faux leather | Sunshine and Slaughter

I’ve already written about motorcycle safety gear for the avid rider, but what about the moto look for fashion? You won’t need to be protected, but if you want to look good and steer clear of leather, you’ve got options!

Here’s the classic James Dean style jacket–with a twist: The pleather is quilted. I love this jacket and recently got it on sale at Aeropostale. You can find a lot of faux leather options at this place. And unlike leather, you won’t have to worry about a little rain.

For guys, how about this faux suede moto jacket? It’s a Perry Ellis design from Nordstrom. My husband didn’t mind the faux. He was happy actually, and pointed out that a lot of high-end cars use Alicante (a durable, water-resistant faux suede) in their interiors.

If you don’t need to replicate the look of leather but love the moto style, check out a few other options like this brown velvet version and a bright yellow cotton one. The velvet jacket is from Forever 21 and the cotton one I found (new) on eBay.

I couple of other takes include a blush pink number from JC Penney and a fabric and pleather one also from Forever 21.

I recently spotted a slew of great motorcycle jackets in the Macy’s juniors department. These are by American Rag and come in a lot of great shades.

So far, most of the jackets I’ve shown are lower end, often juniors, and they’re likely faux because faux is often cheaper (for the younger demographic). But you don’t have to go cheap to go faux. Vaute Couture, the vegan fashion house out of Brooklyn, makes a great classic moto jacket in v-wool for men and women and waxed canvas, also in men’s and women’s sizes.

You can check out Alternative Outfitters too, a vegan online retailer, to find jackets that are cruelty-free. Other stores like Free People and ModCloth are good sources too and carry cute vegan options. Do a search on their sites for vegan or faux and you’re bound to find something.

No matter what price point or style you’re looking for, you can avoid animal skins easily, thanks to the abundant choices we have these days. Happy shopping!

When going vegan, leaving hamburgers off the menu might not be difficult but if the thought of finding leather-free bags sounds daunting, I’m here to help. It’s actually fun and simple to find leather-free purses and totes.

Here are some examples that I’ve picked up over the years.

Matt & Nat is an all-vegan line that has really stylish laptop bags, messenger bags, purses, and wallets. There’s something for everyone–men and women. So far, I have only one piece from Matt & Nat: a faux-suede cross-body bag made using recycled plastic bottles.

Shiraleah also sells cute, affordable vegan bags. I have a couple of their crossbody bags. Hands-free and cruelty-free! Like Matt & Natt, this company is ethical and green.

Sometimes the fact that a purse is vegan is obvious. Cute fabric purses are all over the stores. And in spring, you’ll find straw and canvas totes everywhere. Have a look on Etsy for unique, handmade bags like these three that were given to me.

Here are three more small bags. In the top left, you’ll see a clutch by Crystalyn Kae. She has an amazing line of vegan purses. They’re glazed fabric, look like leather, and are really durable. My Alchemy Goods purse (in the lower left) is made of old bicycle inner tubes. They’re a Seattle company that makes wallets, laptop sleeves and purses. Seatbelt Bags weaves bags from seatbelt fabric. They’re also made in the USA.

I have a range of clutches in faux leather. Three of these are label-less, but the orange one is Shiraleah.

I’ve bought a few Nine West purses over the years–all thrifted, and all non-leather. They’re not a vegan company but there’s a good selection if you look.

When I carry my electronic devices, I need a bag that fits them. The large, Crystalyn Kae tote fits my huge laptop. I put my Surface in a smaller tote like this one by Snap Designs. My Kindle will fit in almost any bag, but I like this one from JC Penney.

I’ve even found some fun, specialty purses. These are from a few places. The Valentino-inspired flower purse is from a street fair in Florida, the alligator embossed bag is from Target, and the clear PVC bag is from Forever 21.

From Payless to Stella McCartney, there are vegan bags at every price point. I want to get my hands on a Gunas. They’re an all-vegan line and have unique, trendy bags. Do you have a favorite vegan bag?