Friday's Vegan Accessory: Cork Tie and Belt

There is no way to even vaguely suggest that this cork tie and belt, as a combination, might be work appropriate. The belt, maybe, in a very "liberal" office that encourages wearing non-professional items on days when you don't meet with clients, etc. and if you are the sort of person who can pull off a cork belt. The cork tie and belt hail from Cork Design, which makes handbags, placemats, and a limited number of accessories entirely from cork, meaning they are all eco and animal friendly. And, unlike maple syrup, which some vegans consider non-vegan, the bark of a cork tree can be harvested without injury to the tree -- cork is very, very vegan!

Cork Design's website compares the feel of the tie to the texture of nubuck suede. Find the tie here; it is $50. The belt, which comes in three cork colors and lengths and has a silver nickle buckle, also has that nubuck suede texture. The belt is $40; find it here.

Cork Designs primarily makes a line of designer handbags -- obviously, completely made from cork. Based on your office environment, and your love of cork, I think carrying a cork bag or wallet might be acceptable. My favorite of their handbags is the quilted Chanel-inspired zipped bag (pictured). It's 14" long at the bottom and 6" deep. The bag is $145 and comes in five cork color varieties; find it here.

Wednesday's Work-Appropriate Bag: Travel Bag

This Steven Alan travel bag via Refinery29 ("one destination for independent style") is appropriately marketed to both women and men as a work-friendly and weekend-friendly carryall. I especially like the side snap pockets - great for carrying toiletries and other sundries that must be scanned separately at airport security. It comes in the pictured olive and a (bright!) red. Made from 100% cotton; is is $138. Find it here.

Also -- Refinery29 is offering a 100% cotton Steven Alan black plaid tie on sale for $29 (originally $55). I'm not all that into the plaid, but it is rare to find a vegan tie. Check it out here.

Nankeen Has Vegan Accessories For Men and Women

Today my Daily Candy email linked to a weekend bag for men from Nankeen. I'm always looking for good vegan fashion for men. Unfortunately, the weekend bag has leather handles and a leather bottom, but Nankeen -- which makes "chic, fun, durable, and functional accessories for everyday style" -- makes other items that are vegan. Nankeen's products are Asian influenced: "Our designs fuse 100% cotton, indigo dye, and exquisite patterns using a traditional Chinese art form dating back to the Song dynasty." Interesting . . . and Nankeen uses fair labor practices and environmentally friendly manufacturing.

For men, I like this "zou tie" (pictured left). It's made from 100% hand-dyed cotton and is lined with 100% cotton navy lining. I love the fish design, although I'm not sure how court appropriate or big negotiations/meeting appropriate the design is. Nankeen makes two other cotton ties: this "quake tie," which has a more conservative black-and-white pattern, and this "tsunami tie," which has a slightly less conservative, yet still not as bold as the fish, pattern. All the ties are $65.

Also for men, Nankeen offers a few belts that would look great with chinos or jeans on the weekend, such as this "wen belt" (pictured right). It's made from 100% hand-dyed cotton and is $45. There is also this "ji belt" and this "trac belt," both also $45.

For women, Nankeen has some great 100% hand-dyed cotton totes. I definitely prefer them to similar from J.Crew or L.L.Bean, etc. My favorite is this "luna" version (pictured left). It's huge and I love that it is huge. At $195, it's slightly expensive, especially for a tote, but that pattern is fabulous! I also enjoy it in the wave pattern, also $195.

Vegan Ties

Two readers emailed me recently about non-silk (satin or cotton) ties. First, thanks for the emails! And thank you for directing me to non-silk ties. I have been searching for a vegan tie for a couple of months. I think that a woman wearing a tie to the office with a nice suit is completely appropriate; in fact, I don't think the tie needs to be all that "feminine." Moreover, I'm not convinced a woman wearing a tie into court or into a meeting is inappropriate or unprofessional in the least. So, for those women who like to wear ties (such as me), here are some options. I guess men can wear them too . . .

Both readers directed me to Jaan J, the home of luxury satin ties (and bowties). Jaan J makes three lines of ties: non-silk, signature collection, and narrow cotton. There are tons of non-silk ties on their website. I'm really into purple ties right now; as such, my favorite of the non-silk ties is this "checkered pattern stars and dots" tie (pictured left in the purple). The non-silk ties are $33.50.

The signature collection ties are $110. I think $110 is way too much to spend for a tie, but some of the signature collection ties are really gorgeous, such as this "paisley potential tie" (pictured right in the pink/silver/dark blue). That tie also comes in a gray/silver/dark blue combo.

The narrow cotton ties are $27.50. With a non-silk (satin) option available, I don't think I would wear a cotton tie. However, I don't think cotton ties are unprofessional -- it's a tie, after all -- although they definitely are less dressy.