Travel Apparel and Accessories with Lots of Pockets

 My accessories and apparel, like this crossbody bag, are all about pockets. 👜

And I’m celebrating Spring with a Spring Fling — $20 off any of my products with this discount code: 5E907DE 🌟

I’m so excited with this awesome photo shoot ✨

that was a collaboration of members (including myself) of the NYC Fair Trade Coalition @NYCfairtrade. The fair trade creatives are small, women-owned businesses that make it easy to shop fair, local and sustainably. (Most of my products are manufactured in the tri-state area but all are Made in America.) Check out the crossbody bag at the link in profile or here: 

http://www.jthetravelauthority.com/store/cross-body-canvas-bag

Aside from my brand — Land of J, Inc. @jcreature travel — the other brands are:

Juliana Heels @julianaheels

Ponchos Rojas @ponchosrojas

Yanawara @yanawaranyc

i wander through @i.wander.through

Big shout out and heaps of thanks to the Team: ✨

Model: Ashley Rodriguez @baddiee.ash 

Production Assistant: Sergio Melesio @smshots_

Photographer: Philip Harris @philandhispictures 

Styling and Director: Marly Barraza @mardesignstudio_

Makeup Artist: Lindsay Kastuk @lindsaykastuk

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Sale: Innovative and Creative Products That I Designed - Locally Made

Winter already seems particularly long this year. So I decided to hold a Winter Sale. (Kind of a way of celebrating the days growing longer.) Anyone using this discount code 17F47WX when shopping in my store will get 20% off on any of my products. (The sale is on until the last day of Winter, March 19.) They are all locally made, mostly in the New York/New Jersey area. Shopping locally and favoring small businesses — especially those owned by women — is important to me. That’s why I joined the New York City Fair Trade Coalition. To find out more about my products that I designed and created, click here for my interview with the NYC Fair Trade Coalition. You’ll learn about my 7-in-1 wallet, cross-body bag, fashionable multi-pocket vest for women, any-occasion photo greeting cards and, of course, the quirky AngryJ. Find out why AngryJ is a hit with adults. 

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Video: Fashionable + Practical Women's Travel Vest

When you travel, you don't want to be a target, whether labelled as a tourist or as someone carrying valuables. But being savvy and practical shouldn't mean giving up being stylish and fashionable. I designed the Pocket Change multi-pocket vest for women with 10 hidden pockets - so hidden that only you'll know where they are.

Michael-Ann Rowe, an Emmy award winning journalist and TV personality, demonstrates why she loves this vest in this video that you can view here.

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Innovative Micro Travel Bag for Women + Men

 

Tired of toting around a heavy bag that gives you neck and back pain? 


A bag you have to rifle through to dig out just about anything?

A bag that sets you up as a target when you travel?

Or, are you someone who, instead, crams your vitals -- credit cards, money -- into a fat wallet or cell phone case that you have to dig out of your pocket (or bag) where more rifling ensues?

atta-Bag is for those women or men who travel the world or their neighborhood, going from home to work to night spot, who want to be hands free. It’s simple, stylish and low-profile.

This unique uni-sex bag can be worn seven different ways, including over the shoulder, slung low around the waist or looped through a belt. It's a far cry from the geeky fanny pack that can label you as a tourist.

My inspiration for designing this bag came a few years ago after being robbed of all my valuables from my tiny backpack. It was the middle of the day, in a capital city, in front of a popular museum. The perpetrators were very skillful, able to unzip and re-zip my backpack without me feeling a thing and, within 30 seconds, they walked (or ran) away with my passport, credit cards, cash, plane ticket and more.

atta-Bag sells for $65, and 10% of annual net profits will go toward supporting the efforts of She's The First, a non-profit that sponsors girls’ education in 11 low-income countries (including Nepal, Guatemala and Sierra Leone) with the goal of creating first-generation graduates and the next generation of global leaders. (After all, I’m a first-generation graduate of Barnard College, and a former educator.) I couldn't be happier to partner with this inspiring organization that has made it their mission to increase the number of female graduates around the world.

The first samples of atta-Bag have just arrived. For more information on how to buy this innovative travel bag, contact me here.

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Holiday Discount: Ethical + Fashionable Bags Making A Difference For Women + Girls

I met a couple of very wonderful women last week with a company called Catrinka. It's an ethical fashion accessory brand that's dedicated to investing in women and girls. All the products are made by women, and a share of the proceeds goes to education and mentoring for teen girls. Their motto is: Catrinka: buy a bag, employ a woman, educate a girl. This is completely in line with my sensibilities, especially given  that I'm a former educator who now mentors women at Barnard, the all-woman's college that's part of Columbia University, where I graduated; and the products I'm designing mostly are focused on women and girls. This company is graciously offering a discount to all my readers and followers: 10% off everything through 12/31 by using discount code: J10. Check out these chic, fashionable bags:

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Holiday Discount: Cute, Fun, Fashionable Belt Bags

I just met a very cool designer who has some cute, fun, fashionable and practical fanny packs.  Lots of different patterns and fabrics. The clutch converts to a belt bag; the tote converts to a backpack. And she graciously offered all my followers a 20% discount (Code: FREEHANDS) through January 1. Check out her collection, Beau and Ro. 

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Gear Review: Synergy Organic Clothing For Savvy Travelers

I couldn't seem to escape the sweltering temperatures this summer. Whether racing around Manhattan or Williamsburg, Brooklyn from one meeting to the next, checking out a newly developed waterfront in Lisbon, bicycling in Madrid, waiting for hours to catch a long-distance train in Budapest, or exploring galleries Bratislava, I found that the weather over the past four weeks made it difficult to dress comfortably but professionally.

Luckily I traveled with two new dresses by Synergy Organic Clothing.
The Peacock Flutter and the Hummingbird Meadow, both made mostly of (95%) organic cotton and a little (5%) Lycra, packed well in my tiny carry-on, hardly wrinkled, washed easily and dried quickly and, most importantly, felt oh, so comfortable in the sticky climes I was frequenting. They were light, airy and just plain fun.

In addition, both went from days of strolling urban scapes, attending business meetings, and even pedaling along the path paralleling the Rio Manzanares in Madrid to nights sipping a crisp Vinho Verde wine in a chic Lisbon bar, or  having dinner in a rooftop restaurant in Manhattan.

Both dresses capture a creative vibe (they are bedecked with hand-sewn appliques carrying a nature-based theme) and are part of the company's sustainability ethic: they are manufactured in Nepal with the factories subscribing to fair-trade business practices, and relying on low-impact dyes.

What I love about these two dresses is that they embrace what I'm looking for: I gravitate to clothing companies that are sustainable but I also don't want to look like I'm about to hike the Appalachian Trail. The items should be simple without neglecting a sense of informal elegance, and, as a bonus, also have a creative side. (I am a writer, inventor and designer, after all, so wearing staid clothing isn't my thing at all. But nor do I want something that is over the top bohemian.)

These two dresses wore so well, I might order a few more.

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Gear Review: A Transformative Garment - The Versalette

What if I told you (women) that you could pack one piece of fabric (tube-shaped) that could replace 20 items in your luggage?  Oh, and what if I sweetened up the deal by saying that everything about it would be  sustainable? Pretty fantastical, huh? But that's what the Versalette does. Because of an ingenious design that depends on buttons and draw strings, my little charcoal toned fabric acts as a scarf (actually two types of scarves), hood, short skirt, long skirt, strapless dress, halter dress, tunic (several types), a poncho (more here, too), a shawl and even a little purse.

Check out the LookBook and then review this video which shows how it can easily convert from one garment to the next. You can see how others are wearing the Versalette on their tumblr page.

And this is how I wore the Versalette:

Anyone who's met me knows I've very skinny. But, the Versalette can flatter any woman, no matter her shape. In fact, when my Versalette arrived in the mail in a little biodegradable pouch, it came with visual instructions for different body shapes. (I'm considered the Pencil and, as you can see above, I wore it as a short skirt, halter dress with the drawstrings pulled, and a strapless dress with black leggings.) At first, I was worried that my body might float in this tube-shaped garment. But, if you accent it with a flattering belt, scarf, or jacket, even if you are a fellow Pencil, you'll find looks that work well for you. In addition, it's key to really cinch the drawstrings properly (as per the directions) and then tuck in the bow.  Because there are wooden buttons, you have to follow the directions as to when you need to open the button holes and use the arm openings, and when to keep them unbuttoned. The garment also comes with two open pockets, which is handy for keeping a notebook and pen when you're traveling.

It might take some people a bit of time to read and re-read the instructions, follow along with the video and try out the different looks before you're able to make quick transformations and before you feel comfortable with those looks that work best for your body shape.

As far as the sustainability goes, I'm so happy that the creators, Shannon Whitehead and Kristin Glenn, decided that everything should be Made in the U.S.A. The fabric is made in North Carolina of recycled plastic bottles and recycled cotton scraps; the buttons are produced in Brooklyn, the drawstrings are dyed in Raleigh, North Carolina, and even the labels are embroidered in Austin, Texas.

Whenever I'm at the airport and I see people weighed down by their luggage, it makes me sad. There just is no need to carry so many articles of clothing. In fact, I'd bet that you didn't really wear all those clothes you brought on your last trip. Now, with the Versalette, you have no reason to pack several shirts, several skirts, several scarves. Just pack one (or two) of these. (They come in different colors, including sage, cherry and indigo, depending on what's in stock. (It costs $80.)

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Gear Review: A Cool Icelandic Company

Most anyone who visits Reykjavik ends up buying some piece of high-tech outwear or other clothing item from 66°NORTH, a well respected company that produces, everything from shells and parkas to thermal underwear, scarves and hats. But, my favorite Icelandic high-tech company is Cintamani. It started with finding their website before my first trip to Iceland several years ago and noting it had a bit of a sense of fancy. Then, once I visited the store, I found that I was captured not just by their icon, which, resembling a sun with solar flares, seemed to embody this land of fire and ice, but also by the clothing that was light, comfortable, warm and well designed.

Oddly enough, I've asked several people recently who are very gear savvy about Cintamani and none of them have heard of it. Unlike 66°NORTH, which can be found in stores across the U.S., I've only found Cintamani in Iceland or online. Too bad because this is a high performance product that looks great.

 

I opted to test out the Embla, an ultra-light, zippered jacket. It's constructed of Technopile, which is a synthetic fleece that wicks away sweat, is breathable, dries quickly and feels very plush. It doesn't pill with use. And, even better, I wear this not only on the trail but also during the day by pairing it with a dress or skirt. It's comfortable in the winter when layered over a Merino wool (which I prefer) sweater, but I'm also wearing it in the spring now as my sole jacket over a T-shirt or blouse. If the day becomes too warm, I just tie it around my waist or roll it up into my small bag -- it takes up little room and the weight in my bag is barely noticeable. Plus, if I end up in a super air-conditioned store or movie theater, the Embla comes to the rescue.

 It's got two zippered side pockets that come in handy for a wallet or just keys and loose change.  The neck comes up relatively high to keep me warm if there's a cold breeze. The price, though, is hardly for the budget minded. The Embla retains for upwards of $140 or so. In my view, though, it's well worth it. And, like with the Nau product I just reviewed, the Embla is coming with me on my trip to Portugal and Luxembourg. In fact, I'll be wearing it on the plane too. (It looks like it might also double as a nice pillow or lumbar support.)

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Gear Review: Eco-Friendly + Stylish Clothing

Yes, I'm a gear head, especially when it concerns clothing. I'm always on the lookout for very wearable, practical, yet stylish clothing that packs well, dries quickly and is eco-friendly on top of it.  I just found such a clothing manufacturer, Nau, when I was browsing recently in REI in New York City.  Nau's high-tech, performance-based products are minimalist, light and fashionable. That's a lot to expect from a dress that I tested out, the Chrysalis, aptly named considering it transforms from a light, water-repellent, mid-thigh-length shell (that I wore as a long-sleeve dress in cool weather atop a black SmartWool sweater and black leggings) to a sleeveless dress with a hoodie.

 The Chrysalis is feather light and, though it looks quite simple, when I wore it all over New York City, it elicited comments from fashion-conscious and fellow gear heads alike. The craftsmanship is apparent as is the appealing silhouette. No matter if it was a breezy, chilly, rainy or sun-filled day (or all of these weather conditions in a single day as Spring in New York City tends to be quite fickle), the Chrysalis was oh-so-comfortable and adaptable.

This dress is made of 100% recycled polyester with an added water repellent finish. It's got two cute ties on the waist that you can cinch, as well as two deep front pockets, and a flattering back pleat. Plus, the hoodie converts to a lovely shawl collar. The construction easily allows the Chrysalis to go from day to night, from the bike path to the bar.

One day, I sat down to a meeting with a colleague who brought along her toddler. Within moments, her three-year-old proceeded to spill an entire glass of chocolate milk on my Chrysalis. I was unfazed, as I watched the milk bead up and blotted up the remaining liquid with a paper towel, leaving the Chrysalis fresh and unstained.

On top of all this, Nau's eco-credentials are coherent with my sensibilities: the company has a respect for nature, is a proponent of bicycle advocacy and hugs trees as much as I do. The organizations they've partnered with include Mercy Corps that delivers relief to communities affected by disaster or civil unrest; Ashoka that brings together investors, entrepreneurs and governments to initiate social change; and The Bikes Belong Foundation that has the goal of making the U.S. are more bike-friendly country.

I'm off to Portugal and Luxembourg this week and I'm wearing the Nau Chrysalis on the plane. Since I don't check luggage and I need clothing items that does double or triple duty, this will be my new favorite piece.

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