Mimosas, Olsen Haus, Matt & Nat @ Arcadia

Mimosas....

Vegan shoes......

Vegan handbags......

.....an amazing afternoon of eco-shopping.

Arcadia hosted a Denim Brunch this past Saturday. Many of their eco-items, including vintage, were on sale. This amazing boutique carries so many fashionable, animal-friendly brands that, I have to admit, I was a little overwhelmed! Matt & Nat bags (which I just discovered at this event by the way) were the best find.

Arcadia's vintage display got me thinking...while it is great to purchase products that are made from eco- and animal-friendly materials, isn't it even better not to have to produce something at all? Why not save on the energy and all the other processes involved in manufacturing a new product and just re-use something already made? (Check out ReMade USA for a cool interpretation of re-used fashion.)

I'm not always a huge fan of vintage when it's a bit dirty, dingy and too worn-in, but, in some cases, not only can you find something fashionable, but you can reduce your impact on the environment, too, by not contributing to the production of something new. Just a thought.

NoLibs to the Rescue: Eco-Fashion Boutique Sells Vegan Shoes

Arcadia is Philly's eco-fashion boutique, and, even though Philly has no 100% vegan shoe stores, Aracadia sells my favorite Olsen Haus line of vegan shoes plus a number of other hot, vegan styles.

An incredible find given the fact that ordering shoes online never works out well. You have to order three different sizes hoping one fits, and regardless you always have to ship a few pairs back! Online shopping is not ideal, so I'm very happy to find vegan shoes sold by a Philly boutique.

Olsen Haus, Open-toe Bootie

Olsen Haus, Babylon flat

Olsen Haus, Enchantment heel

Ruby Boot

Melissa Gold Flat

More about Melissa Shoes and her collaboration with Vivienne Westwood

Olsen Haus, Shortie Bootie

Arcadia is all about promoting a sustainable lifestyle, not only through fashion but through travel as well. The team at Arcadia helps plan group and individual sustainable travel through away@Arcadia.

Sidenote: NoLibs is one of the best spots in Philly to find businesses oriented toward supporting our sustainable lifestyle. Whether through food, fashion or other products, NoLibs is Philly's vegan, eco-conscious hub. Not that there aren't great spots all over Philly, but NoLibs seems to concentrate that energy. More to explore...

Stella's Summer 2010, Way Hot, Way

Stella's Faux Suede Platform Scalloped Ryden Sandal is fabulously, fashionably, faux, but also fabulously, fashionably out of most of our price ranges!

While it may not be realistic for all of us to support our veg fashion desires by committing to wearing only Stella McCartney clothes and shoes, at least we have a successful, recognized, vegan fashion representative in the ranks of high fashion. She stands for animal-friendly values, and, through her, more and more people in the industry will learn, understand and hopefully incorporate our beliefs into their design and into their lifestyles.

NeuAura Shoes: Just a Preview, Profile to Come

I'm definitely feeling this shoe by Neuaura. I've come across the brand several times while shoe site-ing for Olsen Haus and Cri de Coeur.

Overall not quite as stylish as the other brands I like, but there are a few gems in the line like "Kettle Gray" pictured here. I love the detail that makes this more than just a plain old gray pump. The shape of the heel and the extra material that encloses the foot almost like a little bootie makes them unique and interesting to wear.

Full designer profile TBD, but here's a preview. Launched by yet another fashion-forward vegetarian (there are so many of us!), Arti Upadhyay had been in the shoe industry for the past decade and had launched several successful national brands. Lamenting the lack of fashionable animal-friendly footwear, and finding many other women with the same complaint, she decided to create her line. More style-inspired info to come.

Cri de Coeur: Designer Profile

Apparently I'm not the only one who noticed just how poor the vegan shoe selection is. Why does it have to be difficult to find mindfully made, stylish shoes? While most of us are not in a position to solve the problem except through how we spend, fortunately there are fashion designers out there who have the creative energy and design experience to do something about it and help out the rest of us!

Gina Ferraraccio is one of these designers. This Nolita designer launched Cri de Coeur, a vegan fashion shoe brand, in 2007. She has been a vegetarian for 12 years, and, after attending Parsons School of Design and working in various parts of the fashion industry, her concept of a trendy, vegan shoe line was born. Rather than trade off style for her personal philosophies, and to finally put to rest conflicted feelings associated with wearing leather, she created and launched her brand.

Given recent consumer interest in eco-friendly fashion and her long-time commitment to the environment, Gina focuses on using only eco-friendly vegan materials in her shoes. Suede microfiber, canvas, chambray and rubber composite are just some of the materials she uses. Cri de Coeur also purchases to carbon credits to offset its carbon footprint and sponsors reforestation, planting a tree with the purchase of every shoe.

Not only has Fagiolina been posting about Gina and Cri de Coeur for the past couple of months, but Elle, Lucky, InStyle, Marie Claire and Daily Candy have all given props for the designer's hot styles and vegan ethic.

However, Gina's clear that her shoes are not just for vegans--they're for anyone who wants to wear a fashionable shoe. Listen to Gina talk about her shoes here and read an interview with Gina here.

Now, come on, I know that really all you want to do is buy the shoes!

www.shopflick.com

www.endless.com

www.nimli.com

To sign up for the newsletter, find a listing of local stores that sell the line and stay up on the latest collections: www.cri-de-coeur.com

One place for all your eco-vegan-fashion needs

I began this blog because I wanted to make it easier for you...and for me, actually...to commit to a fully vegan lifestyle. On principle, I wanted this lifestyle to be fun and fashionable and lightyears beyond the hippie, crunchy vibe once associated with an animal-free way of life.

Nimli.com has made my search for vegan shoes and bags ridiculously easy.

Nimli is all about providing us with "natural, organic and green" lifestyle products, ranging from clothes, to housewares, to jewelry and skincare products. I love how you can choose a product based on certain attributes, and, of course, "vegan" is one of the attributes. Could there possibly be a better way to shop?

Nimli sells one of my favorite brand of vegan shoes, Cri de Coeur, which I blogged about in an earlier post. It is so easy to be vegan when a great designer makes fashionable shoes that, put simply, just look good. No clogs, no gross-looking clumpy shoes...just high-quality, high-fashion, super trendy. My latest obsession...

Find deals and promo codes in Nimli's blog, too.