Download your FREE printable list of commonly used vegan and non-vegan materials in clothing HERE!
And don't forget to read the post that goes along with it: The Ultimate Guide to Winter Dressing as a Vegan.
Happy shopping!
I keep getting requests for more content focused on fashion, style and sustainability so I hope you enjoy this little slow fashion haul!
I visited Field Study on 4th St SW in Calgary, Alberta and picked up a few things I wanted to share with you all.
Let's jump into it!
With the arrival of spring comes a refresh of my capsule wardrobe. Not sure what a capsule wardrobe is? Check out this post for more information on what they are and how to make them! This time around I have included 32 pieces, some of which I may decide to switch out as needed - especially as I'm spending half of the season in Calgary, Alberta and half in Toronto, Ontario... both in Canada, but pretty different as far as the weather goes!
Most vegans feel certain that they don't want to wear real fur. Even if they love the look, over time it becomes apparent that skin is not fabric. With fur, this feeling of repulsion happens much more easily than with leather, even though there's not really much difference between the two. Even non-vegans may be uncomfortable with the idea of wearing a real fur coat.
But what about faux fur?
Is it ok for vegans to wear it? What kind of message does it send? Let's take a look.
Ethically made clothing doesn't have to be unfashionable. It's time to spotlight some of the best ethical and sustainable fashion brands around!
Some of you may have been expecting to see another winter capsule wardrobe of 40 pieces, but you know me, always keeping you on your toes! I wanted to do something a little different, to challenge myself, and the 10 x 10 Wardrobe Challenge seemed like the perfect choice!
What's the 10 x 10 Wardrobe Challenge, you ask?
10 Outfits, for 10 days, using only 10 Pieces.
Let's jump into it!
Matt & Nat is a Canadian company, established in Montreal in 1995. Their name is from "material and nature" and their motto is "live beautifully”.
They are a committed vegan brand, using zero animal products in their designs. They work hard to use sustainable and eco-friendly materials - that also happen to be high quality and gorgeous!
I own four pieces from their collection, and today I’m going to talk you through them and give you a peek!
Let's chat about the best vegan and cruelty-free products I've come across in the month of August!
I'm beginning my second year of capsule wardrobes with another Fall Capsule Wardrobe! Come along and take a look at a couple outfits pulled from this season's capsule - from casual to business to date night!
I can’t believe I’ve completed a full year of capsule wardrobes! This year has been so eye-opening and life-changing - I honestly can’t believe I ever handled my closet any other way. I’m excited to share all about my fall capsule wardrobe for this year and to chat with you about my experience doing capsule wardrobes for a whole year!
I have now completed a full year of capsules! What an amazing year this has been. I'm going to do a complete recap in my next blog post, but for today I wanted to invite you into my home to see first hand how I put my 2016 fall capsule wardrobe together!
I love Instagram and Pinterest. They allow me to live vicariously through those living the lifestyle I aspire to. A minimal home, financial security, and great style are all things I hope to someday lay claim to.
When MakeSpace asked me to describe my dream closet for their new series I was really excited to make a vision board of sorts for my very own minimal and beautiful closet.
Why don't you come along for a virtual tour?
Today I'm talking about all of my favourite things from June! Beauty, personal care, fashion, and more - and all 100% vegan and cruelty-free (as always). Let me know your favourites from this month in the comments!
I'm so excited to show you all my wedding shoes! I won't be able to share much of my wedding look ahead of time, but Jason helped me pick these out so all bets are off!
It's summer in the city! Ever since I returned from the Disney Wonder, Toronto has been seriously hot. I had planned to continue wearing my cruise capsule for another month or so, but it's too warm out for that by far! As you know, my cruise capsule wardrobe was about 50% clothing for the heat of Mexico and the Bahamas, and 50% clothing for around the ship (a highly air conditioned environment). At this point I'm in need of a 100% warm weather wardrobe, stat!
I'm jumping into my Summer Capsule Wardrobe which I plan to wear for June, July, and August of this year. Let's get into it!
Hello from Miami!
This week I'm sharing a quick video showing my packing process as well as some outfit ideas from my cruise capsule wardrobe. There also may or may not be kittens being adorable. You'll have to watch to know for sure!
Last year I spent 8 months working for the mouse. Mickey Mouse, that is! I completed a contract as a performer on the Disney Wonder and had a ball of a time.
The only problem? I packed WAY too much. To my credit, I had no idea what one should pack for 6 months at sea… but a guitar, a backpack, and two huge suitcases weighing in at over 70 lbs each? Just a little bit of overkill. (I did eventually get the suitcases down to under 60 lbs each, but it was painful. And believe me, lugging those babies around in the bowels of a ship was NOT a cake-walk).
So as I prepare for my second contract, a quick month, I know I can do better. I am a minimalist now, after all. I have Marie Kondo on my side. I have KonMari in my blood. Ok, maybe I’ve taken this a bit too far… Anyway, I am definitely better equipped this time around to pack minimally for maximal impact.
As I still vividly remember how painful it was trying to decide what to bring and what to leave behind last fall, I thought I would take you along for the ride in the hopes that you can learn from my mistakes and be ready for any opportunity that comes your way!
It's cold in Toronto right now. Really cold. -34 degrees celsius cold. And it got me thinking... dressing for the winter as a vegan isn't as easy as it should be. We want to be warm without exploiting animals.
Is being compassionate AND frosbite-free too much to ask?
Luckily the answer is no.
I'm going to share my tips and tricks (and you can trust me because I'm Canadian, and we know cold) and picks to keep you toasty from head to toe!
If you follow me on instagram you will already know that I have chosen my wedding dress! (cue the squeals) You will also know that the number one biggest struggle in finding my dream dress was the lack of vegan options. Or in other words, the abundance of silk. Not sure why you should care about silkworms and the fabric they make? Neither was I. That was, of course, until I looked into the industry and really thought about what it's doing. And I want to share with you why you may want to rethink that silk blouse or snazzy silk bowtie you've been eyeing.
Winter is here and that means it's finally time to reveal my second capsule wardrobe! I had a lot of fun with my Fall Capsule and loved putting together this wardrobe, armed with months of capsule experience. (Learn how to build a capsule wardrobe here!) Some of my choices last time just didn't get worn, so I'm hoping to make wiser picks in my Winter Capsule that can handle the range of weather conditions and temperatures that Toronto winters throw at us Torontonians!
I've never been a big fan of winter, but since going vegan I find the Canadian winters even more difficult to bear. As soon as the temperature starts to drop the winter gear comes out in full force, and that means that almost every person is wearing fur. Before going vegan I owned coats with fur trim and never thought anything of it. I was told that it was natural, that it was the perfect material to keep warm, that it was normal. And I never thought to question it. Now I know better, and every bit of fur I see feels like a punch in the stomach. We no longer NEED to wear fur to keep warm, so why continue to inflict unnecessary suffering? Let's turn over a new leaf and say no to fur in 2016.
I'm back with the second instalment of my 2015 holiday gift guide! (Didn't catch the first gift guide for the beauty lovers on your list? Here it is!) This one is all about yoga... you're sure to find the perfect gift for every yogi on your list!
In honour of my picking up YouTube again I am sharing my 6 favourite minimalist YouTube channels for your viewing pleasure! Go check them out and get inspired to make more steps towards minimalism in your own life.
I am very new to the concept of a capsule wardrobe, but am absolutely loving the experience of living with one over the last thirteen days. Just in case this is your first time hearing of it, let me explain. The idea is to reduce your wardrobe to a small, well thought out collection of pieces that can be mixed and matched to create many outfits. I first learned of this idea from the Un-Fancy blog, so I am loosely following her instructions in my capsule attempt. (By the way, If you've never been to Caroline's blog, Un-Fancy, go now. I'll wait.)
It's finally here! This is literally the most excited I have been for October in my entire life. Like I mentioned in my How To Build A Capsule Wardrobe post (which you should read, by the way), I have been looking forward to creating a capsule wardrobe for about 6 months. The process of dreaming, curating, and photographing my new, minimal, fall wardrobe has been so much fun. I can't wait to show you which pieces I decided on!
Whether you're a new vegan or a vegan veteran, keeping track of no-no ingredients can be incredibly difficult. Friends and family, from longer term vegans all the way to new vegetarians, have been lamenting hidden animal ingredients popping up all over the place in the foods they used to enjoy with a clean conscience. That's why I'm creating this handy guide! Pin or bookmark it so that you can come back and use it as a reference while shopping, making your life that much easier. These ingredients may be found in food, personal care products, clothing, household products, and more. Remember: no one is perfect and it's impossible to successfully avoid all of these ingredients 100% of the time. Don't beat yourself up or get too caught up in the purity of it all and just do your best!
It's that time again... time for another capsule wardrobe!