued) | Shirt: A Pea in a Pod via Swap.com | Dress: Hello Miz via Zulily (available in black or teal) | Tights: Target (similar) | Nail Polish: Lime Crime

I randomly took a photo of this outfit I wore to work and posted it on Instagram. I don’t always dress up, but I was feeling it that day. I thought it looked so cute, that I should probably take a proper photo for the blog. Why? I said I would post some fashion posts with the new baby bump, but uh… really haven’t. I don’t think there isn’t enough “alternative” pregnancy fashion posts out there, so here you guys go.

If the shirt looks familiar it is because I took a photo of it during my Swap.com vs Thred Up review. And I was so tiny back them in comparison. But then again I guess that was over a month ago. The baby was more axolotl/weasel sized and now is bunny/platypus sized! And I have to admit probably my main reason for not posting these outfit posts has a lot to do with body image. You wouldn’t think it would be so taxing on self image, but it really is.

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I joked with Jon that getting pregnant is like hitting puberty again, and in many ways it is. Everything shifts. Boobs get bigger, and not just bigger, but shape and density differs. I get adult acne more often than I use to. Your stomach is starting swell, and although I knew that I wouldn’t have a big basketball of fat on my stomach, it is weird. Normally if your tummy gets bigger it is from a nice thick layer of fat, but a baby bump is hard lump. I am always trying to put my socks and shoes on while standing, forgetting that my baby doesn’t fold over like fat. I am constantly walking around in narrow passages, forgetting that my tummy can’t quite clear the table or that chair. Heck I even moved some boxes around at work because I kept bumping into them.

Sure there are pages in pregnancy books about coping with the physical changes, but almost all offer the solution of “Just think of the baby!” I can’t help but imagine everyone saying it in the same tone as “Elaine you gotta have a baby!” And I think it just dismisses a lot of the complicated feelings women have with body image. Truthfully, I think if we lived in a perfect world where all shapes and sizes were embraced, people would still find the changes of pregnancy difficult. You only have a few months to deal with these changes and after giving birth your tummy won’t shrink down magically.

Somedays I feel like I am in the wrong body. The normal curves you see every single day suddenly go away and become new ones. And it isn’t everyday that I feel weird and out of place. Some days I can look in the mirror and smile at my big tummy. I mean I clearly thought I was cute enough to share an outfit I was wearing, right? And even on days when I feel completely uncomfortable with my body, I still enjoy feeling the baby kicks.

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Maybe I focus so much on my body since I’ve been having a pretty easy pregnancy. I don’t have stretch marks (yet…), no weird darkened skin, varicose veins, digestion issues, or other aches and pains most people associate with pregnancy. So I could be possibly have more attention being focused on what is most obviously changing.

But I can now see why so many books and pregnant women tend to dislike hearing any input about their appearance. I was told that I looked so “small” and healthy early on in the pregnancy. It bothered me since it just made me think too much about how society associates thinness with health. It also felt like I was trying hide my bump, but I was mostly just trying to wear what fit and was comfortable for the hot weather. But I would hear people joke, and not in a mean spirited way, about how I wasn’t as trim as I use to be.

And there is learning how to dress all over again. We all know women’s clothing is all over the place, but now I have to learn even more new sizes. I can safely say- don’t size up. I was afraid of things being too small, and ended up with a few articles of clothing that I am swimming in. I am also getting a reminder that more money doesn’t equal better quality. The A Pea in a Pod shirt I am wearing has nice fabric, but the sleeves I think were cut properly on the bias as they twist oddly. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if they didn’t have some cute buttons at the cuff that never stay in place.

Some items you can get away with wearing into pregnancy, but I totally recommend investing in some maternity tights. When I wore some black tights with my tent dress, it became clear that normal tights will cut into your tummy and be very uncomfortable. I was able to get these awesome tights on sale for $5 from Target, which it is hard to find maternity tights for less than $15. They can be much more if you are looking for the compression styled tights.

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I also wanted to quickly talk about the pin I am wearing. I got it in a surprise pack from Kate Gabrielle. I’ve always loved her fashion blog since she has a cute style, but also she loves vintage movies. She has her own shop and had a this “Be Kind to Animals” pin, but has since discontinued it. So sad right? But she has other cute things, like a BFF heart necklace for you and your cat. And one of my favorites- a pin commemorating Oprah’s (or your) love of bread.

Posted by Jennifer in Clothing, Pregnancy Tags: a pea in a pod, be kind to animals, clothing, fashion, Hello Miz, kate gabrielle, pregnancy, scathingly brilliant, second hand, swap.com, target, zulily

7 comments

Vintage in Asbury Park aka How to Rock a Tent Dress

August 11, 2016

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Dress: 3 Generation Curation | Tights: Target | Earrings: Six Clothing | Shoes: Modcloth

Two week later- finally sharing these photos. It has been a pretty long time since I’ve done a fashion post- and it probably has been because I have gotten a little lazy with my clothing choices. Or it might be because I haven’t expanded my closet much. Sure readers haven’t seen most of my clothing, but it seems less interesting to share something if I’ve worn it 30+ times.

But I’ve noticed there is very little posted on fashion blogs about maternity clothing. Probably because 1) You only look pregnant for a few short months. And 2) Pregnancy clothes are a little…. uh…. meh. Don’t get me wrong there are some super cute things out there, but modern pregnancy clothing is both vastly better and worse than older styles. The tent dress definitely suffered over the years.

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I LOVE Rosemary’s Baby, especially the fashion. Rosemary wore pretty much nothing much swing or tent dresses, and they were so cute. I figured I would stock up on them and be fine for the rest of my pregnancy. Turns out no one really makes them. And when they do- they kind of miss some key points. Like the dress I bought recently from Maternal America. Sure it looks cute, but the darts, just don’t seem right.

So what makes an awesome tent dress? Well, in my opinion you need a cute statement at the neck line. It could be a cute peter pan collar, or in my case a big bow. The next tip are pleating the front of the dress. It gives a little room for expanding tummy, and you can even get an accordion fold going to make a bigger statement. And then my next tip, which is debatable- go bright. I think since there isn’t many pieces to the pattern you can really flaunt a bold pattern. Heck, Rosemary did it! In pigtails even!

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I got this dress from Etsy and I am VERY happy with it. I only paid $35 with shipping and the quality is great. I see no wears or tears, and it does look like this an actual maternity dress. I even risked it all and washed it in the machine and I am wondering if the dress was brand spanking new because it shrunk just a little bit. But I actually prefer the new fit, so it all worked out perfectly in the end.

Alexa took these cute photos while we were walking around Asbury Park. They have some great murals on the boardwalk that really make the dress pop. And for the record- no I don’t actually wear tights during the summer. It just happen to be fairly cool that day (in the 70s) and I thought I could wear tights. Plus it meant wearing cute shoes that looked nice with the dress.

Posted by Jennifer in Clothing Tags: 3 generation curation, Asbury Park, fashion, modcloth, ootd, pregnancy, target, vintage, wiw

6 comments

Second Hand Clothes- Swap vs Thred Up

July 29, 2016

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I love clothing. I also love a deal, it is probably the most American thing about me. How much do I love a good deal? I had a dream that I was shopping for new maternity clothes and I found a great deal on a pack of 5 different colored tights for $7… AND it included a pair of gold tights. I was so sad when I woke up. Naturally the problem is that I know fast fashion is bad. It is bad for the environment, it is bad for human rights, and the clothes are usually crummy anyways.

Maternity clothing is particularly tricky. As with normal fashion, price doesn’t always mean better ethics, and besides that, can start to get insanely expensive. And according to many reviews, all clothing is made to be cheap and last only a few months, because well, women only wear them for a few months. Many people who avoid fast fashion but don’t have much cash tend to suggest shopping at thrift, second hand, and consignment shops. The problem is that maternity clothes rarely make it there, or last very long on the shelves. Luckily I found some online shops that specialize in second hand maternity clothing- Swap.com and Thred Up.

Motherhood Maternity sold by Thred Up

Selection

I know all readers aren’t pregnant. And heck, even if you are a mommy, pregnancy is such a short time period. So it is worth noting that both sites have more than just maternity clothing. Swap.com offer womens, mens, kids, baby, maternity, toys and games, baby gear, and DVDs and books on their website. Thred Up offers clothing mostly for women. Their main categories are women, designer, maternity, shoes, handbags, girls, boys, and basement (sort of the for sale/sold as is section.)

Listing

Hands down, overall Thred Up is most polished of both sites. Thred Up has a more polished look, listing, forms, the works. What they really have going for them is consistent photography. All of their pictures have the same pregnancy bumb torso, tilted more or less the same angle. They have special forms for skirts and jeans that do a great job showing how they look, which can be hard when laying out or on a rack because of the stretchy band.

Swap.com has a serious issue with photography. Some clothes are easy to figure out how they look, like men’s jeans. But other items could really use a body to drape over, particularly maternity clothing. There were many shirts that I couldn’t figure out what they looked like. Was it tight? Is a blouse? Some aren’t too bad, but others are just awful. Is it really that much more work to photograph everything on a mannequin? I feel like so many more items would sell if they were photographed properly.

Both websites DO have searches to narrow the selection, including sizes, brands, clothing types, etc. This makes life much easier when weeding out clothing you don’t want. Sadly, Swap.com falls a little short in this aspect too. There are lots of dupes, like they have H&M AND H&M Mama listed under brands. They have (no joke) the following tops- button down, button up, blouse, bodysuit, camisole, halter top, rugby shirt, shirt, sleeveless top, t-shirt, tank top, tankini, tube top, and tunic. It make browsing a little frustrating. I wish they had a tops section, that you could further narrow down. Some smaller brands weren’t too hard to find photos of to get an idea of what the overall piece will look like, so that was kind-of nice.

Gap from Thred Up

Quality

Mixed feelings. I think overall I liked the quality of the pieces that I got from Thred Up, but I also had a better knowledge of the brands I was getting. Gap, Motherhood Maternity, and Liz Lange/Target. Even with the nice photos, the end results were a little bit of a surprise, mostly just the long sleeved shirt I got. If I was trying it on in store I probably would of sized up.

I didn’t really LOVE what I got from Swap.com. Part of the problem WERE the photos. I felt a little ripped off that there wasn’t anything special about the pencils skirts I bought. One was longer than anticipated, but was also velvety, which was totally unexpected. This issue is equally hard to tell on Thred.com though. The dress I got was the biggest steal. I googled the designer to get a better look at the dress, loved it and though why not? It retails for $150, and I even found it on Zulily on sale for $65, so paying $27 was a STEAL. The fabric quality was great, the overall pattern design was lacking (mostly the boob darts that aren’t in the right place or cup size.)

It isn’t the fault of Swap.com, just something to be aware of. If I got it from Modcloth I could of read reviews, returned it easily, but these second hand shop have some stricter, not so friendly returns options. That being said, BY FAR Swap.com has the best returns options. I don’t plan on returning anything because I want to give these clothes another chance. They should still get the job done, and even though I already have a stretchy pencil skirt, I rather not stretch it out with my massive tummy.

box

Shipping

I placed an order on Swap.com, then the next day placed an order on Thred Up. Both orders sent “shipped” emails on the same day. I got the Thred Up order first, the Swap.com the next day. One of my biggest pet peeves about online ordering is when companies send an email saying the package has been shipped, but they are sitting at the shop waiting for FedEx or UPS to pick up the boxes. I think this was the case with Swap.com. Overall though, Thred Up makes you feel like you getting a special boutique item as it comes in a pretty box, and it is all wrapped up nicely. Swap.com comes in a plastic bag, which isn’t bad, just not as pretty. Total vanity point.

Maternal America from Swap.com

Best Deals

Hmm… hard to decide. Overall things are much cheaper on Swap.com. The best way to look at it is to do a search filter for A Pea In a Pod, one of the most expensive but mainstream brand of maternity clothing. There were a few bizarrely cheap options on Thred Up, like a pair of wool pants for 99 cents. But once you get past those handful of sales, you will find that you can get the cheaper options for that brand on Swap.com.

That being said, OVERALL Thred Up is going to have more expensive and trendy brands. They have some brands that I liked but didn’t think I would be able to shell out cash for like Boob, Ingrid & Isabel, and Isabella Oliver. So if you are a fashion snob, you might like your pickings at Thred Up better. They have more formal wear and dresses I would consider wearing to a formal event like a wedding.

I spent $52 at Thred Up for a long sleeved shirt, a winter jacket, a light fall jacket, and a sweatshirt. I would say overall an awesome deal. I was even able to get VEGAN jackets, which can be hard. Both jackets were nice since I had no intention of buying a new one otherwise. Overall each item averaged at $13 per item. As for Swap, I paid $44 for two pencils skirts and a dress. If I didn’t get the dress, it would of been only about $8.50 per skirt, which I can’t really complain about. And as stated, the dress would of been originally $150, so I still got a great stinkin’ deal.

Shirt by Motherhood Maternity from Thred Up, Skirt by Maternité Designs from Swap.com

Selling

I haven’t tried to sell anything on either site, but it seems like Swap.com has a better deal. Thred Up says that they are likely to not use 40% of the items you send in. The items that they don’t sell, they supposedly sell to third parties that will recycle the fabric. They don’t mention, but I assume you don’t earn anything for these items. If you want to try and figure out how much your clothing would get, they have an Payout Estimator which shows that you get very little back for each item, unless they are high priced items naturally.

Swap.com will charge around $9 for you ship out your clothing to have it photographed, listed, etc. But overall, it you are going to earn more than Thred Up. Some shirts and cardigans might only earn you 50 cents on Thred Up, but each item on Swap will earn you $1.50 + 25% commission. If your item isn’t high enough standard, you have the option to pay for shipping to get them back, or you can donate the item. Clearly, if you want to clean out your closet Swap is the place to go.

Overall

Hard to choose. Thred Up is much more of a selective boutique. If you like high end clothing, you will end up finding more over there. That doesn’t mean that Swap doesn’t have some great deals (hey I saved $123 on a dress!) but I do think their clothing selection is a little…. uh… lame? They have some great clothing items, but they don’t weed out clothing that simply not stylish like Thred Up does. If you hop on out of maternity on Swap.com their selection gets much nicer. I probably will make monthly checks on both sites. Swap will probably just be for some basics, like pencil skirts and tee-shirts. While I probably will be eyeing up dresses and nicer items at Thred Up.

Posted by Jennifer in Clothing, Clothing Review, Pregnancy Tags: clothing, fashion, maternity, pregnancy, second hand, swap.com, thred up, thrifted

8 comments

Outfits I’ve Been Digging

July 2, 2016

I don’t normally write posts like this but lately I’ve been looking around for some fashion inspiration. For the first time, in a very long time, I am shopping for clothing. Mostly maternity clothing, and it has been an interesting adventure trying to find maternity clothing that are cheap, but ethical. Which pretty much leading me down the path of making my own.

The fun part of making your own pattern is that the sky’s the limit, and you can draw inspiration from anything. Which is leading me down a rabbit hole of general inspiration of other fashion blogs, and is getting me a little into the fashion blogging spirit. Who knows? Maybe I will be posting my maternity fashions with tips? But for now, let me share what I’ve been digging lately- maternity or otherwise.

What I Wore: Kung Fu Queen on The Dainty Squid

I am in love with Kaylah’s new sunglasses. They look so cute with her bright green hair… *swoon.* I really want to grab a pair but right now I need to get my eyes reexamined to get a new prescription, and therefore more contacts. So for now I am stuck with my glasses. I suggest checking out her post because the dress is pretty cute too.

Colleen Heidemann: New York on Advanced Style

I sincerely hope I am not the only one obsessed with the site Advanced Style. I might not have the most over the top style, but I do have a certain degree of who gives a fuck attitude with what other people wear. And I hate the clothing that is given to women over 40. Even my boss loves to joke that she doesn’t want to “dress like an old lady,” but um…. I politely say she does dress her age. That is why I love this outfit. It is something even a 20-something would need a lot of guts to wear. I love it to pieces, but let’s face it, I pee way too often to wear a jumper/romper. But I can dream right?

Speaking of jumpers, I am in love with the ones that Tracee Ellis Ross has been wearing. Everytime I flip channels and see her on a game show, she is wearing something amazing. Just to give you a little snippet, I love this silver lame jumper! It looks so comfy but fabulous with a pair of heels. Heck, I would wear it over big preggers belly! And sorry guys, you have to WATCH the video to see the jumper, I couldn’t find a photo of it, and it isn’t in the screencap.

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Talk about reflective disco ball bellies- I JUST bought this shirt from H&M. I had the link saved for the blog post and when I checked it out today I saw that it is on sale for $13. I couldn’t beat that price, so I took the plunge and bought it with some preggers jeans and another shirt (that’s a little more casual.) I have to say that I am slowly working on buying some pregnancy clothing since my belly is starting to get a little big. I can get through most of the summer (I think) so I am trying to hold off, but I am still trying to take advantage of sales.

The Perfect Spring Shade by Cara Loren

I am not a big fan of this blogger, but I found this outfit on Pinterest. And I just want to ask- why isn’t there more tent dresses at maternity stores?! Outside of making my large belly reflective, I have only one fashion dream- and that is to dress just like Rosemary’s Baby. I think dresses are best thing that women have. In the summer we get free air space flowing on everything below. We only need to pick ONE thing to wear with a dress (…. it’s the dress), none of this matching a shirt with shorts deal. And it is SUPER CUTE. I am in the process of constructing my own tent dress patterns because I don’t know why this isn’t more of a thing, but whatever. I can also scout Etsy and totally embarrass my husband with my fashion choices.

Vintagonista

One of my favorite thing about fashion blogs is that you can view so many different types of fashion choices. You move past the mainstream options like preppy, girly, and whatever you see in a fashion magazine. Nope you see real people taking normal clothes and making it their own. I am alway amazed at how Kaylah from the Dainty Squid takes clothing that looks blah on the rack, and puts her own punk/counter culture twist to it. (note first fashion inspiration.) Now I’ve found Sumeyye from Modcloth’s Style Gallery and love how she mixes vintage clothing and makes it her own. I really hope Sumeyye continues fashion blogging because I love what she has posted so far.

Maasai Inspired Ensemble by Flashback Summer

And finally, Emileigh from Flashback Summer recently posted a series about her new Maasai inspired outfit. She takes a lot of care talking about why her outfit is similar to the African people. Then posted two entries about how she made the skirt and made her blouse. Both are pretty awesome. The blouse is so cute, I like the longer length of sleeves… for short sleeves that is. I just think it makes them look classier.

Posted by Jennifer in Clothing Tags: advanced style, cara loren, clothing, conan o'brian, fashion, flashback summer, h&m, the dainty squid, things I like, tracee ellis ross, vintagonista

7 comments

Alexa Asks, Jen Answers #22: How do I buy vegan shoes?

November 20, 2015

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!

When 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?

Posted by Jennifer in Alexa Asks, Clothing Tags: alexa asks, Alternative Outfitters, dsw, fashion, lookie lou, lulus, modcloth, moo shoes, shoes, target, vegan chic, vegan clothing, vegan shoes, zappos

2 comments

Philly The City of Love

June 29, 2015

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Shirt: Comme Toi via Modcloth | Skirt: Downeast via Modcloth | Necklace: Similar styles on Modcloth | Shoes: Rocket Dog | Sunglasses: Target

I had some posts started before I fell far behind last week. But I think I should talk a little about my weekend. I don’t talk about “new” things about me as much as I would like on my blog. Lately they have been mostly restaurants, recipes, and educational stuff. I think the fashion posts and the sunday reads posts were spots that I could just talk about what I have been doing everyday. I like more structured posts since it gives me a chance to explore new areas, help people with purchases with reviews, and learn new important things about veganism.

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First let me start by pointing out how bad ass I look? My husband is a delicate flower when it comes to photography, he is so worried he will mess it up. I don’t blame him since I have pretty high standards. I complained so much in college that my friends would post every single photo on facebook. It wasn’t like they were posting bad photos of their friend to make them look better, the photos of themselves were equally bad. I finally came to the conclusion that they just had no clue how to photograph people. So when my husband takes a photo of me, he panics. And worst, I want him to take photos of me in PUBLIC- in front of other people!

So while walking around there was a cute government protected historical building, that had it’s gates opened, so I asked if he could snap some photos since it was kind-of out of the way. I posed, he snapped, and he even took some photos of me candidly! Wow! Maybe it is because he is helping with coding of the Free People website that he is getting some fashion blogging tips. I even got some bad ass wind gently blowing my hair. Well, it just means I will probably bother Jon to take more fashion photos when we go out. XD

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I’ve been into Philadelphia a lot this week. Monday I was antsy and had to get out of the house and went to P.S. & Co to read. Then on Thursday my friend Justine (check out her new youtube vlogs) came to visit from Portland so we went into Philadelphia for the day. She is thinking about moving to Queens or Philadelphia, so I gave her lots of reasons to move closer to me. We ate pizza, got great coffee, and went to Spruce Street Harbor Park where we drank beer and talked with our old school mate.

When the weekend rolled in, my husband was getting antsy in the apartment too, so we thought we could go to Spruce Street Harbor Park too for beer and seeing the tall ships that were there that week. Boy that was a huge bust. There were so many people. We aren’t the type to like crowds. I rather go to beaches during off seasons because the crowds are too much. I remember loving the water parks in Florida during February because it was “too cold” for the locals. So after about 10 minutes we decided to get the fudge out of there.

We still had fun, we enjoyed walking around town enough. We even got to cross the rainbow crosswalks in the Gayborhood. And we are really excited later this month when the oval opens their pop-up park. It was never as crowded as Spruce Street Harbor Park, and I liked how close it is to the Art Museum. So we will definitely plan a day where we see some art and get some beer outside.

What have you guys been enjoying this summer? Any good beers or beer gardens I should be checking out?

Posted by Jennifer in Clothing Tags: beer, fashion, ootd, Philadelphia

Fashionable Mermaids

May 6, 2015

Shirt: Old Navy | Skirt: Hot Topic | Tights: Hot Topic | Necklace: Target | Shoes: Modcloth

I’ve realized that I haven’t posted in quite a bit, but I had also completely forgotten about the cute outfits that Jen had been and angel to capture for me! So the good news is…here’s an outfit post!

The Little Mermaid is one of my favorite Disney films. I just love the character designs, music, and animation. I would also argue that Prince Eric is one of, if not the best, Disney Prince. When Hot Topic began releasing all of their adorable Disney themed items (ranging from a clothing line to Disney inspired jewelry) I got pretty excited. It unfortunately falls under the unfortunate circumstance of having a 50% chance of being really cute or really tacky, but for the most part I think they’ve done a pretty decent job.

I had purchased the skirt on my own after pining for it for weeks. I love skater skirts because they can be paired with pretty much anything and are a simple and easy choice. The only thing I would tweak is that these ones in particular seem to run a bit small and quite short. The shortness doesn’t bother me all that much because I’m short myself…but I definitely can’t wear this to work if we’re expecting to get shipments in. This one was a size medium, but I almost feel as though I should have gotten it in a large because it’s still a smidge tight – not so tight that it’s unflattering, but I immediately want to change after I’ve eaten anything and that’s no fun!

The rest of my outfit came to me as gifts in one way or another (for the most part). The tights were given to me by my friend Bridget for Christmas and I was SO excited to pair these two pieces together. I don’t care if it’s cheesy, look at how cute they are! I love the trend of “silhouette” tights that is going on right now because there is just so much you can do with them.

hair-and-shoes

I really liked the idea of putting my hair back in a bow like Ariel has it in most of the film, and I was lucky enough to have a cute little bow that matched my shoes! I got these for Christmas as well, but I do know that they’re from modcloth. I love the deep red color of them and they keep my feet nice and warm. I also love the fact that they have a bit of heel to them, but not too much, so I can even wear them to work.

I even put cute little bows on my ears too! I got the mint bow earrings from modcloth quite some time ago and I find that they go with almost everything I own…I wear a lot of mint. I acquired the necklace from Target around Christmas time when I had been shopping for family and it caught my eye. I’m not usually into the big jeweled “statement” necklaces but after watching a ton of Grace Helbig videos over the winter I finally started to understand them. In a way it reminded me of her and I just adored the color palette and design. I would even go as far to say that this outfit (the upper half anyway) is just me trying to channel Miss Helbig, so thanks for the inspiration gurl.

Posted by Alexa in Clothing, Clothing Review, Reviews Tags: Disney, fashion, fashion post, Grace Helbig, Hot Topic, mermaids, modcloth, Old Navy, target, The Little Mermaid

Birthday Wishlist 2015

May 4, 2015

birthday2015

I have un officially decided I should make a wish list for my birthday every year on here. I think every year I want more abstract things in my life over materialistic ones. Like I just want to go for a long hike, a BIG layered cake, eat out with my hubby, a house to move into, and a say of a really long nap with my snuggle buddy.

But my friends and family can’t gift me a nap. Sadly. So people give each other material things. So if I have to choose some actual things to get, these would be it. Some are bordering the line of stuff I like and stuff I NEED. I am truthfully a horrible person when it comes to buying things I need.

1. Princess Knight Vol 2. & Creepy Comic Collections

I’m a hard person to pin down with comics. I liked reading mangas but I never connected with the “manga” crowd since I loved scary mangas, or ones with different styles like Paradise Kiss. But as time went on, I expanded to American comics, but mostly from the indie scene. I just can’t be normal huh? So I picked up Creepy during my bachlorette party with Alexa. It was recommended since I dug some horror comics. I love it since they are stories by various artists, different drawing styles, and different types of story telling.

Princess Knight I got for Christmas, and finished up reading it. The story was written by the manga master Osamu Tezuka. It is an interesting read since I’ve read most of his adult mangas, so picking up Princess Knight was a completely different point of view.

2. Who Could Be Saddle Shoes?

I still need shoes guys. Some of my shoes are starting to tear, and I am trying hard to hold out longer and longer till I buy my home, and start budgeting money for myself again… or until I can ask someone else to buy them for me. But these look super cute, vegan, and comfortable.

3. Vegan Knee High Socks

So I recently posted about Wharton State Park, and gave a warning about ticks. Well, I need some knee high socks to help protect myself from ticks. So why not say I’m vegan in the process?

4. Puppycat Mug

I actually hate mugs. Or rather I hate how many cool mug options there are, because I don’t need them all. In fact we have so many mugs that it drives me nuts how much space is wasted on them. But this one is pretty darn cute. I am sure there is a way I can do that to my mugs, so I can try that out.

5. Star Crossed Darling Brooch

There are so many cute pins and brooches on etsy. This guy randomly caught my attention. He would look super cute on some cardigans, dresses, or jackets.

6. New Bras

The bra depicted above isn’t what I’m actually looking for. I am trying to find some eco-friendly bras, which can be a tricky thing. Actually finding any fashion forward eco-friendly fair trade clothing can be tricky. I found a few cute ones from Faeries Dance.com, which may get an order from me in the near future.

7. Coyote Skull Zipper Pouch

I have a weird obsession with animals bones for a vegan. At least it is cool knowing the photographer never harms animals for the bones (she cleans them herself and usually finds or is gifted found bones). I don’t really need a pouch, but I love the photo on it, and truthfully, I always find uses for little pouches and bags.

What do you guys want for your birthdays? I betcha it is just a big old cake. I haven’t had one in such a long time!

Posted by Jennifer in Clothing, The Girls Tags: birthday, birthday wishlist, wishlist

Hello, Again.

April 29, 2015

Photos taken by Jen – around mid January.

I wanted to start this post off by addressing my absence from the blog for the past few months, not as an excuse but more as an explanation (this post had originally been started after the holiday season, and it has been a bit of a toughie to get out of my system). I have been diagnosed with Lymes Disease. I had been having a very hard time focusing on a lot of things, if not everything in general. It’s been difficult for me to keep in touch with friends and family and keep my head on straight. After many a long winded discussion with my mother about all of the things that had been upsetting me (lack of focus, forgetfulness that would seem comical to others, constant head aches/aches in my body, extreme lethargy and depression being the main symptoms) she decided to take me to get tested. She had just recently been diagnosed herself for similar reasons so it made sense for me to get checked out*. I was almost more frightened that I might not have Lymes, and if I didn’t that would have just meant that there was something else that was wrong with me. I felt broken and useless.

Once the official diagnoses came in for me it was almost a wave of relief. I had been suffering for months, if not years, with so many problems that I thought were just part of what made me me. It was and still is extraordinarily frustrating. My sense of direction was garbage (when you are having trouble figuring out how to get to the mall you’ve been shopping at forever and worked at for nearly two years you know something is off), I had no focus or drive for anything, my body was aching, and I was depressed. It was very trying for me to try and keep a schedule for art or blogging, sometimes even seeing friends. Every time I would think to myself “THIS will SURELY get done today” it almost never did. All I wanted to do was escape my current life and to know what feeling like a real person was like. Even as I continue to write this blog post itself I find that I am having trouble finding the right words to make sure I don’t just sound as if I am complaining – my end goal is to make a comic about it. It’s much easier for me to put my feelings into pictures rather than words most times.

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Posted by Alexa in Clothing, Health, The Girls Tags: coffee, fashion, Lyme Disease, Mental Health, ootd, red bank