Under the Iron Man's shadow

If I didn't have my digital iCal page filled up with colorful bits taking up chunks of time each day, I swear I wouldn't know where the time goes. It is April and so much has come together in what now seems like four record-short months. I'm wearing my Belle Époque hat at the moment and would like to share my adventure with Brittany at Clover Crawl this past Saturday.

Clover Crawl was held at Vulcan Park and was put on by the Green Resource Center for Alabama. Brittany and I showed up to a sunny, green and blue day and started to put her Molly Green tent together. While it was a great event and we were honored to be a part of the "greening of Birmingham", it was pretty clear early on that the day would be about sharing the message of eco-chic rather than making sales. We donned floppy Parisian straw hats, painted our nails - for me one hand mint, the other mint and geranium - and Brittany got me into a pair of green skinny jeans. If you know me (and clearly Brittany knows me well) this is quite a feat. If nothing else, we were preaching the gospel of coloful, beautiful, sustainable clothing.

We had prime real estate: a large tree above our tent, shading us from the hottest parts of the day, a corner next to the skyline, in order to glance out and see Birmingham in all of its sunny, Saturday bustle and glory, and, as the day grew old, an encroaching shadow in the shape of an iron worker, arm raised above his forge. There was something exciting about spreading our love of slow fashion beneath the longest lasting symbol of Birmingham. And educating interested parties about local and sustainable style atop the city that inspired our collaboration. When we showed women the Vulcan sash, the relatability was immediate and the reaction always the same: they would exclaim and then turn to look up at Vulcan, as if to make sure the likeness was a fair one.

It was a good day, full of brainstorming and dancing to eager musicians. I think we're ready for Belle Époque's real debut this coming Thursday, April 5th at Avondale Brewing Company. We are participating in Junior Achievement's Hot Biz in the City. For tickets, visit this link. We'll save a seat for you, chérie!