A Week In Review: Think Cheap and Sustainable

I hate to admit it.... but money's running PRET-ty thin, and in one direction: right out my senseless little fingers as if I had oodles of it coming from a generous, seductive little money fairy. This week was time to get serious on expenditures... and make a real budget and reschedule my day so that all my pricey little habits could be avoided. But then I bought a new pair of shoes and pants on Tuesday (they were on sale, I needed them).

I pledged to try again starting right then, and went straight to Dupont Circle to sit for free with the homeless people and ruminate on my potential future.

I thought, "Think cheap... free even." By god--I bet I could do the stuff I like to do for less or no money but I've been too lazy and too proud and too picky. I could have done this when I had a job. Happy hour specials, for instance... I should drink the happy hour wine instead of good, flavorful, full-bodied wine... if I must. I could also make my coffee at home though it's never the same, eat my lunch at home though I can't cook, watch movies at home on my smallish HD TV without Dolby digital surround sound... and NEVER LEAVE MY HOUSE.

I had a little time to think about things... life, the economy, the planet.

ON SUNNY WEATHER IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER:
Wednesday: The warm wind blew through my just-washed hair, I was outdoors and happy and guilty and had the willies... because our planet is about to melt from the effects of global warming. I thought: Why can’t we all just buy TP made from post-consumer (recycled) material and use clear, reusable WATER BOTTLES and get the planet back on track? I vowed to do both, felt good about doing my part to save MILLIONS of gallons of oil and nearly half a MILLION trees, and was intent to spread the good word. The Washingtonian suggests clear Nalgene bottles (I like Klean Kanteen) and a purse made from bottle caps.

ON COFFEE:
Why is it so damn expensive? Not only did Starbucks go up, like, 11 cents last October… now milk is more expensive per gallon than oil. How am I expected to have my two delicious cappuccinos a day in this kind of economy? I consider switching to maté exclusively and decide I will sleep on it for a couple of months. In the meantime, I’ll go to a coffee cupping this morning.

ON MOVIES:
I love movies nearly as much as Fandango loves me and those services charges... but I have to pay my cell phone before it's disconnected. So I need to find some free screenings. Saw Star Wars last night, for the umpteenth time. Two free movies on my list for this weekend: The fab Audry Hepbern in Charade @ the National Postal Museum; and The Gates--a documentary about those oh-so-quirky NY artists who did that crazy instillation thing in Central Park that one time a couple years ago and can explain it to us after the screening.

ON THE RECESSION AND THE HOUSING BUBBLE:
Boy, I sure hope this doesn't happen or things will really get tough....

With that in mind, a few no-cost events this weekend:

• Vagabond Opera
• Dead rock-star costume night
• Brit new-wave films
• Freaky French dance party
  

Working the Fashion in D.C.

Listen, I've been asked by a very dear friend to also discuss my prowess for fashion and style, which is shockingly more and more possible in this town thanks to all of the awesome boutiques moving into U St and Georgetown, but a feat which is nevertheless still against the odds for most of us. I'm gonna blame the lack of inspiration that follows seeing your clothing under neon lights in the typical DC workday, rudely suggesting your just gonna look like crap anyway.

I'll start off easy. I'll drop you a note here and there. I'll add a column of links devoted to shops and shopping news. Quiz: Did anyone make it to the Unsung Designers closing fiesta? You're already one step behind....

If we're going to talk about clothing and fashion, it's only responsible that I also discuss a little about fashion morals and ethics. Yes, there are moral requirements you must consider if you are to take my advice and advance to be an independent, confident, hip, young fashionista (that noun works for both men and women).

What do I mean? I am of the school of "fashion as self-expression." Use clothing as a means to create an image, like a painter, of yourself and what your about. Following the trends blindly, buying what's "in," looking like a cut-out from a 1. Ambercrombie, 2. J Crew, 3. US Magaizine with stick-straight hair, tan- and gloss-overload is so BORING.

Buy good quality clothing that fits you well, is what you really want (this makes you confident), and is also AHEAD OF THE CURVE and you will be happy in ways you never dreamed! And why not? If you do this right, there's nothing wrong with spending the money on clothes, it makes sense, it's the first thing you put in front of other people, it's who you are, what you're about. Look at indie-chics and hipsters and women who wear heels. It WORKS.

So I have two recommendations today. First - Tonight is Femme Fete, a holiday shopping event at the Four Season's in Georgetown. It's $30 dollars, but you get free wine a totally non-committal opportunity to hit one spot and see many local designers (local and original designs are very high on the list of desirables for the individual YOU), to get quality samples, to possibly unveil the PERFECT item (on-sale, affordable, EXACTLY what you wanted) for you or your Secret Santa, OR, to give you ideas for the next time you shop at Filene's and put the ensemble together yourself. I recommend this to anyone serious about moving to the next level. You don't have to buy a thing, just OBSERVE AND LEARN, for godssake.

My second recommendation throws you straight into the
advanced level, but it's so attainable, you can handle it. The
clothing line Sustainable Collective has a new holiday collection that, if selected properly and before the holidays begin, may pre-empt the post-holiday regrets of gorging yourself uncontrollably because you already picked out the kick-ass dress for New Year's that you MUST fit into or risk wasting that good money. Plus - and MOST IMPORTANTLY - everything at Sustainable is made from organic fibers, pre and post-consumer recycled materials or from sustainably-grown fibers like hemp and bamboo. Available at Caramel on U Street. Don't care about the environment? At least do it for the conversations to ensue after you declare, "Can you believe this hot dress is made from recycled fish nets?" This will undoubtedly make you fashionable on several levels: the ultimate fashionista.

Now if I can only get a job to be able to buy more clothes....