Tag Archives: Accessories

Why I Eat Meat and Buy Vegan Products

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Alden Wicker

Vegan shoes

Last week, if you had looked closely, you would have thought I was being a huge hypocrite.

I was at my desk, eating lunch. Slung over my chair was a new, black, ladylike, vegan coat by Vaute Couture. On my feet were black, microsuede, platform booties by Crie de Coeur. And I was eating a chicken salad.

What could account for this odd sartorial/culinary dissonance? Am I a poser, buying vegan just to say I buy vegan while I contribute to the murder of poor little caged chickens with my choice of lunch?

Vegan motorcycle jacketActually, there is a method to this madness. The chicken salad in question was from the Whole Foods prepared food bar–organic, hormone-free and humanely raised. And the outerwear and shoes in question are more than just vegan.

You see, I have no problem with eating meat as long as I know where it comes from. This is for the usual liberal guilt reasons (I happen to like my Chesapeake bay free of mounds of nitrate-rich chicken poop, thanks) but also out of concern for my own health. More than 3,000 people die each year from food poisoning, and I myself came down with a mild bout after succumbing to the siren call of Perdue chicken fingers at a Yankees game last year. Still, as long as I get my meat–pork, chicken, duck and the occasional hamburger–from a local farm, I feel OK about it. And I’m especially OK with eggs and yogurt from the Greenmarket.

So why go to the trouble and expense of buying vegan products? They’re not even going in my mouth!

Well, when it comes to beauty products, many are vegan as a sort of checkmark in a long line of conscious requirements of the modern consumer: No testing on animals–check. Organic–check. Paraben-free–check. Container made from post-consumer recycled content–check. Vegan/free of animal products–check. So I really just end up with vegan face lotion and deodorant.

vegan purseBut when it comes to clothing, something I’ve found to be almost universally true is that if someone takes the time to ensure their clothing and/or accessories are vegan, they’ve also taken the time to ensure their products are also sustainably and ethically made. Take, for example, these brands:

See what I mean? Yes, I still have plenty of leather in my closet, especially the vegetable-tanned kind. But no, I don’t think it’s weird to pull money out of a vegan wallet to pay for Long Island duck breast. Do you?

Posted in Fashion, New York, Products, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I Lost My Wallet! A Roundup of Ethical Replacements

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Alden Wicker

Ethical and sustainable walletsThree years!

Three years I’ve made it around New York City without losing my wallet. Gloves? Yes. Umbrellas? More than I can count. But until now, I’ve kept my keys, phone and wallet by my side.

You know, I wasn’t even that drunk on Saturday. I would say, on a scale of one to drunk, I was maybe a four. But at three in the morning, I swiped my card, climbed out of the taxi, and then realized approximately two minutes later, as I dug through my little purse while standing in line with K at the pizza counter, that I no longer had my wallet. It’s like I just completely missed my purse or something and flung my wallet to the taxi cab floor. (This, apparently, is why you should always get your taxi receipt.)


This seems appropriate, as I was in a daze when I lost my wallet.

My chances of getting it back at this point are about nil. (Though, the officer at the 17th precinct where cab drivers are supposed to turn in lost items was very, very nice.) So I’ve resigned myself to replacing all my cards and finding myself a new wallet. Let’s do this right.

I’ve rounded up all my choices, from chic to exotic, cheap to luxurious. And there are a surprising amount of nice options out there, in a range of styles that will suit every taste.

Maybe you can help me think through which one I should get? Let me know your favorite in the comments!

Posted in Fashion, New York | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Fair Trade Is Fashionable: Where to Get Your Fix of Stylish Gifts

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Alden Wicker

Every year I help out a family friend with his booth at the International Gift Fair. If you’ve never been, the NYIGF is a giant trade show in the Javitz Center filled with all manner of “gifts.” (Read: Junk you never knew you wanted.) It’s a lot of unnecessary and silly crap, with the occasional gem. Middle aged women who own gift shops in little tourist towns stalk their prey, looking for totally purposeless gifts with which to fill their New Jersey and Connecticut vanity stores.

Fortunately for my sanity, the booth I work is located in the handmade and global section, so there is a lot of fair trade and conscious items in there. I took a half hour to dart around and see what pretty things could be found.

Last year when I did this, I didn’t see much–just the typical beaded and carved items, drums, and accessories made out of soda can rings. But suddenly, this year there was an explosion of beautiful items I couldn’t wait to make mine. Here are my favorites, and where to find them in New York and online:

Oh, wait. First kick this track in to listen to while you peruse:

Cool, ready?

Mercado Global PillowMercado Global

Mercado Global is a nonprofit that pairs with Guatemalan mothers to provide employment. Now, there are a lot of nonprofits that provide employment to South American women, but what makes this nonprofit stand out is that I want their stuff.

Our exclusive products combine exceptional Mayan craftsmanship with modern design. 

Mercado Global earrings

Normally that would be a platitude, but their stuff really does look right at home in an Apartment Therapy post.

I actually recognized the pillow–I wanted to buy it for my apartment this summer when I was in ABC Carpet & Home, but it was a little bit out of my price range.

The Lydia earrings are gold plated and hammered and have hammered vermeil nuggets. You can find them on their website. The pillow is fabric and brocade, hand-woven on floor looms using traditional weaving techniques that have been passed on through generations. Find it at Pan American Phoenix at 857 Lexington Avenue on the UES, and it will be back up on the Mercado website at the end of March.

La Casa Guatemala

La Casa is a supplier right out of Guatemala that provides handmade, artisan goods. I fell in love with these ikat backpacks, which just beg to be slung over one shoulder for a day at the farmers market. I also love this briefcase, which would be handsome on a dapper gentleman or a fashion-forward lady.

These items are made from hides processed minimally by the artisans themselves.  The hides frequently have scars and discolorations and occasionally branding marks, betraying their provenance of not huge farms and industrialized tanneries but  village slaughterhouses in the region the artisans inhabit.  No two packs or briefcases will ever be identical, and since no dyes are used on the hides–only oil–they will oxidize and darken with age. Yummy.

La Casa does not have an online shop, but you can find these backpacks and briefcase at:

Pan American Phoenix at 857 Lexington Avenue on the UES

Loopy Mango at 78 Grand Street in Soho

Native Leather, at 203 Bleecker Street in the East Village

The Bobo Kid

Peep these neon purses (“mochillas”), handmade couture skirts and colorful hand-loomed hammocks! This style of neon, handwoven purse has become quite popular, and The Bobo Kid offers them in a range of sizes, from a discreet size for a night out, to one that will hold everything you need for a day trip.

The skirts, made of cotton, linen, silk, lace and velvet, are handmade to order, so yes, you will pay accordingly. (“Price upon request”) I just love they way she matched it with a blue oxford in the picture above–simply perfect.

Now I’m just trying to decide of I can get a multicolor hammock from La Guajira region that is crafted over four months for my apartment, instead of an air mattress for guests. Thoughts?

Currently no NYC stores sell this merchandise, but if you truly love it, give Fernando a call at 305-281-1961 and tell him I sent you!

Push Pull

I’m sure you’ve seen ikat around this season. Just … avoid Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, OK? Instead go for the real thing, from Cambodia.

You couldn’t do any better than Push Pull Cambodia, which seeks to stimulate a renaissance of Cambodian Ikat. Their weaving center in Takeo Province employs approximately 46 artisans who specialize in different phases of Ikat. Each phase–tying, dyeing, spinning, and weaving–is done by hand, according to traditional Khmer methods, passed down verbally from generation to generation.

And their bags and pillows are just the right amount of preppy and cool. They aren’t currently sold in any NYC stores, but you can shop right online in the Push Pull store.

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