Clo.Outfit: ComicCon'd

K surprised me with tickets to ComicCon (featuring the NY Anime Festival) and I was super duper ecstatic that we were going! I thought of cosplaying like my fave anime characters, but since we were short on time instead decided to be inspired by Japanese fashion drawing from anime and Harajuku. The pledge of not shopping meant digging up the closet and coming up with a outfit that was J-inspired yet still "me". 

For the dress, I stuck to the basics - white shirt and black denim skirt. I accessorized with an obi belt, a hand-knit beanie, striped socks and striped leg warmer (worn as an arm band). Since we'd be walking a lot, I went with vegan Oxford flats from Melissa. 

What I'm Wearing:

Shirt: Express

Skirt: Denim (Too old to remember)

Belt: Vegan; Obi style; ASOS

Thigh Highs: Polka dot; Sockdreams.com

Socks: Cotton; Gap

Shoes: Vegan Oxfords - Alexandre Herchcovitch for Melissa

Bag: Woven; Crossover; c/o mum's travels in India

Beanie: Woven - handmade by Nepalese tribals, c/o mum's travels

Fake eyelashes: Make Up For Ever

Completely off the topic for this blog, but while we are on the topic of comics and anime...

If you are new to the world of anime and would like to get introduced, I'd suggest starting off with movies/series from a couple of great directors: Satoshi Kon and Hayao Miyazaki. Google them and you'll find lists of their works. I have watched all of them and totally recommend them. Along with these, here are some of my favorite shows, in no particular order:

Samurai Champloo

Cowboy Bebop

Ouran High School Host Club

Rurouni Kenshin

Tekkonkinkreet (movie)

Paprika (movie)

12 Kingdoms

Last Exile

Darker Than Black

Fullmetal Alchemist

Soul Eater

DeathNote

Sword of the Stranger (movie)

Where to watch: Hulu has a lot of these shows, mostly English dubbed and some subbed (I ONLY watch subbed versions, well, I'm a purist and hey that's how I improve my Japanese :D ). Netflix also has some titles and you can always borrow DVDs and Mangas from NYPL.

See how I styled the same skirt and polka dot tights differently here.

Clo.List: A Round-up of the Best Vegan Shoe Brands

* Unique Selling Point

Here is a quick round-up of my favorite vegan shoe brands. Some I have tried and others, I look forward to. If you have been following this blog, you'll know that I heart Melissa shoes.  The Steve Madden slouchy boots have held out really well for the past two New York winters. I'm totally digging my quirky Irregular choice shoes and the chic blue Cri de Ceour pumps. I find all the styles I own to be comfortable over long hours. Haven't tried dancing in my Cri de Ceours yet.... but otherwise, rest all pass that test! :)

psst.. click the table for a larger image!

I have reached out to a few of these companies for more details on their material usage and sustainability commitments and will update this table as and when I hear from them, so keep checking back!

Clo.Outfit: Work With What You've Got!

Unfortunately, the only eco-conscious piece in this entire outfit are the red peep toes. I wish 

I had made a switch to ethical/sustainable fashion sooner, oh well, a start is a start. 

But this really got me thinking about how I should go about converting my wardrobe from chic to eco-chic.  Well, the easier, non-sustainable and not to mention expensive way would be to start buying eco-conscious clothes. But that defeats the purpose of living a sustainable life!

Why buy when there is no need?  It's like buying an organic, locally grown apple instead of an imported apple when you are not hungry; In the end, both will rot! Hence, this day forward, I have decided on the following two things:

1. I plan on not shopping for clothes anymore until I feel the ABSOLUTE need for it. (say my winter jacket is torn to shreds and I can't wear it anymore - such absoluteness is what I'm referring to) and I will blog about it when (and if) I do shop.
2. And when I do make another purchase, it will be form a brand that follows ethical standards and makes sustainable/ eco-conscious goods.

Until then, the idea is to use what I have in my wardrobe to churn out unique yet fashionable outfits.

Work with what you've got.... is the new mantra :)

The outfit:

K gave me tickets to the Broadway show Wicked for my birthday and we watched it this week. The show was AMAZING! Very clever and such great performances. I like dressing up for Broadway shows and wanted a fun semi-formal look. So here is what I went with:

Shoes: Melissa (vegan, ethical)

Tights: sockdreams

Denim skirt: too old to remember

Sequin tube top: Bought 5 years ago in Hyderabad, India

Jacket: Romeo + Juliet Couture

Hat: H&M

Felt ball necklace: Holiday pop-up store (I'm still trying to remember the name)

Bicycle necklace: the bike was gift for my birthday, I added the chain

Plastic Watch: SF MOMA

Makeup: Korres and Tarte (All natural products)

Wish me luck!!

Clo.Outfit: Closet Maximization & Jewel Tones

Images by K

What I'm wearing:

Top: Saree blouse (re-purposing a 6 year old saree blouse)

Dress: American Apparel bandeau dress worn as a high top skirt (Made in USA/Downtown LA)

Shoes: Vivienne Westwood for Melissa (Plastic, Vegan)

Jewelry: Flea markets in Hyderabad, India and New York City

Honestly, I'm feeling quite proud of myself for coming up with this outfit on the fly! We were going to a Indian street festival and wanted my outfit to have Indian influences. 

The shoes are from Vivienne Westwood's collaboration with Brazilian shoe brand  Melissa. This company is doing many things right starting with paying their employees fair wages with good benefits and recycling almost ALL of their factories' waste and water. Apparently, they even recycle overstock goods to make next season collections! Woot! Woot!

The shoes themselves are made of MELFLEX plastic and are 100% recyclable and 100% vegan! And damn, are they comfortable! The shoe bed is very cushy and I've worn these shoes for hours without pain.

The black dress is from American Apparel. Made in downtown LA, this vertically integrated apparel manufacturer prides itself on paying their workers fair wages and believes in keeping it local.

Note to self: never take outfit pictures at/post dusk