Stripped Bare Fashion

Author: Kate1173

  • Fashion for climate movement

    Fashion for climate movement

    The Fashion for Climate movement is gathering pace, and we’d love you to be a part of it.

    Eco-and ethical- fashion brand, Vildnis, have started a petition calling on the UK government to ban the use of the most polluting fibres in fashion by 2025. FYI, those fibres are conventional cotton, generic viscose and virgin polyester… who needs them to have beautiful, affordable, stylish fashion?!?

    There’s loads of information on the Vildnis website… also lots of ideas about ways you can take action to be part of the Fashion for Climate movement.

    If you’d like to get straight on with signing the petition, it’s here. Please sign and share.

    If you’d like to have a look at some seriously stylish, contemporary, edgy and beautifully made fashion, all of which is delivered with the utmost of social and environmental responsibility, check out the range at Vildnis. For example…

    Najac black sustainable boiler suit… love this!
    Setouchi sustainable tiger print jumpsuit…
    Skagen stripe organic cotton jumpsuit… casual gorgeousness for Summer!

    —

    I’ll be promoting the petition and sharing some of my own Vildnis collection over on @ Stripped.Bare.Fashion, as well as wearing some beautiful new pieces from the current and upcoming seasons. We’d love you to sign and share the petition… spread the word… be part of the change we all want to see!

    My white Vildnis shirt… love the contemporary style. It’s not new, and it’s definitely a keeper!

  • Sustainable fashion for 2021

    Sustainable fashion for 2021

    Sustainability is rapidly becoming a word that companies across all sectors want to use to market their brand. It’s been talked about within fashion for decades, but maybe 2021 will be the year we really demand it from the fashion retailers we know and love?

    If you’d like to add sustainability to your style must haves, here are some great places to look:

    The Independent: 13 best sustainable clothing brands for women that are ethical and stylish

    Happy sustainable fashion shopping!

  • Key boot trends for Winter 2020

    Key boot trends for Winter 2020

    Looking to update your wardrobe with this season’s best ethical boots… have a look at these:

    Lotus boots from Matisse Footwear

    Military

    Chunky, black boots have been all over the catwalk this season, and seem to be styled with everything from silk dresses to camo joggers.

    Fancy stomping around in a pair of combat boots? These Lotus boots from Matisse Footwear come in brown, black and white, and cost $95USD plus shipping to your door. A sturdy investment for years to come, military styling seems to come in and out of fashion every few years… just remember to store them safely once you’re sick of them (clean, polish, wrap in a fabric bag) and feel the joy when, in another few years time, you want to go military again and you already own the perfect boots!

    Learn more about Matisse Footwear’s values here.

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    Sleeve boot in olive

    Knee High

    What’s not to love about knee high boots? Knee highs with a heel give the illusion of legs that go on forever and shamelessly channel Victoria Beckham’s understated chic. Even the flattest, most sensible varieties are kinda sexy while at the same time really warm (especially with a lovely thick pair of knee high socks underneath! Sexy and sensible??)

    Dear Frances shoes and boots have been a big hit with stylish celebs like Margot Robbie, the Hadid sisters, Kaia Gerber, Selena Gomez, Zoe Kravitz, Emma Roberts and Sienna Miller, to name drop just a few. Their beautiful craftsmanship is regularly reviewed: great styles and comfortable heels which will see you through a day on your feet. These are Sleeve boots in Olive, though also available in a beautiful low-sheen black and creamy-rich oyster, retailing for £720.

    Read about how and why slow fashion is at the dear heart of Dear Frances.

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    Aigle Polka Giboulee waterproof boots

    Waterproof

    Ok, not so much a trend, but an essential part of a working Winter wardrobe, especially if you walk dogs, or stand on the sidelines of football/rugby/netball games. I’m talking properly warm and 100% waterproof.

    These Aigle boots – Polka Giboulee in New Noir, currently £70 – are, in my humble opinion, and following quite exhaustive research, the perfect combination of substance and style. Made from natural rubber with a faux fur lining and insole, they also have the lovely quilted top which can be tightened to your calf to keep your toes extra toasty and dry. The heel is good… the grip is good… they’ve got it all.

    If they’re not you’re style, Aigle are still worth looking at… tall, short, wide, thin, gloss, gloss quilted, gloss croc!, loads of different colours and shapes to suit everyone. Price wise, they vary. In a sale, I’ve seen these in a navy colour way for less than £50, mid-priced boots are £70-£125, their capsule collaboration (if you want to go gloss croc!) is £220.

    Like lots of ethical fashion investments, waterproof boots are perfect to buy at the end of the season, who knows, they could drop by half price or more making your waterproof boot investment a bargain at the same time.

    Aigle boots are all made in France by master craftspeople, using natural rubber. More information on their heritage and legacy is here.

    Obv, not everyone is going to have the budget to invest in “designer wellies” but as ever, don’t assume that just because a pair of wellies (or anything else) is expensive, it’s been made with care for the environment or the people who made it. For example, Hunter wellies, which you could be forgiven for thinking were quintessentially British, have not been manufactured in the UK for over a decade, having moved production to the far east in 2008. According to Ethical Consumer magazine, Hunter Boot Ltd is “least engaged in sustainable fashion”, gets the “worst ethical consumer rating for environmental reporting”, “operates in oppressive regimes” and “140 staff were taken to hospital from one warehouse in four years.”

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    Alohas East boots in off white

    White boots and riding boots

    I’m sure I have it on good authority that one should never wear white shoes… but clearly 2020 is a year to update the fashion rule book!

    These gorgeous East boots from Alohas (€246.00 on pre-order) tick the box for two of this season’s best trends: white boots AND riding boots. They come in off white (shown), lilac, burgundy and croco brown. (More croc! Clearly a trend in itself!)

    Alohas are proud pioneers of a new, eco-conscious on demand production model. Not only does reducing over-production minimise waste and landfill, it also reduces the cost of delivering higher quality, luxury design. Read more about Alohas social and environmental credentials here.

    An expertly crafted pair of boots like these will literally last for decades if you clean them and care for the leather, so if you’re well stocked in black and brown boots and fancy adding an unusual colour to your wardrobe, now’s your chance.

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    Rojas Tall Boot in Tobacco suede

    Suede boots

    If boho is your vibe, you need to get a pair of slouchy suede boots. Let me introduce you to Rojas Tall Boot in Tobacco Suede for £143, from ABLE.

    Suede can take a bit more care and effort to look after than standard leather, but the pay off is its peach-fuzz softness and the subtle retro style it lends to an outfit.

    The best tip for suede is to buy a good waterproofing spray and spray before wear. Follow the instructions on the can – if it says spray twice, spray twice – and let it dry completely before you go out. If you happen to get mud on suede boots, let it dry, then use a wire suede brush to gently clean it off. At the end of the season brush them thoroughly all the way to the top, gently rubb of any marks with a slightly damp cloth and store them somewhere dry. Before you wear them the following winter, spray them with waterproof spray again…

    ABLE is an ethical fashion brand that employs and empowers women as a solution to end poverty. Find out more about their commitment to the people all along their supply chain.

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    Other brands making conscious winter boots in styles you might like are:

    Collection + Co – gorgeous capsule collection of shoes and boots featuring both classic styles and this season’s trends. Affordable too, and vegan.

    Beyond Skin – “genuinely not leather” vegan shoes and boots. Loads of you’d-never-know-it-was-faux leather and suede in a wide variety of timeless shapes and styles.

    Rockfish – huge variety of wellies (tall, short, adjustable, Chelsea boot style, matt, gloss, kids’, mens’… have a look) All made in the UK from natural rubber.

    Taylor + Thomas – “radical luxury”, edgy luxe shoes and boots.

    Green Shoes – small but colourful range of sturdy flat boots, expertly crafted in Dartmoor.

  • Vegan sourdough hot cross buns

    Vegan sourdough hot cross buns

    These were so good I have to share! Most of my recipes are subsistence recipes… simple, nutritious food for staying alive. Really nothing fancy. One of my staples is sourdough bread and I experimented on this hot cross bun recipe as a way of using the “discard”. I crossed a cinnamon bun recipe with a hot cross bun recipe, swapped sultanas and orange peel for dried raspberries and grated apple and boosted the yeast with unfed sourdough starter… and it worked!!

    As with my sourdough bread, I use a Kitchen Aid for kneading. It makes bread – and these buns – soooooo easy.

    Ingredients and Method:

    Place your large metal Kitchen Aid bowl on electric scales and measure in the ingredients in the following order

    125g slightly warmed oat mylk (not hot, not cold, just warm so the starter likes it)

    130g unfed sourdough starter

    1 egg’s worth of vegan egg replacer (I use Free & Easy which stipulates 1 tsp replacer shaken in a small jar until combined with 2tbl water)

    25g vegan butter melted

    285g strong white bread flour

    50g rye flour (or substitute for another 50g white)

    50g khorasan flour (or substitute for another 50g white)

    100g golden caster sugar

    1 tsp salt

    1 tsp cinnamon

    1 tsp quick yeast

    Fix the bowl to the Kitchen Aid base and mix to combine. Leave to sit for ten minutes after the initial mixing, then give it a good 10 minute knead using the dough hook attachment.

    Add the following ingredients to the bowl

    40g dried raspberries

    1 medium sized apple grated

    Mix until well combined. The addition of the fruit will make your dough initially very wet, but don’t worry, it will be fine.

    Cover the dough with a damp cloth and a re-usable plastic cover – they look like a shower cap but are brilliant and can be used over and over to avoid single-use plastic.

    Leave in a warm place for at least an hour.

    Return mixture to the Kitchen Aid base and knead again for 5 minutes.

    Turn dough out on to lightly floured work surface and work into 16 smallish buns, 8 large ones, or 12 if you want to go middle road… I love this dough video if you want to see how a super-baker does it!

    Place buns slightly separated on a piece of baking paper or bake-o-glide on a large, flat baking tray. I love them expanding and joining up so you have to tear them apart, like proper HCB’s. (The first batch I cooked were too close together, and I baked them in a ceramic dish so they had nowhere to go and came out a bit square.) If you’re making 16 small buns leave about 1 cm between each dough ball.

    Leave to rise in a warm place for a couple of hours. When nicely risen, it’s time to add the crosses on top.

    Mix 4 tbl plain white flour with 4-6 tbl water to make a smooth paste.

    Use a piping bag or gun to draw a cross on each bun.

    Bake in a 170°C oven for 15 minutes.

    While the buns are baking make a glaze by mixing 2 heaped tsp of golden caster sugar with 3 tsp water and blasting in the microwave for 20 seconds.

    Take the partly baked buns from the oven after 15 minutes and brush thoroughly with the glaze. Return to oven for another 15 minutes.

    When the buns look lightly golden and shiny, and feel hollow if you gently tap them, they are ready.

    Serve immediately, with or without butter or vegan spread OR allow to cool on a wire rack.

    Vegan sourdough hot cross buns will stay fresh in a sealed container for a few days, or can be frozen for a month and easily defrosted individually in 30 seconds in the microwave. They are also good cut in half and toasted in the toaster, or popped back in a hot oven for 5 minutes to warm before serving.

    For a non-Easter variation, make exactly as described but without piping the crosses onto the buns. Take out half way through baking to glaze and decorate with a sprinkling of sugar instead. You could also experiment with different fresh and dried fruit in the same quantities. Banana and date? Carrot and dried mango…?

    Experienced sourdough bakers who prefer not to use quick yeast could leave the dough overnight for a cold prove and then shape, leave to rise and bake on day two.

     

  • Lemon, garlic and tahini dressing

    Lemon, garlic and tahini dressing

    This dressing can be poured over baked vegetables, served as a dip or tossed into a salad.

    Ingredients

    3 tbl tahini (store bought is completely fine, but if you want to make your own it’s super easy and you can avoid the bitter aftertaste…)

    2 peeled garlic cloves

    1/2 tsp salt

    generous grating of black pepper

    1 1/2 tbl olive oil

    1 lemon juiced

    Method

    Place all ingredients except for the lemon juice into the bowl of a food processor and bleeeeend until smooth, maybe a minute or so.

    When you’re happy with the smooth texture, pour in the lemon juice and blend for another few seconds. That’s it, you’re done!

    I first made it to go over tempeh, as a vegan version of  Madeleine Shaw’s halloumi salad, or it would be perfect over baked aubergine, kind of like a decontructed babaganoush?? Anyway, my tempeh salad is below if you’d like to give it a try, and there’s also a link to Madeleine’s original.

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    For a super-food vegan lunch, try it in a warm tempeh salad: assemble a combination of leaves, celery, tomatoes, fennel, red pepper, spring onion, cress and whatever other lovely raw vegetables you have in the fridge drawer. Add 100g hot, grilled tempeh and pour over the dressing. It’s got to be good for you!!

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    Madelaine Shaw makes a brilliant tahini dressing for her grilled halloumi and mango slaw with coconut tahini dressing which was how I first realised how good tahini is in a dressing. It’s not vegan but it is delicious summer fare which can be prepared hours ahead, or for a more warming winter lunch, serve it freshly made with the halloumi hot from the griddle.

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    Nutritional Information for lemon, garlic and tahini dressing
  • Tahini

    Tahini

    ingredients in tahiniIf you’re thinking life’s too short to make my own tahini, I hear you. I too am very happy to use well made store bought items in everyday recipes. However, I love lots of food that benefits from tahini (humous, chocolate chip cookies and tahini dressing just to name a few…) and I really don’t like the bitterness of lots of store bought tahini. So here is a super quick and easy way to make your own which can be stored in a jar in the cupboard for a month, added to all sorts of delicious recipes and doesn’t have an overpoweringly bitter aftertaste.

    I have stipulated to use hulled sesame seeds as unhulled seeds tend to taste more bitter and don’t give such a smooth end result.

    Ingredients

    95g hulled, toasted sesame seeds (toast your own if you prefer, over low heat in a dry pan and only lightly, but if we’re subscribing to life’s too short, buy them ready toasted!!

    3tbl avocado oil (or your preferred light tasting oil – I think avocado adds a little more creaminess and sweetness)

    1tsp salt

    Method

    Place the toasted sesame seeds in a food processor and process on high for a good minute until you see them starting to break down.

    Pour in 1 tbl of oil and add the salt. I feel like the mixture gets smoother when it’s a bit thicker, so blend for a minute or more with just 1tbl of oil.

    Once the mixture is looking very smooth, pour in the remaining two tbl of oil.

    I store tahini in the cupboard in a glass jar. As well as being a useful addition to various recipes, tahini is very moreish spread on fresh bread or as a dip for crudite.

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  • Vegan lentil pies

    Vegan lentil pies

    Makes 4 x 12cm pies, or six x 10cm pies… or one big one if you prefer!

    A few friends have asked me recently for recipe ideas… this is a very unusual occurrence, and obviously based on being vegan/ vegetarian more than my famous culinary skills!

    So this is an absolute basic… In my book, lentil pies are a stand alone dish, but the filling is what I use for vegan mince if I don’t want to use a ready-made product (such as Quorn) and can be varied to make bolognese, cottage pie etc

    Ingredients

    1 tbl coconut oil

    2 shallots peeled and finely chopped

    1 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped

    A sprig of rosemary

    A couple of sprigs of thyme

    125g dried puy lentils, rinsed thoroughly

    125ml passata

    2tbl tomato paste

    400ml stock (Marigold Vegan is good)

    1 tsp liquid smoke or 1 tbl smoked paprika

    1 sheet puff pasty

    1 tbl egg replacer (you can use nut milk if you prefer but I find the egg replacer gives the crust a more golden colour!)

    Method

    Warm the oil and add the shallots and garlic

    Soften on a low heat for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden

    Add the rinsed lentils to the pan and stir though onions and garlic

    Stir in passata, tomato paste and stock

    Add rosemary and thyme and liquid smoke or smoked paprika

    Leave simmering on a low heat, checking and stirring from time to time

    If the mixture gets too think or dry, add a little extra water

    When finished you want it to be moist without being runny and firm but not dry

    The cooking instructions on my puy lentils always seem to underestimate cooking time… I would leave the pan simmering for a good 45 minutes, but I do prefer the lentils to be very soft (and I get complaints about them having “bones” if they’re crunchy…)

    While the lentils are simmering, cut the top and bottom pastry rounds and fit the base into an oiled pie tin

    When the lentils have cooked, spoon them into the prepared pie tin… don’t underfill or you’ll have stingy pies and the top will sag. The mixture won’t expland during cooking except for heat, so fill close to the top

    Brush the edges with egg replacer and fit the lids on top, carefully pressing down to ensure the edges seal

    Brush the top of each pie with more egg replacer

    Bake in a 180°C for 20 minutes – slightly less for smaller pies, and up to 40 minutes for one large pie

    One more idea: If I’m making these pies I usually make double quantity of the lentils, use half for little pies and put the other half in a ceramic baking dish that can go in the freezer…. a week or so later, I whip out the frozen lentils and top with mashed potato for super quick cottage pie.

  • Pumpkin and peanut pate

    Pumpkin and peanut pate

    (Ugh. Alliteration. Sorry…)

    It tastes good though and is the easiest thing EVER to make. Spread it in a sandwich or serve it with warm bread, crackers or crudite. It’s good and the peanuts add a hit of protein.

    Ingredients

    1 cup of roasted butternut squash/ pumpkin

    1/2 cup raw peanuts

    1 clove garlic

    1/2 tsp ground coriander

    Equipment

    Cup measure

    Food processor

    Method

    Put all the ingredients into the food processor and blitz. That’s it. If the consistency is too think you can add a little water. Decorate with fresh herbs or a sprinkle of ground coriander and some peanuts.

  • Going vegan

    Going vegan

    I feel like I need to start with a disclaimer: I am not vegan. I am however a lifelong vegetarian and the mother of six children, all of whom started life omnivorous and all of whom have chosen at one point or another to be vegetarian. One made the decision after coming face to face with a hogroast, one after watching the original Blue Planet, one after deciding it was hypocritical to call herself an animal lover and another after discovering that people eat dogs in some parts of the world and pondering the difference between a dog and a cow/pig/sheep etc. I am not trying to validate any of these opinions, just saying us humans often have different reasons for coming to the same conclusion… and of course many of us come to completely different conclusions too.

    Personally, I chose not to eat meat as a baby – neither being abstemious nor righteous – I guess I just didn’t like it much. And although that’s probably the least virtuous reason anyone decides to be vegetarian, it’s the truth. Over the years I have happily found myself in agreement with other people’s principles though: I despise animal cruelty and value environmental responsibility. Being vegetarian is pretty easy for me. I can honestly say I have never tried, nor been tempted to try bacon. I have tried some other meats including chicken, fish and cheeseburgers (?!) usually in an attempt to please other people or minimise attention to my weird eating habits.

    Funnily enough, the whole meat-free thing seems to be becoming distinctly unweird, so much so that us Old School Veggies are often even less catered to than before. Identify yourself as vegetarian on a flight and you will get a vegan meal. This translates to margarine instead of butter (I love butter) and grapes instead of cheesecake (who doesn’t love cheesecake?) So even WE are swearing about all the vegans!! Well, at times anyway…

    Most recently one of my daughters has decided to go vegan and it has thrown quite a spanner in the supper works. It’s a whole new level of detail. I support her decision though and am happy to help her take this  journey… so much so that I thought I’d give it a whirl too. It’s not the first time I’ve “gone vegan” but this time has been more successful, possibly because I’m not the only one who wants to do it. The small boys are largely oblivious to eating vegan: if they’re hungry (and the food doesn’t look too “bitty”/”herbal”/”spicy”/”disgusting”) they eat.

    As it’s Veganuary (a name almost as grating as Brexit, but hey, you know what I’m talking about!) I thought I’d share some of my successes. You can find my offerings in Stripped Bare Food. I’m not a great cook by any stretch of the imagination… I just do simple, nutritious meals for lots of people.

    Do drop me a line and a photo if you have a vegan recipe that’s good. I’d love to try it at home and share it with anyone else who’s interested. Oh, and don’t forget your vitamin B12!

  • Vegan Rice Crispie Cakes or Twilight Slice

    Vegan Rice Crispie Cakes or Twilight Slice

    Vegan mars bar slice rice crispie cakesCall them rice crispie cakes or Mars Bar slices, this is a vegan version which is super easy (the children could make it themselves)… Mars Bars have been substituted with Twilight bars by Go Max Go and butter is replaced with coconut products. It’s not the work of genius and I’m not even pretending this is somehow healthy or cheap… but it is delicious and if you’re keen to get the whole family to try plant-based food this might win them over for a few minutes at least.

    Ingredients

    4 x Twilight bars

    60g coconut oil and 15g coconut butter (If you’re in Australia use 85g Copha!! – it’s the best product for this recipe but sadly only available downunder)

    75g Puffed rice

    Equipment

    Heat resistant glass bowl and saucepan that fit together to create a bain marie

    Large mixing bowl

    20cm x 20cm baking tray

    Baking tray liner such as Bake-o-glide or non stick baking paper

    Mixing spoons and measuring scales

    Method

    Break up Twilight bars and put in glass bowl with the coconut oil/butter or Copha.

    Sit bowl over a gently boiling saucepan of water to slowly melt the ingredients together.

    Stir mixture and take off the heat as soon as it is melted.

    Measure puffed rice into a large mixing bowl.

    Tip chocolate mixture over puffed rice and stir gently (but quickly before it solidifies) to combine. Be careful not to crush the puffed rice too much.

    Pour mixture into lined tray and gently press so it is evenly spread and flat on top.

    Put tray into fridge to cool and set. This should only take 30 minutes.

    Cut into small cubes, or longer bar-shapes as you prefer.

    Store in airtight glass container.