Loving your practical posts, well done! Everything you're writing about would have been gobbled up by me back when I was a busy young Classical singer/performer ('90's-early 2000's). Your holistic approach to both the inner and outer worlds of performing-- and the many preparations required-- is simply profound.
Now that I think about it-- it's not unlike preparing a large delicious meal for guests! The ingredients... the table... the wine... the vases of flowers. But omg the company is coming in 10 min. and I haven't decided what I'm wearing, and omg why am I feeling so stressed out? This was supposed to be fun...!! I love this!!-- Right??
So today, I'm hosting. And I know which dress will make me feel gorgeous. I did my yoga last night-- AND prebaked the dessert ahead of time. I deserve to enjoy this! All of it, even the craziness, once everyone arrives! Because somewhere in there, I'm creating magic. And connection. And I want my guests to go home satiated, beloved and changed. ❤️
Thanks for the shout out! Eshakti is no longer in business after they scammed a bunch of customers. I was always very skeptical about JJ seeing varying quality unsure about the ethics behind it. Even though my first business (ODDC/Shoperatic) was in gowns, I actually hate them. They are EXTREMELY wasteful as they are not something you’ll get a lot of wear out of and I find the whole practice very misogynistic where we were expected as singers to turn up and out in something over the top but, male counterparts could wear the same smelly tux or suit. It was costly and ridiculous when our fees already stunk as performers for most gigs. This is precisely why I create pieces that can be mixed and matched together or separately. My new fleur peplum can be worn with a gala skirt, skort, jeans or really whatever you want underneath. If you are going to spend money, get your wears out of it! While Shoperatic FB group is less active after I just didn’t have the $$$ nor time at this stage in my life to keep it up, it’s still a great resource to buy/trade from colleagues. In the 2010s we used to rent out gowns in NYC to pay back the investment. I met some of my best friends to this day through the nonsense of it all. I recommend finding size/body twins and trading off wears for money or however you want to work it out. It’s such a sustainable way to keep more money in your pocket and support fellow colleagues.
Yes! We love the trade idea, and love the recommendations for people that live in a metropolitan area. Unfortunately, we live in a small, rural area, so trading is not as feasible for us at this point. We definitely are advocates of rewearing whatever people buy, repairing, caring and renting or buying secondhand when possible. ...at the bottom of it, you're right--overconsumption and underpayment is the problem with fashion. We talk more about the importance of rewearing/caring/repairing in our next article.
I (Kaitlyn) am curious about Eshakti--I just bought a piece recently, and did not have any problems with it and it seems like the site is still functional. Am I missing something?
Loving your practical posts, well done! Everything you're writing about would have been gobbled up by me back when I was a busy young Classical singer/performer ('90's-early 2000's). Your holistic approach to both the inner and outer worlds of performing-- and the many preparations required-- is simply profound.
Now that I think about it-- it's not unlike preparing a large delicious meal for guests! The ingredients... the table... the wine... the vases of flowers. But omg the company is coming in 10 min. and I haven't decided what I'm wearing, and omg why am I feeling so stressed out? This was supposed to be fun...!! I love this!!-- Right??
So today, I'm hosting. And I know which dress will make me feel gorgeous. I did my yoga last night-- AND prebaked the dessert ahead of time. I deserve to enjoy this! All of it, even the craziness, once everyone arrives! Because somewhere in there, I'm creating magic. And connection. And I want my guests to go home satiated, beloved and changed. ❤️
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled that this would have resonated with your younger self--that's exactly who we're hoping to reach!
And yes--you are creating magic and what you do is profoundly meaningful and important. We hope the performance went well! ❤️
Thanks for the shout out! Eshakti is no longer in business after they scammed a bunch of customers. I was always very skeptical about JJ seeing varying quality unsure about the ethics behind it. Even though my first business (ODDC/Shoperatic) was in gowns, I actually hate them. They are EXTREMELY wasteful as they are not something you’ll get a lot of wear out of and I find the whole practice very misogynistic where we were expected as singers to turn up and out in something over the top but, male counterparts could wear the same smelly tux or suit. It was costly and ridiculous when our fees already stunk as performers for most gigs. This is precisely why I create pieces that can be mixed and matched together or separately. My new fleur peplum can be worn with a gala skirt, skort, jeans or really whatever you want underneath. If you are going to spend money, get your wears out of it! While Shoperatic FB group is less active after I just didn’t have the $$$ nor time at this stage in my life to keep it up, it’s still a great resource to buy/trade from colleagues. In the 2010s we used to rent out gowns in NYC to pay back the investment. I met some of my best friends to this day through the nonsense of it all. I recommend finding size/body twins and trading off wears for money or however you want to work it out. It’s such a sustainable way to keep more money in your pocket and support fellow colleagues.
Hey Suzanne, you're very welcome! :)
Yes! We love the trade idea, and love the recommendations for people that live in a metropolitan area. Unfortunately, we live in a small, rural area, so trading is not as feasible for us at this point. We definitely are advocates of rewearing whatever people buy, repairing, caring and renting or buying secondhand when possible. ...at the bottom of it, you're right--overconsumption and underpayment is the problem with fashion. We talk more about the importance of rewearing/caring/repairing in our next article.
I (Kaitlyn) am curious about Eshakti--I just bought a piece recently, and did not have any problems with it and it seems like the site is still functional. Am I missing something?