Category archives: Eco Glam

FASHION | Remarkable, Recycled Dresses

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I never was a fan of garbage bag couture but these I love. Conceived by fashion designer and creative director Gary Harvey, this collection set out to prove that recycled clothing can be beautiful, innovative, and enchanting. The couture-inspired collection, which was shown at London Fashion Week back in 2007, features gowns made entirely from recycled materials:  42 pairs of Levi’s 501s, 37 black tees, 30 copies of the Financial Times, 28 camouflage army jackets, 26 nylon baseball jackets, 21 laundry bags, 18 trench coats, ten pre-owned wedding dresses, and seven Hawaiian shirts — to be exact. It seems that the original colors, textures and shapes of the reclaimed materials did much to inspire the silhouette of the final pieces themselves.

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HOT SHOP | Bag, Borrow or Steal Reviewed

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A-listers like Anne Hathaway and Gwyneth Paltrow do it all the time: wear diamonds or vintage couture on loan for the Red Carpet. Borrowing rather than owning has its charms, and now we in the real world can dress like Cinderella for a night thanks to a new online couture-for-rent boutique Bag Borrow or Steal.

The Shop: Bag, Borrow or Steal

The Bottom Line: The Netflix of fashion. Instead of renting the Devil Wears Prada, you can actually rent Prada. Or Chanel, Gucci, Versace, Kate Spade and hundreds more. Clutches, earrings, belts are all guaranteed authentic and you rent by the week or month.

The Skinny: Crystal clear site navigation makes browsing and renting a snap. You can search by designer, style, color, or price point. You can either borrow as a guest or a member (which for a monthly rate, gives you 20% off all borrowed items). A free return shipping package allows you to drop it in a mailbox and voila — it’s returned.

At prices starting at $15/week for Coach, red carpet fashion has never been so accessible and so fabulously green. If you love it, you can “steal” it (i.e. buy it).

Wishlist: We’d love to see the shop adopt a carbon offset program like the Carbon Fund for its shipping and returns. As well as consider donating a portion of proceeds to a non-profit like Dress for Success.

Best bets: Perfect place to find designer jewelry for a wedding or black tie event.

The perks: Borrowing is more fabulous than buying — easier on the wallet and the planet.

RELATED POSTS:

>>Sunday’s “It” Store: Zanisa

>>Hot Shop: EcoTobi Reviewed


FASHION | Link Love Roundup 3.15.08

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Natalie Portman makes her debut as shoe designer for retailer Té Casan. Her line of high style heels are animal-friendly, and 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Nature Conservancy. Bravo girl!

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Abigail Doan of Inhabitat serves up some fabulous recycled and upcycled collections by indie designers. It’s about luscious layers this season.

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The Vintage Fashion Expo is on this March 15-16th weekend in San Francisco. You might score a vintage Gucci bag, or a make out with an haute vintage Hermes gown like the one Angelina Jolie wore to this year’s Oscars.

Vintage Fashion Expo
Nob Hill Masonic Center
1111 California St.

Regular hours: Saturday 10:30 AM – 6 PM, Sunday 11AM-5 PM, tickets $10.
Early buying takes place Saturday from 9 – 10:30 AM, tickets $20. Students with I.D. are admitted free on Sunday.

Visit the website for ticket information.

HOT SHOP | EcoTobi Reviewed

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Much has been abuzz about how “green is the new black” and yet, greening your personal style still ain’t easy. Over the next few weeks we’ll post some reviews of sites where you can find a range of designer brands offering “look good, feel good” fashion. You can also recommend us your favorite fab green shop here.

The Shop: EcoTobi

The Bottom Line: Nestled inside the Tobi website, EcoTobi is a micro world of high style for Sex and the City or Entourage types. Personal stylists are virtually on hand offers a boost to help your answer style questions.

The Skinny: Easy site navigation on both women’s and men’s sections. Excellent selection of organic beauty and skincare products, with a smaller but well-edited, established list of designer labels. At this posting, store leans more skincare than fashion for now, although we expect that will change.

We’d love to see fashion and skincare categorized separately to make shopping easier. Prices are high end, but occasional deals can be found in their sale section.

Brownie Points: Props to EcoTobi for pushing a skinny, zero carbon footprint in partnership with Carbon Fund, and for its use of packaging made from recycled materials, and soy ink printing.

Best bets for guys: A pretty deep selection of graphic tees. Organic, non-toxic denim options a plenty too, though price tags still run high.

Best bets for gals: Some cute dresses, tops at various prices.

For Fabulously Green Readers
Fab Green readers save 20% off your next purchase. To redeem it, just enter FASHION20 at checkout.

LONDON FASHION WEEK | Esthetica 2008

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This year’s Esthetica Show brought together an impressive set of designers pushing the envelope of style and sustainability. But after spending a week on Google hunting for runway photos and coming up embarrassingly short, I have to wonder just how seriously the fashion world is taking the idea of ethically conscious fashion? With the exception of Dame Vivienne Westwoods’ collection at Paris Fashion Week, it seems all of the eco fashion shows that opened New York Fashion Week and graced London made little to no headlines in the press. It seems that star power won’t even get you press since Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenburg, Doo.Ri, and Yves Saint-Laurent got no love from Elle, Vogue or even the New York Times for their first forays into eco fashion.

If any of you fabulous readers have sources to photos or videos of the Esthetica Show, puhlease let us know! In the meantime, here’s the rundown of participating designers that caught my eye based on collections shown on their websites. Enjoy!

Beyond Skin – Heavenly heels that are va-va-voom vegan. A favorite of Natalie Portman.

Fin – This Scandinavian label is new to me. Their spring collection is filled with soft, white organic jersey dresses and sleek black jackets. Behind the scenes their cotton is organic and fairly-traded, while their manufacturing is carbon neutral.

From Somewhere – One-of-a-kind boho-chic dresses inspired from rescued fabrics.

Junky Styling – Deconstructed and reconstructed into urban-chic clothing, Junky Styling is a pioneer in the art of recycled style.

Mark Liu – Ok, first I’d wear everything in his collection. Liu’s commitment to “zero waste” construction has led to the creation of new techniques that turn remnants into remarkable details.

Noir – Founder Peter Ingwersen’s label continues to deliver marvelous midnight-colored pieces made with sustainably farmed sub-Saharan cotten. Check out previous collections from Fall 2007 and Spring 2007

Viridis Luxe – Form flattering garments made from “haute” hemp and cashmere. From the photos, the pieces drape gracefully like a sensual second skin.

PARIS FASHION WEEK | Vivienne Westwood's Collection of Wild Things

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Some designers push the limits. Dame Vivienne Westwood blows them up. At Paris Fashion Week showcased Vivienne Westwood’s collection was colorful, wild and childlike and — eco outrageous. How’s that for a new term?

It all began with a letter mailed to the the queen of punk fashion from an elementary school class in Nottingham, England. Westwood not only wrote back, but knowing how imaginative children are, offered an art assignment that would turn into the unexpected opportunity of co-designing her Fall 2008 collection.

Westwood challenged the students to think into the future, and paint for her their ideas of what an eco-warrior would look like:

imagine soldiers who had been fighting in the jungle but when the war was over had so fallen in love with nature that they decided not to go back to the city.”

Who else but an eight-year old would grab a brush and paint straightaway on a yard of silk? While Westwood experimented with silhouettes, the kids experimented with print and pattern. Catch the show, the interviews with Westwood, the students and their teacher below.

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More on the Eco-Warrior Fashion Show:

The collection in pictures at Telegraph
Style.com
Hello Magazine
Coutorture
Elle UK Magazine

Thanks to One Tiny Spark for the find, and the Lohasian for the video link.

FASHION | Form & Fauna's Racy Shoes

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For three years, I’ve patiently hunted for a pair of sexy, sustainable knee-high boots and it’s worth the wait. Form & Fauna’s sporty, sexy look speaks to my inner-tomboy. Sleek racing stripes are a signature in this freshman collection of flats, boots and pumps. Even though they hail from the Fall 2007 collection — they are perfectly wearable for spring. Skinny Bitches and compassionate fashionistas take note: Form & Fauna just may become the “It” label to wear.

Fabulousness Kicked Up a Notch

Inside and out they’re made sans leather, opting instead for high quality Italian-made synthetics. Heels are crafted from bamboo or renewable plywood, while the insoles and cushions are crafted from recycled yoga mats (can you say Ohm?).

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Bay Bertea, the designer behind the Form & Fauna label, found the inspiration for her collection from her days as a yoga instructor. Imagine how comfy it must feel to step out (and onto) a yoga mat every day.

Form & Fauna shoes are good for your health. Fume-free with the help of biodegradable materials, and non-toxic, water-based glues and dyes. They’re made in the good, old, USA (how many things can you say that about these days).

Good karma and style? A great way to kick your fabulousness up a notch.

Check out the Form & Fauna website for stockists and stay tuned to Fabulously Green for sneak peeks into the Spring ‘08 Collection.

SHOPPING | Transportation Doggie Style

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FLASHBACK | Project Runway, Season 3 — The Dog Challenge. Heidi Klum tells the show’s designers they will be designing for one of fashion’s hottest accessories. The designers (and viewers like me) try to predict “said accessory,” but it’s not until we see the inimitable Tim Gunn walking awkwardly over a knoll in Central Park with thirteen little dogs in tow that we suddenly get it.

Call it Paris Hilton’s contribution to the world: doggie chic.

I don’t own a dog, but I love animals, dogs especially. I get that owners love and spoil their dogs and style mavens in particular would like to their puppies to show a little style. So you might as well be a smart puppy and choose something more fashion conscious like the doggie sac by the mother/daughter design team Rebe, made predominantly from vintage fabrics and wire mesh.

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Okay, these pups aren’t real but you get the concept. We love the fact that Rebe gives cast-off fabrics a second shot at love.

Doggie Sacs are available directly through the Rebe website for $198.

UK Sample Sale: Ciel, Terra Plana

Sarah Ratty wrote us from Ciel to alert London readers about a Christmas Sample Sale to be held this Friday and Saturday in Covent Garden. What you can expect to find: fabulous coats, shoes, frocks, boots and knits at up to 50% off regular prices. Oh-so-British style mulled wine and mince pies will be served to tickle the taste buds.

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The Details:
Friday, Nov. 30 | 3pm-8pm
Saturday, Dec. 1 | 9am-7:30pm
Covent Garden
2nd Floor, 65 Neal Street
RSVP to the studio here.

The Fab Factor: Ciel fabricates its gorgeous collection using organic cotton certified by Skal, as well as hemp, silk and faux fur. According to their website, Ciel uses “only 100% Azo free dyes for fabrics, using fabrics certified by Oekotex and Confidence in Textiles labels, preferring recycled and recyclable fibres wherever possible, ensuring great performance along with eco-intelligent design made in accordance with ethical production.”

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Wish I could join you all!

Hot Site: Chartreuse Chic for fashion "flips"

Bravo to Chartreuse Chic for doing what Fab Green has only dreamed about: showing style-conscious gals how to flip runway looks into chic “green” confections. Some of her flips are quite ingenious like the inspired, alternatives to Zac Posen, Prouenza Schouler, and Vera Wang seen below. There’s even an occasional style for the straight guy with a queer eye.

RUNWAY REDUX BY CHARTREUSE CHIC:

1. Instead of Vera Wang >> Why not this?

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What makes it fabulous: the Kimber Dress by Perfectly Imperfect is fabricated (according to the designer’s website) from organic cotton, applies low impact manufacturing techniques and makes their apparel locally in Los Angeles. I may just give them a ring to verify this week and find out more. Will report back!

2. Instead of Prouenza Schouler >> Why not this?

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What makes it fabulous: this Skyline Sweater, like other pieces by Armour Sans Anguish is a one-of-a-kind garment designed from recycled knits, fabrics and notions, and handmade locally by the designers themselves.

3. Instead of Zac Posen >> Why not this?

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What Makes it Fabulous: A more frothy, layered piece from Armour Sans Anguish.made from refashioned fabrics and trims.

One thought: We wish Chartreuse Chic would offer explanation as to what makes these conversions green or ethical. Not all designers featured are green for the same reasons, and some flips fall more into ethical or indie fashion. Overall, we love the site. For more flips like these visit Chartreuse Chic.