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    Vegging Out

    Put away the meat dress: It's time for Lady Gaga & everyone else to embracevegan fashion

    Joel Luks
    Sep 23, 2010 | 7:42 am
    • Ellen DeGeneres had a counter to Lady Gaga's meat dress.
    • Wedge bootie by Cri de Coeur with animal print and purple accents
    • Strappy hobo by Cri de Coeur
      Photo by Eric Ahlquist
    • Footwear for casual occasions by Cri de Coeur
    • Vegan Coat: Bomono in black recycled materials, limited edition
    • Vegan leather and vegan suede combination handbag with sequence pattern byCherry Berry
    • By Stacia, gathered vee dress of 56 percent bamboo, 24 percent cotton, 20percent nylon and 14gg jersey
    • Cri de Coeur's "Dillon" over-knee wedge boot is eco-friendly and features alow-VOC breathable PU upper and reclaimed wood sole.

    Veganism is really more than just food and diet, although the emphasis seems mostly on what we decide is acceptable to put inside our bodies, literally.

    And focusing on food makes perfect sense. Food is directly tied to inherited cultural traditions and to our distinctive personal palates, as well as having a direct influence on our health and well-being.

    As the medical community continues to research, there is more and more evidence that the more fruits and vegetables you eat the longer you will probably live. Not only is the Standard American Diet killing us, but now, our indulgent meat-centric dinner plate is killing our neighbors. So, as we get fatter, get more diseases and our life expectancy possibly falls for the first time in our history, we need to make some changes.

    But vegging out does not end at dinner.

    It is a lifestyle that advocates cruelty-free living in all accounts, wherever possible. But sometimes the line between living philosophy and fanaticism is blurred and up to discussion.

    When it comes to fashion and personal items, there is a higher chance of being oblivious to the origins of the product. Especially as the source gets abstracted through the manufacturing and design process, all we see is a cream, a jacket, a shoe or a piece of jewelry rather than the animal it came from.

    Unless you are of course Lady Gaga, who recently sported a rather beefy gown at MTV Video Music Awards. Raising some eyebrows, turning on meat fans and disgusting others to gag-like convulsions, she perhaps exhibited an unhygienic exaggeration of how the western world lives, and lives daily.

    Gaga explained the outfit to vegan Ellen Degeneres. “If we don’t fight for our rights, pretty soon we’re going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones.”

    As much as I keep on attempting to find an accurate and successful metaphor, I fail miserably.

    Ellen’s kale skirt and bikini was a clever response. As much as I enjoyed the vegan peacock-like parody, there is more to vegan fashion than outfits that will eventually stink and wither away exposing unmentionables.

    Can you be a fashionable veganista? Yes. It’s not an oxymoron.

    And it doesn’t mean you have to look like an earth loving unshaven unkept hippie wearing hemp, sporting dreads, while smoking something in a bowl. It is getting easier to do as nowadays, delicious and stylish vegan and eco-friendly products continue to enter the mainstream and go beyond just function.

    I remember the day I bought my first pleather pants. Sashaying down a perimeter street during a brief encounter at Michigan State University, a thrifty storefront prevented me from walking by "just looking" at the lovely display of clothes in desperately need of some love.

    “Come on in my child,” it whispered in a stylish accent with a hint of stereotypical gay. I had no choice. And while on a budget, I immediately fell in love with both a black and a burgundy pair. My inability to leave one behind made just a slight dent in my credit card: only $24.99 each. Even the pair of thick black fashion spectacles, the kind that make the I-haven’t-showered-in-three-days look seem groovy, were more expensive.

    So the quality wasn’t great. But secretly, when I wore them, I would hope that everyone would think they were made of real leather.

    It’s peculiar how we parade belongings, caressing them while explaining that this belt is crocodile, or that handbag is snakeskin, these cowboy boots are made with ostrich leather, this fox fur coat and that silk blouse.

    And I am at fault as well as I get allured by an impeccably designed Hermes silk tie, an elegant and sexy wool tuxedo, and a timeless black Tahitian pearl necklace with a deep mysterious luster and slight green overtones.

    Perhaps it's a farfetched fancy with a hint of naive child-like aspirations, but I hope the day comes when we are proud of our possessions’ other attributes.

    “You love my over-this fab shoulder city bag? It’s eco-friendly and no animals were involved in the manufacturing process. And these delicious come-do-me platform boots? Like, totally vegan.”

    Ethical consumerism is certainly not a new concept. We practice discriminating behavior everyday when we consciously choose a local business, a local product, seek fair trade practices, organic, free-range, grass-fed, and more recently, B corporation products and services, among others.

    So why would vegan clothing be such a fanatic or extreme concept?

    "There’s never been so much buzz surrounding issues that lead to awareness of the vegan lifestyle — from helping to reverse global warming, to living a long & healthy life, to eliminating animal suffering," Gina Ferraraccio, vegan designer and founder of Cri de Coeur, explains.

     Cri de Coeur, literally “cry from the heart,” specializes in vegan eco-friendly stylish women’s footwear from casual to chic.

    "People are curious and seeking info on easy ways they can be a part of this movement. Buying a non-leather shoe or handbag that’s just as fashionable as its leather counterparts is one of those ways."

     San Francisco’s first vegan fashion show is scheduled for Oct. 2 in Golden Gate Park and will feature couture by Cri de Coeur, Pansy Maiden, Melie Bianco, Lion’s Share Indus, Reco Jeans, Mission Savvy and Vaute Couture. In Spring of 2011, organized by Terre di mezzo Eventi and Isola della Moda, Milan's "So Critical So Fashion" will feature 30 green designers that cater to ethical consumers concerned with socially and environmentally responsible products.

    "Cri de Coeur's Fall 2010 Season is inspired by the idea of women on the frontier, a little rough and unkempt, but still edgy and forward thinking. Hearts of Darkness, our diffusion line, is glam and luxe — lots of rich textures, but the styles are all very wearable," Ferraraccio says. While Cris de Coeur prides on being "eco-friendly", they can totally stand on their own as contemporary, on-trend fashion products, green or not.

     Pansy Maiden, subscribing to a less-is-more philosophy, creates fun and casual bags and totes.

    Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, founder of Vaute Couture and named one of seven Best Emerging Green Designers of 2009 by eco-fashion website Ecouterre, reminds us to read labels and seek waxed cotton (leather alternative), organic canvas, bamboo, hemp, tussah (silk alternative) and acrylic, while avoiding angora (rabbit fur), cashmere (sheep), shearling (sheepskin), fur, leather and down.

    In Houston, you can find Melie Bianco’s whimsical array of delicious handbags at Hemline in Rice Village, as well as the Stacia Eco Green Collection, inspired by California beach lifestyle, the designs use bamboo, soybean and seaweed yarns — sustainable fibers that feel great on your skin.

    Vegan fashions come in a variety of price points, from the affordable to the indulgent. But typically, small businesses using specialty fabrics will yield higher costs per piece.

    We consistently pay higher prices for in-season designer labels in the name of luxury, status, and personal expression. Why not pony-up in an effort to make arguably better choices?

    "More and more fashion brands are incorporating vegan materials into their line, whether it’s their intention to be vegan or not," Ferraraccio says. "The materials are becoming more widely available as people see how their benefits outweigh those of leather, wool and fur."

    When it comes to fashion industry’s practices, are you a discriminating buyer or a blind shopper?

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    Matcha News

    TikTok star Keith Lee crafts matcha latte for Hill Country flood relief

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jul 11, 2025 | 9:30 am
    Keith Lee and matcha drink
    Instagram
    Keith Lee hoists his special matcha drink.

    The devastating floods that swept across Central Texas on July 4 are bringing out all kinds of charitable endeavors — and that includes a limited-edition beverage from Texas-based TikTok food influencer Keith Lee.

    Lee, a social media sensation whose online food reviews have benefited hundreds of small restaurants, is partnering with La La Land Kind Cafe on a special drink: Called the La La Land X Keith Lee Latte, it's a matcha drink in which 100 percent of the proceeds will go towards Kerr County flood relief.

    La La Land is the coffee chain founded in Dallas in 2019 with a mission to provide opportunities for fostering youth and individuals in need. It has three locations in Houston, along with 10 across Dallas-Fort Worth and six in Southern California.

    The new Keith Lee Latte will consist of double ceremonial matcha, with secret syrup, matcha cloud, a whole fresh strawberry, flaky salt, and matcha powder. (See Lee enjoy the latte in the video below.)


      
     
     
     
     
     
     
    View this post on Instagram
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    A post shared by Keith Lee (@keith_lee125)
     


    Matcha is the Japanese green tea powder that has experienced a surge in popularity, appearing in everything from drinks like the matcha latte to desserts like matcha mousse.

     Keith Lee Latte Keith Lee Latte is a matcha drink.Instagram 

    Lee, who relocated to Dallas in 2024, has been on a matcha kick ever since he tried it in Chicago, which he says "led me down a rabbit hole," and it has become his trademark drink. In May, he visited seven cafes across DFW in search of the perfect matcha in town, and that included La La Land, where he ordered a matcha with almond milk.

    He also has a charitable history, including a special visit he made to Taste Project in Fort Worth to donate $4,000 to support the nonprofit's mission to fight food insecurity.

    The Keith Lee Latte will be available at all La La Land cafes beginning Friday July 11, for a limited time only. From July 11-27, 100 percent of all proceeds will support flood relief efforts in Kerr County — "a community in our home state that’s hurting," La La Land Cafe says.

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