Shopping for Hiking Shorts

I didn't do a lot of the normal Memorial Day activities last weekend.  Though I did manage to get outside to enjoy the weather a bit, I didn't spend the weekend at the beach, at a BBQ, or at a sporting event.  Instead, I decided to turn to another way to honor our fallen heroes ... by shopping.  I trekked out to Wegmans for a few odd grocery items that are hard to find closer to home, including this delicious dragon fruit that I enjoyed Sunday afternoon on the balcony. 

 

I also headed to the mall, where I was looking for one important clothing item in particular: a pair of hiking shorts with pockets.  For some reason, women's workout clothes rarely have pockets.  And when they do they're barely big enough for a key and maybe a credit card - because we so often feel the need to stop and shop mid-workout.  I don't know about you, but when I workout I like to listen to something, like an audio book or music, and usually do so on my big, clunky iPhone.  It's just not going to fit in a pocket built for a key.  If I'm in the gym this isn't a problem, but when I try to get outside to enjoy a little nature I suddenly find myself in a bit of a bind.  While I've managed to find a few pairs of capris with a little more in the pocket space department, I've always had a hard time finding shorts that fit the bill. 

 

So with that in mind I hit up the Athleta at the Columbia Mall, thinking they would surely have something to end my pocket woes.  There still weren't a ton of options, but I still managed to find one where I liked the style and that had the pockets I wanted.  The staff even went incredibly out of their way to find the size and color I was looking for - just one left hiding in their backroom.  I bought the Costa in Cerulean Blue, and they're all I'd hoped they would be. 

I've used my new shorts three times in the past week - twice for hiking and once just hitting up the building gym. It's two got huge zipper pockets in the back - ideal for holding an iPhone or valuables like your key or money, plus slash pockets in the front that aren't quite as big, but can still hold an iPhone with it sticking out just a bit - fine for walking, but I'd worry about it falling out of a front pocket if you were running or jumping at all.  Now I'm thinking a pair in Saffron Red might be nice too ...



Vaute Couture

Look what I came across in the July 2013 issue of Glamour Magazine!  Very exciting to see a "mainstream" company like Mazda showing it's support for a vegan company like Vaute Couture! 

 

I first heard about Vaute Couture a few years ago, and actually tried to buy a coat from them right away.  I purchased a beautiful blue coat in size medium, but when it arrived it was way too big.  I probably needed an extra small instead!  But unfortunately they were out so I had to just return the coat rather than do the exchange.  Leanne e-mailed me herself to say she was sorry they didn't have the coat I wanted and to offer me a discount on another style, which was really thoughtful and showed what a hands-on company it was.  As I could see from my too-big coat, their materials are really luxurious, and the coat would definitely have been warm! 

 

Now the company's grown so much they had a show at NY Fashion Week and just opened a flagship store!  They've also expanded far beyond their original offerings.  Maybe I will have to head back to the Vaute Couture website this fall when the weather starts to turn chilly again ...

More Shoes ... This Time Vegan!

I've been feeling a bit guilty after my leather shoe purchase earlier this month.  I went in for a pair of black sandals and came out with two pairs of boots ... one of which was leather.  So, naturally, the best way I could think to remedy my shoe shopping sins was to go out and buy a pair of vegan shoes to make up for the leather pair. 

 

My shoe math is excellent. 

 

But a brick and mortar shoe store clearly offered too much temptation, so I left this particular shoe shopping trip to the interwebs, where I came across this cute pair of black, synthetic, sandals.   They looked like they would be super comfy, but "sophisticated" enough that I could wear them to work - a critical point.  I'd never heard of the brand before, but the price was right ...

 

They arrived Monday and they're everything I'd hoped!  They are definitely comfortable and I think they're pretty cute too.  I wore them to work both yesterday and today, and have gotten several compliments on them too. 

 

Yay for cute vegan shoes! 

Lots of Vegan Shopping

This past weekend was filled with tons of apartment hunting, with a few other fun activities peppered into the mix.  On Saturday, those extra activities tended to revolve around shopping for interesting and exotic vegan goods.  First stop: Boulder For Men, a vegan clothing store that (unfortunately for me) only carries men's clothing, shoes, and accessories. 

 

Josh was particularly in the market for shoes, and because he has no foot size issues, came away with a great pair of brown dress shoes from Novacas.  His ethical shoe choice definitely made me feel a little worse about my recent shoe purchasing sin, so I decided I really need to make a better effort to buy cruelty-free, no matter how cute or cheap the shoe options.  Eeek!  Easier said now that I'm not in a shoe store ... but I will try! 

 

After checking out an apartment, we headed to The Limerick Pub in Wheaton for lunch.  It had good reviews on Yelp, including a few that mentioned good vegan options.  Doing a search for "vegan" on Yelp all-too-often just yields "there are no vegan options at this place!"  But luckily these reviews actually mentioned more than one vegan option on the menu, and more importantly there didn't seem to be much else around ...

 

My boyfriend ordered the veggie burger (which could have been vegan without the cheese), while I opted for the vegan sausage sandwich with chips (fries to us Americans).  This was basically the sandwich version of vegan "bangers and mash" with chips subbed for the mash, which was also on the menu. 

 

The sandwich came piled high with mushrooms and onions, and came with a sweet and spicy brown mustard on the side.  It felt very authentically Irish, even though it was vegan.  It was actually way too much to eat, and I ended up leaving the last quarter behind.  But it was delicious.  The place also looked like it would be a lot of fun, especially during their advertised live music or on a trivia night.  We will have to go back there sometime after we move! 

 

On our way home later that afternoon we stopped into Pangea Vegan Products, a largely online store that has a small store front that is only open on Saturdays.  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but thought it would be fun to check it out.  It turns out the "store front" is incredibly small, and about the size of a large walk-in closet.  They only had a few items out, and you had to ask for any refrigerated items stored in the back.  Many of their offerings were also things that are easily available at Whole Foods (and for less money!).  I came away with a few items, but not the large haul I had thought I might.  If any of it is particularly promising and I can't find it elsewhere, I will probably just buy it online in the future. 

 

Because we ate such a large and late lunch, I decided to use the opportunity to eat dessert for dinner!  We stopped into Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt, where I got a giant bowl of peanut butter soy frozen yogurt topped with Oreo cookies, graham cracker crumbles, and peanut butter topping.  Lots of peanutty goodness.  This definitely can't be an everyday thing, but every once in a while it's delicious and makes you feel like a kid again ... guilty for having dessert for dinner, but still so so happy about it. 

 

Shoe Shopping Confession

I have a confession.  I have a little bit of a shoe shopping problem.  I go too often, and I always seem to find somethig I like.  I have no understanding of people who say you only need three pairs of shoes: dress, casual, and sport.  Those people are nuts. Shoes are just the perfect item of clothing.  They'll never make you look or feel fat.  Once you hit a certain age it's almost impossible to outgrow them.  All you can do is wear them, love them well, and eventually they will have done all they can to serve you and they wear out.  But if you have enough pairs of shoes, that day will be significantly postponed. 

 

The other day I hit up DSW to look for some black sandals, as my previously beloved, super-comfortable pair wore out last year and I had yet to find a suitable replacement.  Still no luck on the sandal front, but of course I came away with two cute pairs of winter shoes - some great snow boots (how cool are those?!) and a pair of casual ankle boots. 

 

Here's where confession number two comes in ...  Those ankle boots are leather.  I know, I know.  I've been trying to transition to cruelty-free goods in addition to changing my diet, but sometimes with shoes it's just so hard!!!  I have incredibly small feet, so Novacas were a no-go for me.  And finding shoes that "just happen" to be vegan can be really difficult.  Especially when you walk into a DSW and see a really cute pair of boots that fit you and are marked 80% off.  I'll say that again ... 80% off!  So I bought them. 

 

My guilt is somewhat balanced by the fact that the cute snow boots are vegan ... but I'm not sure if I had just been presented with the ankle boots and no vegan counter-balance that I wouldn't have still bought them. 

 

I think a lot of people would say changing to a vegan diet would be the hard part for them, but clothing seems like it will definitely be my personal vegan nemesis ...

So Many Shoes So Little Time

I finally abandoned my old, incredibly comfortable and versatile black sandals after a trip to Costa Rica last fall, and now that Spring has arrived I'm finding myself desperately in need of replacing them.  I stopped by DSW on my way home from work Thursday to look for said black sandals - preferably of the comfy and versatile variety - and of course came home with a pair of shoes that was decidedly not black sandals. 

 

I bought these Steve Madden ballet flats from the clearance section at 40% off the already cheap DSW price - yay!  They are the tiniest bit big (size 6 - I have incredibly small feet) and I could probably have used half a size smaller, but they don't slip off when I walk, and I even used them on a long walk Friday afternoon with no issues at all. 

I've now worn them three days in a row and am thoroughly loving them.  They definitely fit the comfy criteria, and I'd say they're pretty versatile even though they're so distinct-looking.  But I'm still in need of black sandals ...  Guess I'll have to go shopping again soon!

Summer Sweater Shopping

... Say that three times fast!

Saturday on my way to DC I stopped by the Saks Off Fifth just outside Baltimore hoping to find some jeans (my current favorite jeans were purchased there, but I know I will inevitably destroy them so I was hoping to get a backup pair).  Sadly, they are mostly out of jeans - I'm guessing to make room for summer shorts and capris. 

 

But even though summer is coming (or perhaps already upon us), I still rifled through the sweater section remembering how chilly I felt all winter.  I came across this cute and incredibly warm sweater ... and it's even vegan!  Though it's scratchy and there are tons of alternatives, wool is often a winter staple and can be hard to escape.  But this sweater proved to be soft and really warm.  I even managed to wear it for about an hour Sunday night when it was chilly after the cooking class - fortunately I'd also managed to forget and leave it in the car after purchasing it Saturday.  Now I can't wait for some cooler weather or perhaps a trip to Northern Europe to wear my new find :) 

Wearing My Vegan Shoes!!!

It's finally warm enough to wear my new vegan shoes!  It is just so exciting that I had to share.   They look pretty cute, don't they? :)

Shoe Shopping Round 2!

After my failed Novacas attempt, imagine my surprise when I saw that the inside of my go-to black work pumps, made by Bandolino, said "made of quality man-made materials."  I own quite a few pairs of shoes by this brand, so it seems like a good option for my next vegan shoe attempt.   

 

Inspired by this discovery, I spent some quality time on Amazon looking for some more synthetic Bandolinos.  To narrow it down, I decided to get a new pair of nude work pumps.  I picked out these two pairs and ordered both to see which I liked better in person:

 

 

And the verdict?  I kept the top pair.  You can probably even tell from the picture above that the insole is incredibly soft and cushy, plus for some reason the top pair fit while the second was a little big (but both were the same size ... weird).  I also thought the color of the top pair looked better on me - the darker nude in the second pair made me look pale! 

 

I'm so excited to wear my new vegan shoes.  Now I just need spring to come so I can! 

Vegan Shoe Fail

In my excitement to start my new vegan life, I did what nearly any girl would ... I went shopping. While I've definitely decided that line number three is that I'm going to keep wearing the perfectly functional but non-vegan clothes I already own, it certainly doesn't hurt to beef up (pun not entirely intended) the vegan side of my closet. First stop, mooshoes.com, where I found this incredibly cute pair of Novacas pumps. Second stop, Amazon, where they were selling the same shoe for a third of the price. 

 

So cute, right?

 

 

They finally arrived two days ago, and I was so excited I tried them on immediately.  Which is when I promptly found that even though I'm a size 5 1/2 or 6 in most pumps, these size 36s were decidedly huge.  Whomp whomp.  And worse yet, there is no smaller size.  I'm not a freak of nature or anything.  Plenty of people out there have feet my size.  But sadly Novacas will not be my go-to for vegan shoes.   The search continues ...