HOPE t-shirt benefitting Falling Whistles

$1 from each purchased t-shirt benefits our friends at Falling Whistles (a call for peace in Congo) www.fallingwhistles.com

This t-shirt is based on a painting I created at Mosaic to inspire people to go and serve. Screen-printed then hand-painted on Alternative Apparel tee. On women, looks great a couple of sizes larger, and you can cut and customize it as well.

Unisex Lace Leaf teeFor a limited time $1 from each logo tee benefits Falling Whistles

Purchase here at http://www.julialovandresses.etsy.com

Each tee comes with a complimentary fashion illustrated thank you card. Illustrations are below. (collect all 4 greeting cards!)

Falling Whistles/JLDCalvinKlein and YummyCookie/Ungaro greeting cards.


Eco/Luella and fair trade/Rodarte greeting cards.

Buy these cards at your favorite stores- coming soon.
$2/ea or $6/4 cards. Free postage if purchased before 01/10/2010 with minimum purchase of 3 cards.
You can purchase these currently by emailing or sending PayPal payment to JULESANDTHESEA@GMAIL.COM.

Just Perspectives [through fashion]: The Justice Project

THE JUSTICE PROJECT: Just Perspectives
Hey all, I'm blogging about a neat book called The Justice Project. Read on! =)

I live two seemingly disparate lives: I've been experiencing even moreso the gritty nonglam side of Los Angeles as I have been walking to and from work and the market, which can be a sharp contrast to my fastpaced fashion industry life. This week Bresee Community Center had our annual Thanksgiving Potluck for our kids and their families. 250+ people show up every year to share food, fellowship, and make merry. As the staff sat down last to eat, my boss started telling the old children's story Stone Soup. (I raised my hand as having heard it before, as we had put on a whole classroom play on it in 2nd grade, complete with real stone soup!)

The story goes, in post-war Eastern Europe a soldier passed through a village in the middle of famine. He unearthed his "magical" stone to make his delicious stone soup. "Ahh," the soldier said to himself rather loudly, "I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage -- that's hard to beat." Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a cabbage he'd retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot. "Capital!" cried the soldier. "You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king." So the village butcher produced some salt beef, and on it went with a variety of vegetables being added, and there was enough for everyone. The close of the story was "no matter how poor we are, we can still come together to share and have enough." That hit me right as I was shoveling turkey and stuffing into my mouth, and if I were alone, I would've wept uncontrollably like the times I sit in front of the t.v. watching a Hallmark movie (like tonight).

Day-of turkey sandwich, fixin's and a tamale

A Hallmark tear-jerker

It hit me because I remembered just how poor most of the people in the room were, and yet we celebrated there in the school cafeteria like we were all kings and queens... and as I write this I'm remembering that is what we are. As Ashley Bunting Seeber, contributer to the book The Justice Project edited by Brian McLaren, Elisa Padilla, and Ashley Bunting Seeber, asks in regards to U.S. history and our justice perspectives, "Do we as a country see ourselves clearly?" Do we as individuals see ourselves clearly?:


Gal 3:29 "If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Romans 8:17 "Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory."
Titus 3:7 "...so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."
1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

To some people they would see a room full of immigrants or people to be helped. To Kingdom vision people they see with Christ a royal priesthood, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, a holy nation, justified by his grace. Who wouldn't want to be seen and treated in this true way?! If a person cannot consciously perceive disregard for their worth, their spirit can at least pick up on it. Luke 6:45 "For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."
I just met up with a fashion designer friend I met at L.A. Fashion Week, who until recently was operating out of New York with her popular Comme des Garcon-esque designs. We went to the amazing BOTTEGA LOUIE cafe and restaurant downtown and thought of 50 humanly impossible things we could start in the next few months. All of this a means to get to our goal of shalom with our global neighbors. (Yes, through fashion!)

Come back on Friday to see and purchase the new t-shirt project I'll be releasing that benefits Falling Whistles.

Apparel News cover June 2009

Julia LoVan wedding dress

Kut From a Different Cloth Fashion Show

Kut From a Different Cloth Fashion Show

Hypebeast, Scion and 3 Steps Ahead Media sponsored this pretty vibin' event at Vibiana in downtown L.A. It was just a few blocks from Union Rescue Mission. Nowadays I'm either in that area to volunteer or go to a fashion show. ha.
I went with my photographer Marie and met 6 more of our friends down there. Felix from LookBookLA grabbed my dig. camera and shot a portrait of us. I shot some footage of the show which I'll upload later. Although we were all impressed by the caliber of artful dressing in the house, it was unanimous- the male attendees definitely won for creative dressing. I networked with some of the models from Photogenics Agency as well as stylists, djs, and other designers like Rey Aquino Designs. I loooove their English Gents collection. And how friendly they were!
Here is the "exceptionally creative" album from the night that will leave you inspired. Photos by Marie Jachimoicz for Julia LoVan.

And here is an album of the fashion show and partygoers. Click on the pictures to see the full size in my Picasa album.

Right now I'm being bugged by middle schooler Jonas. Jonas, do you have anything to say? "Why?" Jonas what are you thankful for? "Who you gonna send it to?" "You're just typing whatever?" No I'm typing what you're speaking. (silence. pensive.)"
K going home! Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't forget to tune in this week as I blog about the new book The Justice Project edited by Brian McLaren et al. with foreward by Jim Wallis of Sojourners.