Sabah!!
Shopping…
It’s the last weekend to enter to win $100 via the ARO giveaway.
Elizabeth Suzann is launching their cold weather collection on 10/4 and it will include wool from Imperial Ranch here in the US. Yay! When the cold weather collection launches, the SS16 collection goes away, so if you’re interested in any of those pieces, order soon!
fog linen works has some beautiful linen pieces, and a dress that’s nearly identical to my Eileen Fisher organic linen dress – if you’re still into linen…
As you see above, I got a pair of Sabah shoes this week while they were here in Dallas. I haven’t worn them yet because it’s still too hot for “shoes,” but I’m looking forward to it. I got a size 39 (I’m a US size 8) and they’re really comfortable, not snug, but not big. I tried the 38s as well and while they would have stretched, I felt better in the 39. The best part about the pop-up was meeting the Sabah team and seeing all the loyal customers wearing their Sabahs that had already been worn in; they were so perfectly fitted and worn but not WORN looking. I can’t wait for mine to look like that!
Reading…
I’ve been listening to James Altucher‘s podcasts and reading articles after buying and reading his book, Choose Yourself ($.99 at the Kindle store!!). He writes a lot, and rambles a lot, but I appreciate his irreverent style, and get a few tips here and there. One thing I took and ran with was his random statement that you tend to be most productive between 2-4 hours after you wake up. It sounded about right to me, so I thought I’d try and rearrange my schedule to be more productive.
I usually wake up around 5:30, so my “most productive” time should be between 7:30 and 9:30. I’d been going to Pure Barre at 8:30 every morning, which is right in the middle of this productive time, and sometimes I’d be in the middle of something and have to leave it to get to class on time, which was distracting and took the rest of the morning/early afternoon to get over. I shifted my schedule two weeks ago to do the 9:45 class instead, and it’s made such a huge difference! Now, I actually get more done in the 4 hours after I wake up than I did all day before because I’m more focused and intent on completing things earlier in the day. And basically after 3-4 in the afternoon I’m useless…so I have to get as much done in the mornings that I can!
Anyway, it was such a small change that made a big difference. That’s all it takes most of the time…
Also, another excellent piece at WANT (Women against negative talk) about Self-Sabotage. And here I thought I was the queen of Self-sabotage…there are SO MANY GOOD THINGS in this article, but WHOA THIS IS SO ME:
Not too long ago (in the grand scheme of things), whenever things would start to go great for me, I’d start to make something go not-so-great. Probably to counter-balance what I thought deep down was something I hadn’t earned or didn’t deserve.More than anything, I was afraid of success. Failure was easier for me to stomach than the thought of possibly letting someone down once I was at the top.
Zara…sustainable? not sustainable…I’m going to mostly leave that here for you to read and form opinions on yourself, but I will just say that while I’m always a fan of small steps in the RIGHT direction, I also know that you must take those steps while not simultaneously taking two steps in the WRONG direction. And fast fashion in general is taking so many steps in the wrong direction it will take more than these small efforts to have any impact on the overall destructiveness of the industry. Same goes for H&M’s conscious collection IMO. What these efforts MAY do is introduce the idea of more eco-friendly fibers and practices to people who aren’t already aware, which is a good thing, but ultimately, it’s really just…not enough.
I guess my “issue” is that those companies COULD DO MORE to affect real change if they were really committed. Inditex is the world’s largest fashion retailer, and if they decided to, they could almost single-handedly make the fashion industry more sustainable…
Along the same lines : Gap, Inc. and VF Corp disclose factory lists. Transparency and supply chain monitoring is crucial, and again, another step in the right direction:
When apparel brands are transparent about their supplier factories, it helps workers and advocates swiftly alert brands to possible labor rights violations in the factories, giving brands an opportunity to take corrective steps. Transparency about suppliers also makes it easier for workers to alert brands when factories subcontract production to others without brand approval – a widespread problem that companies have often struggled to combat. Apparel brands cannot monitor conditions in factories they do not know about, and subcontracting factories often have worse records for underpayment of wages, dangerous working conditions, and other labor rights abuses. (HRW)
Happy Friday!
What do you have planned for the weekend? is it cooling off where you are? (Maybe this weekend here..). What do you think about the issues above? Bought anything interesting lately?
Dear Grechen-
It was my Bday yesterday so I got dressed up- EF silk jersey asymetrical dress w strappy sandals. I wore my dad’s ring and my mom’s wedding band and my aunt Pauline’s necklace. So I had all my spirits with me to celebrate along with my lovely boyfriend/fiance. We went to a great restaurant The Naked Dog in Brooklyn. Tonight is Thai with all the ladies – it has cooled off so maybe I’ll wear the leather jacket w jeans.
I did buy the EF stand up collar leather jacket I will post a pic on Instagram
I posted one this week of a burgundy leather tote I wanted you to see
BTW – you look great in the overalls now that they were hemmed-
Best,
Gena
Happy birthday!!! I saw the tote on Instagram- it’s beautiful!
Reading “The Goldfinch” by one of my favorite authors, Donna Tartt (late to the game, I know!). Also, on the hunt for a great pair of taupe suede booties with just the right height heel (I’ll know it when I see it). Also, a medium size saddlebag, but I’m trying to determine what color I want to go best with my wardrobe. I’d love to go with oxblood or olive, but even tho my wardrobe tends to be full of neutrals, I HAVE TO wear a coat, which is an olive cargo jacket. So, saddle tan?!? But what about bootie colors? Switch bags depending on outfit colors?!? I’d love input from anyone!
how do you feel about the Zara scandal ripping off artists? eco-friendly/sustainable aside, it’s such a sad disaster. for whatever small exceptions i’m allowing myself in the future as far as where i shop, i had to take this one of this list because of it. i’m sure it happens way more than anyone realizes, too! so sad! http://fortune.com/2016/07/20/zara-stealing-designs/
oh, totally agree, and for the record, i think their sustainability efforts are more greenwashing than genuine anyway…
i think their ripping off artists/designers is awful; they’ve been doing it for years.
it does happen a lot, companies like urban outfitters, nasty gal, and i think modcloth also did it. i haven’t shopped zara in years, mostly because of ethical issues, but also, i found that even some of the pieces i loved and tried to take care of looked SO worn out after a couple of years.
ugh. btw, very much into the “instead of this… get this” posts. sometimes ya just need the dirt! plain and simple!
I’m curious — what would your advice be (as far as ‘ethical shopping/fashion’ goes) to someone who holds those ideals, but makes far less? Let’s say an annual net pull of $25K to let’s say, $50K at most. This may be someone who still loves fashion and still wants to be conscious as you or the next person, but really can only afford up to maybe “Zara” level prices — and to them…that’s a luxury.
Would you say, “Well, then I think fashion just isn’t for you?” “If you can’t afford it, then don’t buy it.”? I feel a lot of bloggers never broach this issue of wealth gap. I’m curious as to your opinion.
can you give me an idea of a theoretical monthly or annual budget for clothing/shoes/accessories? lifestyle?
I googled “What percentage of your budget should be spent on clothes/shoes?” The answer was 5%. So, given the parameters in Fran’s question: $104-$208 per month. (I’m also curious, being on a budget myself.). 🙂
Just reading this — I struggle with the same thing myself as I’m also on a budget (though I rarely stick to it — but that’s a whole other story). I find that a lot of fashion recycles over time, and that becoming extremely good at second-hand shopping and developing a keen eye for brands and deals on Ebay, ThredUp, Tradesy, etc. can make a huge difference in terms of keeping to a budget… that’s usually how I try out new trends and shapes actually, as I recently found a great pair of silk wide-legs for $5 at the goodwill, and bought a linen top that looks like the ES Petra for $20