Elevate Difference

Reviews tagged clothing

Fight Global Women's Organic T-Shirt

If you’re going to be a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, you’ve got to go out of your way to make sure your tees have something interesting to say. If you’re going to be a t-shirt and jeans girl who lives in New York City, that message should make a statement about art or politics.

Truth Belt: The Westie

As more companies are becoming earth and animal-friendly, and the DIY movement has seen resurgence in the past few years, I have been on the lookout for a good selection of quality vegan belts. I’ve encountered a lot of hemp and vinyl belts, and even some belts made out of bicycle inner tubes, but I still haven’t found one company that offers a wide variety of both classy and funky vegan belts. Enter: Truth Belts. Truth is an animal-friendly accessory company based in Canada.

Hamsa Clothing Yoga Pants

Hamsa is a Sanskrit word for a meditation we all do daily without intention; it is our first, and inherent, pranayama: inhale (ham) and exhale (sa). Breathing is a natural way to steady the mind and calm the body. It provides a method to refocus one's physical and mental rhythm, and channel it in a more positive, stress-free way.

Pheasant Skirt

Before I moved to India, a friend of mine joked that I should send her a full wardrobe at the start of every season. She was more than a little jealous of the items I'd picked up on a trip before—particularly the scarves with sparse silver threading that are difficult to find in the States—where I made my way East to West across the subcontinent from Kolkata to Varanasi to Delhi. My sister made me promise to buy her a few stylish hippie-cum-hipster skirts while my boss hinted at her desire for intricately designed jewelry.

Winter Dreidle Dress

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, a number of Western counter-cultural icons traveled to India in order to broaden their knowledge of art, music, literature, and philosophy by speaking with some the country's intellectual and religious figures.

Ladies Certified Organic White T-Shirt

Green is the new black, and no, we’re not talking about that vintage Chanel dinner party dress. From cosmetics to clothing, the determination to be more earth friendly is not just a celebrity fad, but a way of honoring Mother Nature.

Red Bamboo Tank

Cotton is a quandary. To me, no fabric is more comfortable, but its environmental impact is vast. Cotton is sprayed with reservoirs of pesticides, dumping tanks of volatile organic compounds onto the soil. The wide spacing necessary to cultivate cottons also diminishes soil fertility. Also, if you use cotton, odds are that you are exploiting a child in Uzbekistan. Is there anyway to avoid culpability? Synthetics make me feel like I'm wrapped in plastic.

Long-sleeved Black Red Star T-shirt

You can wear your heart on your sleeve, or your politics on your chest. Ban T-shirts—“redress your world”—provides political t-shirts on themes including the political, environmental, organic, anti-war, Native American, and anti-religious. They break it down from the EZLN to GMOs, and have the sense of humor to send up some traditional idols by combining Manson's face with the iconographic image of Che Guevara. A sign of fanaticism: no sense of humor.

Pamela Blouse

I'm not sure I understand why companies give clothing items actual human names. No doubt it is because the article unearths a memory from the depths of the designer's mind of some random babysitter long since forgotten or perhaps a high school classmate with whom they have fallen out of touch.

Slate T-shirt

George Carlin once observed that a house is where you keep all your stuff, until you have too much stuff, and then you get a bigger house so that you have enough space for your stuff. I appreciated the Annie Leonard digital video The Story of Stuff.

WonderToast Onesies

I originally noticed Ann Woltz's charming illustrations when looking for a birthday gift for a surrogate niece. Odetta is flourishing on the other side of the planet, but no matter where she's planted, I have no doubt she will bloom. And what better food for a flower than knowledge of global cuisine? Even though one may be mashing bananas through its fists, it's never too early to expand an infant's palette. The items available at the WonderToast site provide assistance.

Hot Boy Shorts

GirliePants is a fun company that creates cute and ironic designs for underwear and tank tops. The pair of underwear that I was sent were a royal blue color with a wickedly cute drawing of a flame on the butt that simply said “Hot” underneath. The design of the image is wonderfully playful, and I think I would wear the underwear all the time if they were actually comfortable.  Maybe mine were a size too big, but I experienced the underwear riding up my ass all day long. The cut on the boy shorts is simply awkward.

Super Beaver Panties

I'm the kind of person who cannot tolerate uncomfortable clothing. That's not to say I'm perpetually sweatsuit clad, but I'm certainly not the type to hobble around in six-inch heels just because they're hot. I love fashion, but at the end of the day, I'm not willing to maim myself in order to look good.  Of course, my stringent standards of comfort apply 100% to my undergarments. A lady walks a fine line in this arena. A girl like me needs her undies to walk the walk (be practical) and talk the talk (be fun).

What the Nips?: Tune in Tokyo Tank top

Okay, the last thing that I want to be called is a humorless feminist, so I'll tell a joke: “How many men does it take to wall paper a bathroom?” “One, if you slice him thinly enough.” No, that's not funny.

The Clothes on Their Backs: A Novel

To be particularly honest, I am partial to any and all texts set in Britain, and The Clothes On Their Backs is set in London. So I was already loving the book before I started reading. My love only grew as I went on. The story is of Vivien Kovacs, daughter of Jewish Hungarian immigrants. Vivien grew up in Benson Court, with parents who much preferred staying home than going out.

Smile Pin-Up Girl Tee

As soon as I fixed my eyes on the Smile Pin-Up Girl tee, my initial reaction was: simply gorgeous. When I put it on, it looked even more stunning; its wonderfully soft cotton fabric enwrapped me like a polite hug, and its earthy hue ensured an effortless appearance, with the pin-up girls motif adding just enough glamour. My second reaction was of disbelief: I couldn’t get over how perfectly the small size fit me.

Sew Everything Workshop

Handicrafts have made an incredible resurgence in the past few years; everyone I know (and their mama) knits or crochets. There are plenty of hip, modern knitting and crocheting books to go along with the trend, to show people things they actually might want to make. Sewing has come a long way as well, but unlike the other crafts, books for modern young women who want to sew their own clothes are few and far between (not considering books about reconstructing old clothes, of which there are lots of great ones).

Vintage Fabric Squares

Repro Depot has been bookmarked on my computer for over a year. Whenever I’m in a creative lurch, searching for some vintage, retro-theme inspiration, it’s the click I clack. Repro Depot is a fantastic source for vintage and new fabrics for anyone who appreciates a good Hula Girl print, or a wacky cowpoke scene on a yard of cotton. The variety pack of fifteen fabric sample squares I received was inspiring. It was like going to a fabric store, with the happy bonus of avoiding the grainy bolts of polyester.

Make Believe Not War Tank

My favorite new tank top comes from No Star Clothing. It is black with the slogan “Make Believe Not War” printed on a military helmet - a helmet that holds crayons. Swoon. All of my academically-inclined, left-leaning coffee-shop customers loved this tank top. One cynically suggested that the only way to make any sense of our current military endeavors is to, in fact, make believe. I think this tank top brought me bigger-than-usual tips and even bigger smiles. Certainly it doesn't hurt that it fits me perfectly, washes well and doesn't show stains.

Clothing Labels

A business-sized envelope arrived in the mail with over a dozen samples from ClothingLabels4U.com. ClothingLabels4U.com is well aware of the importance of brand recognition in making clothing or crafts marketable and memorable; many of the labels they sent had their website and phone number advertised. They offer a variety of hanging labels, woven labels, care tags and logo tags. They come in paper, iron-on, stick-on and fabrics. All the samples I received were square or rectangle, though according to the website they can print die-cut designs. Sizes range from ½ inch to 4 inches.

No Sweat T-Shirt

This product changed my mind about t-shirts on so many levels. With cap sleeves and baby ribs that hugged my curves I hardly knew I had it on. Not only is it comfortable, it washed beautifully! Made of 100% soft-combed, organic cotton and adorning the image of Rosie the Riveter, this product is fun and functional. The best part about wearing this shirt, however, is sharing the message: Bienestar International manufactures union-made footwear and casual clothing under the brand name No Sweat™.
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