salsa

The new thrill in my life has been to go out salsa dancing on Wednesday nights at the Black Rep here in Providence. Since I haven't danced socially since high school, and have never done any latin dancing at all, I realized my evening wardrobe can use some additions. Although I have been getting a lot of mileage out of some nice wide-leg Edun trouser-style jeans and silk/hemp blend cami from The Oko Box, I am itching for some other choices. I need things that are nice looking, easy to move in, cool, and that stay put when you're twirling around like a top.

First on my salsa wardrobe wish list would be some more skirts. I found this %100 organic cotton W's Solimar skirt skirt on Patagonia's site. There are other patterns that have a great contemporary feel to them, but I liked the touch of red in this one. This skirt would look great pared with a strappy red tank, also from Patagonia. Both could also easily be dressed down with some thongs during the day.

For a little dressier evening, this black hemp and silk blend Stewart and Brown dress is gorgeous, and would be nice and cool on the dance floor. The eyelet detailing is really pretty, and gives it a sweet touch that is a little less racy. I think it's the kind of detail that can also make it a dress that doesn't seem too over-done during the day.

As I said, this is still the early stages of a wish list, so I'll let you know how they pan out, if I get any of them. For the record, The Under The Canopy tanks I purchased from Whole Foods have been my best buy this year. I definitely recommend them as a closet staple. They are pretty, flattering and versatile.

on Target? no, but getting a little better

For a while now I have lamented that Target seems way behind in organic clothing, as in I've never seen a piece of organic cotton clothing in the store. I would think they would be a little quicker on the uptake of sustainable clothing, because they are so progressive using great, cutting edge designers. Cool and tempting but why not sustainable?

Although I have not hit clothing gold at Target (and haven't seen anything that will suggest I might sometime soon) I did find two happy surprises. One was a set of organic sheets for my son's bed. They are light blue, and fitted sheet, flat sheet and one pillow case were bundled on sale for $20! The color choices were a bit limited, but there were four choices that could accommodate a lot of different rooms.

I also found some nice green organic dish towels. These were not on the web site, but only in the store. On line I also saw organic bath towels, and though I didn't notice them in the store, I also wasn't looking for bath towels at the time. The sheets and dish towels were both on nice end-cap displays, very obvious and easy to find.

I know there are a lot of great companies out there selling organic sheets outside of big box marts, but I also think these are the places where average americans will likely make their first organic purchases, so I think it is a good sign when you see anything sustainable in those places.

I haven't been back to see if the organic line at H&M has arrived at the local mall, but I'm not holding my breath. I was recently in Sweden, home of H&M, expecting the huge line of organic products that was promised on their web site half a year ago. I was disappointed to only find a hand full of tops in two different cuts.

The wait continues.

Oh where, oh where

Where have we been?

Well, here and there, but not so much in front of the computer. I can't speak for Jen Long, but I know when the warm weather hit, I basically have spent ever minute I can outside. In striving to be more sustainable with the choices I make in other aspects of my life, I've spent the last month moving dirt and compost, digging stumps and rocks, and generally making the ground more hospitable for some edible plants. I've always loved gardening, but have stuck mainly to flowers. This year I doubled the size of my vegetable garden and then added a planting area in another part of the yard with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and lots of perennial herbs.

Yeah, yeah, enough about food, what about clothes? Well, funny you should ask. (OK, nobody's asking me) Since the mall becomes more and more depressing each time I go and leave empty handed , for lack of sustainable options, I find myself getting my shopping fix at Whole Foods lately. What, you say? back to food? Well, kind of. I have noticed recently that Whole Foods seems to be experimenting with more and more clothing options. Granted, not a ton, but since I happen to be there several times a week anyway, I am very excited to check out some apparel after buying my beets and chard.

A few months back I bought a couple of Green Label tees there that I like. They are great, but admittedly super casual. Recently, though, I noticed that they have had a nice (albeit small) selection of Under the Canopy long sleeve shirts and tanks. I bought one tank, brought it home and wore it almost three days straight. (OK, say gross if you want, but I didn't do ANY heavy labor the first two) In any case the fit was great, and it was pretty flattering. I've worn it around the house with shorts, but I've also worn it out at night salsa dancing, and it works well in either situation. So, I went back and got a second in another color as well as a long sleeve scoop neck. ( The picture here says PURE, but the one I bought has no printing on it, which I like a little more)

They are a little pricey, $42 each, but the cotton feels really nice and the cuts are great, feeling more like something you'd buy at Saks then at the supermarket. That said, when I got to the register to buy the second two, a week later they both rang up at $22 a piece! They weren't marked as being on sale, so I am not sure if it was an accident, but it certainly was a deal.

Now if they can just put some Loomstates or Del Fortes on their end caps, I'll be all set. Well, maybe not all set, as it would be a little tougher to explain why the grocery bill was that high.