Author: sugar

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November 08: On the rack

So you already know that bamboo is one of the most sustainable resources on the planet. But you might be surprised to learn that panda food is making inroads in your closet.

Bamboo fabric, a soft, rayon-like material made from the pulp of bamboo grass, is cropping up in clothing stores around Charlottesville. Stephanie Finn, manager of The Hip Joint, sells bamboo yoga-wear from brands like OMALA, be present, and Avani. “It’s really nice to wear to workout because it’s really wicking, so it pulls moisture away from your body,” says Finn. Since bamboo is naturally antimicrobial, its fabric is hypoallergenic and even helps mitigate body odor.

Bamboo fabrics are showing up in yoga clothes, outdoor clothes and even sheets.

On top of being wearer-friendly, bamboo is a more eco-friendly crop than cotton. But, like most cotton blends, converting bamboo into fabric usually involves a chemically intensive process that is less than sustainable.

Even so, “A lot more is made from bamboo than you realize these days,” says Sarah Stacy of EG clothing store. She’s right. Blue Ridge Mountain Sports carries North Face bamboo liner gloves. You can even find bamboo socks and sheets at Target. Just watch out for hungry pandas.—Kathryn Faulkner

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November 08: On the shelf

When is exercise actually unhealthy? A new book by onetime Charlottesville resident Peach Friedman provides one answer: Exercise is unhealthy when it strips enough weight from a young woman’s frame to alarm her family and friends. Diary of an Exercise Addict is Friedman’s memoir about the period when, as a 21-year-old, she slashed her caloric intake while running as much as 10 miles a day. She lost 46 pounds before her family intervened and got her into treatment.

Asked what signs might alert someone to possible exercise bulimia in a sister or friend, Friedman (who, having recovered, is now a personal trainer and a spokesperson for the National Eating Disorders Association) said, “The first thing that I look for is your relationship with exercise interfering with your life. Are you avoiding social functions, dates, work…are you prioritizing exercise above all else?” Other telltale signs: equating food with exercise (as in, I ate cake so I need to run an extra mile) and an overly strict, regimented exercise schedule.

Peach Friedman, onetime Charlottesvillian, exposes the reality of exercise bulimia in her new book.

If you do suspect that someone you know has an exercise addiction, Friedman says the most helpful thing to do is to encourage her to get professional help. “As a friend, you don’t want to take on your friend’s case,” she says. “You want to say I’m concerned about you; let me help you find some help.” The National Eating Disorders Association is at (800) 931-2237.—Erika Howsare

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November 08: We caught you looking sweet!

Bree Spriggs

Occupation: Student

Where we spotted her: UVA Grounds

Style sense: Bree’s glasses and bag are from Urban Outfitters, her coat is Express, and her vintage boots are from Antics. She got her J Brand jeans and her stud earrings at Nordstrom, and her sweater at Finch. Her vintage scarf came from her mom. We’re guessing the fact that she studies art history doesn’t hurt her sense of color!

Haley Anderson

Occupation: Student

Where we spotted her: UVA Grounds

Style sense: Haley’s coat is from Loehmann’s, her boots are from Nordstrom, and her jeans are American Eagle. She’s layered a J. Crew T-shirt under a Penney’s cardigan and topped it off with earrings and a bag from Forever 21. Best find: her necklace, which came from the Dollar Store. She says she’s influenced by magazines, but that she “doesn’t think too hard” about her style.

Christen Smith

Occupation: Student

Where we spotted her: UVA Grounds

Style sense: Christen scored her Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress on eBay and her J. Crew coat at a Lynchburg outlet. She rounds out her look with a Longchamp bag, J. Crew boots, tights from Belk, and a monogram ring from Capri in Richmond. She wears two special pieces of jewelry: her “evil eye” necklace from her mom, significant in the Greek Orthodox religion, and earrings from her boyfriend’s grandmother, who received them from her own high school boyfriend.

Amy Gawtry

Occupation: Mother of three, and owner of the personal wardrobe shopper amygawtryshopping.com

Where we spotted her: In Belmont

Style sense: Amy says she bought everything on sale, from her Scarpa boots, Anthropologie top, and LensCrafters shades to her Chloe and J. Crew necklaces, shorts from EG and blue velvet jacket from Boden. She gets her inspiration from her friend Julie Alspaugh and from magazines, and looks for things with a unique style that can still be worn while playing at the park with her kids. 

Maisie Violet

Occupation: Playing, taking baths, eating avocado and banana

Where we spotted her: Downtown Mall

Style sense: Maisie gets her style from her European father (not her tired mother). She’s wearing a Tea Collection shirt from Petit Bebe, a hat from Boutique boutique, Old Navy jeans and Cheeritoes socks from Whimsey.

Jasminka Herceg

Occupation: Works at Silverchair

Where we spotted her: Downtown Mall

Style sense: Jasminka’s sweater is from H&M, her skinny jeans are from Delia’s, and her boots are Steve Madden. She found her necklace at Banana Republic. She describes her style sense as “really random” and says perhaps it’s influenced by the fact that she’s originally from Europe.

Whitney Snyder and JoAnne Bennette

Occupations: Corporate accounts manager; Home furnishing manufacturer rep

Where we spotted them: Shopping at White House Black Market

Style sense: Whitney’s jacket is Bandalino, her slacks are Ann Taylor, and her pearls are from Marshalls. She found her bow bag at Claire V in Roanoke; her shoes are Nine West. She gets her style sense completely from her mother, a hair dresser. JoAnne’s silver jacket is from Handprint, her slacks and top are from Chinos, her shoes are Stuart Weitzman and her purse is from T.J. Maxx. Her jewelry is a gift from her husband. Because she works with home furnishings, she is constantly looking at texture and fabric and color, and so her work life and her fashion life overlap.
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November 08: All that glitters

Kimberly Blick wears a Velvet silver sequined dress  from Spring Street ($462), black patent-leather ankle boots from T.J. Maxx ($39.99), and vintage rhinestone earrings from Glad Rags ($14).
Allison Hoover wears a vintage Weiss rhinestone pin from Glad Rags ($36) at the back, Lorren Bell rhinestone earrings from Pearl ($98), Dani Black violet satin strappy evening shoes from Scarpa ($120), and a Wendy Stevens fan purse from Angelo ($365).
Kristy Jones is in a Sonia Fortuna silk georgette party dress from Posh ($350), a vintage mink cape from Antics ($165), Nine West Justino gold kidskin shoes from Belk ($59.99), and matching yellow gold and seed pearl earrings and brooch, circa 1900, from The Jeweler’s Eye ($785).
Charlotte Martin wears an Aiden Mattox red silk and gold lurex gown from Levy’s ($440), Calvin Klein Vernice patent shoes from Belk ($80), and Gorjana gold Vermeil hoop earrings and bracelets from Eloise (earrings $82, bracelets $105-288).
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September 08: Altered state

Scouring thrift stores and vintage boutiques can mean big style payoffs (and big savings) but let’s face it: The Salvation Army isn’t Saks, and perfect-fit pieces at Goodwill can be needles in an ill-fitting haystack. But that’s O.K., if you’re willing to think creatively. Taking clothes that are slightly off, size-wise, and having them altered to fit your frame can be a surprisingly economical solution.

If that vintage find doesn’t measure up, have it altered.

Local tailors can re-hem those near-perfect pants for about $6-16, while the cost of taking in a jacket averages $35. If you figure that the cost of good vintage pieces from stores like Ike’s Underground or Glad Rags often average in the $25-50 range, it’s still much cheaper to buy an overlong pair of secondhand jeans and have them hemmed, or to get a fabulous-but-slightly-too-large jacket sized down, than to buy comparable things brand new. And if the SPCA Rummage Store is your boutique of choice, the savings are even bigger.

For the fashionably crafty, there are plenty of DIY alterations that are easy to pull off, but have big impact. Check out vintage.about.com for some great tips on how to tweak, wear, and care for your vintage finds.—Lucy Zhou
 

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September 08: Rockin' accessories

Shoreline rocks, skeleton keys at the antique store, sample paint colors and exotic fruits—these are the kinds of things that inspire local jewelry designer Erin McDermott. Not that her work includes actual boulders or papayas—it’s more that shapes, colors, and patterns spark her creativity.

If you get to the City Market in its earliest hours (we’re talking 7am-ish) you might catch McDermott jammin’ on her iPod and working away on a new piece of jewelry—she’s in the zone. And of course there’ll be an array of her work on display, from a spruced-up classic freshwater pearl look to some lively turquoise-coral combos, or my favorite: amethyst plum peacock earrings.

Erin McDermott’s got the tools and the talent.

If 7 is too early, McDermott can work with you to plan a custom made piece, whether traditional or funky. A UVA grad who, instead of studying abroad, went to New York City to delve into jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she’s a rather fabulous gal herself. And any woman versed in welding and experienced in woodcarving—not to mention passionate about stones and gems—gets our notice. Check out the goods at erinmcdermott.com.—Suzanne van der Eijk

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Living

September 08: We caught you looking sweet!

 

Kristen Pingry

Occupation: Program assistant, Thomas Jefferson Planning Commission

Where we spotted her: Downtown

Style sense: Kristen’s wearing a Liz Claiborne dress, a J. Crew shirt, Maui Jim glasses, and earrings that were a gift from her stepmother. She says these shoes are one of her two most expensive pairs at around $200, though she can’t remember where she got them.

 

Madeline Ross

Occupation: Student

Where we spotted her: Downtown

Style sense: Madeline’s wearing a Lucky shirt from a consignment shop, a belt that belongs to her mom, an Isaac Mizrahi skirt from Target, and Clarks shoes. Her bag is Old Navy, her bracelet is from 10,000 Villages and her earrings, a gift from a friend, come from China. Her style inspiration? Alfred Hitchcock’s heroines.

  

Alana Woerpel

Occupation: Interior designer

Where we spotted her: Shenandoah Joe

Style sense: Alana’s brown bag and green open-toe shoes are both from Scarpa; her green checkered blouse is from Banana Republic and her jeans are Edun, Bono’s line. As a business owner, Alana says she tries to dress tastefully and still have fun with her clothes.

 

 

Lori Nathanson

Occupation: Ph.D. student at Curry

Where we spotted her: Shenandoah Joe

Style sense: Though Lori says she has conservative, classic taste, she loves the romantic, feminine details of the Anthropologie line; this dress is an Anthropologie lookalike from Hecht’s. Her sandals are Steve Madden, her bag is Coach and her letter necklace is Tiffany. She found both her Ideastyle laptop bag and her Philippe Starck watch on eBay.

 

Bonnie James

Occupation: Legal secretary

Where we spotted her: Downtown

Style sense: Bonnie’s black sandals are Naturalizers and her dress is from the Leesburg outlets, which she visited on a mother-daughter trip. She says her daughter helps her stay very young, with a love for beautiful clothes and pretty things.

 

Lora Keady

Occupation: Owner/event coordinator of Para Coffee

Where we spotted her: At Para

Style sense: Since Lora moved to Virginia from Houston, she’s been trying to dress in an updated but traditional way. She’s wearing an Anthropologie dress, a Nordstrom Bp. top, and Stuart Wietzman shoes. Her watch is Christian Dior, her bracelet is by David Yurman, and her earrings and necklace are from bargain-priced, Houston-based purepearls.com.

 

Jenny Miller

Occupation: Fourth-year at UVA

Where we spotted her: On grounds

Style sense: Jenny’s wearing a Kenzie dress, a Target shirt, Delman shoes and a ring that came from her great-grandmother. Her tote is Longchamp and her bracelets and earrings are from Firestone and Parson in Boston, where she’s from. She says she likes classic, simple styles, solid colors and comfort.

 

 

 

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Living

SUGAR March 2008


Click to see the March 2008 issue of SUGAR.
Categories
Living

We caught you looking sweet!


Laurel Hausler

Where we spotted her: On her way to the Mudhouse to play chess

Style sense: Laurel, an artist, claims to be a “Hitchcock blond with a twist.” She wears high Timberland boots, a patterned dress from Mango, and a Lucky jacket. Her bag is Free People and her white glasses are from CVS.

Categories
Living

We caught you looking sweet!


Iliana Tati

Where we spotted her: Shopping at Feast! with her husband

Style sense: Being originally from Albania, one hour from Italy, Iliana says she grew up surrounded by great fashion. She wears a Brooks Brothers blouse and Theory slacks, an Ellen Tracey belt, a Coach bag and a green beaded necklace from Banana Republic.