The Product Pasha » Fashion and the City

Fashion & the City: More than just beauty – Avon’s Beauty that Gives Back

PPasha — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:56:00 +0000

It’s that time of the year again, when companies everywhere think about different ways they can help women stay healthier and breast cancer free. In other words, it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and Avon is launching some fabulous new beauty and fashion must-haves that helps you stay looking fab while helping others who need a little more than glam.

And unlike so many other companies and brands, Avon lets you know EXACTLY how much they are donating to the cause – so no mystery contributions here! Here are some cute pieces:

I love the Marimekko tote! $6.24 is donated to research!
Shop with purpose and for a cause! www.avonfoundation.org

Where have your hands been? Green Tea Goods Natural Hand Refresher

PPasha — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Wouldn’t life be superb if you knew exactly where the hands of the person shaking your clean hands have been? But since we can’t, we must do the next best thing – trust the good folks at Green Tea Goods and their Natural Hand Refresher.

This unique blend of healing Chinese herbal extracts cleans naturally and revitalize skin without the harsh and drying effects of alcohol. Most of its cleaning power comes from Green Tea, Mugwort Leaf, Licorice Root, Jin Yin, Sichuan Pepper, and Huang Lian extracts as well as Tea Tree oil – ingredients that are incredibly potent in the antimicrobial fight!

So next time that stranger puts forth a hand to shake, go for it – but then quickly grab your purse and pour a couple of drops of Natural Hand Refresher. After all, it’s where your hands have been that matters most!

Fashion & the City: Get More out of your Flips with Lindsay Phillips’ SwitchFlop

PPasha — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:06:00 +0000

If I had to pick 1 object to represent all the joys of summer, that object would have to be the flip-flop. They are casual yet cool and hip and remind me of so many summers growing up on the beach – where we practically lived in these. And, I am sure, like many of you out there, I have managed to collect quite a few of these over the years. I mean, they are different and meant to be worn in different occasions: there’s the “I’m just running to the grocery store” one; the “I’m taking a relaxing stroll through the park” one; the “I’m meeting friends for drinks in the middle of the afternoon” one, and on and on…

With this so-common problem in mind (my closet thanks you!), Lindsay Phillips brings us the Switchflop, the first ever switchable flip-flops. The idea – born out of a high school project (how cool is that? All that my high school projects ever got me was, at the most, a B+!) – is simple and ingenious: you take one pair of flip-flop, make the top of the straps of resistant Velcro, and offer your costumers more than 70 variations of straps, making it a breeze to go from “beach casual to a formal affair in seconds” – well, I don’t know about the formal part, but it sure is easy to change these!

But the options don’t stop there: there are 3 different soles to choose from – the LuLu Flat (their signature base flip), the Taylor Wedge (a flip with a little wedge), and the Lilly Kitten Heel (a sophisticated twist on the LuLu) and 9 different print and color patterns (white, black, brown, navy, cork, tan, pink, blue, and print patterns). Now add to these all the different color straps with matching button and you are in flip-flop heaven!

And Switchflops have more than just looks going for them: they are so comfortable! I have the Lulu Navy LP and love wearing it with both the original strap and the scarlet one.

Fashion & the City: Me to We Style Bali Bamboo Dress is the PERFECT Summer Dress

PPasha — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:07:00 +0000

I’m not a huge fan of multi-tasking product. It must be done right, and it’s hard to get it right. This is especially true when it comes to clothing: a skirt is a skirt, a dress is a dress, and whenever one tries to use one in place of the other, well, it looks like you’re wearing a dress as a skirt or vice-versa. So you know that I was more than skeptical of Me to We Style’s Bali Bamboo Dress and its claim of being 5 dresses in 1. Add to this skepticism the fact that the brochure, teaching you how to transform your dress into these 5 different dresses, does not have a real model but a cartoon modeling these 5 versions…

Don’t get me wrong: there’s plenty to love about Me to We Style line of ethically manufactured clothing. It belongs to a new type of social enterprise that is committed to providing quality apparel for socially-conscious consumers, with products that are domestically produced, sweatshop-free, and made using certified organic cotton and bamboo (and they had me at the certified organic cotton and bamboo!).

So, with a great dose of skepticism, I went on to try the Bali Bamboo Dress and its 5 different styles and never in my life have I been more pleasantly surprised! What they promise, they deliver. The Bali is indeed 5 completely different dresses in 1! It does not look like you were trying to modify an existing dress, to change things up a bit, to be savvy and stretch your dollars. It actually looks like 5 different dresses – have I said that enough? : )

3 of my favorite styles: Soka, Sanur, and Lovina

The 5 styles are simply gorgeous – and for your convenience, every dress comes with a detailed brochure teaching you how to create each look. Kuta (wrap around skirt), Sanur (backless crisscross dress), Lovina (one shoulder dress), Soka (strapless dress), and Nusa Dua (belted shawl) are very wearable and versatile (though I haven’t quite mastered the Nusa Dua yet). The fabric is soft and drapes over your body like the softest silk. And the colors are to die-for! Asphalt (a perfect-for-all-seasons grey) is my favorite, though Purple is a runner-up! This is THE perfect summer dress!

And if you need more reasons, here’s this: 50% of Me to We Style’s profits goes to their charity partner, Free the Children, to support development projects in rural and impoverished areas across the globe.

Fashion & the City: Virginia Johnson Summer Dresses

PPasha — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Could the brevity of summer and the many months of winter in Toronto be responsible for the utter perfection of Virginia Johnson‘s dresses? Ms. Johnson claims she finds inspiration during her travels, but that alone could not explain the ideal-ness of these dresses: they are pretty, lightweight, and use unusual patterns to complement your tan and make you look fresh and cool even in the 95 degree heat.

Ms. Johnson, after working for the likes of Helmut Lang and Kate Spade, started her own clothing line, and I absolutely love the pure simplicity of her designs – not to mention the prints! Now, I’m not a big print person – have never been, though I flirt with dots every now and then – but these are not your average print. Recalling natural images – rocks, birds, plants – these prints are first explored with watercolor on paper before being committed to fabric. The result? Fabulousness!

Fashion & the City: Portable, Sustainable, Reusable and Fashionable Water Bottles Review + Giveaway

PPasha — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:10:00 +0000

I have yet to meet a person who feels that they are doing everything they can for the environment. Yes, we all try to recycle and turn off the faucet when we are brushing our teeth; we all try to carry our reusable bag to the grocery store and to not print more than is necessary; we buy organic and shy away from unnecessarily large and wasteful packaging. And thanks to some great companies out there, we can carry our own water bottle with us without adding to the forever filling landfills. These stylish, sleek, and eco-friendly bottles are a must-have, especially now during the hot summer months.

Earthlust – Born out of a desire to make the world a better place, Earthlust is as sleek and stylish as they come. Made from high quality #304 food grade stainless steel (why should you care? because it does not need a liner, i.e. no chips and dents!) and stamped with the coolest limited edition designs (printed with non-toxic paint), these bottles are easy to carry (each bottle comes with a high quality carabineer and optional sports tops) and come in 13 ounce, 20 ounce, and 1 liter sizes. Being green has never looked so good!

Aladdin Sustain – Part of Aladdin’s new Recycled and Recyclable collection, this water bottle is made with ecycle (a mix of 95% recycled plastics including 25% post consumer content) and is completely portable. Light weight, made to fit neatly in your bag/car/bicycle cup holder, and protected with a two-way lid (it flips open for sipping without spills), this bottle won’t crack, stain, or smell. And the gorgeous colors and design just top the cake.

Stanley Nineteen 13 – When they say “Built for life,” the kind folks at Stanley are not lying! These 24 ounces stainless steel bottles are the image of durability. With a rugged look and wide mouth for real big gulps, as well as an easy to carry shape and indestructible exterior, Nineteen 13 is virtually spill free. The larger size is great (it minimizes constant refills) and yet is not too heavy to carry around the city all day long. And though I’ve been accused of being a girly girl more than once, the “don’t mess with Stanley” design here makes me feel empowered!

Would you like to try one of EarthLust’s cool bottles? Here’s your chance:
Go to Earthlust’s website and find the color/design you like the most. Leave me a comment with that name. On July 10th, 2009 I’ll randomly select 1 winner who will receive the bottle of their dreams. Contest runs from June 17th to July 10th. Winner will be announced on or around July 11th and contacted by email.

Do you really really want one? Here’s how to get extra entries!

* 1 Entry – Subscribe by RSS feed or by email (must verify!) and let me know that you did in the comments (if you already subscribe, let me know that as well).
* 1 Extra Entry – Follow me on Twitter (button on the right sidebar) and let me know your Twitter name in a separate comment
* 1 Extra Entry for Tweeting about this giveaway. Please leave direct URL in comments or @productpasha.
* 2 Extra Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog and leave direct URL in comments.

Fashion & the City: Shuellas to the Rescue

PPasha — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Like many of you gals out there, I own several rain boots – some that I really like, some that I don’t like as much but are more impermeable than others, and some that are just cute. But all of them present me with the same problem: they all require forethought. In other words, I must be wearing them when I leave the house and know before-hand that it is going to rain.

It’s not that I mind the forethought (I do check the weather obsessively!). I do mind, however, having to wear heavy, hot, and mostly unflattering rubber boots all day long for a few moments of rain! And really, not matter how great these boots look, it’s hard to pull off a suit and rubber boots look! But you are probably thinking: just carry a pair of heels in your bag like the rest of us and switch to them once you get to your destination. Well, that might have been a plausible solution to this ever-so-urban of problems before but not anymore! Now we have Shuellas!

Yes, the name describes this fabulous solution to rainy days to a T: Shoes + Umbrella = Shuella! The company’s logo says it all: “Your shoe umbrella.” These foldable (and easy to carry!) rubber shoes are easily slipped over your most gorgeous pair of heels and can be just as easily slipped off, dried (wiping cloth included!), folded, and put away again (in the included carrying case!) as you continue your days looking fab! They come in a convenient case and the soles even have an anti-slippery ridge, so you don’t worry about falling down and getting the rest of your outfit wet.

Rebecca Miller, the brain behind Shuella tells of its genesis: “Shuella came about because I was frustrated that every time it would rain or there was inclement weather, I had nothing fashionable and functional to wear that would protect my shoes. I looked everywhere and when I could not find anything suitable, I designed and created them myself.”

Well, Ms. Miller, we thank you! With great colors such as Buttercup Yellow, Classic Black, Hot Pink, and Apple Green, Shuella will revolutionize your world!

Fashion & the City: Tiny & Mighty Bee Eazy Bag Review

PPasha — Sat, 23 May 2009 13:25:00 +0000

If you are anything like me, your kitchen is starting to look like a demo room for plastic bags alternatives. Whenever I go to the store, consumed with guilt and worries about my singular impact on the environment, I end up buying a non-plastic bag to bring whatever it is that I just bought home. So far, so good -this is a good impulse! However, these bags are hard to carry around, so I keep buying them and buying them, because I never actually have one with me.

Well, that was the case before the Bee Eazy Bag came into my life. Now, these super practical, strong and cute bags go with me every where I go! These easily opened and ready to use in a matter of seconds bags clips to your purse, belt, keys, or anything else that you can imagine, so that they are always there when you need them. And did I mention that they are super cute?

According to recent studies, replacing your single-use plastic bag with a reusable one will save:

400-800 plastic bags per household. That’s enough petroleum to drive a car 90 miles (That’s 900 million miles if every US family stopped using plastic and paper bags)
Hundreds of square miles of plastic waste forming in the North Pacific Gyre
14 million trees
Hundreds of thousands of marine and land mammals will be saved from ingesting plastic waste
Billions of tax dollars will be saved on disposal costs

And what better way than with these? Made of durable Nylon, water resistant, each bag will comfortably hold 20 lbs (think 3 gallons of milk!) and can be thrown in the washing machine. Most importantly, these bags are easily folded into the integrated external pouch for travel and storage – so, yes! you can take these anywhere!

I have used these bags to carry everything and gotten so many complements while walking around the streets. And I can finally Bee Eazy about my impact on the environment!

The Product Pasha » Fashion and the City

Fashion & the City: More than just beauty – Avon’s Beauty that Gives Back

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Where have your hands been? Green Tea Goods Natural Hand Refresher

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Fashion & the City: Get More out of your Flips with Lindsay Phillips’ SwitchFlop

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Fashion & the City: Me to We Style Bali Bamboo Dress is the PERFECT Summer Dress

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Fashion & the City: Virginia Johnson Summer Dresses

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Fashion & the City: Portable, Sustainable, Reusable and Fashionable Water Bottles Review + Giveaway

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