Style Fix

Veganism is still growing in prevalence in the mainstream news, even in the fashion world!

* New York Magazine’s blog, The Cut, featured Olsen Haus shoes because the brand “Makes Being Vegan Stylish.” The fashionable blogger wrote about the fast-growing, young, vegan-owned design house saying: “when we think of vegan clothes or shoes, we tend to picture shapeless sacks, earthy colors, and Birkenstock-esque footwear. … But Olsen Haus is breaking that fussy image with its chic, leather-free shoes.”

* The New York Post reported that France’s own first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, reached out to PETA to talk about her semi animal-friendly fashion choices. In a letter to PETA, Carla wrote: “I do not wear, buy, or own fur or animal skin other than leather or skin of animals raised for feeding purposes. I am not a vegetarian and I don’t find it illogical to wear skins of animals whose meat is also eaten. … I would gladly consider giving away sable, fox, and other fur coats - if I owned any.” PETA responded rather maturely and anti-abolitionist, saying that they respected Carla’s forward thinking. They did not bash her for approving of leather, instead they simply sent her a pair off vegan shoes from Stella McCartney.

* Speaking of Stella McCartney … the vegetarian designer has teamed up with Gap to design affordable, sustainable clothing for Gap Kids and Baby Gap. Read all about this new venture over at Vegetarian Star.

* Vaute Couture has been working diligently on a limited-edition collection of four vegan, high-fashion, winter coats and they are finally here! The coats, one of which is shown here, are available for pre-order right now for fall 2009, and Vaute Couture is offering to match your down payment now through June 30. So if you pre-pay $100 today toward your new Vaute Couture winter coat, they will take $100 off your remaining balance.

* Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt teamed up with vegan shoe company Macbeth to create his own vegan rocker sneaker. If you want to see the shoe and read more about it, check out my post about it at VEGdaily.

For one day only this weekend - Saturday, May 23 - Old Navy’s ubiquitous, bright colored flip flops for adults and kids are on sale for just $1 per pair! I already have about ten different colors from previous summers, but this sale means that I can replace my black and my white ones that have holes worn in the heels and still afford to grab some new colors, too!

Back in October 2008, when we were all thinking about winter boots, Payless was planning an earth-friendly spring collection with Summer Rayne Oakes, Discovery Network’s Planet Green fashion and beauty expert and author of Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion & Beauty, as the footwear brand’s eco consultant.

The Payless green shoes collection - zoe&zac - has arrived!

The sandals, flip-flops, wedges, girly sneakers, mary janes, and brag that they are first and foremost stylish and affordable … and then they just happen to be green.

“The most common misconception about sustainable fashion,” said Oakes, “is that it comes in one color and looks one way - neutral, boxy, baggy, shapeless. The best sustainable fashion is invisible and that’s what zoe&zac is all about.”

The shoes are “designed to leave a smaller (carbon) footprint” by using sustainable materials including:

* organic cotton
* nickel-free hardware
* faux leather and suede
* hemp
* jute - a strong, glossy plant fiber
* recycled rubber
* water-based and nontoxic glues
* elastic made from recycled plastic
* tagua nuts - known as the “vegetable ivory”
* eco-smart packaging, too! - boxes made from recycled shoe boxes and soy inks

Plus, every pair off women’s and girls’ shoes in the collection retails for under $30! For a limited time, Payless donated $1 to plant a tree with the Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign for each pair of shoes purchased. Unfortunately, that special has already ended; however, $1 will be donated for each reusable tote that you buy from Payless to carry your new eco-chic shoes home in, now through December 31, 2009.

Project Runway’s most memorable and arguably most successful after being on the show designer, Christian Siriano, unveiled his new shoe and handbag collection for Payless Shoe Source during his own ready-to-wear runway show this New York fashion week. The collection - both shoes and clothes - was inspired by Egyptian landscape and features his signature chunky, conical heel that looks like an inverted pyramid; pyramid studding details; gold tones of the desert sands; sculptural techniques paying homage to the pyramids; hieroglyphics, and the teals and turquoises of the Nile River.

The Payless collection contains five shoe styles, two ankle booties and three hidden platform pumps, called Slither, Saunter, SheDevil, Sand Strap, and Strut. There are two handbags - the Shanbag tote and the Sassafras clutch.

“This is the first shoe collection I’ve designed and Payless has been fabulous,” said Christian Siriano. “It was really incredible to have no limitation in shapes, materials or details. This is the way I think when designing my ready-to-wear pieces — from a completely blank canvas. I can’t wait to see the shoes on the runway!”

Celebs were out and about last night hosting Valentine’s Day parties and concerts. Some were solo, some were out as a romantic duo, but all of these females ruined an almost perfect outfit with a tacky accessory.

Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, and their adorable twins Max and Emme all showed up for Marc’s performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City. They looked like such a happy, cute little family - even though the kids were a little taken back by being on stage. But check out what J.Lo wore below the knees …

Eek! Those shoes are too much! The dress’s ruffles are a perfect amount of sweet-sexy, her hair and makeup were done just right, but those shoes! Tacky!

Then, over at PURE Nightclub, Las Vegas, Nevada, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt celebrated together with plenty of fake posed photos. Heidi’s dress is on the tiny size, but it’s color and texture, and her overall look, are stylish. But those fingernails! Super long, fake, pure white with decals that appear to say “I [heart]” something … tacky!

And finally we have P.Diddy’s Danity Kane singer Audrey O’Day at P.Diddy’s alcohol brand, Ciroc Vodka, sponsored party at 944 in Phoenix, Arizona. Again, the dress is a tad itty bitty for my comfort level, but the cut of the bust and neck line is fun - and this purse is to die for! I love it! Too bad she ruined it with not one, but two unfortunate accessories: her over-the-top fake boobs and one size too small shoes that are shoving her toes over the edge are tacky!

Hope your Valentine’s Day was less tacky than these celebs’!

The small, eco-friendly, vegan footwear and fashion accessories company Georgette, based in Belgium and working only with family-run companies in Italy and Spain, is sadly going out of business. But the good news is that boots in many styles, heels of every height, pumps, flats, sandals, and more are going quickly at around 50 to 75 percent off the original prices. Fine crafted European styles that were once 100 or more Euros are now in the 20 to 25 Euro range.

Georgette is an animal-friendly, high quality boutique that was founded and run by twin sisters. Their faux fine Italian leather and meticulous craftsmanship makes for a top-notch product.

I found this tip at the Swanky Veg. Keep up with this blog and you will be in the loop for blowout vegan sales like this all the time.

In a time when even the biggest, longest established companies are gasping for air - Liz Claiborne just cut 725 more jobs, making their layoff total around 2,200 since 2007 - some smaller fashion-based businesses are still growing strong.

Edon Manor, located on Greenwich Street in Tribeca, or New York City to those of us outside of NYC, is not just a shoe store - and that may just be their secret to staying alive. Edon owner Davinia Wang was interviewed recently by NY Mag, who reports that Wang’s boutique takes a very unique approach to shoe shopping “complete with bookcases, a fireplace, and afternoon tea.”

No word yet on whether Ms. Davinia Wang is of any relation to our beloved designers Vera Wang or Alexander Wang, but she does name the latter as one of her fave designers.

Next week I start a new day job that will have me outside occasionally, especially once the weather warms. This, on top of my growing case of spring fever, has got me over the top excited to wear spring dresses, skirts, sandals, and cute tops. But when I woke this morning to see snow on the ground, my spirit was dampened. Luckily, i also woke up to find a collection of spring items that are newly available at Net-a-Porter.com.

Note: none of these are affordable, just inspirational.

This Celine cherry print dress is a perfect transition into spring wear, with just a hint of color and a bold, not too dense flower-like print. At $1,500, however, I’ll have to hunt for a similar one elsewhere.

I will never stop loving this geometric Diane Von Furstenberg dress. In my next life, I am going to splurge on this $695 spring gown and wear it to a party at a pop art gallery.

Vivienne Westwood got everything right with this eye-catching dress: It’s a shade of hot pink that flatters any skin tone; an easy to wear, asymmetrical drape; and both cute and sexy at the same time. Plus, this fuchsia Anglomania dress is one of the better designer deals at $455.

These Miu Miu wedges hit on my favorite wedge characteristics: a neutral, camel color and a gradual, not too steep incline. The back strap and peek-a-boo toe are just icing on the cake - the $570 price tag is the lump of baking powder that didn’t get throughly sifted in.

She’s been dressing celebrities for years, but it wasn’t until her Bravo reality show The Rachel Zoe Project that this fashion stylist became a well-known name.

Aside from her show and her book, Style A to Zoe: The Art of Fashion, Beauty, and Everything Glamour, you can discover what trends Zoe loves at online store Piperlime where she regularly selects her favorite shoes.

Need even more incentive to scope out Rachel’s picks? Piperlime is sending one lucky winner and a friend to Los Angeles to meet Rachel Zoe!

The $10,000 grand prize package includes:

** A three-day stay at the glamorous Roosevelt Hotel for the winner and a friend.
** Roundtrip airfare to Los Angeles for two.
** Transportation to and from the airport, and to meet Rachel Zoe.
** $2,000 each towards a shopping spree at Rachel’s favorite spots.
** $500 each towards Piperlime shoes.

To enter to win visit Piperlime.com from now until January 25.

If you have it in your heart to do good and help the needy, but not in your wallet, Piperlime has just the opportunity for you!

Piperlime regularly collaborates with charitable nonprofit Soles4Souls. Now, if you become a fan of Piperlime on Facebook you can donate without spending any money. For each person that befriends the shoes and accessories online store, Piperlime will donate $1 to Soles4Souls.

Soles4Souls collects new and used shoes of every variety, and distributes them to people in need. With the help of shoe manufacturers, retailers, and individuals, Soles4Souls provided more than 1 million pairs after the Asian Tsunami and hurricanes Rita and Katrina. The company runs based on a single, simple mission: “to impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes.”

Now go “Facebook” Piperlime and see that Soles4Souls gets another dollar to keep helping!

I’m sorry, what year are we living in again?

LA Gear is releasing a new line of sneakers.

“It has been almost 20 years since these original LA Gear styles have been in the market, and we feel like it’s time to bring them back,” said Lance Jackson, director of LA Gear specialty product.

The brand promises to maintain their signature, iconic style: the new shoes maintain high-top status and have a Velcro strap wrapped around the ankle. Plus, LA Lights will be re-released for men, women, and children. But, thankfully, they also promise to update the color choices.

This, on top of Ray-Ban sunglasses becoming the big name in shades again and Lindsay Lohan’s hundred-dollar leggins selling like crazy, is making me question what decade I live in.

Payless Shoes seems to have decided that, while expensive stores are dying out, they are going to have a new market of shoe shoppers looking to save a dollar without sacrificing style. Having that realization, the store has decided to jump on the bandwagons of two popular retail trends: being green, and collaborating with top designers.

Be Green. Back in October, Payless started production of their first environmentally friendly line. Due out early 2009, the shoes will blend current trends in style with sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton, hemp, recycled soles, and more. Summer Rayne Oakes, Discovery Network’s Planet Green fashion and beauty expert and author of Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion & Beauty, will serve as the footwear brand’s eco consultant. With hope, the shoes will be cheaper and cuter than Natalie Portman’s Te Casan designs.

Collaborate with Big Names. Christian Siriano, a.k.a. Project Runway’s season four winner, signed a deal this week with Payless to create a line of shoes and handbags exclusively for the affordable store. The new collection will be unveiled at Siriano’s runway show at New York Fashion Week in February. The designs will be available in fall 2009, with an estimated price range of $25 to $45.

While you await the arrival of the new green and Siriano lines, take advantage of Payless’s BOGO (buy one, get one 50% off) event, which is happening now. Current collections in Payless stores include designer collaborations with Lela Rose, Patricia Field, Alice + Olivia, and Abaete. The store also carries Airwalk, Champion, American Eagle, and Dexter.

Happy Black Friday shopping extravaganza day! Oh yes, and happy belated Thanksgiving, too!

I’m in a good mood because, although I have to work today, I managed to squeeze in $100 worth of sale shopping before work.

I take two buses to get to my job. The buses meet up at a mall - a deadly bus stop for a shopaholic to have, for sure! This morning, my first bus pulled in to the depot 10 minutes early, leaving me with a solid 20 minutes to wait for the next one. I innocently realized that, being Black Friday, Starbucks in the mall was probably open early. Upon entering the mall, however, the atmosphere got the better of me (and my wallet).

Chick-fil-A handed me free coffee as soon as I stepped inside, and I crumbled like the addict I am: “I have to buy something!”

In 45 minutes - I succumbed to pressure and took a later bus - I bought:

* New pink and gray Adidas sneakers, bamboo socks, and aloe vera socks from Lady Footlocker to aid in my recent running hobby.

* Underwear and yoga-style pants from American Eagle.

* Nothing at Journey’s, H&M, or Borders, but I still managed to browse all three.

… And then I had to sprint to catch the bus, but it’s okay because I had new running shoes on.

I am in a good mood now, despite having to work. Between the free caffeine, the adrenaline rush of speed shopping, and the fact that it is Friday, I’ve got energy and happiness on my side. Plus there’s the anticipation of stopping after work to check for late-in-the-day sales!

Today only shop Piperlime and receive $20 off your next purchase of at least $100 in celebration of the online shoes and handbags store’s second birthday. If you are truly lucky, perhaps you will be one of the 1 in 100 people to receive $100 off your next purchase!

Plus, while your shopping don’t forget that you can simultaneously order from Old Navy, Banana Republic, and GAP, with your whole order being combined for shipping, which is free with purchase of $150 or more.

I’m not a big fan of tees that have sayings on them. I’m even less impressed with ones that have pictures of items such as a gun, drugs, or other violent or illegal objects.

So you can probably imagine my reaction to seeing this photo of Madonna’s gun heeled shoes:

You are correct if you guessed that I find these as equally tacky as they are distasteful. Plus, they are just plain not cute.

But then the madness continues, so someone must disagree with me. Here they are walking the runway in multiple color options. Can you guess whether my opinion changed once seeing them in silver?

Nope, still not convinced that these are in any way sexy or fashionable. Perhaps if I knew that they were designed and produced by style icon Karl Lagerfeld for the legendary Chanel. Perhaps then I would understand and buy into the idea of having a gun for a heel.

Hmm … it seems nothing can convince me that these handgun high heels are anything but a pathetic attempt at being controversial.