Budget Fashion – Fabulously Green

Category archives: Budget Fashion

Arre: Stretching the Boundaries of Fashion

05Apr07

I am enthralled by these gossamer pieces of jewelry designed by Arre. Crafted from of all things–rubber bands. Whoever would have imagined that rubber bands could appear so delicate?

Arre’s debut Collection of necklaces, bracelets and earrings is based on the concept of notions stores, and the transformation of everyday objects into fun, wearable works of art. Rubber is considered a renewable resource, since it is a sap that is extracted from living trees. Available in five colors.

Arre is a Mexico City-based design workshop founded by long time friends Erendira Garnica and Regina Santos-Coy. Their pieces are surprisingly affordable (between $35-$65) and are available at various e-boutiques like stars+infinite darkness.

Filed under Budget Fashion, Handmade, Indie, Jewelry| Tagged Handmade, Indie, Reusable | No Comments

Studio Sale at Lotta Jansdotter

21Mar07

Fresh from the Fab Green inbox: one of my favorite designers, Lotta Jansdotter, is spring cleaning and we’re invited! She’s launching a sample sale on March 25 at her Brooklyn studio. What you’ll find: accessories for the home from past seasons, samples, and one-of-a-kind items up to 60% off.

Lotta Jansdotter’s Studio Sale:
Sunday March 25th
from 12 – 4pm
at 75c Hoyt Street
(between State & Atlantic Ave)
Brooklyn NY 11201
ph: 718-596-2055

Non-New Yorkers (self included) can find some great deals on select items online. I went ahead and bought a button tote (lower left picture) to serve as a sweet shopping bag. Made from eco-friendly 100% linen.

Filed under Bags, Budget Decor, Budget Fashion, Furnishings, Gifts+Gifting, Indie, Interior Design, Sales+Shopping| Tagged Eco-friendly, Indie, Linens | No Comments

Chic Wrist CAN-dy

21Mar07

I love, love, LOVE these elegant Bohemian Cuffs designed by Hardware by Renee. You would never guess that they are crafted from recycled cans of tea (Arizona Green Tea anyone?) wrapped inside a white brass alloy. Amazingly affordable too ($26 each).

A whimsical cuff for Starbucks’ zealots. There are seven designs in all available here.

Filed under Budget Fashion, Fashion - Women, Handmade, Jewelry, Refashion+Refurb, Unique| Tagged bracelets, Handmade, Hardware by Renee | No Comments

Going Green for the Roots Jam

16Feb07

The webcast of the pre-Grammy, 4th annual the Roots Jam is up on G Living! See who came out to lend their eco-support towards promoting composting programs in L.A. schools. VIP giftbags filled with green goodies were given to 75 special celebs. Fab Green joined the press core which was far more friendly and gracious than I expected.

I got to pal around with uber green blogger, Siel aka Green LA Girl. Both of us are camera-shy, but Siel (on the right) pitched in to interview celebs for ecorazzi and proved herself a natural with a mike (girl, I told you so!).

Eco-style spottings were thin on the Green Carpet, so I put in an eco-fashion showing. Let’s break it down:

Alive tee by Under the Canopy in mineral blue-grey (left). This is an unbelievably soft, organic cotton tee that fits like a second skin. The ruched-detail on the cap sleeves give a dressier look to a closet basic. $38 at Under the Canopy.

I wore a solid-colored version of the long-sleeved Conscious Tee. It fits me like a dream, and the scoop neck with ruching gives my tomboy-ish frame a more feminine look.

Underneath I wore Chakra Tank in Mudra Red. Like the other Under the Canopy tops this rib-knit tank fits perfectly. My only complaint is that the back side of the embroidery can be a bit rough and itchy.

The handbag: My Strawberry-colored Anarkali bag by Conserve. I bought this at Hip + Zen last year for an affordable $39, and get tons of compliments when I go out. When I tell people they’re made from recycled plastic bags, and support fairly-traded cooperatives in India they ask me where they can get one. Grab one at Hip and Zen or Overstock.
Thanks to Under the Canopy for sending me samples. Photos courtesy of fashion photographer Ram Gibson. Thanks for sharing Ram!

Filed under Bags, Budget Fashion, Fashion - Women, Handmade, Refashion+Refurb, Videos| Tagged Eco-friendly, Green Carpet Event, Handmade, Organic, Sweatshop-free, The Roots Jam | 2 Comments

Back from Kauai

07Feb07

Confession: I ran off to Kauai for the last five days and was so rushed that I’m only writing my hiatus entry now. Landed safely, and am sifting through lots of e-mails from you fine folks. I’ll be posting again sometime tomorrow. Missed you guys!

In the meantime, if you happen to be Kauai-bound yourself, I thought I’d send along a few fab green tips:

My first meal of the trip began at the Blossoming Lotus Restaurant, a gourmet vegan restaurant in the heart of Kapa’a (where my family conveniently stayed). You don’t have to be a vegan to appreciate the dishes (I’m not and my mom is an avid meat lover). The spring rolls were heavenly, the chocolate mousse decadent, and the beet borcht soup was a delight. The entrees were gorgeously presented, though some relied too much on salt, some too sweet, but I loved my udon noodle dish. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name!

I fell in love with the daily sunshine markets — and picked out succulent pineapples, roma tomatoes, taro and warabi from the local farmers (who handed me a recipe to try–which I did). Too bad I couldn’t buy a dozen pineapples to take back–no amount of bribery will get you past those agricultural checks.

I wish I had time to hit the Salvation Army Thrift Shop and other consignment boutiques for vintage Hawaiian fabrics, shirts and dresses. My family was determined to see EVERYTHING (which left little time for shopping), so instead I snuck down my street (Kuhio Hwy) to Vicky’s Fabrics and bought several yards of vintage-inspired prints designed by local artists and unavailable anywhere else. Thrilled! Now I just have to break out the new sewing machine I bought and learn how to thread the needle…

Photo Credit: How adorable is this Hula girl? Courtesy of Sneaky Tiki Boutique, an emerging vintage style and designer jewelry online shop.

Filed under Budget Fashion, Fashion - Men, Fashion - Women, Sales+Shopping, Vintage| Tagged Vegan | No Comments

Fab Friday | Fashion Finds

01Feb07

This week’s fashion finds cover the affordable and affluent, but undeniably fabulous.

STEPPIN’ OUT
Charmone Platform Shoes, $315, available at KaightNYC.

Spotted at Style.com

TIE ME UP, TIE ME DOWN
Snap Ties by Erin MacLeod, crafted from vintage ties, $29

Spotted at GreatGreenGoods

REBEL RUBBER

Designers Gaelyn and Cianfarani take recycled inner tubes for a new spin:

Spotted at Haute*Nature

Bromélia Bag by Amazon Life, made with Treetap, a natural latex rubber, and dyed denim

Spotted at Treehugger

Filed under Bags, Budget Fashion, Couture Style, Eco Glam, Fashion - Women, Jewelry, Refashion+Refurb, Shoes, Vintage| Tagged Changeable Style, Eco-friendly | No Comments

Fashion Watch: Tonic T-Shirts

31Jan07

American Apparel may be the trendy trailblazer of sweatshop-free tees sweeping the U.S., but London-based Tonic T-Shirts takes eco-street fashion one, two, even three steps further. Tonic Tees are sweatshop-free and certified organic, not to mention it offers a line of irreverent, eyecatching graphic prints in addition to colorful unprinted blanks:

Tonic offers co-ed versions of its printed/embroidered tees and polos, but the collection for guys outshines the one for gals in my humble opinion.

Although this Nada Tee is pretty cute:

Need some validation? Tonic’s got it. Tonic T-shirts are SKAL-certified organic, bear the FAIRTRADE MARK and are locally made under International Labour Organization guidelines. Plus they donate 8% of net profits are reinvested back into the producer’s local community.

Prices range from £15-17 but there are some bargain basement deals to be had. Today is also the last day of the January sale. Tonic Tees are available through stockists across the UK, Europe, Australia and online.

Filed under Budget Fashion, Fashion - Men, Fashion - Women, Urban Style| Tagged Eco-friendly, Organic | No Comments

Fab Friday | Fashion Finds

26Jan07

Some fabulous links to eco-chic fashion spotted around the web this week:
Emerging Parisian design label SANS debuts a simple yet sensual line of womenswear this season that features fresh and flattering silhouettes and sustainable fabrics made from bamboo, soy, tussah silk and organic cotton. SANS is a collaboration between designer Lika Volkova and sustainable production veteran Alessandro De Vito.

Via Jill Danyelle of fiftyRx3 for Inhabitat

Sk8bags and accessories by beck(y). Designed by Becky Hickey, the collection featured handcrafted, one-of-a-kind bags, iPod cases, wallets, totes and belts constructed from recycled skateboards and plush fabrics.

Via haute*nature

Accessories by San Francisco designer Liz Saintsing for vintage UNTAMED. Unique bags and belts inspired from refashioned flea-market finds and graphics printed by Liz herself.

Via Miss Malaprop at Stylehive

Kimono Rings by Carrotbox $16 and up. Made using recycled vintage Japanese kimonos and acrylic.

Via haute*nature

Filed under Bags, Budget Fashion, Eco Glam, Fashion - Women, Handmade, Indie, Jewelry, Refashion+Refurb, Sales+Shopping, Unique, Vintage| Tagged Biodegradable, Eco-friendly, Handmade, Indie, Organic | No Comments

Etsy Find: A Good Bet

22Jan07

The card player/Scrabble freak in me loves these necklaces by Etsy designer stinkycretingirl. Taking inspiration from cast-off game pieces, they’re transformed into surprisingly boho-elegant accessories.

Alpana Necklace, by stinkycretingirl, $30
Made from a poker chip and a set of vintage rice paper napkins. The seed pearls were reclaimed from a preloved necklace.

Amara Necklace, crafted with a refashioned Scrabble tile, $40

Almira Necklace, poker chip meets recycled wrapping paper, $30

Alodie Necklace, a poker chip meets scrapbooking paper, $30

Filed under Budget Fashion, Fashion - Women, Handmade, Indie, Jewelry, Refashion+Refurb, Unique| Tagged Eco-friendly, Handmade, Indie | No Comments

Winter Fashion Sale at ShopEnvi

13Jan07

ShopEnvi is an online boutique that consistently offers fresh looks from fashion-forward, eco-friendly designers. Usually the price points are just out of my reach (which isn’t really saying much), but thankfully right now there are deals-a-plenty on stylin’, organic clothing that is still wearable during the winter season.

Here are a few personal picks:

Tantra Tunic Hoody in Carnelian, by Under the Canopy, $17.00 (60% off)
Made of 100% organic cotton, this tunic apparently is comfy enough to double as loungey pj’s or a casual top for layering. A form flattering basic, the lightly flared sleeves and hoody give it extra hip factor.

Distress Wash Foil Tulip Skirt in Black, by Super Lucky Cat, $38 (50% off)
Recycled sweatshirt refashioned into a flattering rocker-chic style skirt. Gold Foil print embellishes the front, and the seam lines of the back will do wonders for those of you blessed with posterior assets.

Heron V-Neck in Dusk, by Twice Shy, $22 (50% off)
Made of 95% organic cotton, 5% lycra for a little stretch
Bird-inspired prints have definitely been a fresh trend this year in fashion and interior design. Perfect for the coming of spring.

Asymmetrical Batwing Tunic in Ruby, by Twice Shy, $34 (40% off)
I fell in love with this abstracted woodsy print last fall. Sadly, the black one I had my eye on sold out. But if you want to look pretty in pink, this top is a great bargain by one of my personal favorite designers. Made of 95% organic cotton, 5% lycra for stretch.