The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man » Chloe Jo Berman

DBTV: Girlie Girl & The Brute at The Green Shows, Pt 3

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:06:22 +0000

This is the third part of our series on the Green Shows for Fashion Week in NYC. Featuring author, model, and activist Summer Rayne Oakes, designers Johanna Hofring & Tor Soderin of Ekovaruhuset (House of Organic), and John Masters of John Masters Organics.

DBTV: Girlie Girl & The Brute at The Green Shows, Pt 2

TheDiscerningBrute — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:30:56 +0000

This is part 2 of our series about The Green Shows at NYC Fashion week. In this installment we meet Tara St. James of Study, Suki Kramer of Suki, and Eric Dorfman, founder of The Green Shows. Look out for part 3, coming soon!

DBTV: Girlie Girl & The Brute at The Green Shows, Pt 1

TheDiscerningBrute — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:44:10 +0000

The Green Shows were an extravaganza of sustainable designers showcased over two days during NYC's Fashion Week just days ago! Check out part 1 of our series from The Green Shows, featuring yours truly, Chloe Jo Berman from Girlie Girl Army, and designers Bahar Shahpar and Lara Miller. Stay tuned for more!

LIFE+STYLE

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:04:37 +0000

When was the last time you went to a panel discussion of everything eco-aweosme? Next Tuesday, Cinco De Mayo (May 5th), please mark this down on your calendars! Yours Truly, along with Chloe Jo Berman of The Girlie Girl Army, Michael DuDell of Ecorazzi.com and VEGdaily.com & Elizabeth Olsen of Olsen Haus Shoes, will be discussing the latest and greatest in green lifestyle excellence. May 5th, 8pm North Face Store, 2101 Broadway (@ 73rd) New York, NY 10023 (212) 362-1000 1 2 3 trains to 72nd st *This is a FREE event w/ raffle prize!

Olsen Haus Features DB & GGA!

TheDiscerningBrute — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:17:41 +0000

First, check out the exclusive interview Chloe Jo and I did with Elizabeth Olsen on set of her photo shoot! Olsen Haus genius, Elizabeth Olsen is finally doing mens' shoes! She asked me to model them for her new Fall/Holiday 09 lookbook! Showing the ladies shoes are Chloe Jo Berman of Girlie Girl Army, Marisa Miller of Kind Green Planet, Princess Supertar, Samantha Ragsdale of Farm Sanctuary and Ashley Lou Smith of Bloodless Bling! The very talented, vegan, awesome friend of DB, Ryan Pfluger took the photos. Check out the rest by scrolling below:

Fresh Friday Finds

TheDiscerningBrute — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:35:19 +0000

Fact! There are 700,000 homeless people in the U.S., and 18 million vacant houses and apartments... Source 1. Turk + Taylor, Spring 09 is looking good! T+T is one of our favorite designers, who we've been following for a few seasons now. The collection is almost 100% organic cotton. Check them out! Also check out their new organic tees. 2. These shoes are golden! Cool, Vegan, fair-trade, and eco-friendly, does it get any better than that ? Jinga was started 3 years ago by two gals who give back at least 5% of sales to a social project in a Rio de Janeiro favela (shantytown) which provides activities and education to children to keep them away from gangs! (Thanks to reader Michael B. for this info!) 3. Undercover Animal Lover. This guy is an ethical vegan who risks his safety killing animals all day and shooting undercover footage so we can get a glimpse into the heavily-shrouded meat and dairy industries. Can you imagine? Read this rare interview with TIME magazine, and check his HBO documentary Death on a Factory Farm airing March 16. 4. This Sunday, March 15th, eat good vegan food and help farm animals! Farm Sanctuary’s Dinner Night Broadway East 171 East Broadway, New York, NY 10002 Sunday, March 15, 2009 Reservations for your party are available between 7:30 and 10 p.m. Reserve your table online at www.opentable.com or by calling Laurie at 212-228-3100. Be sure to mention Farm Sanctuary when making your reservation. 5. One of our favorite organic companies, Loomstate, is having a party at one of our favorite eco-boutiques, Kaight, on Friday March 20th. Get a free Loomstate organic tee with any purchase of Loomstate S/S '09! 6. Person to know: Historian and Activist GEORGE DRAFFAN

" 'Development' is a euphemism, much like the word 'efficiency.' Efficiency within the current system is really about how fast you can turn forests and mountains into wastepaper and soda pop cans. Is that good? If the purpose of life is to consume and destroy, then international trade and industrial civilization are definitely proven ways to speed that up .”

7. Chloé Jo and the GGA weigh in on the myth that leather can be 'eco-friendly' , on the best Vegan Cheeses, and on the controversy surrounding veganizing your companion animal. Watch out for those crazy cat people! They get their claws out! 8. You might need a french terrycloth motorcycle jacket. I'm just saying.... 9. From the folks who brought you EcoRazzi, Veg Daily is Born! 10. Veteran vegan rockers Propagandhi talk to VegNews about their forthcoming album, Supporting Caste.

Gala Gallery

TheDiscerningBrute — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:04:49 +0000

March 24, 2009, Vegan Food and Wine Tasting at The Max Studio Come meet Yours Truly: Joshua Katcher, and Chloé Jo, as well as Golden Girl: Rue McClanahan, Moby, Morgan Spurlock, and Dan Pirraro as "Celebrity Guest Wine Pourers" at a special evening to benefit PCRM. Hosted by Mary and Peter Max and PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., Featuring food and wine from Bonobo’s, Candle 79, Dessert Diva – Fran Costigan, 4 Course Vegan, and Organic Vintages. Register NOW as tickets are going fast! ____________________________________________________ March 14, 2009, ARFF 20th Anniversary Gala Bob Barker, of The Price is Right fame, will host the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) 20th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, March 14, 2009, at 7 p.m., at the Broward County Convention Center. Pamela Anderson is the guest of honor. The black-tie-optional affair will provide members and supporters the opportunity to meet, mingle and relax while enjoying an exciting, eventful evening. Highlights of the gala will include a gourmet vegan dinner, an open bar, silent and live auctions featuring items from actress Kim Basinger and basketball player Yao Ming, and book signings by PETA's Ingrid Newkirk and PCRM's Dr. Neal Barnard. All proceeds from the gala will be used to fund ARFF's Humane Education program, which has educated thousands of schoolchildren in Florida on veganism, companion animals and wildlife. Tickets for the gala are $250 and can be purchased by calling (954) 727-ARFF or visiting www.arff.org

Prelovers, Superfoods, Fur Foibles, & Veganic Farming

TheDiscerningBrute — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:08:05 +0000

PRELOVED held their first US in-store event on Sunday evening at the Greenpoint, Brooklyn boutique, ALTER. The Spring 'o9 collection is made entirely of reclaimed items like bed sheets, shirts, suiting, and even curtains! These items would otherwise end up in a landfill, and have been reconstucted into really gorgeous garments for ladies and gentalmen, alike. Founder and CEO, Julia Grieve told me that she never intended to be an environemntalist, she just liked working with reclaimed fabrics. But now, as Preloved heads to the forefront of the green-fashion movement, she realized the importence and gravity of making sustainability 'cool'. Nothing says sustainable like turning trash into gorgeous, head-turning garments. You won't find find any granola on their runway! The line does include wool, but it is recycled from old sweaters that would otherwise be garbage. I'm not going to be complaining about it. Hopefully this trend will catch on, and with styles as awesome as the Zuri Tee, who can resist? ALTER consists of two boutiques across the street from eachother in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Owned and operated by Roy Caires and Tommy Cole, they carry a great selection of eco and veg-friendly items incuding their own repurposed line "This Old Thing?" as well as Matt & Nat accessories, Melissa shoes, and they have more coming! ALTER is carrying the women's collecion for Preloved currently, and will be carring the men's collection within a few weeks. Speaking of Matt & Nat, I love their new vegan, canvas, Bauhaus bag with 100% recycled lining. Girlie Girl Army shows us how to get superpowers from superfoods! This is a 101 for anyone who wants to know the basics of the superfood phenomenon! This is for dudes too! Wanna stop chugging sugary, milk-protein-laden workout 'food' and get a longer-lasting, healthy high for that extra curl, press, or pull-up? Try these foods! Also, if you didn't hear Chloe's sexy visit to the boys at Hot97, click here. Veganic farming is wha...? Veganic farming takes organic farming and brings it to it's logical conclusion. Who wants to eat organic potatoes that grew in factory-farm feces and blood? Ugh.. the vegan permaculture movement is taking hold! The Huguenot Street Farm in New Paltz, NY is one successful example. Check out their funny video here, and stay tuned for more updates on the veganic farming movement: FICA is full of it. The 'Fur Information Council of America' insists that fur is the "natural, responsible choice". If you've already started rolling your eyes or laughing, you are not alone. In WWD, for the final day of NY Fashion Week (The Feb 20th, 2009 issue), FICA paid for an ad that was disguised as a part of the paper to make it seem as though fur garments were heavily talked-about in the publication. In fact, aside from one shawl by Issac Mizrahiny, there wouldn't have been any fur in the publication that day. Boo hiss to Issac for his hideous new fur collection. Also watch his attempt to lose weight eating "vegan" M&Ms. Also boo, hiss to TV Host and supposed 'style expert', Robert Verdi who I spotted in the lobby, surrounded by plastic fur-hags, wearing this atrocious hood (Did his Court-Dress wig fall back, or was he going for the evil Skeksis look?). Tim Gunn should give them both a stern talking-to in the ways of educated and compassionate elegance. The only way to look like a bigger jerk is to have tan-lines in the shape of aviators on your head. Oh wait... What I love (and by love, I mean hate) about FICA's pretty-in-pink website is the total avoidance of ever mentioning an animal oustside of abstractions like "species" or "populations". If they did acknowlegde that individual animals with brains and nervous systems existed, they'd have to follow through with logic that would contradict their reference of animals as "natural resources" to be used "responsibly". I won't even make the historical comparisons, you can do that yourself.