V-Style

Personal Style Profile: Rebecca Burgess

Name: Rebecca Burgess

Occupation: Writer, Educator, Project Manager, Dabbler in Farming

Interesting Fashion Fact: Every garment Rebecca wears is made of locally grown fibers and without manufacturing equipment. At the moment Rebecca and her local community have limited resources, but they are working on getting their local manufacturing base up and running more efficiently. Everyone is excited about increasing their technical skills, building new mills, and making new locally grown fabrics. 

Wearing: "I'm wearing a Heidi Iverson designed tunic hand knit with Sally Fox's color grown bio dynamic cotton- dyed in my organic Indigo (field of indigo pictured), and a Sally Fox buffalo brown cotton skirt.."

Personal Style: "I wish I had a bit more control over this one, but I'd have say my style is "ecological sanity" mixed in with whatever fits my body. Before I undertook the commitment to wear clothes with a transparent supply chain, I used to wear vintage denim, and elegant draping knits... I guess you could say 'rustic minimalism' is my true style."

Favorite Brand or Store: "Fibershed Marketplace. Right now we can offer a sampling of raw fibers, some gorgeous yarns, knit patterns we've tested extensively, and a select repertoire of handcrafted finished pieces."

Fashion Trick/Tip: "My favorite trick at the moment is 'how many times can I wear this before washing it?' (When I do wash the clothes, I've fallen in love with the process of using minimal water and lavender infused soaps... my clothes will last forever, I don't waste precious fresh water resources and I love the whiff of lavender that comes from a freshly washed garment)."

Personal Style Profiles feature folks with a strong sense of fashion. These individuals are not my clients.

Product Review - Urban Lace Jewelry

I take pleasure in introducing Urban Lace Jewelry to you. Their slogan, we create elegant design with planet in mind is accurate as well as poetic. Urban Lace Jewelry is made from recycled bicycle inner tubes collected from local bike shops. This means next to no transportation pollution and no new parts pollution are produced when creating these cool earrings, bracelets, necklaces and masks.

My favorite item of the collection is the bracelet ($29.99) with the mask ($39.99) a mere second after. I love the way the bracelet rests on my skin.  It weighs nothing, looks edgy and as seen in the picture, the stenciled accessory sits flatly against your wrist. This flat stance keeps your wrist looking long and doesn't make your hand look chubby. I mention this because most large bracelets will protrude from your wrist and make the hand and wrist area look big. Another sweet treat, there is no rubber smell attached to it, in case you were wondering. 

My only qualm is the colored jewel on the bracelet. The one sent to me has a green jewel as the snap. I think it disrupts the beauty and simplicity of the look. I would prefer a black jeweled snap for a seamless look. 

Note: The bracelet can come with a black snap.

My product reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I never accept payment for product reviews although I am given the sample to keep. If I am sent something that is unimpressive or boring I don’t write about it.

Product Review - T-Post T-Shirt

I return from New York after a long journey and find numerous packages at my front door from companies and PR firms as well as on line orders I made before I left. It's midnight my time, 3am New York time. Exhausted and excited, I kick the boxes in the door and throw my suitcase inside. It's like Christmas! I am delighted as I work my way through each parcel. The last one is in a plastic bag with no identifying marks beyond it being addressed to V-Style. I open it and find no paperwork, just a folded white t-shirt with splashes of color. I unfold it to reveal the most disturbing images on it. Maybe because I am tired, but I drop it on the ground and feel as if someone has threatened my life. I look down on it and see the shadow of typed words inside the t-shirt. I pick up the Tee and turn its soft fabric inside out so I can read the first sentence of the 480 words located on the back of the shirt..."Prescription medication advertising in the US is out of control."

I recall now the press release that was sent to me and the e-mail confirming a product being shipped for me to review. The t-shirt was sent to me from T-Post. They call it a wearable magazine, but you might call it subscription fashion. You can't just buy one T-shirt, you have to buy a subscription to X amount of Tees at 27 euros ($37) a month. Once you sign up, each subscriber receives a new t-shirt in the mail. The t-shirt has a news story on the inside of the back and then a graphic interpretation of that story on the front. Like a magazine subscription, you have no idea what you are going to get until it arrives. 

The news story on the shirt sent to me was about pharmaceutical companies' advertising dollars and the risks of prescription drugs. The disturbing images inspired by that article included a creepy man with half a body, vomiting, and a child that appeared to have its organs coming out of its butt. On closer inspection, I realize it is diarrhea, not organs - which is much less horrifying, but gross nonetheless. I richly dislike this t-shirt and absolutely would never wear it, but I adore the idea and love many of the other graphic Tees from their archives.

T-post begins its process by going through news stories submitted by fans and T-post subscribers. The T-post team then chooses one topic to feature each month. Once the story is chosen, they select an artist to translate the news story into an image, graphic or drawing. Each t-shirt is created by a different artist to keep T-Post fresh.

The cons of this amazing idea is the price of the surprise. If I had this subscription and I had paid $37 for the grotesque pharmaceutical Tee, I would be bummed. I wouldn't want to spend that many bones on a shirt that frightened me. My Vogue subscription costs half that for the whole year - then again I can't wear that without some major creativity and some glue. 

The other con is the fit. For men the standard boxy fit is great, but for ladies I recommend Tees with some shape. I think as soon as they add the option of a shirt better suited for the female form, we'd be in business.

All and all, the garment is an awesome use of fashion and the t-shirts are wildly unique if not attractive and cool. I always welcome clothing that can start a conversation, especially when that conversation can shine some light on a topic worthy of an audience.

My product reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I never accept payment for product reviews although I am given the sample to keep. If I am sent something that is unimpressive or boring I don’t write about it.

Product Review - Mimi and Lu Jewelry

Nothing says easy chic more, than sublte creative jewelry. Local San Diego line Mimi and Lu is a perfect example of such jewels. Recently dropped off to me by creator Michelle Watson and her gargantuan dog, is two of the "week day" rings for me to review.I adore the delicate, hammered and wrapped look of these edgy peices.

I love wearing them now as I type. I don't know if this makes me sound mildly pathetic, but it makes me feel ridiculously cool to type at my computer with rings on. Most of the time I don't though because my rings are big and are not that comfortable to type with. My qualm with comfortable, light and thin rings is usally they bore me, but these small rings are far from boring. Particularly when you wear a bunch at one time. Other favorites of mine on the site are the Liam and Peyton ring. I can't get enough of her wrapped metal around jewels. 

As for quality, all good. The rings are made of gold fill or sterling silver.

My product reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I never accept payment for product reviews although I am given the sample to keep. If I am sent something that is unimpressive or boring I don’t write about it.

Vanessa Valiente at Thread Show San Diego

San Diego's Thread Show took place yesterday downtown. I was invited along with four other bloggers to compete in a style off. We were asked to style six looks and then people would vote via Twitter. Had I known that was the voting process, I am not quite sure I would have participated, but I enjoyed myself none-the-less. I was able to create a handful of fabulous looks from the clothing that was provided by the vendors of the event: Babykakes, Redhawk Brigade, Grammatique, Hybrid Couture and Biblia to name a few. The downer of the experience, somewhat of a jab that I didn't win considering I was the only blogger that makes a living as a wardrobe stylist. Whatever happened to casting a vote via pen and paper? Or even a button. I am going to admit to you, I don't know what a hashtag is and I like it.

Photo by Chantal Gordon

Product Review: Kendall K. Clothing

I have a thing for independent designers. Maybe because I feel like I am wearing a secret or maybe it is because when I wear something that isn't hugely produced I know that no one else will be wearing what I am wearing. 

My newest independent discovery is Kendal K. clothing. Flirty, stylish and well made, I am loving the fabrics, patterns and use of color of the collection. I have the Amber dress and I am craving a couple pairs of the Betti shorts, but I may not be the only wearing it anymore. It hit select boutiques in California and Colorado this week and in April it will be available on the Kendall K. website. For those that plan to order from the website, the line runs small, so I recommend ordering a size up. If you are a six, order an eight. 

My product reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I never accept payment for product reviews although I am given the sample to keep. If I am sent something that is unimpressive or boring I don’t write about it.

Product Review: gla.MAR.ous Headbands

When I cut my hair smoldering short last year I was in a constant state of panic, not because of the look so much, but because there is hair in my face. There is hair in my face. There is hair in my face. Ah! I couldn't stand it. Now, my hair is about chin length and although I can tuck it behind my ears now, it is still a bit of a battle with these darn wispy bits hanging about my face.

To avoid all the hassle, I have been on the look out for attractive and smart ways to comfortably keep my hair away. Not too much turned up for me. Standard headbands looked too neurotic to me and eventually gave me a headache. After that I was left with hats and sporty elastic things. Which is fine, but mostly I have been wearing this purple cotton thing my mom made in the early nineties. Obviously, all this goes down in my private life, not with clients. 

Luckily, I was shipped a sweet piece of headband from gla.MAR.ous. I could even get away with wearing this in front of some of my clients. Made from a zipper, the gla.MAR.ous patented headband is embellished with various colors, textures and adornments, but the one I love is the simple black metallic headband. It is adjustable, stylish and effective. My only qualm with it is the pink logo. As you know I am not a fan of logos, and the dash of pink does not work with all outfits I would want to pair with the all black headband.

Apart from the headbands, gla.Mar.ous collection also has adorable fringe tops. Fabulous additions to a beachy lifestyle or warm season get-up. I even used one in a photo shoot I styled recently for photographer Jonah Gilmore.

My product reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I never accept payment for product reviews although I am given the sample to keep. If I am sent something that is unimpressive or boring I don’t write about it.

Product Review: Laura Hunter Jewelry

 

When I pick out jewelry for myself or clients I am always looking for elegant or bold pieces with a unique edge. I skip over cheesy, chunky, cheapy, trendy or plastic bits that come my way and focus on finding designers like Laura Hunter, a San Diegan that hand makes elegant and unique adornments. 

I had the pleasure of reviewing her Dream Catcher Hoops. Made from Turquoise Briolettes and 14k gold-filled wire that was shaped, wrapped and then hammered, these earrings are fabulous! They are light weight, feminine, quality and a relative great deal at $58. They are so comfortable I accidentally slept in them one night. I'm officially a fan. 

This pair and many others I spotted on her Etsy site are such great pieces for work, dates and an excellent idea for gifts. I adore when comfort, quality, price and taste can all come together in a pair of earrings.

My product reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I never accept payment for product reviews although I am given the sample to keep. If I am sent something that is unimpressive or boring I don’t write about it.

Fashionable Ethnic Jewelry on Novica.com

Products that use charities and environmentally friendly aspects to draw you to their product have flooded the consumer market to the point of trendiness, a double edge sword for the causes. Obviously, it is exciting that being socially and environmentally conscious is now easier for most consumers, but there is the backlash of companies trying to capitalize on the “trend” by hyping products that may have little or nothing to do with either cause.

By using key words, implied graphics, vague phrasing or exaggeration, these products do a disservice to the real products and companies that are putting their all into making a socially responsible product - companies like Novica.com.

In association with National Geographic magazine, Novica works directly with thousands of master artisans in Asia, Africa, and latin America to help bring their creations to other parts of the world. There is no mass production here, no sweat shops. Just an independent person or couple hand making their art for you to wear with confidence. Confident that you are wearing something unique that isn’t destroying the environment or a low paid worker.

I have mentioned this company before on V-Style, but I felt it needed another mention since I just got a couple more gorgeous pieces from them. The first is this opulent necklace by the artist Nareerat in Thailand. I can’t wear this necklace without constant compliments from friends and strangers. Titled Milky Way, Nareerat created this piece to emulate the “planets whirling in the darkness of space.” This kind of unique and bold style is embraced in all her pieces, making her a go-to for my browsing; an easy process since Novica allows you to search their products based on artist, price, metal, stone or country.

The other item I am pleased to have are these stunning silver earrings by Chalermkwan. I am really picky about silver jewelry, but I adore these chic, modern and original dangles. If you are looking for some elegant, yet edgy silver earrings, I recommend searching for pieces by Chalermkwan.

The prices aren't too terrible either. The necklace is $110 while the earrings are $35, plus shipping. Keep in mind, that these are real metals being used. As a cautionary, when shopping on Novica.com don't get discouraged by the hundreds of generic pieces on the site. There are a lot of fuddy duddy or kinda boring pieces on the website you will have to pass before you find that unique item that you have to have. It's worth the search.

Product Review - chantal deFelice Jewelry

This week I was sent some jewelry pieces from chantal deFelice, a young San Diegan artist. It is my absolute pleasure to report that I adore her line. This is the kind of designer I get really excited about. Independent, new and unique. Her pieces are fabulous, stand out, under $30 and ridiculously light weight. 

The earrings and necklaces are hand made and hand painted using quality salvaged scrap wood, archival grade paper and inks, a nuetral PH adhesive, three layers of water based spray coat, sterling silver for the hooks and the edges are sealed with matte varnish. When I examine the jewelry closely with my eyes and fingers it's seamless. It feels like soft wafers of wood.

Putting on a pair of Chantal de Felice earrings makes me feel more interesting. That is what good fashion does for me - makes me feel like a better person. I also love the literal meaning of wearable art in this case. I can't go anywhere without someone commenting on the painted canvas dangling from my ears. Don't wear a Chantal de Felice piece if you don't want people to talk to you about them.