My Favorites:
Shoes: My favorite ballet flats are Rothy’s, they’re a vegan ballet flat that’s 3D knit from threads made out of recycled water bottles. They’re machine washable, durable, and they’ve never given me a blister (and I wore them traveling and have walked over 5 miles in them!) Zappos has a vegan search option for finding shoes, and Vegan8 is a blog that listed all vegan athletic shoes as of 2015. Moo Shoes is an all vegan shoe store in NYC that also has an online presence and is a great place to find vetted vegan shoes. Will’s of London is a high-end vegan shoe brand that makes stylish and durable shoes.
Handbags, Wallets & Luggage: I cannot recommend Matt & Nat highly enough. I’ve had a handbag from them for over 3 years and it still looks as good as the day I bought it. It has great pockets, is incredibly functional, and includes recycled materials in its manufacture. We’ve had luck with their carry on luggage as well.
Coats: Patagonia offers great down-alternative jackets, as does North Face and even L.L. Bean (they have a down alternative children’s jacket that’s inexpensive as well.)
Clothes: I find clothes just about everywhere, but it can take some label reading in the fall. Sales associates are often fabulous resources for helping direct you towards a chunky cotton knit amidst the sea of wool-blends. I’ve recently had luck at Ann Taylor, Lou & Grey, and Topshop (offered at Nordstrom). I also wear a lot of Athleta, who recently added an eco label to some of their clothes to help you make more environmental choices. Layering a long-sleeved cotton shirt with a down-alternative vest or a warm scarf is another great way to feel cozy and get more out of your wardrobe basics.
Shopping Guides:
Peta has regularly updated shopping guides on their website for fashion, beauty and more all in their “living” section.
ADAPTT.org has veg shopping guides and recipes here.
VegNews: Their website has lots of articles about vegetarianism and veganism, and plenty of links to helpful resources and shopping guides. One of Greg’s coworkers gave us one of their magazines shortly after we transitioned, and it helped remind me that I was joining a well-established community who has already faced many of the difficulties of being vegan in a non-vegan world. Just flipping through the advertisements and seeing the vegan products available gave me comfort and hope. The articles were even better.
Vegucated has a page of helpful articles and tips here: http://www.getvegucated.com/resources/helpful-articles-tips/ They have shopping guides, gift guides, guides for the holidays and more.