Back to Black

{What I’m Wearing: Denim Moto Jacket: Levi’s (via Crossroads Trading Co.); Tee: Gap (via Buffalo Exchange); Jeans: Mavi; Heels: Target; Bag: Cornelia Guest}

I wore this my first day back to work after my Denver to Chicago trip. Anytime I’m functioning on near zero sleep and can’t think, I always wear black. You just can’t go wrong with it. I had picked up this awesome tee while in Chicago so it worked perfect. I was also pleasantly surprised to learn it was now almost sweater weather in NYC, so I threw on my new denim moto jacket (also a Chicago find) and ran out the door to work.

What followed I seriously couldn’t make up.

I go out to my car and guess what? Some jerk broke into it. The timing of this couldn’t be more ironic because I was just telling Bex the day prior how rare it is to have cars broken into in my neighborhood. Go figure. Oh, and the vandal didn’t take any of the valuables, they left them in the car. The only thing they took was my proof of insurance and registration. What… the…hell? It’s like their primary goal was to make life as inconvenient as possible for whoever’s car they broke into.

After having to file a police report (because of the missing documents, I needed proof in case I get pulled over while waiting for new ones), clean up the glass and vacuum the car out, I finally got into the office. I go to turn my computer on and it doesn’t turn on. It’s totally dead. So I got to spend the rest of the day waiting for replacement parts to arrive to replace its power supply. I got zero done.

I eventually get home from work only to have to take a parking spot a block away because all the street parking is taken by heavy machinery. Guess the city decided this week was a good week to replace our sewage pipes. Yay!

Trying to remain positive, the backhoe did make an awesome photo backdrop.

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Chicago Style

{What I’m Wearing: Blazer: Crossroads Trading Co. (similar here); Tank/Dress: H&M (similar here); Jeans: Mavi; Loafers: Target; Bag: Cornelia Guest; Necklace: Love Brigade}

I’m finally back in New York City after a jam-packed week last week. I spent Wednesday through Friday on a business trip in Denver, where I had meetings and played golf (yuck). On Friday, instead of coming straight home I decided to make a stop in Chicago to visit my friends Rebecca (aka Bex) and Vik, who I hadn’t seen in almost four years. We had the best time catching up over cocktails, shopping, and wandering the various neighborhoods of the city.

I have close to 200 photos I’m currently editing from this weekend trip, which I’ll share on Friday. Thanks to Bex for grabbing these quick shots of me, I absolutely loved this mural and it was the perfect place to stop and take a few photos.

Transitioning to a Cruelty Free Wardrobe

Today I have a brand new column starting that I’m writing over at iEatGrass! It’s called Vegan Vogue and I’ll be writing about all things stylish and vegan. This is a re-post of my first article, but don’t forget to stop on over there to check it out. They have lots of awesome vegan content over there.

Get rid of your non-vegan designer and wardrobe items with these quick tips. {image credit: style.ish}

When first making the decision to go vegan, the first step people think of is eliminating all animal products out of your diet. It usually takes a little bit before new vegans remember their entire wardrobe is packed full of animal products as well.

Shoes, and accessories more often than not made of leather. When winter rolls around, we often forget our coats and sweaters are full of wool. Purging your wardrobe and replacing everything with cruelty free versions is no small task when you’re first starting out.

Being a big fan of fashion, when I myself made this realization, I was pretty overwhelmed. I suddenly felt guilty wearing about half my shoe collection. My handbag collection was my biggest hit. Handbags were my guilty pleasure, and my closet was packed with pricey designer versions. I also tend to prefer more “rocker” type looks, which are very leather heavy. So it was time to start looking for replacements for all my favorite items. I needed money to do this, so I turned all my non-vegan items into cash so I could shop for cruelty free versions.

Good news is now with the help of the Internet, it’s easier than ever to sell your leather and wool items to other stylish ladies and gents who will get use of them, all while making some money so you can go buy yourself a vegan leather wallet. Here we’re some of the websites and stores that made it easy for me to create my now 100% vegan friendly wardrobe.

Fashionphile

Fashionphile is the place to go if you have super high end, designer items to move. If you’ve ever tried to sell a designer purse on eBay or Craigslist, you’ll appreciate this being its notoriously hard to sell designer bags and accessories because everyone thinks they are fakes.

Fashionphile is a consignment boutique based on the west coast that will evaluate photos of the items you have for sale, and then tell you what they can sell them for. Being they’re an established consignment boutique, fans of designer items trust the items aren’t knockoffs, so they’ll pay a higher price for them than you could selling them on your own through eBay or Craigslist.

The selling process is easy. You set up an online account and send them over the pieces you want to sell. They’ll evaluate then to determine the condition of the pieces, as well that they’re legitimate and if so what they can sell them for you for. If you agree to their conditions, they give you pre-paid shipping labels so you can ship the items to them. Once they sell, they cut and mail you a check. It’s that simple.

Again, this place is best for higher end designer handbags and accessories. During my purge, I sent over 3-4 of my purses, including some Louis Vuittons and they made me close to my Brooklyn rent back. It was well worth the time and effort.

Threadflip & Copious

Threadflip and Copious are both web platforms that allow fashionistas to sell their gently used items to other fashionistas. Think of it like eBay with a fashion twist, but better curated and more like shopping at an online boutique. Threadflip even has an iPhone app that makes it easy to post and sell items on the fly. They also allow you to take a quick “style quiz”, and the service will recommend other sellers and items to you based on your tastes.

For both services you can sell and receive credits to purchase items from other sellers. This is great if you lets say wanted to get rid of a pair of leather pumps, and replace them with a pair of vegan ones. Several sellers on both platforms even tag items as being vegan so they are easy to find. I found these neon blue, pointed toe flats on Copious the week before last.

To make your items stand out, make sure your photography is on point! The better the pieces are presented either as part of an outfit, or on a unique background (like my new neon flats were) the quicker they’ll sell.

eBay

eBay is now a household name, and we all know what their service does. They still remain a great way to purge leather and wool items out of your closet.

Recycled Fashion Stores- Like Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads Trading Company

If you are fortunate enough to live a Buffalo Exchange, Crossroads Trading Company, or similar store, you’ll soon learn they are the easiest and fastest way to clear out our wardrobe (vegan or not!), and replenish it with brand new, eco-friendly styles you love. The way it works is you bring in your gently used items and they’ll buy them from you for either store credit or cash.

Any time I feel like doing some guilt-free shopping, I hit up my closet, grab a few items I no longer wear and head on over. I always sell for credit and then use the credit to buy new items to freshen up my wardrobe.

When selling at a recycled fashion boutique, always remember the season you are in. These stores don’t really keep a stock inventory and will only buy what they can move immediately. So if it’s the middle of summer, don’t bring them all your wool sweaters. Call in advance to see what they are currently buying, or you can check their website as well.

I purged the majority of my mainstream handbags, shoes, accessories and clothes of leather and wool just by bringing them to Buffalo Exchange. Fun part was I racked up a ton of credit, which means I get to shop until I drop now!

Have you transitioned your wardrobe to be 100% cruelty-free? Share you tips in the comments!

Belated

{Tank: Calvin Klein; Pants: Crossroads Trading Co.; Sandals: Alloy (old); Sunglasses: Canal Street Vendor}

This past Saturday I crossed two very overdue tasks off my to-do list. First was take my Mom out for Mother’s Day (being she was away on vacation over the actual holiday). Second was to finally see the Hunger Games movie, preferably while still playing in theaters.

Coincidentally my Mom wanted to see the movie as well, so I took her for a belated Mother’s Day movie screening and lunch. By the time she was back from vacation and me back from work trips, the only theater still playing it was one out on Long Island I used to frequent while I was in High School (I grew up out there). Worked out perfect since my Mom didn’t need to travel far to meet me.

This is what I wore. I wanted to be comfy in the theater and you can’t get more comfy than a pair of palazzos. It’s the perfect alternative to leggings when it’s hot out. I received a lot of compliments on them while out and about, which almost made up for me being a total spaz and tripping on them several times throughout the day.

Summer Wardrobe Clean Out

Last week I was self-imposed crazy and productive, and it feels amazing!  Not just on the work front, but also at home.

Over the weekend, I totally cleaned out my closet to get ready for fall.  I always do this two times a year, once in February for the spring and summer seasons, and once in August for the fall and winter seasons.  I clean out what I haven’t worn or no longer like, sell what I can or exchange for trade at my favorite second-hand stores, and also find what items either need repair or alterations and get them all together.  Then from there, it’s super easy to shop for what I know I’ll need in the upcoming season, I know everything I have in my closet, plus I save money because I’m only buying what I really need to replace.

Not only did I clean out my closet, but I also immediately took care of the items I cleaned out instead of leaving them in bags all over my apartment for a few weeks until I get around to it.  As a result, I now have over $200 in credits to use at Buffalo Exchange and Crossroads Trading, all for a weekend’s work.  To also aid in me sticking to my wardrobe budget, I had set up a Smarty Pig account back in February that automatically saved money for me over the past few months specifically so I can shop to update my wardrobe.  It then goes on a refillable pre-paid Master Card which I can then take with me shopping.  I know I’ve hit my max when there’s nothing left on the card.

Yay, I’m so excited for next weekend because it’s my big shopping weekend! I usually only do two big shopping trips a year because despite the fact I love clothes and fashion, I absolutely hate going to stores.  So I look forward to these trips to get my wardrobe up to date in minimal time.  Because, you know I’m trying to be productive.

I have a few other goals to accomplish this week now that I’m on a productivity roll…

1. Set up a regular posting schedule here on Brooklyn Bliss.  I’ve never really had one.
2. Get re-engaged in my social media.  My poor friends think I’ve vanished from Facebook and Twitter.
3. Work out 5 times this week.
4. Shop for fall wardrobe items next weekend.
5. Take 3 outfit photos this week.  I’ve been slacking lately and as a result getting sloppy in how I dress since I know it’s not going on the internet.

 

Oh, and did I mention my husband and I are bunny sitting?  We have our friends bunny Snarf visiting us this week while she’s on a quick vacation to visit her family.  So our tiny Brooklyn apartment is currently akin to the Bronx zoo, but totally worth it because I luz animals.  Isn’t she adorbes?