The Denim Diaries by Kami Gray

It’s possible to look great, save some greenbacks, and be more green at the same time. VERY possible! Check out this adorable outfit!

JEANS:

Levi Eco Skinny Boot Jeans – Pure Air, Style #15548, $69.50 – Made from 100% organic and recycled cotton, grown without synthetic chemicals or pesticides. Materials are carefully hand-selected to sustain a healthier environment — pure down to the natural, plant-based indigo dye.

TOP(s):

Alternative Stevie Wrap, $25.00 and Alternative Scoopneck T-shirt, $17.00 – Simple, comfortable and designed to be the go-to choice for eco-conscious styles.

SANDALS:

Rocket Dog, “Women’s Planetpup Wedge,” $54.99 – These shoes are made up of a mix of recycled, biodegradable and natural materials.

HANDBAG:

Matt and Nat, “Everest,” $195.00 – Vegan canvas bag with environmental consciousness in mind.

NECKLACE:

Kumvana Gomani Ice Cream Tri Necklace, $40.00 – 3 strands of necklace are handcrafted from recycled ice cream containers from Sweden.

$176.00 Hudson “Dakota Wash” Triangle Flap Pocket Bootcut Stretch — Fits most body types, especially helpful if your backside could use some enhancing.

$172.00 True Religion, “Becky” Bootcut Stretch Jeans — The quintessential “LA” trendy, yet flattering, designer denim.

$158.00 DL 1961 Milano (1185) in Harbor, 4-Way Stretch — The 4-way stretch is nothing short of a miracle. These are my go-to pair.

$69.50 Levi Eco Skinny Boot Jeans in Dusk, Style #15548 — Flattering, eco-friendly, and you can’t beat the price.

$69.50 The Gap, “Essential” Jeans — Basic, fits most body types, good everyday pair of jeans without looking like mom jeans.

On June 17th, I will be the guest speaker at an event for The Link for Women in Portland, Oregon. It’s going to be a special night of fun, food, and fashion and I would love for all you Portland Women to attend and participate in what’s going to be a lively discussion! Big Brothers Big Sisters will be on-hand to collect donations of new or gently worn jeans. Those who donate will get a one-time discount of 30% on a new pair jeans courtesy of Nolita in the Pearl District. This whopping discount is a unique offer and is only available to those that attend this event. 30% off a pair of designer jeans is HUGE! Katy from Nolita will be on-hand to talk jeans and will also have many pairs available for sale if you can’t wait to visit her fabulous store. True Religion, one of Nolita’s vendors is sponsoring the event.

We’ll be learning all about my 16 simple habits to create the healthy body that all those fad diets promised, but could only deliver temporarely. My easy guidance will change things around for the rest of your life. I don’t work exceptionally hard at this — trust me, if I can do it, anybody can! 

The Link for Women is a group of 2000+ fabulous Portland women (there is also a branch in Seattle) that offers outstanding networking. Everytime I’ve attended an event, I’ve made numerous contacts that lead to some new amazing opportunity…as well as friendship!

Please come join us! 

Here are the Details: 

Cost: Includes tapas and no-host cocktails) 

Pre-Paid Members $30/ Non-Members $45 (By NOON, day of event) 
At the Door Members $35/ Non-Members $50 

Click HERE to register.

Agenda 
5:30 - 6:30 Tapas, cocktails and linking 
6:30 - 8:00 Conversation and Q & A 
8:00 - 8:30 A final cocktail/more linking 

Location 
bridgeport brewpub + bakery
1313 NW Marshall Street
Portland, OR 97209
503.241.7179
Parking available at the Safeway Building. 
Entrance is on 14th between Lovejoy and Marshall.
http://www.bridgeportbrew.com

Image found on www.orglamic.files.wordpress.com

I’m loving the eco line from Levi! According to Levi on their official website, “Every Little bit counts. These jeans are made from 100% organic and recycled cotton, grown without synthetic chemicals or pesticides. Materials are carefully hand-selected to sustain a healthier environment. It’s pure down to the natural, plant-based indigo dye.” 

I wrote a blogpost about organic cotton a while back if you’re concerned (like I was) about being greenwashed, aptly titled…

ORGANIC COTTON: Are We Being Greenwashed?

I’m on board and what I am dreaming of now is someone high up in the Levi empire calling me and begging me to become their new spokesmodel! Why can’t that job go to me? I love jeans. I love the idea of organic and recycled denim. I love products that help to sustain a healthier environment. Did I mention I love jeans?!? Anybody out there know someone at Levi who could put a good word in for me?

Below is a look at just a few of my pics from the Levi eco line for men and women. Prices are pretty reasonable too considering what I’ve paid for designer jeans (many times over!). Click here to go directly to the Levi’s site and view the entire eco line. I can’t for the life of me figure out how to link the pictures directly to the Levi site…sorry about that…wordpress has a few wrinkles to iron out in my opinion!

HOT TIP!! Amazon also sells a pair of men’s eco Levi’s (Levi’s 539 Vintage Straight Leg Rumpled Eco Jean) for under forty bucks! I didn’t see anything similar on Amazon for women….bummer!

Another great website to find eco-friendly apparel is embodies.com. I learned about GOOD SOCIETY jeans on the embodies website and their philosophy is pretty impressive: According to embodies.com:

___________________________________

GOOD SOCIETY just made your day with these dark vintage jeans.  Hand sewn, organic denim produced in fair trade conditions you’ll be doing yourself and others good with these jeans.

:: Hand sewn

:: 98% Certified organic cotton + 2% lycra

:: Made by skilled partners in India with fair trade conditions

:: 10% of profits to charities helping orphans in India, former child sex slaves in Cambodia and providing clean water facilities for underprivileged communities around the world.

___________________________________

I’d wear these!

Good Society Straight Leg Jeans in Raw

 Any other eco lines you know of?

Levi’s has a line of denim that is eco-friendly. Jeans for men and women are made from 100% organic and recycled cotton. Not only that, they’re super cute! They come in short, medium, and long, but I recommend going up a size in length and pairing them with a pair of tall boots creating a lean, flattering silhouette. I’m 5’6” and I would buy the long. The pair shown above is Levi’s® eco Mid Rise Boot 553™ Jeans and they go for under seventy bucks. Not bad for a pair of jeans that are stylie and good for the planet. Click here to find a Levi store near you. Many retail shops also sell Levis…Please let me know if you find the Eco line on sale anywhere!

For those of you who aren’t in the know…Bluefly.com has great deals on designer denim. Today, I’ve found three pairs that meet my criteria for the perfect pair of jeans. I like a little darker denim with a bootcut and no weird design on the back pockets. All three pairs have a decent range of available sizes. Click here for a size chart. They also have a 90-day return policy, but you’ll have to take care of the shipping. I realize, money is tight right now. It is for me too. I’d rather save up and spend 100 bucks on a great pair of jeans than wear an unflattering pair of denim. For a sweet pair of jeans, I’ll buy cheap wine, make my own pot of coffee, eat beans and (brown) rice for lunch, walk to the grocery store, and even cancel my cable TV. I’ll have to Netflix Mad Men and 30 Rock, but I can live with that!

Joes $95.00 (40% off)

James $89.99 (53% off)

Anlo $119 (40% off)

Paige Denim - Laurel Canyons

I recently joined a group in Portland called The Link for Women, an organization created by Cindy Tortorici that connects and mentors women to encourage us to reach our full potential. Because my book is coming out in five months, I’ve found myself in a marketing role, which means every now and then I have to leave the quiet, safe, peaceful sanctuary of my condo and network. I have to meet people…lots of people. This is never an easy task for me. I’m either working twelve hour days on styling a commercial or I’m home writing in my pink bathrobe. I’m not antisocial; I just hate to be in awkward situations.

So with some trepidation, I joined this group at the insistence of Nathaniel Clevenger, a friend of Cindy’s and a marketing guru who’s helping me get focused. The first chance I could attend something happened to be a fashion event at Saks Fifth Avenue. I was feeling more at ease by the minute. Either Nathaniel is a genius or I’m traveling full speed on the cosmic super highway.

Upstairs at Saks, Cindy found me (wine glass in hand) wandering around looking at clothes and avoiding the other attendees. She immediately introduced herself and got me involved in a conversation with a group of four women that couldn’t have been more welcoming. While discussing kids and college tuition, nationally-renowned Wardrobe Stylist and Fashion Institute of Technology instructor, Liz Burpoe, came up to the group and introduced herself.  Liz is this beautiful, elegant, petite powerhouse of a woman from New York and she was to be our speaker for the evening.  She exudes class and confidence and you can’t help but hang on her every word.

During her talk, titled, “Creating a Wardrobe that Lasts,” Liz told the women in attendance to dress up. Leave the sneakers at home when you go out to dinner or attend a play, musical, or party. She also told us that a fabulous pair of jeans will get you there. A woman after my own heart. She held up a pair of Paige Denim jeans and combined them with an Armani jacket, a Pucci scarf, and a long-sleeved t-shirt from Three Dot and our jaws dropped. It was a gorgeous combination. Since my book is called The Denim Diet: 16 Simple Habits to Get You into Your Dream Jeans, you can understand why I was a little more than excited about Liz getting these women excited about a pair of jeans. 

After her talk, I immediately jumped up like a rockstar groupie and told her how wonderful I thought she was. I couldn’t help it. I rattled on about my book and designer jeans and how I wanted her to be on my marketing team…she can help women shop at Saks for their dream denim and I can help them slim down so they can fit into them. It’s brilliant!

I’m actually looking forward to more events sponsored by The Link for Women. It’s good to get out of my pink bathrobe and meet the talented and engaging Liz Burpoes and Cindy Tortoricis of the world.