Tag archives: shopping

FASHION | Mod Green Pod Gets Sneaky

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The designer-owners of Mod Green Pod have made the leap from home decor to fashion. Owner Nancy Mims posted these beauties on her Facebook page recently: a sassy set of VANs Shoes made with Mod Green Pod’s 100% certified organic cotton prints.

According to Nancy, Vans came a-calling after seeing Mod Green Pod’s modernized Baroque prints in a random magazine clip somewhere:

They just spotted us in a mag or online when searching for organic cotton, which they knew they wanted to source for the collection. We made sure that our contract included sample shoes in our sizes (yes, those are my fuchsia legs!)

You’ll find these sneaks as part of the VANs Vault Line this spring.

THE FAB FACTOR
Mod Green Pod founders Nancy and Lisa Mims have been designing and offering certified organic cotton textiles for home since 2005. Their collection is home-grown in the U.S.:  the cotton is grown, woven and printed here. Only the non-toxic, pesticide-free dyes hail from abroad (Germany to be exact, where they are held to Global Organic Textile Standard aka GOTS).  In 2006 they added a vinyl-free, PVC-free wallpaper line (see our previous post).

Congratulations Nancy!

SHOPPING.DECOR | Holiday Sale

Under the Canopy is having a 50% off everything Holiday Sale. Lots of beautiful organic bedding, pillows and linens to be had. Shopping Code: givegreen

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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.

Pangaya's Goodbye Sale

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A piece of sad news just arrived in the Fab Green inbox: Pangaya, one of the first eco-chic boutiques to open online is now closing its doors. Pangaya co-founder Sean Bartlett writes:

I am writing today to let you know that after almost four years in business, Pangaya will be shutting down. An early pioneer in online eco-chic retailing, the company has realized tremendous growth and is proud to have served our loyal customers with products that combined style with substance. Operations will continue to function as normal until current inventory is sold out. During this time, the price of every item of clothing in the store will be reduced significantly (up to 80%) and represents a tremendous value for those looking to add to their wardrobe.

Thanks to Pangaya for introducing me to styling eco-chic brands like Stewart+Brown and Undesigned. We wish Sean and the Pangaya team the best.

Ask Fab Green: Hot Shops in D.C.?

Dear Fab Green,
I live in Washington DC and recently bought a new condo which I’m interested in furnishing with green furniture and accessories (most of what I have now is of the college junk variety, so in a lot of ways I’m starting over). Do you have any suggestions (besides “Come to LA, and bring a truck”)?
Thanks very much, Jenny

Hi Jenny,
I’ve enlisted the help of DC-based gal pal and fellow designer Nicole Foley for suggestions. For home furnishings she recommends two spots:

For style mongers, D.C.’s Craiglist is a treasure trove for mid-century modern finds, and Domino-inspired revival pieces. In fact, Nicole says it’s often easier to snag a deal on modern furniture in D.C. over L.A. since the demand for and knowledge of mid-century design is less developed. Maybe I should rent a truck and swing out your way!

Case in point: $299 chair by Brocade Home (left). A set of four selling for $100 total in Arlington (right)

For new, eco-friendly furnishings Nicole recommends:
Eco-Green Living.
1469 Church Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20005
Mon – Sat, 11am – 7pm
Tel: 202.234.7110

What you’ll find: an organic coffee/tea bar, corn-silk carpet tiles, low-odor and no-odor paints (many of them milk-based), organic tees, and solar-powered radios.

Thanks for writing Jenny!

Ask Fab Green: Decorative Bowls

Hi Fab Green,
I’ve been looking for little baskets made of some kind of re-used plastic, have a weave-like look and available in lots of colors. Have you heard of anything like this? Please let me know where to find them if you have. Thanks, Liane

Dear Liane,

Thanks for writing! Recycled plastic is becoming a more popular material for a host of things from baskets and bowls to handbags. I personally lean towards contemporary style pieces by designers like Yaron Elyasi. Made from melted strings of plastic and recycled plastic, these Kacoon bowls are swirled in to existence–in the expressionist spirit of say, a Jackson Pollack.
I can’t say that melting plastic doesn’t pose its own environmental pollutants–any chemists out there know?

No two Kacoon bowls are the same. They are available in seven colors at an affordable price ($42). You can find the Kacoon here.

Fashion Watch: Sworn Virgins

Sworn Virgins is a Los Angeles-based label favored by many Hollywood celebs and fashionistas for their flattering, easy-to-wear dresses and tunics. And since the collection is exclusively made using supersoft bamboo (and 5% spandex for stretch), these pieces end up feeling like a silky second skin when worn. Co-founded by knitting mill owner Alex Amini and designer Roshanne Aghevli, Sworn Virgins emerged from their personal mission to create beautiful organic, eco-conscious fashion. Not to mention the silhouettes happily suit many body types–draping in flattering ways without being overly clingy.Long Lattice Dress in black, spotted at L.A. Star Style, £45.00Intricate lattice detailing creates an inspired look that wraps from front to back. A silk sash at the waist gives added elegance and softness to the look.Black Dress, $150 at Adasa.comA classic criss-cross front made fresh with a bubble-inspired skirtDrape Front Tunic Dress in crimson, $106 at Girlshop.comHelen of Troy look out…Kimono Dress in Slate, spotted on sale at tensixteen for $96.60.The kimono style dress has popped up everywhere this season and with good reason: it’s a flattering silhouette for most body types.Dress with Band in Green Tea, spotted at tensixteen, on sale for $103.60Simple, sexy dress with asymmetrical shoulder straps give it free-spirited appeal.The Fab Factor: Bamboo is a favored eco-friendly material because it grows quickly and without the need of pesticides. It’s biodegradable and anti-bacterial to boot. Sworn Virgins proactively pursues new methods for reducing the amount of waste created during manufacturing. Their current goal is to recycle up to 50% of its water used in the dyeing process. Their clothing is made in the USA, with the majority of the dying and manufacturing done locally in and around Los Angeles.

Vegan Glamour: Charmone Shoes


Thanks to Kate McGregor of Kaight for introducing us to this newly launched line of shoes by Charmone. The sculptural wedges and platform shoes designed in menswear tweeds are some of my favorites for adding some office chic:

The Fab Factor: According to their website the shoes are vegan and PVC free. They use instead high-quality microfiber suedes, and water-based glues which tread lighter on the planet and are healthier for people. Their shoes are made in Europe and they’ve incorporated recycled materials into their production process, and donate 5% of their profits to charities like Women for Women International, a charity that provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources they need to move from poverty and crisis to stability and self-sufficiency.

Charmone shoes are currently available in U.S. and Canadian retailers including Kate’s NY-based Kaight boutique on Orchard Street. Find your nearest one here.

Thanks Kate!