About Me
I want to wear what everyone else is wearing!
Tall boots. They look so sophisticated with a skirt or dress. For years I wanted a pair, but could only find dress boots made of leather. Now I have three pairs; all non-leather.
Back in the day, vegan shoes were weird, ugly, and basically screamed counter-culture. (My lifestyle is alternative enough without going around advertising it.) I do own a pair of Crocs, but my nephew has threatened to disown me if I leave the house in them.
The economic downturn of 2008 has motivated manufacturers to increasingly use man-made materials rather than leather to keep costs down. Consequently, you find most non-leather products through companies that sell footware at low-to-mid range price points. It is still hard to find a high-end shoe without leather. However, if we put our collective buying power towards supporting non-leather products, we can encourage the use of manmade materials in all categories.
“I am, perhaps, the most unlikely person to publish a fashion blog. I am not so much interested in following fashion trends as I am in surviving them. To me, clothes are a bit of a necessary evil. They perpetually force us to confront and accept our bodies. They place demands upon our budgets. Whether we like it or not, clothes identify and define us as we move about the world. Yet, we all need a wardrobe and accessories, so we might as well enjoy them.
I like clothes that are fun, whether they are classically styled or contemporary and trendy. Color is central to my life, even to my well-being. Whether it's the subtle tonality of a neutral or the rich, saturated colors of the color wheel, I appreciate the sensuality of it all. I admire elegant designs and beautiful fabrics. I am the person who
watches Downton Abbey and old movies just to see what the characters are wearing. And, although I try to discipline myself not to buy more clothes than I need, I still enjoy looking, fantasizing, and now sharing my finds with the world.”
Sarita Valentine enjoys music, writing, observing the natural world, and browsing catalogs. She has been a meditator, vegetarian, and practitioner of Kundalini Maha Yoga under the guidance of Shri Anandi Ma and Shri Dhyanyogi since 1979. She lives in New England, USA with her husband and artist Peter Seltzer.
The Non-Judgement Zone
Full disclosure: I am not vegan. (35 years a vegetarian, and I eat very little dairy for health reasons.) I do not advocate just one diet for every person on the planet; there is nothing more obnoxious than someone telling you what to eat and what not to eat. Although statistics do show that vegetarians live longer, everyone's dietary needs are different. However, I do advocate for the relief of suffering of animals. And no one, at least not in the United States, needs to wear leather for their health or survival.
I talk to so many people who would like to give up wearing leather or down, but just don’t know what to replace them with. (Nobody wants to wear Crocs to a business meeting, even if they are the crack cocaine of shoes.) So I put my love of catalogue/website browsing to good use, and created this website for people who would like to move away from leather and down, but don't know where to start.
I can't purchase and test all the products I post, so please read the reviews before you buy. And please feel free to share your experiences with the rest of us.
Happy Shopping!
Sarita
