I am bananas for the sophomore collection of the Parisian Good Guys (Don’t wear Leather). These derbies and desert boots have canvas uppers in bright colors like mustard, aqua and pink with red or crepe outsoles. Buy them online for €149 – € 159.
Paris Journal, Day 2
Day two in Paris started with a warm baguette, strong espresso noir, soyja yogurt, and fresh fruit from the local market. Some of the baguette petit tradicion had dark chocolate chips in it which were phenomenal. My goal for the day was to make it to the April 77 flagship store and splurge on a vegan motorcycle jacket, which I’d been saving up for.
The store was tre chic, filled with rock n’ roll inspired clothes, and hard-to-find items like vegan cowboy boots and thick sweaters made from cotton, as opposed to wool. There were still a few wool items straggling from previous seasons, but designer Brice Partouche, PR master Tommy, and Ben at the store all assured me that the collection will be totally vegan as of 2011. Ben, who was our salesperson was helpful and also had some fun tattoos which you’ll see in the photo album below. He even taught us how to say “fur is disgusting” and “you hate animals” in French, so I could say it to people in fur… which is almost everyone people in Paris. I mean, seriously? If the Arctic Pass had a prehistoric runway, you might be able to imagine what I’m taking about.
It was inspiring to see tags that read “cruelty free fabric and label” and handsomely designed labels that declare “Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather”. James got a seriously gorgeous, brown, waxed-canvas biker jacket and I went with a chambray shirt and a black jacket. I am lucky this store is so far away. I’d be broke. Well-dressed, but broke.
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April 77′s Runes, We Love Fluevog, Revolution & Trousers 5A
April 77, created by our favorite rock-n-roll, vegan, Parisian designer Brice Partouche, is cleverer than everer. Their new collection features runes-style codes that let you download exclusive music tracks!
John Fluevog does it again. My favorite leather-free shoes from last season are back in a smart navy, tan, black and red plaid. Knock em’ dead with these and a pair of fitted jeans, khakis, or a navy suit. Resin and wood soles, faux-suede interior, cotton uppers and all ethical handsomeness. $189
ADBUSTERS’ “The Revolution Issue” is a must-read for anyone who wants to change the world.
“It may be hard to imagine a revolution erupting tomorrow, but we need to remember that human history is one of resistance, riot and rebellion. In this issue, Adbusters #91: The Revolution Issue – I, Revolution, we provide a look back at history’s greatest struggles as well work from some of today’s freshest radical thinkers.”
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Trousers London offers an adaptation of the classic T5 – 100% Raw Organic Denim with a premium shirting fabric used as lining in a lighter, brighter check, with the piping detail on the side pockets. $294
Cruel Jokes, Article 23 & Losing Lobos
• Article 23 is a contemporary Parisian fashion line focused on organic, fair-trade garments. They participate in the development of ecologically and socially responsible organic fiber apparel; selecting its partners for their compliance with environmental and labor standards. Here’s some selects available for international shipping on the UK’s Ascension website:
• There are just 42 Mexican gray wolves left in the wild. Forty-two. Tell Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to speed up the federal recovery efforts to save these wolves from extinction. Mexican gray wolves, also known as lobos, have been on the Endangered Species List for more than 30 years. But mismanagement, poaching and a loud anti-wolf minority have prevented the them from recovering. Today, just two breeding pairs remain! Find out how you can help.
• TOP 10 REASONS WHY ANIMAL RESEARCH IS A CRUEL JOKE: If you think all animal research is used to treat and cure life-threatening conditions, think again. This list was compiled by IDA.
All of the following are actual experiments conducted on live animals with your money:
10. 4 OUT OF 5 SCIENTISTS SURVEYED RECOMMEND EJACULATION TO RATS
Four researchers at the University of Western Ontario’s School of Medicine andDentistry and one researcher at the University of Cincinnati studied whether male rats enjoyed ejaculation or intromission (the insertion of the penis into the vagina) more. Their data support the hypothesis that there is a hierarchy of sexual pleasure, with ejaculation at the top!
9. CHIMPS IN WORLD’S WORST ORPHANAGE CONDITIONS
Conditions that were “standard care” at primate centers until the 1990s!
8. THANKS TO THESE SCIENTISTS, CASTRATED HAMSTERS CAN STILL GET IT UP
7. RATS TRAPPED IN UNCOMFORTABLE PLACES FOR A LONG TIME GET FREAKED OUT. Monkeys too!
6. MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN RUMINANT HISTORY
5. DON’T CASTRATE YOUR CHILDREN, SAY SCIENTISTS
From the NIH Intramural Research Program, which boasts the only lab ever charged with multiple counts of criminal animal cruelty!
4. A FIGHT TO THE DEATH – BUT NOT BETWEEN LIZARDS
3. WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? EXERCISE MAY HELP
From the researcher who discovered that adopted children fare better than orphans and social support alleviates depression!
2. MICE NEED ONLY WHEEL, NOT SHOCKS, FOR WHEEL-RUNNING
1. SCIENTISTS FIND VAGINAL STIMULATION MIGHT BE PLEASURABLE
Funded by a “high risk, high reward” NIH breakthrough grant!
Karl Lagerfeld Fakes The Fur, Uses Real Iceberg
Today, Paris was transformed into an arctic fairy tale with real, melting icebergs shipped in from Scandinavia, plopped along the runway, creating a frigid puddle for the models to splash through. The menswear was over-the-top, and suggestive of Satyrs, the Inuit, and Ice Kings with everything from full-length faux-fur cloaks to faux-fur pants and full-on Yeti-suits.
The Humane Society of the United States‘ fur specialist inspected closeups of the images earlier today, and has told me, “I’ve examined the shots from the show, and the fur indeed appears to be fake”.
I am hesitant to read into this any more than pure aesthetics, but given the fact that all the fur was faux in this collection, I wonder is Mr. Lagerfeld has taken environmentalism into consideration? In a world where melting ice-bergs pose a threat to all Earthly inhabitants, the man typically known for saying such things as, “In a meat-eating world, wearing leather for shoes and clothes and even handbags, the discussion of fur is childish,” seems to be making a point about something.
Karl also noted in January of 2009 that “I can hardly eat meat because it has to look like something what it was not when it was alive,” which makes me wonder if he’s becoming a friend to animals after all? We certainly hope so. In the mean time, take a look at these AW10 menswear shots from Paris Fashion Week, they are certainly a sight:
