Free People "Freecylcing" old clothes into new looks?

Following in the footsteps of sister company Urban Outfitter's “Urban Renewals” line, it seems as if the whimsical/bohemian Free People may also be jumping on the transforming-old-clothes-to-make-them-cool-again band-wagon.

So, basically, yay!

I love this concept—and love being able to obtain totally unique articles of clothing, while doing some good for the environment.

Check out the revamped work shirt, that is now magically a cropped, slouchy over-shirt:

Based off the one cryptic blog posting, it seems there may be more of this to come. Fingers crossed...

Paper Chasing

Granted I kind of live in a bubble, but for me, Slumdog Millionaire seemed to be the beginning of an Indian infiltration into the American culture. If you tune in to any “pop” radio channel, Bollywood remixes are being repeatedly played, Frieda Pinto-- the beautiful female lead of Slumdog-- is said to be in talks to star as the next Bond girl, and now the Indian culture has even made its way onto little ol’ Kelly Green’s blog. I love this, and am happy for the opportunity to be exposed to some new, previously unknown (for me, anyway) cultural diversity.

Since this is written, I can incorporate any special effects I want. For instance, I’m rewinding time to go back one week:

While sitting on a train going to New York City, I was killing time (see, time is my bitch in this word world) by restlessly thumbing through that week’s trashy tabloid. After having read about Rhianna’a alleged pregnancy and Jen & John latest drama, I stopped on a page of green “must have” accessories. Sure, the certified oak “iWood” iPhone cover was pretty sweet, but $110 seemed like a steep price for some pocket wood. There was a cute reusable lunch bag, but come on US Weekly (or whatever magazine it was), we are all ALREADY hip to the reusable bags! Instead of these, the item that really caught my attention was like the runt of the litter in a box full of frolicking puppies. Instead of aggressively seeking my attention, in the corner of the page there quietly sat a couple of thick, multi-colored bangles that were woven together out of paper-mached newspapers. They were unlike anything I had ever seen before, looked so unique and chic, were reasonably priced at under $30, and were such a good idea that I felt like felt like I had to share “Wellpaper’s” products with everyone I could.

After politely asking my lovely travel companion if I could rip the page out her glossy magazine, I carefully folded up the page and tucked it away in my cavernous purse, intent on further researching later.

Now, we are fast-forwarding to that Monday, when I first got a chance to Google my query. While I was really expecting links to Kitson and its ilk to pop up so I could tell you where to buy these cutie cute bracelets, I was surprised to instead first find the home page for the company, which revealed the inspiring and heart-warming history of Wellpaper and its goods. (And provides the tie-in to my India based introduction.)

Rewinding again: In 2004, an Israeli couple up and moved their family to a little town in India. She was an artist whom specialized in paper mache crafts made out of recyclable materials, and dabbled in social work. He was an accountant by trade. Once in India, they gathered groups of interested women, and taught them how to make products out of materials they had available to them (old newspapers and magazines, etc.), and make a business out of it --Wellpaper (Women's Empowerment through Local Livelihood) was thus born.

The village women that compose this organization are loving the fact that they can make their own money to better their families’ quality of living, while building close relationships with their co-workers, and establishing a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. (The site is really cute, there are bios of some of the involved women, and they share their thoughts and feelings in their own words.)

They are taught how to read and write, and are even dabbling in learning the English language. Wellpaper has seen enough success to warrant starting similar programs in 3 additional villages, and their products are being shipped all over the world. In addition to bangles, they also make lot other stuff, like baskets, coasters, earrings, hair clips, plates and key chains, and they are mostly all made out of “raw” materials, newspapers are the most common medium used, but plastic bottles, plastic bags, and old cartons are all fair game as well.

Obviously, buying these products is beneficial in a multitude of ways... and as cute as they are, the least of all being the fact that the Wellpaper accessories can benefit your outfit. The whole Wellpaper concept really appealed to me, because the hand-made, one-of-a-kind products that these women are making are proof positive of the good that can be accomplished by opening your mind and heart to those different than yourself. With all of the bad things people are doing to each other across the world, it's refreshing and invigorating to hear about such selflessness that is happening right NOW.

Imsomniac Revelation: Old Clothes Made New Again

I could not fall asleep last night.

I watched two episodes of Chelsea Lately, read half of this month’s Book Club book and the entire new In Style magazine, and made it to level 15 in Tetris. It was a weird feeling to know that everyone else around me was fast asleep and unconscious, and yet I remained awake and listless.

As 3:30am rolled around, I turned off the lights for good and squeezed my eyes shut, determined to make my body do what I wanted it to. I started playing my favorite game with myself, “What Will Kelly Wear Tomorrow?” and mentally dressed myself in an array of different work appropriate looks. (The annoying thing is that although this helps me fall asleep, the cute ensembles I come up with are forgotten come morning.)

As per usual right before I fall asleep, my mind began to wander… and all of a sudden I was thrust onto a topic that got me all riled up again and there was NO way any sleep was occurring anytime soon… For some reason, I had found myself mentally reviewing my shoe selection, and unhappy with the realization that although I own a lot of shoes-- a bunch of them have seen too many nights out at dirty bars to be worn anymore. It occurred to me that I could spend a couple bucks and have a shoe-maker bring new life to my pre-existing shoes, instead of spending a lot of bucks on brand new shoes. (I already have a pair that I am so excited to resuscitate- cream round-toe Mary Janes, with a sexy stiletto heel and delicate lattice work around the edges. They look disgusting now, can’t wait to get them spiffed up and back into rotation!)

The idea of revitalizing shoes I already own lead me (slippery slope) to the idea of revitalizing clothes I already own… and that’s when the adrenaline started pumping and I sat straight up in bed, too many ideas racing around in my brain to track them all.

That vintage looking white dress with the puff skirt covered in blue flowers? I had only worn it once, despite it’s beauty, and written it off as being too conservative. But, with a shorter, flirtier hemline, and a thick brown leather belt-- I could wear that dress to death! Dinner, work, out… perfection!

That purple silk Rebecca Taylor patterned tank top I haven’t worn since college because it’s too short-waisted for today’s look-- that would look awesome cut down the front and transformed into a flowy, romantic vest.

Cute black Ella Moss empire tunic with the bat wing sleeves I decided I hated after purchase-- nothing a stapler can’t handle! (For real, this story is just between us because my brother would DIE if he knew I told this to anyone, but I turned the shirt inside out, and had him put it on. Following the shape of his arms, I stapled in the stitching I wished the shirt actually had, and made the sleeves fitted. Although my brother was happy to help, I could tell he felt a bit emasculated that I was using him as a model because only his arms were as skinny as mine.)

My white vintage Gucci floral bag with the long white leather strap would look sick updated with a pretty gold chain strap...

The possibilities are endless, and it’s so exciting because these are all things I already own—and all I’m doing is coordinating a little makeover action, and inviting these pieces back into my life. Money is saved, my creative fires are stoked, and I’m cutting down on my wasteful consumption while preventing lots of material goods from finding their final resting place in the bottom of a land-fill grave.

I can’t wait to take my favorite destroyed jeans –- so favorite that I have two pairs—to the tailor and having one pair made into a straighter, skinnier version. I am also looking forward to updating a slew of dresses to a more modern hemline, and never having to stress about what to wear during the summer again. (Note though- for things being hemmed I will ask for the material to only be sewed and not cut, so that when the styles eventually revert back, the hems can be let down and the clothing piece will still be relevant.)

Along these lines, stay posted for updates on more do-it-yourself ideas, in addition to profiles of clothing designers that are already doing this for you. For instance, check out the extreme makeovers at avant apres fashion- I am so jealous of this girl's style and skill, however she does set an awesome example of what can be accomplished with the things you already own and a good imagination.

Before and After #1:

(I love it!!!!)

Before and After #2:

Hot.

(Tip: she sells some of her creations on etsy.com, so some of her infinite style can possibly be momentarily possessed by one of us normal folk.)

Now-- hopefully after getting all this off my chest, I will be able to sleep like a contented baby tonight. Sweet dreams!

Keds Go Green

When the OC first came out, I was obsessed.

Since I liked it, it could do no wrong. The soundtracks were amazing, (I own all of them, including the Christmakkuh album which used to make me cry when I was PMSing, perhaps tmi?), Steh Cohen was hilarious, Rachel Bilson was sooo adorable, Josh Schwartz was the shizz, and there was no one prettier than Mischa Barton in the whole entire world. Sigh…

So, when I first heard that Keds had signed her to be their spokesperson, I was psyched for them- she was so pretty and cool, anything on her would look hot. Right? Not so much.

Um, what are these ensembles? Sadly, the tabloid rumors seem echoed in these pictures, as Mischa went far, far down Lohan Boulevard... and the innocent masses were exposed to the fact that the cokehead/alchoholic/anorexic combination is a better advertisement for DARE than retail products...

Seriously??

Given her substance induced haze, I wonder if she was also hired as the stylist for these shoots? It would explain a lot...

Want Keds now?

How about now?!

No? Oh.

Needless to say, despite my Mischa's obvious beauty, I was not inspired to buy Keds. Were you?

Luckily, there appears to be a happy ending. For Keds, at least.

After bearing witness to years of eyeball abuse with these Mischa/Keds atrocities, I was pleasantly surprised to come across this new Keds ad:

So cute! Finally! For the first time in about 20 years, I’m kind of wanting a pair of Keds again? (Jenna? Mary-Kate, Ashley? What are your thoughts?) Her outfit actually makes sense with the Keds, and she looks breezily put together.

And, these coherent accessories are “green” to boot! Indeed- the shoe laces are 100% recycled plastic bottles, the outsoles are 20% recycled rubber, the dyes are non-toxic and the cotton is all organic. Kudos Keds, keep up the good work!

kedsgogreen.com

What is this "goop"?

It’s not jealousy speaking, I swear. Instead, it's really more of a mixture of head-shaking confusion and dismay. Granted, she is doing exactly what I want to do, but on a much larger scale. If I had Gwyneth’s assets, my lifestyle blog would definitely be as aesthetically pleasing as hers (if not better☺). At least, I’ll give her credit where it's due, her web-design team did an awesome job, and the site (appearance wise) is super cute.

It’s the content and concept though, behind Gwyenth Paltrow’s new lifestyle blog "GOOP" that leaves me head-scratching…

For instance, where did this name come from?

She named it “GOOP?” Are the 'G' and 'P' for her initials, and she just needed some letters to shove in between? “Gap” was obviously already taken, as were a bunch of other G&P combos, leaving “GOOP” as the only domain name available that fulfilled her stringent requirements?

What does the name “GOOP” mean?

If you heard that word as the title of a blog, what would you assume the site would be about? Bulk sales of the vintage slime left over from Nickelodeon, Ghostbusters movies, etc? Some weird new kids’ product trying to cash in on the popularity of strangely named things? (Worked for the “Wii”?) Glue porn? I’m really going out on a limb here trying to think of what “GOOP” would be a good title for… and really, I am struggling. Maybe an extension of Rachael Ray’s site, where she shared recipes for things you can make out of mashed up bugs? I would love to be privy to the rationale of the think-tank that came up with this title, and then I’d like to smack them.

What does the tag-line mean?

"Nourish the inner aspect." Trust me girrrl, if I knew what the heck my inner aspect was, I'd be feeding it! Mmmhmm!

I explored her site, hoping to stumble across some sort of mission statement, but was unable to find anything that satisfactorily explained what this site was about. What I did find though, was a link to “little black dresses” under her “GET” section. Intrigued, I checked it out and was rewarded with a scroll-down fashion show of Gwynnie looking all sorts of cute in outfits that revolve around little black dresses. I love this concept, and had fun looking at the outfits her stylists obviously put together for her. But, this was also when the serious eye-rolling began.

It’s great for someone who is considered a fashion icon (or, who at least considers themself to be a fashion icon) shares their fashion tips with the world. Advice on styling a bunch of different looks out of one article of clothing could be very helpful, especially when it's based on a piece most people already have hanging in their closets. Unless of course, the down-to-earth fashionista features clothing consisting of labels such as Balenciaga, Chanel, Gucci, YSL, and Christian Louboutin, and other haute-couture brands that are well beyond the average persons’ means of attaining.

In times of economic distress, it seems so wrong to advertise designer pieces that almost no one can afford. Manipulating people into wanting things that are way out of their price-ranges is partially what got us into this financial trouble to begin with. (And- do you think the people that can afford this stuff even give a moment’s thought about Gwyneth Paltrow’s lame web-site as a source of fashion ideas? Like, Olivia Palermo wakes up before work, and when she can’t figure out what to wear she’s thinks to herself, “Oh, I know! I’ll check out Gwyneth’s site and see what outfits she would think are cool!” Um, no chance.) This is really her advice for girls who want to live like her environmentally-conscious self?

To be fair, her reasons for why she wanted the site are sound. In her own words, “GOOP is a collection of experiences of what makes life good. My life is good because I am not passive about it. I want to nourish what is real, and I want to do it without wasting time. I love to travel, to cook, to eat, to take care of my body and mind, to work hard. I love being a mother who has to overcome my bad qualities to be a good mother. I love being in spaces that are clean and nice.”

Somewhere between her (alleged) web-site inspiration and her web-site actualization, things went horribly awry. Combining her celebrity and resources, she really does have an excellent opportunity to make a great web-site that can expose lots of people to good ways of living stylishly "green." If she wants "GOOP" to be anything more than a short-lived pop-culture joke reference, she needs to do 2 things (yes, I consider myself an expert now):

1. Get realistic about who her target audience is!
2. Be much more clear about why her site exists. What are her goals in having this site? What does she hope to accomplish with "GOOP" beyond making money and creating tons of GOOPy clones? (Ew.)

All I can say is- the way things are now, her road to hell is paved with "goop" intentions…

"Use me for my body"

Let's just say, it was the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen hanging in a closet.


When my grandparents moved from their huge house in Chestnut Hill to a two-bedroom apartment, it required everyone chipping in and helping them sort through 40 years worth of accumulated belongings. Packing up my grand-mother's vast walk-in closet was in itself an extremely daunting feat. However, adequately armed with my love of clothing and my grand-mother, I rolled up the sleeves of my Juicy hoodie and delved in.

It turned out to be like going through a fashion time machine; there were the Pucci dresses with matching tights, countless collage inspired Koos van den Akker creations (which ranged between 30 to 5 years old and whom my grand-mother views as a style deity), her wedding dress from the 1950’s, the dress she wore to my mother’s wedding in the 1970's, skirts that were so high-waisted they could double as tube-dresses, and I could really go on and on. (I’ll touch briefly on the beaded, ethnic necklaces from Africa, the sea-shell belts from New England, and the hats and lace under-things from Europe, just for s’s and g’s.)

I wasn’t really thinking anything was out of the ordinary when I went to reach in for the cinnamon colored satin shirt, until I felt hard lumps and bumps beneath the silken material. When I pulled back the collar to see what was underneath, I was horrified to see the countless empty eyes staring back at me. Their teeth were bared, as if ready to attack, and I don’t blame them- I’d unwittingly uncovered them from decades of entombment.

“Mom-Mom?! What…is….this?”

Turns out, taking the entire bodies of minks, gutting them, sewing little beads in place of their eyes, and then attaching them to each other to form a stole*, was quite fashionable at the beginning of the 19th century. The thing hanging in my grand-mother’s closet with the satin shirt cover had belonged to my grand-father’s mother, Ida, and had been acquired during affluent times before my grand-father and his parents emigrated from Austria to the U.S. in order to escape Hitler. To make it across the world safely together, they had been forced to barter and bribe away the majority of their possessions. Although neither my grand-mother nor grand-father liked the stole with the beady beaded eyes, they both felt required to hold onto it, as it was one of the only items to make the transition with them from Europe to the United States.

This might be the one piece of fur I would never wear. Sorry, PETA.
Apparently Victoria Beckham has jumped on the PETA band-wagon, and is forsaking her love of fur in exchange for political correctness. As I’m sure you know, PETA thinks wearing fur is an absolute outrage. Lindsay Lohan doesn’t care, and still rocks furs whenever she pleases, but I don’t know that I really want to cite her as an example... among other reasons, I don't think she's particularly partial about anything, and her main squeeze SaMantha has insinuated that Linz loves any and all furry/hairy things. (Especially beaver fur.)

Please don’t get me wrong, I love animals. Love, love, love them!
But, I love my fur coat too.

‘Tis true, I have a fur-lined coat which keeps me nice and toasty warm even on the chilliest of winter's days. It’s not ostentatious, as the fur is on the inside, but I secretly feel luxurious every time I slip it on. My grand-mother is of the mind-set, and often repeats her mantra, that “if everyone had a fur-lined coat, there wouldn’t be any wars in the world.” While I’m not sure about the validity of that, her sentiments towards fur can certainly be felt.

As PETA would have you believe, animals bred on fur-farms lead terrible, abused lives, only to be slaughtered in the end for their fur. However, this isn’t true. These animals live decent lives, never have to worry about where their food is coming from, and in death their existence goes on to be widely beneficial. (And, they’d die whether they were on a farm or out in the wild. At least on a farm, good can come from their lives?)

If these animals were left to live their lives in the wild and die naturally, their bodies would be destroyed and wasted by rot or stomach acids of the animals higher on the food chain that ate them. On a farm, every bit of the animal goes to another use.

The fur and skin goes to making fur coats, leather shoes, Uggs, belts, wallets, etc. For minks in particular, they have a thick fatty tissue underneath their fur, which is used to make a highly-valued oil which is needed for many purposes, from leather conditioner and preserver, to hypo-allergenic facial cosmetics and lotions. Some farmers sell the meat of the animals as crab bait, or give it away as food for wildlife preserves, zoos and aquariums. Others will use the animals' bodies to make organic compost, or the carcasses can even be bought and rendered down to provide raw materials for a wide range of products, from tires and paint to makeup, glue, and organic fertilizers.


Fur-farmers are the ultimate recyclers, NO part of the animal is wasted.

I like to look at it like wearing fur is the first step in vindicating the animals’ lives. I will wear my coat until it falls apart, it makes me happy every day, and by using these animal by-products, these animals’ lives were not in vain. Their lives have gone on to benefit countless other being’s- doesn’t it give more meaning to the animal’s life if it’s existence can be utilized and benefited from, long after the animals’ life-span has ended?

The bible looks at the situation the same way I do, and states that “cruelty towards animals that does not serve any human purpose [i.e. cruelty for its own sake] is prohibited. Cruelty required to serve any human need or desire or benefit is justified." In the Bible, animals are considered part of the bounty put here on Earth by God for humans to enjoy, like plants, rocks, and water. Humans can enjoy these in any manner they see fit (aside from sadism!) whether they want to eat them, wear them, do medical experiments upon them (with findings geared towards helping people), keeping them in zoos, or to keep as pets.

Sorry PETA, but it doesn't seem you have any legs to stand on, whereas I have at least 2.


* Old- fashioned term for shawl or wrap. Think today's equivalent of a pashmina.

A Gay (in the happy sense of the word) Marriage of Ideas

I don’t know how this girl at work does it, but even though her desk is separated from the hallway by a wall that obviously obscures her line of vision, she always calls out my name as I walk by. She doesn’t give off much of a creeper vibe, so I didn’t think she had cut out peep-holes through the office wall or anything, but I couldn’t satisfactorily figure out how she always knew it was me when I walked by. Finally, one day I just asked her.

“Dude, how do you always know when it’s me walking by!?”

She contemplated for a second, and then responded, “Well, different people just sound different when they walk.”

Hmmm, so simple, and yet intriguing. (And, also, a bit relieving to know that it wasn’t a case of super offensive B.O. that was pre-announcing my imminent arrival.)

I mulled this over as I walked down another hallway to the bathroom, my jumble of necklaces jangling with each step. She was right, I realized, my J.Crew obsession has made me a freaking, walking noise machine. Whether it’s the weird noise my skinny cords make when my legs rub against each other, the stomp of my high-heels, or the clink of my accessories against the over-sized buttons on a blazer, it is almost physically impossible for me to walk silently, and/or creep up on anyone.

It makes me feel better to be able to blame things on anything besides myself. My scape-goat for the noisy walking? Easy- the stack of J. Crew catalogs that I keep next to my bed (for getting dressed inspiration) dictate the varying textures and pieces I adorn myself with now.

So, if you’ve read my few previous posts, or been shopping within the last few years (whether in a mall, online, or just innocently peaking through the delightful catalog surprises that arrive right to your snail-mailbox), you have undoubtedly seen for yourself the handiwork and expertise of my burning girl crush, Jenna Lyons, the creative director of J.Crew. Under the support and watch of CEO Mickey Drexler, Jenna has beautifully and profitably expanded her company to now include cute (but noisy) jewelry, shoes, clothes, etc. In addition to her awesome additions, she is also the one to thank for making sure that everything is so expertly styled in all of their marketing pieces so that you can't help but drool over every page. (I am not exaggerating, I KEEP a STACK of J.Crew catalogs on my nightstand, for good reason!)

Jenna, in a completely non-creepy way, you are so my muse…

Although J.Crew stores can be found in most malls, the thoughtful details of the merchandise, and the personal touches incorporated into their mass marketing (catalogs and email blasts) ironically make this retail giant feel like your favorite neighborhood boutique. Lending to the boutiquey feel, all J.Crew outfits have an unique flair about them, there are personal shoppers readily available to personally assist you, and if you need help with anything- the appropriate J.Crew specialist is made to seem easily accessible with hand-written looking notes online and in the catalog to call “Ashley, the wedding specialist” at her desk number. It’s so smart! The merchandise is accessible to anyone in the country, yet despite this they have maintained an “one-of-a-kind” feel.

If I had to describe J.Crew’s aesthetic, after a lot of thought, I’d have to say that J.Crew’s emphasis is on timeless Americana, it's a style that a teenager, thirty something, or grandparent could all wear and make their own. There is a definite ‘prepster’ vibe to it, but it’s almost tongue-in-cheek making fun of preppy clothing, and depending on how you put the pieces together any desired look is achievable.

J.Crew’s emphasis and impact on “American” style could perhaps most easily be proven by the fact that out of all the clothing companies in the world- the new first daughters wore J.Crew children’s pieces for their father’s presidential inauguration.

Under the umbrella of “an easy American style,” J.Crew could easily expand to incorporate many successful “green” concepts and tactics. (At last, where I become relevant! ☺) There are so many avenues to go, it’s hard to know where to start with spilling my guts on this topic, but just a few- in rapid succession:

- They could create an internal organic clothing line (obviously I was going to say that one).

- They could design stores with all organic features- lots of windows for natural lighting, bamboo floors, recycled hangers. (Come to think of it, Jenna would probably totally love this idea- while researching (stalking) her online, I learned that she likes things to look a little lived-in.

“I like things that get better with age,” she has said. “Maybe it is frayed a little on the edges, maybe it is starting to wash down a little too much. I actually think that that looks good. That, to me, is classic.”

A store that used recycled wood pieces for hangers, and floors, and had threadbare oriental rugs and vintage chandeliers, and refurbished dressing-room doors and counters would be so cool to look at, shop in, provide new uses for pre-existing things, and be totally J.Crew.

J.Crew does not do any advertising beyond their catalogs and website. Staying within these parameters, there are cool marketing, eco-inspired methods they could take to increase foot traffic and sales.

- Already offering student and teacher discounts, they could offer an additional discount for bringing in an old J.Crew catalog with purchase. This way- the catalog is still serving it’s purpose by showcasing the clothes that make it necessary to go to the store, J.Crew can take all of those catalogs and make sure they’re properly recycled, and at the same time they’re getting tons of trackable info about their customers. Win, win, win!

- Along these lines, they could also offer some incremental discount for bringing in reused J.Crew shopping bags? J.Crew would save money on having to produce less bags, the shopping bags that do exist would get taken better care of- and if people were using them more often- it’s free publicity for J.Crew, and less junk taking up space in land-fills. Everyone’s a winner*.

- They could also take Juicy Couture’s idea of offering a discount for donating gently used J.Crew clothing to a charity of J.Crew’s choice. (While there are TONS of noteworthy charities throughout the world, I feel like their focus should remain on issues in America?) Again, they’d be increasing sales while doing good for the country, and at the same time they would be generating a “hey I'm doing something good!” feeling at point of purchase to stave away any feelings of buyer’s remorse.

Really, I could go on and on, but all I’m saying is that I love Jenna Lyons, and thanks to her I love J.Crew. In combining all of my loves- Jenna, J.Crew, shopping, fashion, the environment- I think there could be so many fun and exciting ways for J.Crew to go in the future.

Jenna once said that her goal was to be able to hear people say "Oh, my God, I have to go to J. Crew." Just from over-hearing passerby’s in the mall and purveying the shopping bags people are carrying while I people-watch in the food-court, I think that she is one of the lucky/enviable/extremely hard-working people whose dream has become a reality. It would be hard to improve upon her specific brand of perfection- but I’d certainly love to help contribute to a J.Crew “eco” expansion.

Hey, if I'm following the trends Jenna sets, I should dream big, right?

*Well… everyone would benefit, except the bag makers. But, survival of the fittest would force them to evolve and adapt- and either make more durable bags, create ways to make shopping bags more earth friendly, or… ?

Lord knows I ♥ boys. But...

At the moment, Robert Pattison and Zac Efron are aces in my book. (And no, sadly I am far from my tween years.) My crushes on boys (including the boys I actually know, the ones I don’t, and the ones I hope to know someday ☺) come and go like the changing of the seasons. Instead, it’s been my (non-sexually driven) girl crushes that make like an old Cranberries song and “linger,” on and on. (That song reference alone should be a good portent of my real age.)

From second to fifth grade, my super girl crush was on the perfect, tiny and angelic Kristen Coco. She was the smallest girl in the class, with blonde baby-angel hair, and therefore could pull off pretending to be a newborn bunny infinitely better than I could. And- she had a television in HER BEDROOM, on which she could watch “The Little Mermaid” tape (that she had gotten for her birthday), whenever she wanted! I used to yearn that someday my life could be as perfect as hers.

Then, as I got older, my admirations drifted from pretending to be a baby animal, to a mix of sass and gore… which could only lead me to Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Oh, Sarah Michelle.

How I love thee. No one will ever be able to kick ass with the aplomb and style which she did. She dated the cutest boys, always had the perfect quip, wasn’t afraid of anything, lived in a world where vampires were real (God! Why couldn't she have met Edward Cullens?!), and went through everything with the most perfect head of hair. While I will love Sarah Michelle (and any/everything she touches- “The Grudge”, anything Joss Whedon related, her taste in aesthetics, her hottie hot husband Freddie Prinze Jr… sigh. Her’s is a gifted existence, for sure) until my dying day- my new super-duper girl crush outshines even the space in my heart permanently engraved “S.M.G. 4-eva”…

My current girl crush surpasses any infatuation experienced before. (And, I haven’t even mentioned the longest running girl-crush possible [for me], but I am hesitant to open that can of psychological worms and actually admit that I’ve been obsessed [literally, since my day one] with my mother. Oh. Oops. The latter day version of Freud needs to come around and coin the term for a daughter version of the “Oedipus complex,” except… I don’t want to marry my mom. Ew! I just want to be exactly, exactly like her. Which actually serves as an excellent segue to the revealing of my new #1 gal…)

Like my mother, she’s tall. Like my mother, I want to be like her in a wide variety of realistic ways. Like Sarah Michelle, she kicks ass with amazing style, and like Kristin Coco, she has a pretty cool bedroom. (A picture of her “closet” is currently my computer’s wall-paper. I’m hoping there is some truth behind the good fortune that can come from the presence of an “inspiration board,” as recommended from such classics as Oprah’s touted book “The Secret” and the sophisticated sitcom “Always Sunny in Philadelphia”? )

Like all of my girl crushes, she inspires me tremendously. And maybe, like with the others, I kind of want to be her?

At this point, you’re probably wondering to yourself—“ok… how the heck does this tie into the environment?” Or, “If she says her new crush is on Mother Earth, I am out of here!” If you’re thinking anything along these lines- fair enough. However, despite my love for Rob and Zac, I don’t think I’m that cheesy…?

In an attempt to coherently draw together the strange synapses that make up my thought process, I’d like to share something someone famous said a long time ago. I’m paraphrasing this, but essentially whoever this sage was, said that in order to be successful, you need to take two steps.

1. Identify what you love.
2. Figure out a way to make money doing #1.

Can it be that easy? While I don’t want to “do” my new girl crush in the biblical sense, I am cooking up ideas inspired by this recommended plan of action, and her. (Sounds so romantic. It’s not?)

Her identity, and my plots, will be revealed later. In the meantime, please feast your eyes on my inspiration for today: her closet. (Please imagine a choir of angels and pre-pubscent boys singing now.)

The Look for Least: Tear and Wear

This all started out innocently enough, as my way to never, ever again have to worry about what to wear. It was only after the fact, when I’d had some time to think about it, that I realized in the process I was also helping get some extra mileage out of my magazines; therefore helping me rationalize their existence and expense.

I love clothes, and most of the time, I love getting dressed. But then, there are those days where no matter what I do, I just cannot put together an outfit for the life of me.
I’ll think I want to wear one particular item, and then wrack my brains and my wardrobe rack trying to put together the right pieces to make "it" work. But then the shirt doesn’t look right. Or the shoes are too high for the pants. Or I just can’t decide which accessories complete the look I’m going for. In the end, I was always late for wherever I was going, while leaving a trail of destruction in my wake with the carnage of shirts, pants, sweaters, etc, strewn willy nilly around my room. And- I usually didn’t even like what I end up wearing when this happened.

In my earlier days, my main method of combat against dressin' stress was to try and map out what I was going to wear the night before. While lying in bed, I would mentally flip through the hangers in my closet and dress myself up like a paper doll. However, this did not always work, as sometimes the outfits looked better on my mental paper doll than they did on me, sometimes I’d fall asleep before the outfit selection was complete, and sometimes I’d just wake up and have completely forgotten that day’s scheduled ensemble. Therefore, even planning ahead the night before did not always provide a sure-fire fix to the problem.


Enter my friends Lucky, Cosmo, Cosmo Girl*, US Weekly, In Style, Glamour, Vogue, and Allure. You know, the whole gang. All have very different perspectives, for sure, but they all can be counted on as trust-worthy sources of constant fashion inspiration. Fortunately for me, and for them, I have found a way to make their best ideas immortal.

While spending time visiting these “friends,” if I find myself looking at something for more then a couple seconds, I rip it out.

When I see pictures of Cameron rocking especially inspiring outfits, the revered Olsen’s doing their thing, or Lucky happens to feature a spread I can’t take my eyes off of, I tear those pages out with wild abandon and file them away in plastic sleeves kept safe in my ever-growing “Inspiration Finder” Binder.

At this point in my Binder’s development, no matter what the event, I KNOW I can always open up my trusty binder and flip through the well-appointed outfits until I see the perfect one for the occasion. With the end goal set, it then just becomes a matter of recreating the recipe as closely as possible with the ingredients I already have. Ever seen the “Look for Less” on the Style channel? This is like the “Look for Least,” as not one cent needs to be spent to recreate the desired look. I just follow the template du jour; pairing my black pencil jeans and slouchy white v-neck tee with a thick, hip-hugging belt, fierce black pumps, black bag, colorful scarf, TONS of attitude, and I’m good to go! Ashley Olsen can have her $5,000 Hermes Birkin- she has earned it- all I need is a picture of her with it, and I can turn around and create the same exact look for free. Thanks Ash! ♥

Even though I dutifully recycle all of my magazines when I’m finished reading them, I still feel bad dropping those heavy stacks monthly into the Recycling bin- all that paper, for one use. By ripping out the information I find valuable, it makes me feel like the magazine’s existence was a little more justified, and a little more worthwhile, as it is leaving behind something tangible long after it’s been read. Instead of keeping around the whole magazine for future reference, and being bogged down with housing the 144 magazines I come across yearly, I cherry pick and take/keep the best of each. My easy binder system makes the information quickly accessible when I want it, and versatile enough to be updated, edited, and reorganized whenever the mood strikes.

Ripping out and filing magazine pages here and there is not a drastic environmental change. However, every little bit counts, and this way you are keeping some of those pages out of the garbage, and contributing to a better looking future in more way than one.

Note: My binder is a big one. With the addition of a pack of labeled dividers, I have also started ripping out other inspirational and interesting bits beyond fashion. My binder now consists of recipes, interior decorating ideas, fitness plans, great articles, etc. If it is something that is interesting to you- tear it out and keep it!

*Hey, I’m not embarrassed to admit my inner tween tendencies. I even still read Seventeen, too! Apart from the coveted boy advice Miley has to share, it’s hard to give up those super embarrassing, four star “and everyone called me Period Stain Pants for the rest of the year” stories.