Other brands have offered similar sneakers that they say are circular, but this one registers a little more true to me. These shoes are made with natural, undyed, organic cotton uppers + recycled, natural, tree rubber soles (+ no glue). Thesus says the wearer can (after clipping the grommets + lace ends) tear the uppers off + plant them in their garden to compost. The soles can be returned to Thesus, who will turn them into the next pair!

Thesus was formerly Alice + Wittles, maker of natural rubber, rain boots. Their footwear (which currently includes waterproof boots made from recycled materials) are made in Portugal by people making living wages. These sneakers aren't available just yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing them (+ this model) come into being!

Photos of shoes via Thesus. More ethical brands right this way!

At some point within the past decade, I remember pulling a pair of jeans off the rack at the thrift store + laughing at the ski-high waistline. Today all of my favorite pants have a similar rise. ha. Not dissimilarly, I'm not totally certain that I'm ready to wear pants that remind me of the giant skater pants my partner wore when we met in the 90s. If something is going to convince me that they are exactly what I want to wear though, it's gonna be the stylings of Vestige. I'll just be honest.  :) And so...

Meals. Meals makes clothing inspired by chefs + food + caring where it all comes from + how its prepared. Very cool. Their clothing is made from 100% cotton and is cut, dyed, sewn + shipped within a 6 mile radius in Los Angeles. 

All influential photos from Vestige.

It makes sense to look for goods made with traditional craftsmanship in places with a long history of production + use. These goods have stood the test of time + are still embraced for their durability, comfort and functionality. Kyma's beautifully simple sandals are handcrafted in Athens, Greece with traditional vegetable tanned leather that is chemical-free. 

All lovely photos via Kyma. Find this + lots of other fair brands on our ethical brands page, when you need them. 

I don't think consumerism is that satisfying for most people.
We're taught that we need to keep up with these trends + buy all this stuff,
but it doesn't really make us happy.
Happiness levels are declining.
People have fewer close friends.
It's not like the current status quo is awesome + we should be fighting to hold on to it.
We just have a bunch of junk.
Instead of being surrounded by beautiful, durable, repairable things that we love,
we've got a bunch of single-use plastic garbage.
Having piles of garbage everywhere is not super delightful.

Having all this fossil-fuel-based plastic on every beach + in our drinking water
+ in our rain + in our beer + in our seafood, which is currently the case -
it's not like that's a life I want to hold on to.
Often we think about the changes that are needed,
+ we don't look at both sides of the coin.
We think about- this is going to be expensive,
or, this is going to be inconvenient,
without thinking about,
do you know how inconvenient + expensive climate change is?

This is an opportunity to live a different + better life.

~Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Over the past few years, I've recognized the persistence of my personal basics as a sort of affirmative beauty. I think of this positivity as growth beyond thinking of it as acquiescence to stagnancy or disengagement from nowness.

I'm beginning to see discoveries like this one as sort of scenic overlooks along the winding road toward a destination of enough + less + fair. 

Today's recognition seems ever so related. It is just another tiny spark that keeps things interesting + makes it all feel like - yes! there is beauty here. This insight came in the form of an image of basics being worn in a way that I just hadn't been thinking of before. A perfectly hip grazing sweatshirt worn with a ribbed skirt? Yes! An oversized button-up with oversized jeans? Well, yes! These are not necessarily the basics that I see myself wearing, but they are just the spark that sets me off toward my own basics wondering how I might be able to combine them a little differently.

Lately I'm also seeing color combinations as revelatory. There are certain color combinations that hit my brain like umami - they make me aware of what eyes are for...that they are attached to my brain...that my brain can light up with pure joy! Oh, what pleasure could be derived from wearing orange slides with an otherwise neutral outfit!? Why not see lavender as a neutral? (I have bought nothing, but the mere thoughts make me feel alive.) And when I leave the house, I remember my own orangey-red bag that is years old, and it gives me a little joy jolt as I throw it on with my own monochromic look.

Yep, I'm alive. Thank goodness.

All joy jolty photos via links!

Love,
​Jane

We must have courage to admit we have taken too much.
~Colette Pichon Battle (via)

A little snapshot of a few of the things I'm loving right now:

• Eating overnight oats made with chai + strawberries for lunch two days in a row.
• These kind eyes (especially when they want to be very close).
• Sitting in bed + seeing a deer (!) amble through...and that it stayed on the other side of the fence. (A first for us here.)
• Adding one more pair of my favorite shorts to my tiny collection. (photo via link)​
• Peonies from a friend's garden. A friend!
• Rainbow reflections.
• The coreopsis returning on its own...happy blooms nodding in the breeze.
• Doing yoga under the ginkgo trees at the art museum.
• The ability to share good things among friends.

I had to restrain myself with the exclamation points - ha! I think they translate to, "delight!" Hope you take note of some the little, lovely delights around you too!

Love,
Jane

And these pants got the same ankle bone skimming hemline as all my others. What can I say? I just know what I like...on me. 

(That army jacket benefitted from the offcuts from the same ankle bone skimming hemline on my army pants.)  :)

Taking time to get intimate with my clothing truly does reinforce my relationship with each piece. I reawaken to this connection with each intervention.

The immense value of the farmer's time in sowing seeds, cultivating + harvesting natural fibers comes into focus. I feel gratitude for the process of spinning fiber into thread that gets woven into cloth. I consider the effects that the dyes have on surrounding waterways + the origins of the buttons, zipper + thread. I can imagine myself sitting shoulder to shoulder with the people who cut + stitched the garment together. I honor all the time + effort + work that went into each of my garments by wearing it again + again. I am honored to wear their handiwork...and the little that is mine too.

Love,
​Jane