May 7, 2007

Whose Shirt is That? Feng Shui and the Power Panty
Feng Shui and the Power Panty

Let’s be honest…Why do we really spend $20 on a tube of lipstick, $200 on a pair of jeans and $2,000 on a purse, just so that we can strut around in an outfit that costs as much as a used car or a first class flight to Italy?

Yes, of course, we want to feel good. Looking down and seeing those gorgeous callous-causing Manolos, carrying us down the street, can induce an instant state of ecstasy. When you get to the core of the matter, the whole concept of spending more on an outfit than you do on rent and feeling “good” about it is just our way of justifying the purchase in our own minds.

Let’s face it, you’re “dressing to impress”…just like the old adage goes.

So, if the point is to make a statement, stand out in a sea of monotonous clothes and make all other mere fashion mortals salivate over your style savvy, there are more effective, less savings-sacrificing ways to have the same stop-them-in-their-tracks effect.

For example, take my favorite purse. It looks essentially like one of those wooden mats that shape sushi into rolls, but it’s black. Instead of leather straps, you clutch my purse with dark tea-stained wooden handles. Jingsi, the street vendor in Beijing, was selling it for $5, a price that totally offended me. I offered $3 and made the deal. It was the best $3 I ever spent.

My point? You don’t have to be a label junkie. Whose shirt is that? Mine. You aren’t about to saunter down the red carpet and get asked by E! who dressed you. Style savvy isn’t dictated by the designer.

Whether picking up handmade shoes sewn together by a group of local women in a small African village, buying an Indian tunic made from kela (a material made with banana leaf fibers) or supporting local artists and being the first to sport a mini made of recycled car upholstery, own your style. If you have to carry a Prada or Chanel in order to really get that gooey feeling inside, I feel your pain…I have a closet full of them and the credit card bills to prove it.

How do you define your conscious style?

I’ll tell you a little bit about how I define mine. It’s a menagerie that represents my psyche. Couture meets that great red “Members Only” t-shirt that I wore in the 80’s, recycled cashmere paired with a $3 camo skirt from the vintage store. You’re right…not exactly a definite definition. The only way I can adequately describe my style is that it is a combination of clothes that would look like me if I were made of fabric.

So, in the spirit of helping you further define your conscious style, I’m going to let you in on one of my favorite things, a little insight that just might inspire…

I have a very favorite sweater that, by the way, also happens to be helping the environment. My totally original “Trixie” sweater by ‘e ko logic (www.ekologic.com), made from recycled cashmere, ensures that I won’t show up at the next paparazzi-photographed event dressed like my arch nemesis. (Alright, I must admit that I do my best to avoid such events, but it sounds good and, being born and bred in LA, it’s kind of expected. You’ve got to play the part sometimes.) But truly, ‘e ko logic dismantles old abandoned cashmere or cotton clothing (depending on the season), each individual item treasured for its unique characteristics (yes, even your grandpa’s moth-favored hoodie), then joins them with other found “gold,” transforming those old raggedy sweats, scarves and gloves into new fabulous clothing items that will once again be loved and adored. In other words, they take all the old goods, cut them up and sew them back together as new elements that can be added to your ever-expanding wardrobe. Because of the randomness, each resulting product is unique.

Whose shirt is that? It’s mine and only mine!

Any comments?