The Brand That Won The Hearts of All –> Vaute Couture

Yesterday was such a fabulous and eventful day. I had a heavy production load last week and wasn’t on top of my emails like I should be. I got an email from my friend over at PCRM – Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine, inviting me to attend the FIRST EVER Vegan Fashion show for Fashion Week. I hopped at the chance and since I was just getting the message it meant I had to leave the house quick. After a quick review session with a client I bolted out the door to catch my train and make it on time for Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart’s first solo fashion show for New York Fashion Week. It’s a big deal. Leanne is a Vegan. I’m a Vegan. Vaute Couture is a vegan clothing line. A match made in heaven.

I board the train, see a friend of mine, and chat her up until it’s time to get off. As soon as I get off the train I realize… oh darn! My hat is on that train. I didn’t know whether to go after it, or let it go. I felt a bit guilty. The hat is (ahem, clearing throat) NOT vegan. It’s made of rabbit fur and it keeps me very warm. I received the hat about a decade ago from an ex-boyfriend and when I went vegan decided I’d keep it until it falls apart. There’s always a bit of a dilemma inside me regarding “wearing old animal stuff” versus eating animal stuff. My heart was torn, but my ears were cold. I decided I needed that hat!

Michele and I run to hop a taxi, but the drivers wants to charge us $20 for the 4 minute ride so we hop off and decide to wait the 15 minutes for it to do its round trip. We wait, retrieve the hat and off I go. I’m trying not to stress because I’ve been delayed, and I’m a stickler for time. I decide to trust in God and do a few deep breathing exercises so that the tension doesn’t take over my body.

I arrive in the city, thinking the show is just around the corner of my office, at 50 W. 21st street, only to arrive there and realize that address is wrong. I wrote it wrong and google the location on my phone, it 540 W. 21st street. If you know anything about New York City, you know that’s the other side of town, and I’m already 10 minutes late.

Have I jeopardized the integrity of the event by retrieving my rabbit hat? DARN. I figure, go for it, hop a cab and see if you can make it. I hop a cab, arrive about 5 minutes before noon and realize I am just fine. The format of Leanne’s show doesn’t make my lateness such a distraction. As soon as I arrive I spot my friend Katherine, a fellow vegan-modeleque goddess. We kiss, hug and I get to snapping photos.

OH MY GOD, Leanne has amazing talent. Am I that far removed from fashion since I stopped modeling that I can’t keep such amazing talent on my radar. I start walking around and thinking “how much money do I have in the bank right now? And how much are these clothes?” I want everything. I’m delighted to find out Leanne is also from Chicago and designed her clothes to withstand a brutally cold Chicago winter. I think I love her.

Click the video to see what I spotted. The clothes are awesome and are so beautiful I don’t know if I’ll buy another brand again. The shoes were vegan, the clothes were vegan, and even the makeup artist and hair stylist supplies were vegan.

WINNER!

And my heart just melted. It turned to sop. Some of the models were holding adorable puppies who were available for adoption from the Humane Society of New York. Does it get any better?

Don’t end your day without checking out these 3 amazing organizations (no, I’m not paid to tell you this)

1) Vaute Couture

2) PCRM.org (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine)

3) Humane Society of New York

-Beatrice