Blog: The Frugal Vegan

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Showing 3 posts in the Clothing category for this blog.
Spring Fashion
Sunday, April 12, 2009

Since nothing is open today and I don't have much to do, I decided to go through my clothes once again. I am highly disorganized and have had a lot of my clothes in a large rubbernaid bin. I usually have two bins; one for spring/summer and another for fall/winter. When I changed over last season I never ended up hanging up my clothes and just left everything in the bin. Because of this, I discovered that there were clothes I had forgotten about just sitting at the bottom of it which was disappointing but clearly my own fault.

I also went through what was actually hung up and discarded about half of it, some to go in the winter bin, some to go to charity and other things to the consignment store. I have purchased several pieces of handmade clothes lately and want to make room for a more distinguished wardrobe.

The closet looks great and I now have some tops that I can wear with some of the handmade clothes. I also discarded an entire bag of shoes and several purses which I will replace with more current finds (hopefully at a thrift store!).

I am liking the mix and match of vintage and new clothes together to make it current. I was never much of a fashionista (more like a fashion victim!) but as I grow older I am appreciating putting looks together a lot more and find it more fun. I picked up a style magazines (I rarely buy magazines so this was unusual for me) just to check out what is in and what isn't. I discovered that I already had pieces to be current if I mixed them with other things! 

Sandals:

Gladiator and /shoeswoven type sandals are back again! I had some woven sandles from the thrift store which are still good and some gladiator style sandals I purchased last year.

Shoes/sandles with wedges are also back. I love these because it means i can wear high heels without killing myself. Wedges are so comfortable and make high heel wearing a lot more stable then those scary stilettos!

Jeans:

Skinny jeans can still be worn (YAY!) with a current top, something bohemian or flowery which seem to be in fashion. Any graphic print top paired with these jeans would look great, from a halter to a tunic.

Those washed out denim jeans, slightly ripped or really used looking are back (think 90's). The term used right now is "distressed jeans". I had a few pairs back then and thought they were pretty cool. It's senseless to purchase those types of jeans when you can put a few holes and rips in them yourself or just fade them out with some bleach in several spots. Here is a tutorial on how you can update your old jeans for this season: http://www.jeans-and-accessories.com/how-to-distress-jeans.html

Looks:
The bohemian look is still in, especially with shoes and bags. Hobo bags are still big and I'm happy the bohemian style is in because that's mostly the style I wear.

High and medium waisted items are still hot too. I used to dislike tucking my shirts in but am liking it now that I can just put a belt around my waist. I usually do it with skirts that go down to my knee and a fitted shirt.

Mini skirts are in too, though I probably won't sport one myself (not sure most people want to see an almost 40 year old wearing one even if she CAN pull it off). So you can cut old skirts and hem them to make them mini and hip. Easily done!

Jewelry & Accessories:
Bracelets are in, lots of them. Almost 80's style but more chunky and beaded. Put several of them on your wrist, looks neat! To me, jewelry is a way to personalize your style if you have to go to work in a conservative outfit and want to jazz it up a bit. We can all get away with some fun jewelry no matter what look you are wearing.

Aviator glasses are the thing for spring/summer. I am sure they can be found at thrift stores because they've been around so long. (I believe they were pretty popular in the 60's). I am seeing mostly large sunglasses as well, just like last year.

Fabrics:
Any sustainable fabric is in. Anything from organic cotton to bamboo and linen are popular choices. Most of the handmade clothes I purchased are made of sustainable fabric. So discard that polyester!!

So mix old and new and with these tips in mind perhaps you can find a bunch of stuff thrift :)
Happy Fashionable Spring!

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1000 laundry washes for $40!?
Thursday, January 29, 2009

I thought the Soapnuts were good, environmentally friendly and economical, but I found something even BETTER and CHEAPER! It's called The Green Wash Ball. It sells for $40 and claims to last 3 years or 1000 washes if you do one wash a day. Perfect for the environment, no mess, no fuss and no chemicals or scents! Here is the link:
https://greenwb.worldsecuresystems.com/index.html

I haven't purchased one yet, as I have enough laundry soap (thanks to a VERY good sale) for the next year or two. If anyone purchases one, please let me know because I would love to invest in one of these. Just throw it in the wash and that's it! No fuss! Gee now I wish I could get rid of my laundry soap :)

 

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How much should we really spend on footwear?
Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Well, yesterday was my day off. I was going to stay home and make soap and candles and maybe bake, just to relax but I decided to go venture out to the mall (which i rarely do!). I had bought a really nice skirt 3 years ago and haven't been able to wear it for a year as it is now too big. I needed to go get it tailored as I can not sew and my sweetie doesn't have much time at the moment to do it.

I showed up at the tailoring place, put on the skirt and the woman told me that it will cost more as they have to take a lot off and remove the zipper in the process. She said if they only had to take a bit off they could have just done it on one side, but it seemed as though they were taking at least 1-2inches off on each side! WOAH! I didn't know I had lost that much weight but I guess I have...yikes. I cringed when she quoted me $30 for the alterations, but given the fact that at the time I paid a lot for the designer skirt, it was worth it. Still...ouch!

I made the mistake of heading downtown to my two favourite shoe stores. I never used to be into shoes until the past few years. I guess my bad arthritis has forced me to get good shoes and now that I am spoiled with wearing nice things on my feet, it's impossible to go back. argh. Here's what happened:

I found a nice pair of Hush Puppies on sale for $70 (down from $120). I needed them for work as I did not have a comfortable cushiony high heel to wear with dresses/skirts. I was happy with my purchase and i did NEED these so I wasn't too upset with myself. Then I venture over to another store, the one I always look in but never buy....until now.

They were having a 50% off sale that's been ongoing all month. I've been in a few times but never bought anything. This time, I noticed some John Fluevog shoes (this is a designer i used to look at 20 years ago because his shoes were so crazy, like art on your foot!!!). I have always been impressed with this designer but way back when his shoes were even too off the wall for me. Over the years, I drooled over the art-style-shoes but never wanted to try a pair on, afraid I'd blow $300 on shoes. His designs have gotten more wearable over the years too! Yesterday I did it. I tried on two pairs of Fluevog shoes and one pair of boots. The boots are a nice plum, wonderfully made, cool and funky. I wanted them all..(of course I did!) but settled on the purple boots. After all, I had only ever owned black and brown boots, it was time to expand my collection. hahaa. The website sells these for almost $500, i paid $200. I was scared to tell my sweetie but when I did he said they looked really good and didn't even cringe. As I get older, I realize I keep footwear much longer now anyway. My friend has had these $300 pair for 10 years and they are still in good shape. He was pleased with my purchase and said in the long run I'd save money because I wouldn't be tossing them in a year or two. True enough. Or is it?

Today I am still unsure as to whether or not I should have bought them, but my feet need to be taken care of and I have noticed a huge difference since purchasing good footwear. I just started last year so I am still in the midst of replacing my junky shoes.

My mother would also approve, she's a shoe person and used to complain to me in my earlier years that I didn't have enough shoes (in my twenties I may have had 2 pairs and 1 pair of boots). She used to stress how much good footwear is important. I should have listened to her. I wonder if I would have these foot problems had I listened to her 20 years ago.

So is it worth spending that much on footwear? Say I keep these boots for 10 years, that's $20 a year to have them. If I don't replace them for that long, then it's worth it...isnt it? :)

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Author:
freya1970
Halifax, NS Canada
About Me:

I am a 39 year old woman living with my sweetie of 13 years and two cats. I love photography, yoga, indie film, vegan cooking and baking, making all kinds of things like zines, soap, candles... I love to create using recycled materials as well.

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