Josi has a question: "I am having the hardest time this year getting motivated for the move from shorts and tank tops to pants and whatever! It's back to school time, and I want to look cute picking up the kids, carting them around to lessons and practices.....cute but PRACTICAL. I have no problem getting way dressed up, but need ideas for outfits to wear just running around town...any ideas (I am in Texas so it is still pretty hot)."

Like many of you, I have one hell of a time finding jeans. It seems like it shouldn't be so difficult -- there are a million different styles, and all I need is ONE PAIR. But, I have a few, uh, let's say quirks that make shopping tough:

It's been a while since I've done written about the refashionistas, those creative, frugal fashion crafters who take older, unworn clothes and thrift-store finds, cut, paint, sew, style, and design great new functional items from them.  A gold-mine of ideas for used jeans can be found at WiseBread's post: Twenty-five Things to Do With Old Jeans by Myscha Theriault. Let's examine some of her ideas:

I have 2 pair of jeans that fit me. That's all.  Two pair I bought on sale at Ross because my old jeans could not be worn in public anymore without a threat of embarrassing me. When I bought these jeans, I did not spend a lot of time, thought, or cash making the decision beyond the "they fit in the waist and hips" check. 

The other night, as she was getting ready for the BlogHer holiday gathering, our own Debra Roby asked Twitter for some fashion advice: "Can I get away with jeans and flat shoes at a party, if the top is really, really hot??" Answer: why yes she can! And so can you, if you do it right. Joe's Jeans, Bluefly, $95.00

Now that your closet is clean (your closet IS clean, isn't it?), it's time to talk about basic wardrobing pieces. The basics are the building blocks of your wardrobe, essential pieces that you can mix and match with virtually everything else in your closet to create a look that will work every day. The basics are NOT a complete wardrobe by themselves, although you CAN wear them together; instead, think of them as a foundation that you can use to build a look that is distinctly yours. Let's start with the most basic of basics: the white shirt and blue jeans.

Can a non-organic vodka be called green? Low-pesticide jeans called sustainable? Uncertified wood called eco-friendly? These're the Qs I keep having to ask amidst the slew of semi-green press releases -- and semi-green shwag -- hitting my email inbox and real-life mailbox these days.