Fashion Blog

Anyone who is a fan of eco-friendly, reworked vintage clothing, the following may excite you:  Many months ago, probably years, I was reading the magazine I too often refer to, NYLON, when I came across a little blurb about an up-and-coming independent clothing line called Taxi CDC. It was prior to me moving back to Los Angeles, so I thought finding any pieces from the line would be a difficult task to feat. Almost one year ago, upon moving back into the City of Angels, I was perusing my new neighborhood–Echo Park–when I came to discover that the actual Taxi CDC boutique was right here in my new hood!

Located right off of Sunset near the firestation, Taxi CDC calls a teeny-tiny boutique home. I’ll be honest, I’ve never set foot inside the place, only because I’ve written it off as too expensive, probably. It’s wrong of me to assume, and to my surprise the prices are typical indie boutique prices. After driving by the place almost every single day, I was sad to see when it was getting cleared out. It looked as though the poor place was going under, but I found out on Sunday that it is merely undergoing a renovation. Phew. I can still redeem myself and go shop come next paycheck. A mini-market taking place in the parking lot of my work had several vendors this last weekend, one of them being Taxi CDC itself. Racks of reworked, well tailored vintage dresses for reworked prices ($45 each). Oh, how I wanted to grab two and go, but not this week unfortunately. Instead I thought I’d spotlight the cute label and their goodies…

Originally a Mexican mumu, this fabric was cut into a feminine strapless dress, $96

A western plaid men’s shirt fashioned into a comfy and forgiving tube top, with an elastic band near the bottom to add some volume. You can totally find a version of this at a lot of contemporary clothing stores right now, but this is a handmade piece that has better detail and quality, $60.

Many of their styles consist of these redesigned 80’s vintage dresses. Not a look for everyone, but definitely something fun for the more adventurous. I would wear this with a structured jacket, a sweater would be bad since the sleeves have a flutter to them, $92.

All dresses available at taxicdc.com.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop through a wide variety of women’s dresses.

You eat organically, you support local farmers, you made a pact this summer to water the plants sparingly and taking the train to work instead of the SUV. It’s been a good summer for you and the environment, and you feel like you’ve made great strides. The garden is more sustainable, you have a compost heap, you even use organic cleaning products so you don’t kill the environment with Clorox, stain removers, and the inevitable harsh chemicals that fill the aisles at the shopping plaza. Basically, you are an Environmental God or Goddess, and you wonder about the next terrain: clothing. What can you do to make your clothing more organic, more sustainable, more natural, and better for the environment? Do you like the hippie hemp look, or do you want something more, and are afraid of slipping from being the “environmentally conscious professional” to the “bat lady with her compost heap and henna tattoos”.

Never fear! Instead of thinking “organic” clothing, think about reusable and recyclable clothing instead. Donate to your local Salvation Army with all of your old (but still functional) pieces so you can start the chain of recycling for the less fortunate. Now that you’re such a good person that gives back to the community, you can reward yourself with a few new clothing purchases. You don’t have to go shopping at the local Salvation Army to find recyclable fashions: there are plenty of online sites that specialize in reusable clothing, vintage pieces, and handmade goods, like Etsy.com or even some independent stores on Ebay.com.

Here are some of my top picks from Etsy.com:

Austin Leeds Tailored Vintage Blazer: $30.00


Vintage 80s 90s BLACK Velvet with GOLD Trim and STUD Accents STRAPLESS Dress XXS XS: $32.00


Handmade clasp clutch purse with butterflies on taupe: $60.00

Edie Sedgwick, the muse of one of the greatest cultural, artistic revolutionaries of our time: Andy Warhol. What does it take to be Edie Sedgwick? Taking up chain-smoking? Skeletal Figure? Dying your hair gray and cutting it like a boy (thank god everything was in black and white - her hair looks blond). But it’s not all bad. What’s it take to be an “It” girl?

Big and beautiful, geometric earrings: $16.99

Silkscreen inspired dress: $136

Black tights: $8.00

High heeled lace ups: $128.00

Image Source: Orbit-Mag.com

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more geometric earrings.
                                        Buy women’s tights.
                                        Discounts on dresses.