Oh, you don’t have any? Ok I figured it would be worth a shot just to throw it out there. Well, since you’re here (with no ice cream in hand…but I’m trying to look past that) I’d love to talk to you about what’s new in our lives!
We’ve been a tad quiet lately (and by “we” I mean RoadHug as a unit, not the RH girls themselves) but that’s just because we’ve been further developing the pilot. We’re working with some super-smartypants people in taking the next steps to pitch the pilot. That’s fun to say: Pitch the Pilot. Anywho, while all of those technicalities are being worked out, and believe you me there are a lot, this is what we’ve been up to… (By the way, where did the expression “believe you me” come from)?
The ever-energized Sammy D was recently featured on the Nationally syndicated Nate Berkus show where she spunked up the camera with some DIY tips for vintage home decor on a budget. Darla moved to Athens, Georgia because she fell in love with the town when we shot the Pilot back in August. She’s gone from blogging about food to working on the other side of food bizz – as a stunning farm maiden and jack-of-all-trades for Moonshine Meats. And as for me, I threw a bunch of summer clothes together and migrated West – where I’m living and performing in Los Angeles, awaiting my album release.
So even though we’re geographically separated for the time being, the trifecta known as SDJ will soon be back together in action for much more RoadHuggery to come!!
If you’ve never been in a thrift store before, here ya go! 5 minutes and 47 seconds toward your first experience and hopefully, inspiration toward a visit to your local thrift store in real life time, too.
In the vid, I shop for a fall dress and share Sammy Davis Vintage tips on how to shop secondhand with success. Even if the thrift store is the size of a Wal-Mart [and many of them in the 'burbs are!] — with planning & focus — you can tackle those crazy aisles and find the same style [plus stylish sustainability] that you’d get for a whole lot more at any mainstream store.
I have yet to take Darla & Julia thrifting … on that note … ladies, when we goin’?
OUR REALITY: In some shape or form, all of us are the first in our families to do something. Whether it’s succeed at a sport or travel to a new country; or an accomplishment such as writing a book or earning our master’s degree — you are achieving that “first” thing right this very instant.
THEIR REALITY: See that young girl in the picture above? She’s smiling because she’s at school. What most of us took for granted growing up — nurturing teachers, playgrounds at recess, a library full of imaginative fiction — these young girls can’t even imagine. Because they don’t know what we had — all they know, and can value, is a desk with some books, pencils and the chance to be the first in their family to learn.
YOUR OPPORTUNITY: To raise awareness about the importance of educating young girls’ worldwide, She’s the First has partnered with independent designer Asha Patel to create the first She’s the First bracelet to benefit the Shanti Bhavan school in India as well as the Kenya Education fund. Catch a glimpse of the bracelet below, and buy it online to support She’s the First and the empowering effects of education here.
Photo Credit: Shanti Bhavin
With a teen girls’ education costing an average of $100 to $200 per year, the purchase of one bracelet isn’t just a drop in the bucket — it’s a stylish statement of support toward a cause that improves the lives of women so that they secure jobs and support their families while also empowering the future of their country’s economy.
HER EDUCATION: She’s the First is dedicated to supporting the sponsorship of girls’ education worldwide. To celebrate their one year anniversary — and the successful sponsorship of 30+ girls in developing nations worldwide – I invite you to join me [as the event's emcee!] at the non profit’s birthday soiree in New York City at Pop Burger. Tickets are on sale now — with perks like a one hour open wine bar and in true birthday honor, complimentary cupcakes & cake.
Style is temporary. But education? That’s forever.
Contact She’s the First president & founder Tammy Tibbetts at Tammy@shesthefirst.org to learn more about She’s the First and how you can get involved.
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Know a great fashion product that supports an even greater cause? Drop me a line Sammy@RoadHug.com so I can check it out for myself!
There’s nothing more fun than getting new stuff for free.
What if you could get stuff for free — new fashion, to be exact — while also detoxing your closet of unnecessary and unwanted clutter, and doing all of the above in a social environment amongst old and new friends?
Welcome to a swap party– the best way to throw an event that brings together women and men looking for an excuse to finally organize their drawers and shelves in exchange for some new-to-them pieces for their wardrobes. Oh, and also an excuse to have fun, socialize and get stuff for free, too.
Swap events are organized both on the mass and independent level. I visited Philly Swap last weekend to shoot a special webisode for Sammy Davis Vintage on YouTube.The event was an example of how a community can come together in recognition of shared individuality through sustainable style. Instead of letting unwanted clothes go unworn, the event encouraged Philadelphians to contribute their “trash” to the event so that it could become another swapper’s treasure.
After attending the swap, I was inspired to write an article for AOL’s Lemondrop blog on how to host a swap party in your very own living room. Read on for a shorter version of that article [which you can read in entirety here], and for all the tips you need to organize a swap party for your family and friends this fall. I’m planning one in November for my friends in New York City — if you’re in the area, drop me a line [sammy@roadhugusa.com] and let me know if you’d be interested in attending!
Inviting Your Guests
When to Invite
Give guests around a month’s notice pre-swap by emailing a quick save-the-date. That way, anyone particularly attached to their closets have enough time to finally let go of their freshman year fashion. Expect about 60 percent of those who said “yes” to actually show up. To keep shoppers from literally stepping on one another’s style, plan your space to provide enough room for seating, mirrors, the swag and enough elbow room to comfortably move between them.
Whom to Invite
Whom you invite can make or break a successful swap. If you invite a group that includes a 4-foot-10 girl, be sure to invite another friend someone who’s at least semi-close to her body type for balanced swapping to occur. Try to be accommodating of everyone, size-wise, and encourage bringing accessories to ensure that something fits everyone.
How to Invite
Forego overplayed (and often overlooked) Facebook event invites and try the more elegant Paperless Post to email an invitation direct to people’s inboxes that’s appealing enough to open.
Use the invite to tell guests what to bring — and what not to bring. That means no damaged attire (we see you, pit stains) and everything must be clean. Note that a swap party is not a donation center drop-off — you don’t want guests bringing a truckload of stuff into your living room. Keep the swap space from looking like a free-for-all sample sale by telling guests to bring fairly current clothing only.
Setting Up Swap
Space
While you can’t quite transform your living room into Saks, you can create a space that’s more suited to shopping than watching “Project Runway.” Remove stacks of magazines, pet toys, remote controls and other unsightly clutter. Hang a tapestry over your fireplace. Play music to set the mood.
Use a coffee table to fold sweaters or pants that can’t be hung. Decorative plates, mugs or even a bulletin board help to display jewelry DIY-style. Temporarily remove silverware from its drawer organizer and use to compartmentalize jewelry in one place. Take down paintings from your walls and use the nails beneath to hang long necklaces and bracelets. Grab a dish rack or drying rack from your laundry room to position scarves, belts and other skinny pieces of clothing or accessories.
Every guest is going to want face time with a mirror, so don’t just rely on the one in your bathroom. Ask a few guests to lend you full-length mirrors that you can spread around the space.
Tools
Rack
Throwing clothes on the floor for guests to sort through is the simple option, but definitely sans style. Invest in a few cheap and collapsible (read: easy to store) clothing racks, like this one from Target. (Or pick them up on the cheap on Craigslist.)
Don’t want to throw down the cash for something you’ll only use once? Reinvent your living room by using curtain rods, fireplace mantels and even the back of doors to hang clothes. Or direct traffic to your bathtub and repurpose the shower curtain rod into a makeshift clothes rack — just don’t turn on the water.
Bags
Reminding guests to bring their own bags for take-home purposes is the least stressful alternative to actually seeking out the bags yourself. Or, if you’ve been hoarding plastic and paper shopping bags from the grocery store anyway — now’s the time to reuse them in their full glory! Position bags openly in the swap area, encouraging guests to place their finds in bags as they shop to prevent clothes from laying everywhere and clogging up precious seating space.
Swapping in Style
Shop Start
Give guests an hour or so to arrive, munch and mingle before the official swap start. That way, you can organize their clothing by size for more organized shopping. Provide plenty of seating space for pre-shop socializing — comfortable guests are more likely to help dress and encourage one another to try on items.
Etiquette
Print a short swap rule sheet for guests to read when socializing pre-swap. Some rules to consider:
*Thou shalt shop this swap like a regular store
*Thou shalt return items to their original location
*Thou shalt try on no more than 3 items at a time
*Thou shalt respect all styles (these are the old clothes of attendees who may overhear comments)
*Thou shalt take no more swap items than one brought
*Thou shalt encourage and applaud the style of swap partners
*Thou shalt have fun!
Encouragement
When your shoppers seem swapped out, dive into the racks and pull items to display and suggest specific shoppers. Encourage guests to try on pieces you’d like to see on them most — your roll as swap host is a powerful influence. Remind guests that they don’t have to personally wear everything they take. You may not realize it now, but that too-small-for-you sweater could just what your mom wants for her birthday. Swap a few extra pieces to hold for future birthday and holiday gifts.
Wrapping Up Swap
Clean-Up
After you’ve picked up a new wardrobe that’s all your own, use leftover shopping bags to fold away the remaining stock swap and stow it in your car. Don’t throw anything away – it may be unwanted by your guests, but there’s still life to that style.
Donation
The swap benefits don’t stop when the last guest leaves. Take leftover items to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and feel good knowing you’re donating clothing to benefit charity. Tip: While you can often leave bags in stand-alone donation bins in parking lots, giving bags directly to charity store associates allows you to ask for a donation tax receipt. Estimate the worth of what you’re donating to use as a tax-write off come April.
One of my swap finds from the Philly Swap modeled above!
Swap Bonus!
As host, you get dibs on leftovers! Snag something you wouldn’t normally wear for cost-free experimentation. Swap parties encourage the birth of new style without charge-card risks. So go ahead and wear that freebie — if you don’t like it, you can always keep it for next season’s swap encore!
Hey guys, I got a question for ya, and it goes a little something like this …
… how do you go from a mess of broken umbrellas as seen above …
… all clumped together in a nasty pile of different sizes, shape, colors and broken, fractured selves …
… as dug out of the Philadelphia trash by this pretty lady, Taryn Zychal …
… who uses her hands to convert them into rainproof/weatherproof babushkas also referred to as simply, the HOOD …
… & also, a rainproof/weatherproof jacket for little guys like this …
… and we can’t forget: Can/bottle cozies like this?
The answer? It’s RecyclingZychal – Taryn and partner Aaron’s expertise for giving trashed umbrellas the triple R they need [retrieve, recycle, recreate!] and turning them into pieces of sustainable style a la hoods, pet jackets and bottle cozies.
The even cooler answer? You can tweet/facebook message/email your found broken umbrellas to Taryn & Aaron (oh my gosh, their names RHYME!) so that they can save them from their battered & bruised rainy day to make into new things for YOUR next rainy day.
It’s sustainable style with a service — no questions asked.
Last week, before Darla departed for her venture of Cricket Chronicles, the three ladies of RoadHug pow wowed in New York and enjoyed a celebratory dinner at Cookshop in Chelsea.
The food was delicious. The setting was perfect. The company was inspiring.
For her send-off, Darla gave us gifts. Her gifts? Rings representing the RoadHug friendship and creative, entrepreneurial relationship we are so blessed to have between us. Darla appropriately gave me a vintage ring. After receiving it and proceeding to tear up a little, I looped it onto the chain of the necklace I was wearing at dinner. That necklace? A crystal on a chain that I wear for good luck, spiritual guidance and because I plain ole’ think it looks good.
Fast forward to last weekend. I found my way onto the Garden State Parkway to visit my family in Ocean City, New Jersey for a weekend getaway from the Big Apple. As I drove the nearly 150 miles down the shore, I wore my crystal necklace — now complete with a ring — to keep me company. I had decided that the necklace would become a new signature piece to my outfits, something I always wore no matter what else I had on my body. It would just … fit.
If you paid any attention to the title of this blog post or the image above, you’re probably putting two and two together. A day after arriving to Ocean City, I lost the necklace. How? By laying it down in the sand to play a game of paddle tennis with my Dad and completely forgetting about it. Well, completely until about 8 hours later when in the midst of drifting off to slumber, I sat up in bed with a start remembering that I NEVER PICKED UP THE NECKLACE!
So now you’re REALLY getting the picture above. I had lost — in the sand, the ocean, the surf, the darkness! — a piece of jewelry that possessed more sentimental value than anything I own. And I mean that — I’m not engaged and I shop at thrift stores. My personal relationships with material things are fleeting. Except, for this necklace.
After realizing that I didn’t have the necklace at 11PM at night, I ran out into the living room of our beach house and in a shaky voice told my Stepmom [named Jes] and Dad the situation. They came to my rescue with a flashlight, some assurance, and a trip down to the moon-lit beach.
The stars were beautiful that night, but I didn’t notice as I scoured the sand in search of the necklace. The tide had almost reached the top of the beach, so the necklace had either a.) been buried deep into the sand and out of sight b.) pushed around the sand away from its original location or c.) dragged out to sea, never to be seen again …
As I was searching for the necklace, a thought that I would find it kept reappearing in my mind. I was upset, I was frustrated with myself, but I was hopeful.
We didn’t find the necklace that night, but Jes did come up with a plan: She and my Dad vacation at Ocean City every summer, and the previous summer had met a woman named Cheryl with a metal detector. She frequently combed the beach looking for whatever things her detector would um, detect.
The only problem was … Jes didn’t know Cheryl very well. No number, and no address other than that she and her boyfriend literally lived on a boat not too far from Ocean City. My Dad and Jes had been down the shore for a few days already but had seen no sign of her. So the question was: Would we be lucky enough to see Cheryl on the beach to ask if we could request her services to find my necklace?
One day passed. No Cheryl. I gave up hope, deciding that it was “meant to be” that the ocean wanted my most prized possession. Maybe it was a sign of the universe, although I wasn’t really quite sure what sign it was. It was a sign I was angry with, because I couldn’t imagine why the energy of my life would need to take away something so special and so representative of my passions.
Monday arrives. Still no sign of Cheryl. Because it was technically a work day, I skipped the beach to catch up on email and attempt to get some things done. Later that afternoon, exhausted from a weekend of sun, fun and running [well, I always run, but that weekend I ran 15 miles collectively) -- I took a much needed nap while my Dad and Jes visited the beach.
It was about 6PM when I woke from my afternoon slumber. I staggered out into the living to greet the voices of Jes and her mom/my step grandmother, Elaine. We had a leisurely chat about my nap and their time at the beach. A few minutes passed when Jes said to me, "Why don't you move your computer from the kitchen table." Following orders, I walked over to my computer.
And what was laying on top of the keyboard? THE NECKLACE.
Woah. You're probably wondering: HOW did THAT happen? How did, after 48 hours, 90384 different tides, 3904840 people walking on top of the sand, and a small, small chance of acquiring a metal detector, you actually GET the necklace back into your hands?
Well, it first found it's way into the hands of Cheryl. Yes -- THE Cheryl with the metal detector. It just so happens that as I slept, Jes and my Dad saw Cheryl combing the beach with her device. They flagged her down and told her my story. Cheryl, armed with a mission, proceeded to sweep her detector around the area I had been playing paddle tennis and would have laid down the necklace.
It took an hour ... but the "beep beep beep beep beep" of the detector alerted her to where the necklace was, buried deep under the New Jersey sand. And ladies and gentlemen, the necklace that can't be lost [or swallowed by the sea] was found.
More fatealistic background to this story: Cheryl was “on the fence” about combing the beach that day. But in her mind, she felt that “she was going to find something good.” She wasn’t sure what — if it’d be a diamond ring, something random and fun like a car buried beneath the sand … or in the what-really-happened case, a lost necklace.
Fast forward again: Two days later, my Dad and Jes happen to see Cheryl on the beach again — this time with her boyfriend John, whom she lives with on a boat in Ocean City. They were pulling their home onto the shore — a special type of sailing boat called a “hobie” that can “dock” at any point along the shore.
Growing up, my Dad owned a share in a boat anchored in a dock in the Chesapeake Bay. He loved sailing. He used to go on sailing trips for the weekend, returning with a burnt nose and back but a smile from ear to ear. The point: my Dad’s happy place is when sailing.
So what happened in this fast forward moment? My Dad and Jes both experienced sailing in the hobie, thanks to their newfound relationship with Cheryl and her boyfriend through the, as I’m now calling it, “the necklace that can’t be lost.”
Later that night, my Dad and Jes treated Cheryl and her boyfriend to dinner in thanks for, well, just being their awesome selves. Jes emailed me her explanation of the story, which honestly does it much more justice than my re-telling of it. (more…)
Ask Darla and Julia one definitive characteristic about me, and besides saying that I have an obsession for running and saying all things “holler,” that I am also deathly afraid of … scary things.
Scary movies. Fast moving cars. Fast moving boats. Motorcycles. Crazy roller coasters. Heights. People using big knives. Blood. Gore. Bugs. Lobsters! Sharks! Creepy crawly things in the water that I can’t see!
And … F16 fighter jets that move faster than the speed of sound.
OK, well that last one I don’t see too often. Or really ever that is, until yesterday when I was enjoying some R&R on the beach of Ocean City, New Jersey with my Dad and step family. When all of a sudden …. (that’s your cue to watch the videos below)
And just in case you didn’t get enough in-the-air action …
So why the F16s frolicking overhead in the sky on a Sunday afternoon? Because Ocean City was hosting its annual beachfront airshow. And I just happened to be lucky enough to be sitting on my butt in some sand, unknowing to the fact that I was about to catch a slice of the air action. And thankfully, have my FlipCam on hand to cherish the memories!
What unexpected events happened in your weekends? Share with us! Facebook, Twitter … the comment field below! Here’s to a great week RoadHuggers …
It’s sort of a dorky-sounding word, right? It makes me think of that time when I had a stamp collection. I was 7, and a new stamp cost 29 cents. Let’s just say it was a cost-efficient hobby for a 7-year-old.
But I’m 24 years old, and now I have a new hobby, and it’s called running.
Running far, running fast, and everything that encapsulates being a runner in between. And like you probably feel about your hobbies, I’m slightly obsessed. Obsessed with meeting new runners. Finding new races. Running new trails. Eating new runner’s foods. When someone asks what I “am,” I say “I’m a runner.” When I have a choice between running and walking … well, you bet I’m probably running.
You think you get my point, but really, you don’t. To prove it — and because it’s Friday and we’re all due for a good laugh after the first full week post end-of-summer — I share with you the craziest things I’ve done to feed my running obsession. Some are funny, some are quirky, some are senseless and some are just … gross.*
*I do not do this soon-to-be-mentioned activity regularly**
**Yes, I do take sponsorship from pad companies. Contact me appropriately.
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #1
Pee My Pants versus Stopping to Use the Bathroom During a Race
True story: I was up for second place female finisher in a half marathon trail race. It was about mile 10. I had to pee. If I stopped to pee, I would lose 3 minutes of valuable running time, and most definitely my second place finish. If I didn’t stop to pee, I would feel uncomfortable and be forced to slow down for the remaining 3 miles. Lose-lose-situation, right?
Wrong. I created my own option: I just peed my shorts.
The last time I wet myself (please, people, get your heads out of the gutter here) I was about 5 years old and sitting in the library of my elementary school. I couldn’t hold it. I was too frightened to ask where the bathroom was. Annnnddd action — little Sammy D peed herself.
But this was different. This was a run, in which I was running past other runners to reach the finish line. Other runners who clearly saw that I had in fact peed my pants thanks to the darker coloring of my shorts around my crotch.
The irony of the story? I didn’t place second. I ended up placing third. Damn it.
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #2
Go to Bed at 10PM to Run 10 Miles the Next Morning versus Go on a Date with a Hot New Boy at 10PM
The only date worth keeping? Running with my running partner, Rachel (left)
True story #2: Sammy meets hot boy at fashion week event. Hot boy asks her to hang the next night. Sammy plays along like she is going to meet up with hot boy at a West Village bar at 10PM the next night. Sammy texts with hot boy the next day. At 6:30PM, Sammy lies to hot boy and says she is going to have to reschedule. Hot boy says “boo,” Sammy says “yay” because she is running 10 miles the next day with her running partner.
It’s true. When you’re getting off from running, who needs the opposite sex, anyway?
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #3
Eat Meat Again to Save My Body versus Stick to Being a Vegetarian to Save My Planet
After being vegetarian for a year and a half, I dropped the V-card and returned to my carnivore side. Why the switch up? I was turning green (literally – ask for the pics), feeling lethargic for days after a long run and on the whole, feeling pretty crappy. So instead of reducing my carbon footprint, I upped the speed of that footprint and went back to eating meat. I enjoyed only my second steak since the conversion just the other night. Iron never tasted so good.
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #4
Invite People to Do Runs at 7AM in the Morning versus Turn Down Invitations to Go to the Bar at Midnight
Pre-running obsession, I was a drinker. Now my mixed drinks consist of protein and chia seeds with almond milk in a blender (hold the ‘ritas, please) and at midnight I’m dreaming of my run only 7 hours away. Check my email outbox and you’ll find requests for runners to join me bright and early in [insert random NYC borough here] for a New York Road Runner’s race. Benjamin Franklin — who so famously said, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” forgot to add in the part about “early to bed, faster to run!”
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #5
Buy Clif Bars in Bulk from Amazon.com versus Buy New Sports Bras
Money is tight. So when it comes to priority, getting my daily dose of Clif Bar carbs is definitely at the top of the list. New sports bras, on the other hand? I just ring out the sweat and hang ‘em up to dry. Re-wearing workout garb never hurt anyone, but carbs … those are gone forever. Must replenish!
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #6
Talk to Myself Out Loud During Runs versus Listen to the Crowd for Auditory Encouragement
My mom and I post 10K in Central Park. She was cheering me on, but I couldn’t hear her because I was probably babbling to myself.
I talk to myself when I run. And I talk to myself loud — so loud that other runner’s are probably wondering WTF I’m saying to myself 8 miles deep into a 13.1 half marathon race.
“SAMMY! This is NOTHING! This is not even HARD!”
“GET IT SAMMY GET IT”
“Your body is a pillar of strength!”
I could go and on and on — those runner’s endorphins inspire creative self-communication.
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #7
Research What Glycogen and Lactic Acid Mean on Wikipedia versus Check Facebook for What’s New on the Newsfeed [oh wait ... I think I do these both]
Above: All-natural vegan protein powder by Vega
Well, I do in fact research random scientific runner’s facts and check my Facebook feed simultaneously … but the difference here is, I’ll share what glycogen means with you on Facebook after combing through the jargon and figuring out what the hell that stuff actually is.
Wanna know? It’s energy stores in your muscles, depleted in a marathon around mile 20. How to avoid it? Two words: CARB LOAD.
How about that for a Facebook status update?
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #8
Interrupt People’s Conversations Talking About Running versus Listening Quietly to People’s Conversations or Better Yet, Not Eavesdropping At All
If I hear just the first syllable of the word “runner,” you know I’m on that conversation and adding my two cents like I’ve been a runner for years (it’s only been about 8 months).
If you’re a runner, you’re my friend. If you’re thinking about running, I will tell you why you should be running. If you just started running, I will tell you how to run and what to eat and where to run and what to wear and … OK. I’m shutting up now.
Crazy Thing I Do for Running #9
Experience Hallucinogenic Running Trips versus Taking a Trip and Seeing Things For Real
Just watch this video below, and that’s all you need to know.*
*Sammy D did not hurt anyone in the production of this video
Write a Post About My Obsession for Running versus Write a Post About My Obsession for Running
This one is obvious — what’s there to chose?
You guys got a hobby? Give us a hug and leave us a note on Facebook. Darla, Julia and I want to know what you’re up to … and what you’re obsessing about, too.
Hopefully it doesn’t involve peeing your pants — I own that market, thankyouverymuch.
There you have it. Can’t get any more descriptive than that title. Hope this post lives up to your expectations. Here goes…
Darla is planning, packing, organizing, planning, cleaning, packing, sorting, organizing, planning, packing and getting tattoos (a girl needs some fun mixed in there). Why? Because in just over a week she’s hitting the road solo (insert Julia singing her cover of Jason Derulo’s “Ridin’ Solo” here).
Darla decided that upon graduating from Temple University a couple weeks ago (yes, that’s right…Darla’s degree is like a fine wine…it got better with age) she would go exploring. So, she did what any sane young woman would do and she bought a 1986 BMW 325 (with a 5 speed tranny and 278,000 miles of course) and a bike rack.
This week she got her little baby (affectionately name “Cricket”) inspected and detailed, bought some much needed road trip toys (like a AAA membership) and has been packing up half her life while throwing out the other half. She will of course overshare all of the “Cricket Chronicles” right here on roadhugusa.com so stay tuned. And to answer those inevitable questions…1) her first stop will be Virginia Beach and 2) she has no idea when she will be back.
Sammy has been running between Lancaster and NYC and Boston and NYC (not literally, she drove a car, but I wouldn’t put it past that chick to run the 225 miles to Boston) doing photoshoots to create awesomely fun photography for SDVs platform of feel good fashion. Considering that one of Sammy’s all time favorite things to do is conduct photoshoots, this girl has been in seventh heaven.
As if scheduling photoshoots in three different states isn’t enough she has also been seen at back to back blogger conferences, green fashion shows and partying her little booty off in between. Phew.
And our poor little Julia is sick…again. That chick can’t catch a freakin’ break. Luckily Julia has some really good friends to keep her company. Her best friend is a Nyquil Cocktail made of warm Nyquil and honey. Close runner up is a running supply of Hot Totties with Brandy. Top that off with tea every hour on the hour and and an overdose of vitamin C every four hours and you have yourself a good little group of bffs. Her twice daily hot baths with epson salt and 18 hours of sleep a day does double duty as her boyfriend and her lover.
The only good part of this little debacle is that she’s using her 6 waking hours a day to learn how to count cards so when RoadHug ends…
There’s a lot of ways to define an industry that until only a few years ago, was nowhere to be seen nor recognized on the runways of New York Fashion Week. This industry is the “green” fashion industry, and no, it’s not about the color green — but rather, the idea that clothing can be produced in an ethically responsible way in regards to the health of the planet and the people who inhabit it.
As a vintage clothing stylist & curator, I work with merchandise that because of it’s second-hand nature, is essentially the equivalent of “recycling” clothing. This is an example of green fashion. You are investing in attire that would otherwise rot in a landfill. You have an awareness that you do not need to invest in mass produced, cheaply made products. Through vintage clothing and green fashion, there are alternatives.
What I like to tell people to give them the most illustrative, relatable metaphor as to why they should care about the clothing they put on their body: If you had a choice between all-natural chicken and KFC fried chicken, you would [hopefully!] choose the all-natural chicken for your meal, right?
The same can be said for clothing: Why would you wear something that is the same as eating absolute crap food? I like to call this the “healthy fashion” analogy.
[via Huffington Post] GULI Collection, Spring 2011 at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Credit: Emma Grady
Healthy fashion can attract a number of variables, from the materials it was made with and where they were sourced from, to the transportation of the final product and most importantly, how/where/and by whom it was made.
An important point to make is that a bitter reality of the retail industry is that most of our clothing is produced abroad. While you may scorn at the thought of sweat shop labor, you can invest in companies that create ethical working conditions and have a social consciousness as to how they can give back to these factory employees. Nike, for example, may set up a school in the village nearby to one of its factories. It’s about giving back to the world which creates your product and creating a balance of interests — the interest of the company is served by production of a quality piece, the people who have created it are well taken care of and benefit from improved working situations thanks to American influences, and the piece is ultimately made with awareness of the environment in mind.
“Healthy fashion” and its green counterparts will be showcased at New York City’s Green Fashion Shows this week. The green shows kick off tomorrow and conclude Tuesday. I’m hoping to make a few of the shows on Monday & Tuesday before meeting the RoadHug girls for our weekly pow wow. The green fashion I see will be some of the most conservatively sustainable. These will be pieces produced with recycled materials, made in the good ole’ USA and transported with the least amount of carbon footprint as possible.
The understanding that healthy fashion exists as an alternative to non-healthy fashion is the first step to becoming a girl fashionista or fashionisto. Or really — who cares if you even care about fashion. What matters is that you care about the planet, its people, and the impact you leave. Do you have a suggestion as to how you can incorporate healthy fashion into your wardrobe? Leave me your idea in the comments or on facebook!
New York City Green Fashion, Designers Featured:
WWW.ASHTONMICHAEL.COM
WWW.AURALISTUDIO.COM
WWW.YOUBRIGHTYOUNGTHINGS.COM
WWW.DRESSREFORM.COM
WWW.JOANNBERMAN.COM
WWW.MYLAVUK.COM
WWW.LUISVALENZUELAUSA.COM
WWW.MILLINERSGUILD.ORG
WWW.SAMANTHAPLEET.COM
WWW.SUSANCIANCIOLO.COM
