Matt & Nat: Live Beautifully

As I said in the very beginning, one of the goals of this blog is to help people realize that being vegan is fashionable.  From shoes to purses, I LOVE accessories more than most girls.  Some may call it addiction, I call it passion. 

Growing up, I was always told that Dooney & Bourke and Louis Vuitton were it.  My mother and grandmother not only raved of these brands, but they wore them daily.  If you want to read more about my transition and why I decided that leather products were not for me, please click here.  Believe me, I heard it all from my mom and sister.  How I was going to look like a hippy and have to wear hemp messenger bags and sneakers.  Boy were they wrong.

One of the companies I love is Matt & Nat.  I even love their tag line: Live Beautifully.  It makes me smile just to read it because it is so simple, but so true.  Even more touching is the story of how this cruelty-free company came to be. Inder Bedi came up with the idea of a vegan friendly accessory line thanks to a college course which required him to develop a business plan and seek "funding" from banks.  He received no faux funding, but a concept was born.

Today, Matt & Nat is one of the leading cruelty-free companies in the world.  Bedi continues to be guided by creating beautiful things with a positive impact.  How simple, how pure.

Besides being downright fierce and vegan friendly, Matt & Nat goes a step further and includes the guiding principles of conservation in every purse they produce.  Believe it or not, the lining of every Matt & Nat bag is made from 100% recycled bottles.  Amazing!  For every purse, about 21 water bottles are used to make the lining.  Stylish and smart. 

Oh, but Matt & Nat doesn't stop there!  Be still my heart, it gets better?  Indeed it does.  Just this year, Matt & Nat got rid of metal tags/labels and switched to cork.  Cork extraction is one of the most environmentally friendly harvesting processes in the world.  Matt & Nat are one of the first companies to move to cork labeling.

I love this company, and you will too.  They have a bag or belt for everyone (you too guys) whether you are boho-chic or high fashion.  And now they even have a line of products to fit your Apple electronics.  Matt & Nat, you sure know how to make a girls heart flutter.

Not only are these products HOT, they are reasonably priced and there is free ground shipping orders of $50 or more.  Go get your shop on!

I will be rocking my Porto clutch this weekend! 

Footsyrolls!

Alright girls, these are a must have for the girl who loves her high heals (aka me).  I first read about Footsyrolls on Healthy Bitch Daily-  the blog of Kim Barnouin, co-author of Skinny Bitch.  Footsyrolls are the modern girl's best friend, and while there are other designers who make a similar product, they are the only company that I am aware that make these shoes in a vegan friendly design.

Here is how they work.  Footsyrolls are flat shoes that roll up and fit in your purse.  That's right ladies, no need to head to work or dinner in your treacherous heals...now you can just put them on when you get there.  GENIUS!  Footsyrolls come in different colors and texture.  Joe got me a pair for Christmas last year in the black patten and now I am hooked.  You will be too, I promise.

Footsyrolls are fun, stylish and practical.  They range in price from $19.99 to $30 and they even have Footsyrolls flip flops that roll up and fit in your purse.  Perfect for when you get your pedi!  They also all come with a little pouch to carry them in.  To visit the Footsyrolls site, click here!  Happy shopping.

Susan Nichole Bags- Animal and Earth Friendly Fashion

If you know me at all, you know that giving up my Louis Vuitton handbags was not easy.  If there was one thing my mother instilled in me, it was a love of quality purses.  One of the things that I have struggled with is finding quality vegan handbags that don't look cheap.  Until today!

Until now, I lived with three purses: my Vera Bradley Black Work Bag which is big, my brown Lulu's satchel and a small black Kate Spade canvass purse that is about a million years old.  Yeah, not too many options.  I first read about Susan Nichole handbags in a magazine somewhere, but I was in a rush and didn't really give it a thought.  Then about a week ago, I saw an ad on Facebook for buy 1 get 1 free Susan Nichole handbags.  How could I not indulge?

I was a little skeptical given what I had seen of vegan purses, but when they arrived today, I have to say I was blown away.  I love Susan Nichole's motto of animal and earth friendly fashion, but even more importantly, her products are really quality.  I bought the Natasha in Black and got the Trinity in camel and gold for free.

They came in gorgeous dust bags, just like my Louis Vuittons of days past.  My colleague and I were just looking at them and it is hard to believe that they are not leather and that they are so well made.  Let's just say I am hooked.  Speaking of hooked, each bag came with a signature Susan Nichole purse hook to use when you are out so you don't ever have to put your bag on the ground. Bonus!

Susan Nichole's philosophies are great, you should read up on her website.  The buy 1 get 1 free sale is still going on, so go buy some purses today:  http://susannichole.com/store/handbags-c-52.html.  Plus, there is free shipping, so no excuses!  Remember, vegan can be fashionable and you should wear things that you look fabulous in, but feel good about wearing.

Vaute Couture: Fashion with a Conscience

One of the biggest myths I have heard in our fine city is the vegan fashion isn't fashionable.  I have two words, YEAH RIGHT!

Not only is vegan fashionable, it is fashion with a conscience.  I don't know about you, but I am not a fan of strutting around in dead carcus.  Call me crazy, but I was more repulsed then impressed by Lady Gaga's dress at the VMA's.  Can you imagine how much she must have stunk until all those lights...just sayin.

I digress.  As I have said, I am a girl about the town.  And when I step out on the town, I like to look fashionable and feel good about what I am wearing.  Enter Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, founder of Vaute Couture (did you catch the play on words?).

Leanne's clothes, most notably her jackets, are stylish and, even more importantly, sensible.  Not only are her gaments vegan friendly and cruelty free, workers who produce her line are paid a "fair wage".  How's that for revolutionary!

Vaute Couture's line uses revolutionary fabrics that are pushing the industry towards using more eco-friendly fabrics.  Wait, you mean I can look good and make a difference? YES!!!



Her products are quality, kind and revolutionary.  I know I will be proud to strut my stuff on the street of Boston in my new Vaute Coat which I just ordered in Luxe Grey. 

You can order all her unique fashions online at http://www.vautecouture.com/.  You won't be sorry.  Plus, you will be fashionable and warm this winter.  Take that skeptics.

P.S.
I also really want Upcycled Windigo Breaker