The Kind Exchange

As Adrienne mentioned, I've been dealing with some house issues recently. With all this rain Toronto has gotten, it appears my roof is leaking into my bedroom. On top of that, my best friend has recently gotten engaged and wedding planning has begun! However with all the life chaos there is still something that I think everyone should be very aware of this summer (shopping season) in Toronto, and that is an ethical option for some seriously awesome clothes!

The Kind Exchange

Used clothing is a great way to reduce your ecological foot print and get some extra mileage out of clothing that would otherwise be thrown away. When clothing often comes with such a high human cost, it only makes sense to use it for as long as possible. 

In Toronto the most known (and biggest) options for used clothing are Value Village, Salvation Army and Goodwill. All of these have great potential and with much time and commitment you will inevitably find something you may like, or even love.

The Kind Exchange takes a bit of that endless searching out of your fashion adventure because nearly everything in the store is high-end and relatively new. They currently have 9 locations in the city and give a portion of their proceeds to The Canadian Cancer Society and The Partners MS Centre at Bringham & Women's Hospital.

Buy & Sell

The brands available at The Kind Exchange are not just whatever was left in whomever's back closet. Here you can find everything from Alexander Mcqueen to Versace and everything in between.

Along with buying up all these goodies, you can also sell some of your own stuff. After the long winter you can take a look in your closet and see what you can get rid of; bring your items down to the store and they will give you cash on the spot for anything they take a fancy to. Be sure that you are bringing in quality and gently used items, as non-brandname or damaged clothing will be much less appealing for sale.

Trade & Donate

Along with the normal options to buy and sell clothing, The Kind Exchange gives you the option to trade in your old clothes for new ones. By trading in older clothes you double the value of the cash you would have received instead!

Finally you can also just donate old clothing. As a gift in kind you will be making some extra space in that closet of yours, and also feel good knowing that part the sale of your clothing will be going to a good cause.

You can see all their locations HERE and also them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get a heads up about what is in the stores, and also about great deals.

All photos used are from http://instagram.com/thekindexchange and are property of The Kind Exchange.

Fair-trade Dress Worn Four Ways

Poor Kaila is having major house challenges so unfortunately she had to miss a post, but she'll be back as soon as possible!

A month ago I decided to be strategically optimistic about London weather and purchase one summer dress to add to my collection. I chose this black dress from People Tree, as a good base for my summer wardrobe. If you aren't familiar, People Tree is great source for sustainable-made and fair-trade clothing.

When I got the dress and put it on, my first thought was that it might be a little va-va-voom for everyday wear. But I always like to experiment a bit with a piece before I make a decision. And it turns out this piece is incredibly versatile depending how you mix and match it. In fact, its exactly what I wanted, a dress I can get a lot of mileage out. I wanted to share how I've made it works, so one of my friends has helped me photograph some of the looks I've come up with around this piece.

Here are four looks based around this black cotton dress.

Please keep in mind, I've never really done a photo-shoot before, so bear with me!

Ultimate Casual look

 Outfit: Dress + Jean Jacket + neon belt + Birkenstocks

A jean jacket makes so many things that much more casual and can help downplay almost any dress. Its definitely got that 90's vibe too. I took off the belt the dress came with and replaced it with this bright neon one. I've also worn it out with brown braided belt too. My Birkenstocks finish it off as a very beach, park, casual day out look.

I wear this look the most. It makes the dress perfect for just throwing on and hanging around my neighbourhood on hot and sunny days.

Sporty Casual Look

Outfit: Dress + Silver boat shoes + patterned bomber jacket

I like this as more of a downtown shopping. A bit more polished but still very casual. The bomber jacket is silky and light weight which is good for unpredictable english weather. Zipping up the jacket, you could mistake this for a skirt and top combo.

Work Day Look

 Outfit: Dress + Grey Blazer + Off-White work Flats

I do spend 5 out of 7 days at an office. Throwing this long grey blazer over the dress very much transforms it into work appropriate gear. The ruffle disappears and I could be wearing a black straight dress.

 

Going-Out Look

Outfit: Dress + Ankle Boots + Black and Gold Belt

Curve hugging dress obviously deserves big hair and bold lips. Nice heels could make this more elegant but I like the edginess of the ankle boots. I'm waiting for proper warm summer evening to wear this out for cocktails or dancing.

I always want to feel like my wardrobe is a bit fresh, but I'm trying to not go overboard buying a whole bunch of things. After-all sustainable and ethical fashion is often more of an investment price-wise, which for me means making sure I get pieces that go a bit further. And, especially with english weather money on a fresh 'summer wardrobe' could easily be a waste.

So if you want to consider making only one or two strategic summer purchases, I would also recommend pulling open your closet and re-examining what you have and think about those one or two things that could boost your wardrobe for the season.

How Ethical is My Closet - The Wardrobe Audit

Ethical fashion is not a new passion for me and over the past few years I've acquired a number of ethical pieces. Starting on my commitment to go 100% ethical got me wondering, how ethical is my closet right now? To answer my own question I have created:

The Wardrobe Audit

So here's a step-by-step look at my wardrobe audit and what clothing items have (or have not) already acquired ethically. 

Step 1: The Clothing Mountain I started my audit by piling all my clothes on my bed in this giant mound. If you had any doubts that I'm a serious clothing shopping addict, let those doubts be erased! Never let it be said that any future success in shopping ethically was achieved because I don't like buying clothes that much.

Step 2: Method to the Madness The aim was to produce four piles - one for ethical purchases, one for used purchases, one for made-by-me and one for unethical clothing. Many of my shoes are still in Canada so I didn't include them (and I didn't include intimates for what I think are obvious reasons)

Step 3: The Overview Here is everything sorted. Going clockwise, top left is made-by me clothing, top right is used-clothing. bottom right is unethical purchases and bottom left is ethical purchases. As you can see, the unethical purchase pile is by far the largest. But I've laid each pile out to give you a better idea of what has fallen into each category.

Step 4: The Unethical mound 53%: We've got all your clothing categories here. I could put together many unethical outfits from this all. In my decision to shop ethically, I didn't get rid of any unethical items previously purchased. After all, getting rid of them wouldn't erase having bought them. The plan will be to replace items with more ethical options as I need to.

Sweaters - 6
Coats/Jackets - 6
Lounge and Workout gear - 8
Dresses 6
Skirts and Pants - 8
Handbags - 1
Tops - 16


Step 5: The Ethical Purchase Category 18%:  Most of these ethical purchases are locally-made as opposed to fair-trade (we will get into this difference in another post). Most of them are from Canada like my yoga jeans and multiple items from Preloved. The wonderful grey handbag is fair-trade from a Nepal group (and is still available if you are coveting). I also have a couple of pieces made in Zambia, which I bought them directly from tailors.

Dresses - 5 (including 2 Zambian chitenge outfits)
Skirts and pants - 3
Tops - 8
Handbags - 2

Step 6: Used Clothing 14%: These items have come from friends and family, used and vintage shops and in the case of the great stripped dress, a used clothing market in Tanzania. They are some of the best pieces in my wardrobe too! My most used items in this category include the black coach handbag, and the grey jacket. The navy blouse with white roses is another real treasure, a classic 50's top  with buttons up the back by Christine Dior, which works wonderfully with modern black trousers.

Jackets - 1
Skirts - 2
Tops - 4
Dress - 2
Handbag - 1
Scarves - 3

Step 7: Made By Me 14%: or by my mum, frequently a combination of the two. If you really love clothing, fabrics, cuts, designs, I really suggest you learn to sew. There are few things more satisfying than having someone compliment your outfit and being able to say 'Thanks I made it!' I make a lot of dresses and they are often an easy place to start. My mum also started knitting so now I have some great scarves and hats in my hand-made collection too!

Dresses - 5
Jackets - 3
Lounge Wear - 1
Skirt - 1
Scarves and Hats - 3

What my 'wardrobe audit' proved to me is that there isn't an item of clothing I can't choose to purchase ethical. The only thing that didn't show up in any of the ethical categories was sweaters and I can honestly say thats more do to price than to availability. 

The audit is also a good reminder that I am not exactly in a position of needing to buy anything, which means saving my pennies to put into some great ethical pieces is very do-able for me. Hopefully with time and determination these piles can shift until the unethical one slowly disappears!

I would love to see the balance of other people's wardrobes. Post and tweet #wardrobeaudit

Review - Live Clean Shampoo & Conditioner

The Company

Live Clean is an amazing company that prides itself in being eco-friendly. Their planet friendly philosophy means all their products are:

• Natural and plant based
• SLS/Sulfate Free/DEA Free
• Paraben/Phthalate/Phosphate Free
• Pure Vegan and Vegetarian / Cruelty Free
• Enriched with Certified Organic Botanical Extracts
• And use Biodegradable Ingredients, Recyclable Packages and Local Sourcing

So what does this really mean? It mostly means that you can be sure that the products you are using on your body are not bad for the environment or you (a major plus when buying beauty products). The big question is, does the natural stuff really compare to that super foamy chemical shampoo and conditioner you are used to?

The Hair

Before I get started I need to make a confession. I have a lot of hair. I spent most of my life wishing I had lovely straight and smooth hair just like Adrienne (only to later find out that this type of hair comes with its own difficulties). 

Over the past 7 years I have worked with an amazing hair stylist who has helped me work with my hair and learn to embrace the giant puffball that sometimes resides on my head. I could not do a post about hair without thanking the very talented Jenn from In'I Hair Design. Now, I know what you're all thinking. "How much hair can one person really have?" Well, let me explain.

My hair checks all the boxes for "problem" hair. Curly?... Check!... Frizzy?... Oh yeah!... Thick?... Check!... Long?... Mmhm... Colour treated?... Yup! Because of this I most undoubtedly need some heavy duty hair care products to keep my frizzball in line. 

The Products

I've used quite a few of the Live Clean products, but I always go back to the Exotic Nectar - Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner duo. Curly and frizzy hair has a tendency to be really dry and so moisture is the name of the game. Argan oil helps moisturize and leaves hair feeling smooth and definitely tames that frizz.

Along with adding a ton of moisture this Live Clean duo smells pretty good as well. I'm not a huge fan of overly scented products so the subtlety of this stuff is pretty nice, though a bit hard to pin exactly what it is.

As far as foam goes, many all natural products fall a bit flat. For all you who really need some significant suds, the shampoo of this duo can get a  pretty good lather going.

The only slight down side to both the shampoo and conditioner as that I find you do need to use a decent amount of product. Combined with the fact that the bottle only contains 350 ml of product, I find that I can go through these pretty quickly. Now, that being said, because of my hair I tend to wash it very infrequently (I try to go about 10 days or so). While this isn't a huge problem for me, others may take issue with having to purchase their products more frequently.

So, what about the results? Using Live Clean I find that my hair certainly keeps a it's curl much better than with other products that tend to dry out my ends. When you have really problem hair, there are so many things that contribute to having a good hair day and you have to start with your basics. By using Live Clean Exotic Nectar shampoo and conditioner I really feel like I set myself up for better styling later on.

In the end I really can't recommend this brand enough. If you have thick and curly hair, the argan oil infused products are the way to go. They also have a whole range of other things for various other hair types. The best part about Live Clean though, is that you can really feel good about the products you are using and feel confident that you are not harming the environment in any way. The fact that they are great for hair, really does seem to be a bonus. Don't worry Adrienne! I'll send some your way in a care package soon!

Review - Naked Volume Shampoo and Conditioner

Two months ago, when I made the investment to replace all my bath and body products I also bought shampoo and conditioner. I've held off writing this review because I've had mixed feeling about the product and I wanedt to be sure of how I felt before I wrote. But I'm almost finished both of them so I think I can say I've given it a fair run.

In Canada, my go-to budget ethical shampoo is the Live Clean (Kaila's post on them going up on Sunday!). I've tried a lot of their different lines and I've always had good results with them. But no Live Clean in the UK.... Booo! However, I was so happy with the Naked body products, I decided why not try the shampoo and conditioner too (And it was on offer at Boots!).

Everything about my hair-care routines centres around getting more body and volume. It influences how I cut my hair, my products and my styling techniques. While I don't find that volumizing shampoo/conditioner always make a huge difference, I don't want to weigh down my hair with moisture heavy products so they are often a good choice for me.

At the same time, the smell of shampoo or conditioner can linger in your hair. If you don't like it, its really annoying. After weighing the different scent options of all the Naked Hair care formulas (and there are a lot, picture my friend and I sniffing bottles for a good 20 minutes), I figured why not go with the volumizing set.

In reviewing these, I want to start off by saying I think I made the wrong call formula-wise. Over the past year I've switched to washing my hair less often and I've let it go pretty long. I may need a bit more moisture and cleaning power than I use to. Please read the review in this light.

Naked Volume Body Building Shampoo with chicory & wheat protein

The smell of this isn't to die for but its neutral which can be a bonus I think. What I find with this product is that I have to use a lot of it to make sure it gets really worked through my hair. Its a bit weird because it gets foamy (which I've tried to photograph) but then the foam is hard to work down to my roots, partly because my hair gets matted together as I work it in. I've had a lot of those occasions when I'm drying my hair and find a place that hasn't really gotten clean. I have two thoughts on this. One, I think the line would be better suited for shorter hair. Second, and I can't prove this but I have a lingering suspicion its interacting with the products I use in my hair and that is causing the matted effect. But if you have limp and really fine hair that is shoulder or chin length, this is probably a good system for you.

Naked Volume Weightless Conditioner with passionflower & grape

This product is exactly what it advertises. If you are looking for a really light weight conditioner, go for this one. You can kind of see from the photo how its almost gel-like. It actually smells really nice too. I'm officially a sucker for passionflower. But for me personally this doesn't provide enough conditioning power, especially after the matting caused by the shampoo. I guess as my hair gets longer it needs more moisture (I know I shouldn't be surprised at this but its been ages since my hair was this long).

I think the sum up is that there isn't anything wrong with this product, its just really not for me and my hair right now. These guys really put together a combo for fine and limp hair and that doesn't meet all my hair issues right now. Not a stellar recommendation but just like positive reviews, any review is personal.

I wanted to balance this by sharing a positive review by Moral Fibres who I love for her recommendations and has great things to say about the leave-in conditioner and the silky line of the shampoo and conditioner. Think I need to try a different range and maybe I'll have better luck.

Local Adventures - East China Town

Sometimes you forget how amazing your own neighbourhood really is. You walk past the same things every day and forget to notice all the things and people right around you.

There are lots of ways you can strive to live a more ethically responsible consumer lifestyle. To me, a big part of that is about supporting your local economy. Toronto's East China Town is one of several China Towns in the city, and sort of the little brother of the much bigger China Town over at Spadina (definitely a future post). Located in the heart of Riverdale on the east end of Toronto, East China Town is filled with amazing markets, and restaurants stretching for a few short blocks.

The streets are always bustling with people, but Sundays are especially lively with people busily buying up flowers and veggies and delicious treats. This is by far, my favourite day to do my shopping.

Adrienne can confirm it really is the best!

There is no shortage of delicious places to grab a bite while in the area. Andrea's Gerrard Street Bakery is filled with cakes, pies, cookies and coffee to give you a good kick in the morning! All chocolate used in their baked goods is 100% organic and fair trade so you can feel good about indulging in some sugary treats!

The coffee used is Organic fair trade brewed coffee beans from Chocolol Chocolate Traders and it sure makes a mean cuppa' Joe! Along with being ethically minded in their coffee and chocolate, Andrea's Gerrard Street Bakery uses organic dry goods and focuses on 100km foods (sourcing most of their ingredients from local farms within 100km of Toronto). 

Seriously delicious sugary treats!

The real winner here though is the cheddar and chive scones, and the iced lattes sweetened with agave. The scones are incredibly crunchy on the outside, and use a slightly salty sharp cheddar.

After you grab a scone and a latte (or the sugary treat of your choice), it's time for some Sunday shopping!

The grocery stores on Gerrard street are filled with fresh produce and really great deals. Now, those deals come at a cost. Most of the produce is imported in large quantities from far away. A definite downside to shopping this type of market is the cost to local farmers,  food producers and the environment. Living in the city can be expensive and saving money on food is often difficult. Balancing cheaper groceries with other locally sourced goods (like meat, clothing or baked goods) can be a great way (and my preferred way) to find a balance that suites your wallet and your conscience.

Many days you can also find some local residents who sell home grown produce, herbs and spices from small sidewalk spaces. I highly recommend picking up some Holy Basil. It's not quite the same as your regular garden variety of basil, and you can tell by the longer skinnier leaves. I normally use it in Asian inspired dishes like fresh rolls, or my absolute favourite is a Thai style chicken stir-fry. Apparently there are also many medicinal properties to it as well! 

East China Town may be a little quieter than it's big west side brother, but it offers no shortage of great food, great deals and a lively atmosphere. The best part about living here though is all the friendly people. Once you show your face a few times, most people remember you. There isn't anything quite like walking into your favourite restaurant, and they know exactly what you will order (Pho House, I'm talking about you!).

Sometimes taking the time to really look at the neighbourhood around you lets you see new ways you can support your local economy and small businesses. You don't always have to spend lots to have a great adventure in the city, sometimes a stroll through the markets with an iced latte and doing some groceries makes the perfect Sunday afternoon! 

Brixton Brunch - Copy-Cat Day

Last week I got a frantic note from Kaila which said 'YOU MUST GO EAT HERE!" It was attached to this link to the The Londoner blog with a write-up on bunch place in Brixton.

We are both fans of the Londoner's blog. It is like looking into a beautiful world of wonderful food, great style and enviable vacations. So no dodging or hiding or pretending this is anything else; I copied her trip round to Brixton.

First of all, if you are going to try and get a seat at a popular brunch place on a weekend in London, may I recommend going after a late night football match where England was playing. We didn't go for brunch until 11am, but the phrase 'I've never seen Brixton this quiet' was repeated several times by my London savvy brunch-mate. With the football loving crowd still recovery from their late night shenanigans, we got into the Wild Caper right away.

The most important question regarding any Brunch meal is, of course, what did you order. Despite being very tempted by the various forms of eggs Benedict, I went for the Full English Breakfast. I always find that a) if a brunch place doesn't do a good full breakfast well, nothing else will be any good and b) I always end up wishing I'd chosen full english anyways.

It was so good! While some might quibble over the portion (one egg, one sausage, one slice of toast) I loved it because I could actually finish everything without feeling close to death by food. And as you can see by the photo sequence, I finished it all and the dinosaurs were left circling the plate wishing for scraps (dinos supplied by the young boy eating breakfast next to me). And the bread was so good, I had to buy a loaf to take home.

Post-brunch we wandered around the market. There were so many interesting store, food places, restaurants, it would take ages to list them all. But I have three stand outs for you.

The Keep Boutique
I saw a People Tree t-shirt in the window and I had to go in. A quick look around showed I'd hit a sustainable fashion jackpot. They have a beautiful selection of some of the best, most stylish pieces from a range of ethical designers. Also they carry Matt and Nat (Canada represent!). I managed to resist the temptation to pick-up anything that day but there are some pieces that are still pulling at me. A great sustainable fashion shop in walking distance.... so dangerous.

Circus
Do you like vintage? What about unique art pieces? Unusual jewelry? Well this tiny little shop has it all. Wonderful cushions, unusual prints and jewelry. If I had £125 to drop, I would have done so on their amazing art. I was also tempted by a snap-front denim shirt, but I reminded myself I did already have one and I probably didn't need two denim shirts.

Book Mongers
My friend took me to this second-hand bookstore, which is in the wonderful tradition of over stuffed shelves and tettering stacks. Not a place if you are hunting for a particular title. but if you're in a mood to take your time and find something unexpected this is your place. Cover most typical section, for reason we couldn't figure out it also included a fiction section organised by gender. Anyone suggestions on why this is a good way to sort thing?

So I just want to say thanks to the Londoner for her post, which pushed me to get out an explore this area. Its so convenient for me, such a great vibe and I foresee many a future visit to browse more shops and restaurants.

So Kaila we are definitely adding this to the list of places to see when you managed to visit. In the meantime I plan to make many a cheese toastie with my sourdough bread!