Crickets...

I'll just come out with it: I went to Peru and didn't tell you. That's part of the reason it's been so quiet around here (in addition to a heaping portion of volunteer work and a certain amount of existential turmoil). But anyway, the point is: I'm in Peru. And the week before I left for Peru, I came down with a terrible case of Vacation Outfit Emergency Syndrome (VOES).

Those of you who live in San Francisco know how futile it is to own summer clothes, seeing as how we don't have summer. Which means that the only shorts, bikinis or sundresses a girl is likely to own are the ones she bought for her last beach vacation back in 2007, the days when camo was on the wane but not yet embarrassing. Regardless. In the face of VOES, time and trends are immaterial.

I tried to do right. Knowing that a sustainable sundress was going to be mighty hard to come by, I went through my existing options carefully. I committed to checking ALL the consignment shops before stepping foot in a single boutique, turning myself into a pollo con su cabeza cortada for a good 72 hours. Ultimately I bought two dresses and a belt from Lucky Brand, a completely unapologetic mass-market brand owned by Liz Claiborne Inc. They seem to have a Code of Conduct and some concern for worker's rights, but there's no indication whatsoever that they're contemplating environmental impact.

End result: I feel bad, even while looking good.