The catalogs are WRONG

A couple weeks ago I got a bunch of catalogs claiming "Signs of Spring" or some other nonsense. Really? In January? I don't know about you, but where I live winter is still going strong. Real strong. And then the groundhog came out and yelled at everyone about global warming and harsher weather. Why do they bother that poor little guy anyway?

Today we're continuing with the theme of giving clothes a second life and opting out of the vicious cycle of retail fashion. See, it totally frosts me that I can't but myself a winter coat right now. The ones I like are all sold out. Since December. The stores are already full of bikinis and shorts, which is kinda bullcrap. 

So for sh*ts and giggles, I thought I'd hit eBay just to see how good the getting is on second-hand winterish clothes.

Right now -- TODAY -- there are:

• 5,024 women's cashmere sweaters
• 2,726 men's cashmere sweaters
• 886 pairs of women's waterproof boots
• 5,661 listings for women's UGGs (585 listings for men's)
• 895 pairs of women's skinny cords

You get the idea. These numbers are only listings for pre-owned items. As such, we expect that they won't all be in great shape. But we can still find some good pieces at good prices.  So what's the problem? 

Well, there's a little bit of a stigma attached buying things that aren't new, that aren't the latest. But why is that? Who exactly is judging us for what we wear? I don't see Anna Wintour -- or anyone else -- walking down the streets of my town striking us down for tying our scarves the wrong way, or for wearing boots when the occasion clearly calls for a wedge. WHATEVER. 

Sure, I'm out in the sticks of suburbia and I can't possibly understand why fashion is important because it's been 10 years since I've lived in a real city so what do I know? Look, I'm not trying to be any type of expert here. But I am trying to challenge the well-established notion that only the newest, only the latest will do. Maybe it's my middle age showing. Maybe it's my real, growing need to protect my body showing. Maybe I just like playing devil's advocate and messing with convention.

Yours,
Jazzy

The case for consignment

Quickie post that I've had in the queue and want to finish up.

It started out as a random idea I had while cleaning out a couple overstuffed closets in my house. And while pondering my down coat which has lost the will to zip. And also while harboring a silly but real yearning for a pair of penny loafers (welcome to my shoe problem).

Buying new things. The retail industry is built on consumers' needs to keep buying new items. Some things must be replaced without question; toothbrushes and dull razors come to mind. Other things we replace because they wear out or we outgrow them.

What of the second life of clothing and shoes? I am a big fan of donating the older, out-of-style pieces of my wardrobe, because they are still in good condition. So many great organizations use donations of nicer, career clothing to help less fortunate men and women get back on their feet.

But the benefits of second-hand items aren't just for folks with smaller bank accounts. Remember, clothing manufacturers finish textiles with a horrifying amount of harsh chemicals. So we wash before wearing. But if we do that anyway, aren't we better off with garments that have more washes under their belts?

Uh, Jazzy, that's not always a great idea. Because underwear. Totally. Some things aren't negotiable. But other things are. Now, I'm not suggesting we all start wearing used everything, but I would like you to consider your shopping habits to see if second-hand items have a place in your life. Does a new sweater have to be brand new? Or could you find a nice, gently-worn one on eBay?

It's easy from where I sit, because my washer and dryer have steam settings to sanitize nearly anything. But moreover I want us to consider WHY we need to buy brand new things, and how that need developed. 

Food for thought the next time you're in the market for a new pair of jeans, or something to freshen your Spring wardrobe.

Yours,
Jazzy

Super Amazing Reusable Kitchen Cloths: Part 3

A couple weeks ago I wrote this post and this post about Trader Joe's Super Amazing Reusable Kitchen Cloths. I've been using them and wanted to let you know my thoughts.

In short, I like them. So I bought another package of them. Really, they're just rags, but they are super absorbent and seem to handle tough scrubbing. The reusable part is what did it for me; it helps reconcile too many years of using too many rolls of paper towels. Now, as we learned, viscose is made from wood pulp, so we are still killing some trees. But I tell myself that it's got to be fewer trees than what paper towels do.

Word to the wise: don't put these things in the dryer. They are hearty as the day is long, but really not made for heated drying. 

Went through the dryer, and now looks like Yoda it does...

Oops.

(Note to self: never, ever put rayon clothing in the dryer)

That doesn't seem to be a permanent condition, though. One good soak and then laying the rag flat to air dry seems to give it back something resembling its original shape. If I remember correctly, this technique is calling 'blocking' and is used for all kinds of knits. I believe something like this appeared in my mother's "Hints from Heloise" booklet. Yes, I'm that old.

I imagine most of you don't hem and haw over what you use to wipe up your counters, but I'll still recommend the product just the same. Even if the chemical load of these rags is the same as paper towels, less waste is never a bad thing.

Yours, in elbow-length kitchen gloves,
Jazzy

Fabrics 101

Or, Part Deux of "The Dog Ate My Post"...

Got something of an education today about fabrics and textiles, specifically viscose, the fiber from which Trader Joe's Super Amazing Reusable Kitchen Cloths are made. Here's a quick rundown of what I learned from the website of a Swiss company, SwicoFil AG:

• Viscose is another name for Rayon. Sometimes the names are used together, other times not. Seems like the use of the fiber determines what it's called on the label.
• Viscose rayon is a man-made fiber, but NOT a synthetic fiber. It is made from wood pulp and therefore behaves more like its natural cousins cotton and linen than its synthetic cousins polyester and nylon (the official industry terms are cellulosic and thermoplastic, respectively).
• Viscose rayon is used in apparel, household textiles, and even in industrial applications as reinforcement to such things are tires, hoses and belts.

Ok, Jazzy, we're asleep now. Can you just get to part where you tell us whether or not viscose makes a good cleaning cloth?

I think so? That's not very helpful, is it. Here's what I'm thinking. Viscose is made from a natural resource, but so is polyester (since oil is, technically, a natural resource). Without more insight into the processes by which viscose is made, or how it interacts with the environment, there's not a whole lotta judgment I can apply here. The same goes for nearly any fabric, since how much do any of use really know about how the fabrics of our homes and wardrobes are made?

Seems to me like we're about to go down a rabbit hole here to learn about textiles and their different environmental footprints. Right now it looks like a foggy, confusing landscape, and I'm sure as we learn more there will be surprises and disappointments just as we find in cosmetics and other personal products. But we can't unlearn anything, can we? 

Happy weekend,
Jazzy

The dog ate my post

No, seriously. Things like that really do happen. My dogs, who, throughout their 6-year lifespan, have eaten items too numerous and varied to believe, ate the topic of yesterday's post. This is why dogshaming.com is one of my favorite websites.

My dogs think viscose is yummy

So, literally, they ate yesterday's post. (It is not lost on me that in the UK this statement would read to mean the dogs ate my mail. I think that's the one thing they haven't ever done. Yet.) I had bought a package of Trader Joe's "Super Amazing Reusable Kitchen Cloths" and made the mistake of leaving them on the kitchen table. My plan had been to take some cute photos for the blog, but before I could do that, the dogs absconded with them to tear and chew up in the living room.  #!*%!#*!!!

Thankfully, most of the mess was the shredded packaging. The cloths themselves were still nearly whole and still very useable. Ok. Now that my frustration with them has subsided (it took a full 36 hours, and many, many Vanilla Bean Joe-Joes cookies), we can try to cobble together what's left of a post about this product.

I first have to cop to using paper towels. A lot of paper towels. But they have their limits when it comes to cleaning. And they can get kind of expensive, even if you belong to the warehouse club and use your coupons and all that. And that whole tree-killing thing that causes an uptick in my stomach acid. So this product meets a lot of needs. Or least uses all the right buzz words. 

TJ's calls the cloths 'super amazing' because they are absorbent but also release water quickly and easily. Not unlike those little towels that Olympic divers use. And that is a function of the fabric content -- in this case, viscose.

I don't know anything about viscose. Do you? Some reconnaissance is needed here, and I'm thinking that will take the form of a 'Part Deux' to this post. Double post day, aren't you lucky! I'll do some research and let you know what I find. In the meantime, it's Friday!

Later,
Jazzy

Pass the popcorn

It's Thanksgiving week! Also Hanukkah. At the same time! I've read that the two holidays won't fall together again for something like another 70,000 years. I won't lie, I am a super dork who thinks that that's really cool, for many reasons that have nothing to do with today's post.

I had big plans for this week's posts. Light, entertaining, easy breezy to go with your turkey and all the fixins. And I'm trying, really, to keep the sanctimonious lecturing at a minimum. I'm trying, I swear.

But I just...can't...help...it...

Last week the HBO documentary "Toxic Hot Seat" premiered at DOC NYC 2013, following a group of Chicago Tribune reporters as they try to uncover the truth behind the questionable safety of fire retardants that are used in furniture and clothing. Nicholas Kristof at the New York Times wrote this excellent op-ed piece in support of the movie, which makes its broadcast premiere tonight on HBO (9:00 EST).

Here's the trailer:

Now I know some of you have HBO, because if we're honest about anything it's that all we're really doing here is biding time until Game of Thrones Season 4. How stinking easy is it to program your DVR or add the movie to your playlist on HBO Go, huh? 

We ALL need to see this film. Not just parents, or hippies, or liberals. Everyone. Because EVERYONE -- regardless of religion, race, political affiliation, socio-economic whatever -- sits on the same furniture that is treated with useless, toxic chemicals.

I know it doesn't seem like the kind of subject matter that jives with the 'warm fuzzies' of the holiday season, but maybe that's the point. To make us a little uncomfortable. To make us wonder. To make us realize that our complacency comes at a price.

Surely you'll need a break from Uncle Joe's bad jokes or Aunt Glinda's relationship advice at some point during Thanksgiving weekend. Watch "Toxic Hot Seat." I know I am.

-- Jazzy  

Getting fleeced

Fall is in the air...at least it should be by now. It's mid-September, the Halloween stuff's been out since July, and I'll be damned if I'm not already seeing stuffing mix and roasting pans on display at the market.

So how nice is it to wrap up in a cozy fleece against the Autumn chill? It could be your favorite hoodie, or a super soft throw on your couch, or hell, you can even buy fleece sheets and bedding.

Here's why you DON'T want to. A really great piece over at Mother Jones from 2011 looked at how fleece sheds micro-plastic fibers during every wash cycle. The micro-plastic in turn ends up in the water supply and from there worms its way into ocean water. 

It's a really interesting article because it not only identifies a problem but puts it in the context of the bigger picture. Ocean pollution affects the entire aquatic food chain and, ultimately, us. Haters gonna hate on cotton for its high environmental footprint, but author Tom Philpott poses this simple but thought-provoking idea: what if we all just consumed less clothing? That's right, shopped LESS. Buy fewer items. Actually wear stuff out.

I hear you fashionistas scoffing about new styles and the such. For heaven's sakes, the  fashion and retail industries would not crumble if consumers stopped begging like dogs for the next new thing. Clothing companies might have to put some thought into what they make, to actually make it last. More classic styles that will stand the test of a few years, not these flash-in-the-pan trends that look sillier than the last. That's right, mullet skirt, I'm talking to you.

Off to dig out my sweaters,
Jazzy

Hey Stranger

Um, hi???? How freaking embarrassed am I. Deadbeat blogger! I was away last week, trying to squeeze another few days of recreation out of the end of the season, and I promise, I fully intended to blog my way through. But my sh*tty laptop and sh*tty wifi had other plans.

As nice as it was to be disconnected, I missed SMACK! It's good to be back. I just want to say up front, that this week will be a lot of catching up, plus the holiday weekend sneaking up on us, so I'm going to do my best to flesh out a few good posts.

I am actually a little excited to have found a new website devoted to lower-chemical living, www.safemarkets.org. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics ran the press release announcing it here. It looks pretty comprehensive, although the link to the parent organization, the Coming Clean Collaborative, is under construction. I would like to know more about both organizations.

In the meantime, though, it's worth checking out Safe Markets' page on flame retardants. For decades, these chemicals have been added to upholstery, apparel and other household textiles. I don't even want to think about the exposure. Seriously.

I'm reminded of the last couch we owned, this vile striped chenille thing that sagged in the middle and by the end was pretty much just a giant dog bed. I would joke, in the weeks that we waited for our new leather sectional, that I secretly wanted to burn the thing, but was afraid of the noxious fumes that would probably come out of it. Not so far off the mark, was I?? 

Back to Safe Markets. I like how the site presents information -- not too overwhelming or frightening, but informative enough to hopefully inspire some action. Very consumer-friendly. I'll definitely be visiting it regularly, and hope you do, too!

-- Jazzy

The fabric for our lives

These commercials for cotton have been on the airwaves for decades. I had to dust off a few cobwebs to remember that tagline "the fabric of our lives" but it was there, well embedded into my childhood consciousness. Guess it was effective marketing, huh?

The shirt off my back

First, a housekeeping item. I changed the name of yesterday's post. It was terrible.

Today we're looking at something a little different. I proselytize a lot about the chemicals in health and beauty products, but what about something that always in contact with our skin: fabric.