"Green is the new Red, White, & Blue

I hope all of you had a fun and festive 4th of July.  In retail, the 4th of July signifies that it is time to get summer apparel off the floor and make room for Fall!  My next several blogs will focus on Fall 2010 trends.  Fall fashions are as exciting as fireworks to me.  I ooh and aah over the fabrics, textures, colors and styles. This year there is even more to light up the sky - organic and vegan wear. 

Organic food has led the way to what is now a hot trend in fall fashion - Vegan Leather.  I am a proud consultant for Jana Kos Style Partners and I'm excited to announce her earth friendly vegan leather jackets.

Organic and vegan wear is on the rise yet finding it is stores is still few and far between.  Just as organic produce was considered an unneeded luxury a few years ago, the perception of vegan apparel is changing as well.  Giving customers the choice will only add to its popularity.

As you can see from the pictures, Jana's vegan leather jackets look exactly like the more expensive lamb leather which she still offers.  While organic and vegan food seems more expensive,  Jana's vegan leather is several hundred dollars less than her lamb leather.

Everyone talks about "going green" with household products but I don't think we give much thought when purchasing clothing.  I see a lot of waste when I work in closets.  I'm guilty of it myself. Closets are overstuffed with the pieces that don't fit, have never been worn, or hang there because Aunt Betty gave it as a gift.

Besides purchasing vegan wear, here are few other ways to support the environment:

    1. Pay more for your clothing but purchase fewer clothes.
    2. Swap parties (see past blog on swapping)
    3. Consignment shopping (but only if you know how to spot good quality).

To see Jana's entire collection go to www.janakos.com or contact me at www.vipstudioonline.com.

Here's to life, liberty, and pursuit of vegan leather!

Joyfully,

Chris

Fashion Feng Shui

In March I became the first person in Kentucky to be certified in Fashion Feng Shui. Evana Maggiore is the creator of Fashion Feng Shui and held this training in her beautiful Florida home. It is a holistic approach to personal style - dressing your body, mind, and spirit. A FFS workshop can guide you to a deeper understanding of your personal energies and teach you how to dress to honor your wholeness.

In a Fashion Feng Shui workshop you discover how to dress your Essence, Intention, and Appearance. Dressing your Essence means dressing the authentic person. Self-confidence requires authenticity. If your lifestyle is not honoring your Essence, you will doubt yourself. Your outer world needs to align with your inner being, then you project your authentic self to others. Dress who you are – inside and out.

Secondly, you learn how to dress your Intention. This means you dress the part you desire to play. Do you want more fun in your life, more money, different relationships? As Evana states in her book Fashion Feng Shui – The Power of Dressing with Intention, “You already are what you think you can be. You need only to Identify your Ideal Self and visually affirm it in your appearance in order to create it in your life”.

Third is dressing your Appearance or dressing your body. This is dressing to look your best. Communicating your personal style with confidence.

Lean how to make everything in your life flatter you. Clothes are your tools for transformation. It is very powerful.

I will be having a Fashion Feng Shui workshop on Sunday, July 25. For more information call me at 502.939.6000.

Here’s to your Transformation!

Chris