Love This

railroad bridge. It's right before the bus leaves the freeway to head to Tacoma Dome Station. I wonder who the artist is; Banksy-ish sentiment!

Parallel Healing (1)

London Tube Stop

when bathroom becomes a 4th closet.....u r in trouble!

The Retail Therapy video (below) was inspired by my tube stop last February (London). The sign; go left to Somerset House and Fashion Week or right to the Historical Museum and the last of the Easter Islanders (Rapa Nuians(?)) is legit. That the civilization was destroyed by resource abuse and/or disease is debated but as one leads to the other and vice versa; just move along!

Health is a balance of mental, spiritual and physical well being.

OK, if true than our beliefs based on the capitalist vision that dominates the media and promotes the push of consumer economics to make our lives "better," while actually taking away the time to mitigate stress, nurture relationships, enhance collective intelligence and appreciate our lives, then that is unbalanced & therefore unhealthy.

The shopper's high is real. The short term rush leaves a craving for more and according to the Department of Commerce, we were renamed consumers and programmed to become addicts for a healthy economy. Good job America, we bought it!

This economic theory considered natural resources abundantly available to be used by humans and manipulated by those that had the power to do as they please. Nature was to be conquered and tamed; most humans were workers to be used as resources and a few winners could take all!

Am i crazy or is this like Evilina Island, Land of Mutant Robotic Souls, overstimulated and under nourished - They Seek Love But Buy Toys.

Like being wired naturally to like sweets, a little honey is great but too much is a diabetic coma. I propose that we are predisposed to like beauty, toys, comfort and other elements of "stuff" but too much is killing us.

Retail Therapy reDux

for a slower, wiser & healthier economy. I mean finite planet = limited resources, so go figure. Check out the full "Story of Stuff" and other videos by Annie Leonard for even more foolish human concepts put in their place.

PS copyright permissions are being solicited. This appears the quickest way to facilitate this action and I am covered under the satire law...or close enough for a debate.

See the full "Story of Stuff" at http://www.storyofstuff.com/

Re-Do

Easter Island (Rapa Nui) figure. The sky didn't fall, the people did. British History Museum on the same tube stop as Fashion Week's Somerset House. aha!

Edit First! publish after. I tend to humiliate myself when writing in an emo state. Is that another clue to the walls around spirit?
So far the sky hasn't fallen!
(referencing yesterday's post, edited minutes ago!)

Mixin' it Up

I was recently informed from several sources that i was showing up in my masculine power because that is what i saw modeled in the world i wish to change. The systems we have were built from that masculine energy, the problem being that "these are the systems we have" and not the ones we need!

This behavior was blocking the feminine which is what is needed to balance the energies that may allow us to take a giant step forward.

It sometimes feels as if this world eats hearts alive, so displaying that heart is asking for trouble. Yet this is a false belief, for the strong, brave and loving heart has more true power than the fearful and withholding one.

Then again, soft behavior feels like "the lesser approach" in the patriarchal paradigm, so this takes some work to overcome!

This divided power might be why the current system is collapsing in on itself. Whatever, it's time to experiment, to be innovative, to design for a new, slow economy that celebrates life and relationships not just stuff.

Don't let perfect get in the way of good!
& don't let goods get in the way of life!

Trashed

civilizations bite the dust after resource abuse

Tracing Trash: Mannequin (Manufacturers, Materials, and Pop-Culture)
by Jeongki Lim

or deadcycles on the consumer 'scape

http://vimeo.com/10948382

Co-Op

Better Than Jam
beats boring trad retail, hands down!

Clicked across a co-op for handmade excellence in NYC. Why can't we do it here? Better Than Jam opened in Bushwick a few months ago and the duo at DIY City Mag announced the opening. This is great precedence...c'mon Seattle show some eco courage.

We can and must build local sustainable economics, here, in our own backyards; or back roads perhaps, alleys can be cool. We can plant stuff and paint. Have the plan need the partners.

See it in Seattle

Seamless in Seattle reader's poll is a nice way to show you support local design.

Seattle Magazine says it is the best year ever as 38 designers entered. Now showing!

looks like rainbows

i exist, i am, that is all i know, everything else is a belief

Waterline skirt and top. A 2007 Greenfest banner makes the front piece & the flouncy part of the skirt has fabric strip weaves; feminine but not too cutesy. a skirt for courage and compassion.

PVC in Raingear

rainshedder applique remixed in photoshop

"Phenols, phthalates and phytoestrogens are among chemicals known as endocrine disruptors, which interfere with the body’s endocrine, or hormone, system.....Some are used to increase the flexibility and durability of plastics such as PVC, or are included as coatings on medications or nutritional supplements to make them timed-release."

According to a report from the SWHR "....phenols, phthalates and phytoestrogens, —in young girls may disrupt the timing of pubertal development, and put girls at risk for health complications later in life. The study, the first to examine the effects of these chemicals on pubertal development, is currently published online in the journal of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice

According to PVC. org
"The functional qualities of PVC make it a great material for protective clothing outdoors. It has long been the material of choice for children's rainwear, but is also put through more demanding tests through its use in protective work-wear. At the other end of the clothing industry, PVC has played an important role in fashion design for many years. From its early applications in the 1960s, PVC has grown into one of the most fashionable materials to make a regular appearance at major fashion shows around the world."

PVC eventually breaks down and the phthalates are ending up all over the place; so even though your child isn't chewing on raincoats ...phthalate exposure is a big risk.

This is a problem we can do a lot about. Stop buying it and tell your retailer why.

Spread information daily...word of mouth is the new/old media!

sustainable seattle

rain gypsy

Clean Water going going gone...skirt

Rainshedder skirt

Took that leap over the draining "argument to limit" that attempts to confine me to inertia and safety...that comfort zone of simulated death(?) hmmm.....

Point is, i sent photos of the Waterline chapter of fashionRIP Project to the Seamless Contest at Seattle Magazine.

i never had the mass market concept and sold only a few garments in stores- boutiques under the Pike Place Market and on Capital Hill. Custom clothing appeared safer- it was sold before it was started. All this means that i'm way under the 5000 garments sold to qualify me as an Emerging Designer.

Is Seattle open to recycouture in the mainline? stay tuned.

the Waterline chapter

Springing ahead despite the weather. Water color blues and light fabrics are pulling me.

Water is a huge issue but don't just trust me, listen to Sandra Postel -a Post Carbon Institue Fellow and think for yourself.

The waterline skirts will be featured in an afternoon event at the NW Center. I will be leading a discussion that starts with the skirts former lives on April 23. I hope for an inter-generational, multi sexual mix to gather for a this focused conversation all around fashion and refashion. It will be a great way to learn a lot about each other and the recent history of "dressing" The how and why we wear what we do intrigues me Its a fascinating way to undress (address) sociology, anthropology, cultural mores etc.

Please check with the NW Center for more info.