Vegan Purchase: Tretorn Slip-ons

My Keds met an unfortunate temporary demise this weekend during Memorial Day festivities and craziness. As Keds are machine washable, they have been returned to their former vegan goodness. But I needed to temporarily replace them -- as in, immediately upon the unfortunate temporary demise.

To replace them, I purchased Tretorn's "Mikaela" canvas slip-on sneakers (pictured in the "goat gray" that I bought). I love the decorative buttons. They slip-on very easily and are quite comfortable. The sneakers also come in navy blue, black, and a yellow-ish gold. At $70, they were slightly expensive, but I was in desperate need and these were the only replacements I immediately could find that I thought I would get good future use out of. Find them here.

Vegan On The Weekend: Eco-Friendly Shoes For The Weekend

Ecoshoes are in; and major companies (Payless, Keds) are launching lines of eco-friendly shoes. Being eco-friendly, most (perhaps all) are vegan. Most of the freshly-released ecoshoes are sneakers or sneaker-ish casual shoes. Great for weekends, though not so good for work -- perhaps good for walking to work, though.

Payless recently launched a new line of casual footwear (and bags and jewelry) made from materials like hemp, organic cotton, and water-based glues. The Zoe&Zac line was designed with help from eco-model Summer Rayne Oakes. It includes sandals, the right pictured wedges (which also come in a brown), skimmers, mary janes, and sneakers. The shoes range from $19.99 to $29.99; check out the collection here. Also, for every pair of Zoe&Zac shoes you buy between now and May 4, Payless will donate $1 to plant trees.

Keds also recently launched a line of eco-friendly shoes, titled its "Green Label." The Green Label includes Keds' classic lace-up in green, black, or white; and Keds' more-recent "moc" in tan, blue, or white (the blue is pictured left). The shoes are made from organic cotton and recycled rubber; the laces are made from recycled water bottles, which I think is the coolest feature of the shoes. The shoes are $55; find the entire collection here.

On a related note, on Earth Day (April 22), H&M is set to release a line of clothing made from recycled plastic bottles. Not quite sure how that will work, but I'm eager to see what they have to offer. And Loomstate, purveyors of expensive organic clothing, is teaming with Target to make a line of clothing aptly named Loomstate for Target. As with all "[fill in the blank] for Target," the line will run for a limited-time; it will include men's and women's casual clothes (jeans, dresses, swimwear). It debuts at Target this Sunday!

Vegan on the Weekend: Summer Shoes

Though it might "slush" on the East Coast this weekend, the stores have their summer shoes out in full swing -- and I can't stop browsing them online. Here are a few of my favorites:

Rampage "Dania": simple and classic thong sandal; great with jeans and with summer skirts; and they have a perfect, walkable 1.5" heel. They come in the pictured black and silver metallic. 100% man-made materials. $40 through Piperlime (here -- and free shipping and returns!).

Unisa "Coco": another classic summer sandal, though slightly dressed-up with the metal chain links on the t-strap. Again, great with jeans, shorts, and perhaps a casual skirt. Based on the buyer comments, they are perfect for walking: they have a 1" heel. Made from cork, rubber, and a synthetic upper (plus the metal) -- completely vegan! They come in the pictured white and black. $59 through Piperlime (here -- and, again, free shipping and returns!).

Naturalizer "Sistine": wedges are hot this summer; unfortunately most incorporate leather (boo). But not this espadrille sandal style! The sandal has a fabric (linen) upper and a woven wrapped 2" wedge heel. The sandal comes in the pictured natural, black, brown, coral, and an interesting floral with an off-white base that is way too flowery in my opinion (notice the floral inside the pictured sandal -- imagine that all over the outside). All colors are available on Naturalizer's website for $60 (here). Some useful codes: 20% off entire order: PSB29; $10 off order: ECK28. Also, Piperlime has the black version on its website for $55 (here); the different in price is baffling. As an aside, I tried these on in the Naturalizer store; I was 1/2 size smaller than my normal shoe size -- so, beware.

Naturalizer "Sensitive": an interesting take on the above wedge sandal. I'm not much into slides, but I appreciate the summery colors incorporated into this one. It comes in the pictured blue stripe satin and a similar red stripe satin. The sandal has a fabric upper and the same woven wrapped 2" wedge heel. Both colors are available on Naturalizer's website for $60 (here).

Finally, I'm absolutely, completely, totally coveting JCrew's unisex "Jack Purcell sneakers." They come in a distressed version (pictured in the blue; also comes in white) and a broken-in-chino version (comes in pale surplus and faded black). 100% cotton. Each pair is $65. I think I would get the blue distressed version, though I vacillate between that and the pale surplus broken-in-chino version or possibly the white distressed -- ahhh! So many I like! Find the distressed version here and the broken-in-chino version here. The sneakers pair nicely with the very large Madakat tote (100% cotton canvas, $68; here).

New Vegan Sneakers!

Late last week, my co-worker and I ventured to the mall in search of a vegan suit. I haven't decided on the suit yet, but when we were out, I purchased Rocket Dog vegan sneakers on super sale at Macy's. The pair I purchased is pictured left. I've been wearing them this weekend and they are very comfortable. The best feature is that they have a Lycra upper that makes them very easy to slip on and off (no untying of laces necessary!), which will be great for days that require extensive walking on the street necessitating switching from pumps to sneakers. I got the sneakers for $27 at Macy's (originally $55); the best price I can find online is $37.99 (here). In addition to the grey I purchased, the sneakers come in black and white, pink, and taupe (all available via the same link).

Design Your Own Vegan Keds

Remember Keds . . . from the eighties . . . ? Made from cotton canvas and some sort of synthetic rubber sole, they are vegan . . . and now customizable! Really, really customizable. See this link for full details. There are three different "canvases," meaning shoe styles, and over a dozen colors and patterns to choose from. The color of the stitching even is customizable. Best of all, you can upload your own images (and then crop and move) and/or write your own text. A customized pair of sneakers costs $60.

I already designed my perfect pair and now am saving up (and possibly waiting until after the snow that hasn't started falling melts) to get them. My design is based on the first edition Hogarth Press book cover of Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway painted by Virginia Woolf's sister, Vanessa Bell.