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November 26, 2008

November 25, 2008

  • Sexy and Sustainable Stockings make Hot Holiday Gifts

    It’s time once again for a festive lingerie party so check out these new stockings from g=9.8 offered for the holidays from By Nature. They combine softness, elegance and warmth. The tights are made from pine fiber, which is a new material derived from recycling the wastes of tree pruning. They’ve added new colors this season like sophisticated black currant shown here.

    Sophie Young the founder of g=9.8 uses Lenpur® which she promotes as, “a sustainable textile made from white pine tree clippings processed with enzymes into fibre.”

    The fiber has amazing properties, for example:

    • the material regulates temperature so that you are never too hot or too cold.
    • it holds it’s shape and conforms to your curves.
    • the fiber is biodegradable and anti-bacterial.
    • it washes well and dries very quickly.

    By Nature explains:

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

November 24, 2008

  • Top 5 Eco Winter Coats: North American Designers Bring It For Winter 2008

    For those of us out there who are struggling with shabby coats from days gone by and are looking to invest in a coat that will be with you for many winters to come, this Top 5 is for you!

    Grace & Cello’s “Lucia” recycled wool coat cuts a sophisticated line for women headed to the office or a mid-week cocktail party. Made in Montreal, not only are their garments eco-friendly, all of Grace & Cello’s designs are sweatshop-free. According to the tight knit circle of women that runs the company, “One of our joys of being in this business is the interaction we have with our pattern-maker (Maryse), our cutters (Angelo, Leo and Tony), and our sewers (Mrs.Anna, and Cheng), all of whom are genuine characters - in the best sense of that word!”

    From the right coast of the US, Brooklyn-based Nina Valenti of Naturevsfuture has designed a sleek and super warm coat for freezing cold weather. The “Fleece Zip Up Jacket” is made from recycled Polartec® fleece, a combination of yarn crafted from PCP post-consumer plastic (soda bottles) and PIR post-industrial materials (scraps of fabric and yarn leftovers). This jacket is perfect for art openings, job interviews, and getting wined and dined by someone who’s really worth it. Since 2002, Naturevsfuture has consistently crafted asymetrical sustainable pieces for women who don’t want to just wear their clothing, they want to rock it. Says Valenti, “Naturevsfuture is an artistic statement in the form of clothing. It fuses classic with cutting edge, and deconstructive with a refined elegance to create a new & exciting look, suiting one’s complex personality.” Agreed.

    The City of Angels has turned out the most coveted coat of the season: The Battalion’s “Ali Cape.” Any woman of high style and sophistication would be hard pressed not to scrounge together the necessary funds for this de rigeur coat, even amidst the current economic downturn. (I could be projecting here.) A draped hood and scarf attaches to this dramatic and colorful cloak, creating layers of fabulosity to this cloak inspired by Ali McGraw’s classic look in the 70’s. This bank account bandit by the Wong sisters is made from bamboo and organic cotton, certified by Oeko-Tex. Even if you can’t feel good about the Ali Cape’s effect on your finances, you can feel great about supporting sustainable manufacturing and farming practices. I’m going to consider it a worthy investment…for your wardrobe and the world. (Okay, that’s pushing it, I realize. I just had to purchase a ticket on the justify train with this one.)

    Plaid goes beyond fad this season with snowboard company Burton. The GMP Dante Jacket is an equal match for slippery slopes and snowy city streets. GMP stands for Green Mountain Project, Burton’s first collection of boots, bindings, gloves, and outerwear that utilizes recycled materials and eco-friendly weatherproofing technology. This coat is absolutely made to last and even comes with a Burton lifetime warranty. It’s such a pleasure to see mainstream companies greening their collections, especially the snowboarding industry, whose business is so enmeshed in the issue of global warming. Ride or die.

    From Northwestern designer Emily Katz, comes a cozy ecochic fleece coat. Katz is using reclaimed poly fleece from “mill ends,” that would otherwise go unused, to create the “Wow Rainjacket.” This belted coat in “dusk” bells out below the waist, creating a classic, feminine feel on a very contemporary design. Wow is right.

    Seems like eco fashion has finally evolved to a place where true clothes hounds no longer have to sacrifice to save their conscience. Give thanks to the designers making this a reality for us! Amen.


    - about 1 month
    source: (In The Loop)
  • From Kim White: A Handbag Named Desire

    I try to make it a perennial resolution not to spend much of my mental energy coveting other people’s talents. But then I read about women like Kim White, and I turn (a distasteful shade of) green with envy.

    Once upon a time, as the story goes, White just happened to stumble upon a warehouse full of unused vintage fabrics originally manufactured to upholster cars from the ’70’s and ’80’s. Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately), they never got their day in the sun due to the collective American realization that gaudily upholstered car seats were ugly. Whereas I might have looked at that pile and said, “Huh, interesting. Now where did I see that Dunkin’ Donuts,” White realized that what might have made for an ugly car seat could instead be transformed into a showroom full of gorgeous handbags, and so she purchased the entire lot. And made a bunch of gorgeous handbags. I, on the other hand, made no gorgeous handbags and gained 5 lbs from eating all those donuts. Life is so unfair!!

    Rather than whine at length about my lack of artistic vision, I will share a link to Kim’s site so you can look at her craftswomanship yourself. I have seen and touched these works of art at Eco-tique in St. Paul, MN. They truly are awe-inspiring. Warning: If you are a purse-purchasing addict in recovery due to the economic downturn, do NOT click the following link to read the rest of this entry.

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • Project Re-Runway Brings Recycled Fashion to the Middle School Set

    Project Re-Runway, a program created by Citizen Schools and the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, is teaching young girls to design wearable fashions from recycled goods for an upcoming fashion show.

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • Element’s “Power to the Planet” Fashion Collection is Fierce, Organic and Super Hot

    Element’s Power to the Planet line is fiercely stylish, all organic, and very bold. Read more on the details of this eco-collection spec sheet here. Shown below are a few extra sexy styles they offer for women in their Eden “Conscious by Nature” green fashion line:

    Here are a few more eco samples:

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

November 23, 2008

November 22, 2008

  • 3rd Rock from the Sun’s Kristen Johnson Warns About the Dangers of Horse-Drawn Carriages

    In a scandalous PETA ad that has her draped naked over a horse, Kristen Johnson denounces horse-drawn carriages as cruel.

    The former 3rd Rock from the Sun star released the ad, which reads “Don’t Get Taken for a Ride, Horse-Drawn Carriages are Cruel, last week. The ad features Johnson naked on a horse.

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • Equita Celebrates Two Year Anniversary And Has 40% Off All Eco Fashion Sale ~ THIS WEEKEND ONLY (In Store + Online)!!!

    In celebration of their two year anniversary today, the ethical, environmentally conscience and eco fashionable Equita is offering a whopping 40% off all eco-fashion today and tomorrow only.  Its no secret that we’re all holding onto our wallets a little tighter these days and trying to plan for Christmas without overdoing it.  Now is the perfect time to take advantage of this great sale and cross some items off your list while you have a chance at a huge savings.  They carry eco-fashion brands FIN, EDUN, Stewart+Brown, Loyale, Autonomie, Del Forte Denim, Perfectly Imperfect, Loomstate, Ecoist, Vega, Tom’s Shoes, Josh Jakus and more. 

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • When Less is More: Max Green Alchemy

     

    When it comes to natural and organic beauty and personal care products, you usually get what you pay for. Yes, you heard that about commercial products, too, only to find out the face cleanser that took an entire weekend of tip money worked no better than the Clean & Clear you had been using since you were 14. Unfortunately, with natural products, price often reflects quality. The reason is pretty straightforward: it’s much cheaper to create synthetic ingredients in a lab than it is to source them from nature, let alone from a certified organic farm. Organic ingredients are expensive to sow, expensive to reap, and therefore expensive to buy. You can bet your precious, rapidly-depreciating 401k that more companies would be all over this natural/organic thing if it were cheaper to do.

    That’s what makes it newsworthy when I stumble upon a rare exception to the Organic = Spendy rule of thumb, in the form of Max Green Alchemy. They’ve kept their line of skin and hair care simple, focusing on the basics like one shampoo, one conditioner, one hand cream, and so forth. The MGA conditioner was the first natural conditioner I found that actually made my hair soft and manageable. Everything else I had tried thus far, particularly in that price range, left my hair dry and dull (I know I totally sound like an infomercial; my apologies). My husband, whose skin reacts to everything, is equally in love with the line. Oh, and did I mention the packaging and aromas are gender neutral? How about that - you and your partner, regardless of gender, can share in the joys of Max Green Alchemy together!!

    The creators of MGA also keep careful watch over their ingredients to make sure nothing is synthetic, no quality is compromised, and no animals are ever tested anywhere along the manufacturing process. I was fortunate enough to get a bit of time on the phone with one of the co-founders, Wil Baker, to learn how they went about creating what I think is easily one of best lines of natural, affordable skin and hair care. Here is an exerpt:

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

November 21, 2008

  • Fashion’s New Global Recycling Standard

    Mixed emotions here about the new standard for recycled textiles. Thanks to Control Union Certifications and demand claims from brands and retailers in The Netherlands, the first Global Recycling Standard (GRS) for fabrics, apparel and accessories is now active to ensure sourcing clarity through the production supply chain.

    Now I understand certification needs for organic fibers, dyes, and rather recently for leather and fur, – but recycled? Talk about cover your bum!

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

  • New Clare Bare Lingerie Features Sexy, Soft Organic Luxury that is Hot for the Holidays!

    Clare Bare has some lovely new holiday intimate items over at the Öko Box.

    Leslie of  the Öko Box explains:

    “Clare Bare is a one girl force based in a studio in Brooklyn. Promptly after graduating from Parsons School of Design, she began designing one of a kind and limited edition pieces made from eco-friendly materials. She uses vintage fabric and trimmings for most of her garments, and any new materials that she uses are made from organic cotton. Clare Bare makes garments that accentuate the body, rather than cover it up, push it up, or transform it in an unnatural way. She doesn’t believe in clothing that is created to solve a problem, because the flaw doesn’t exist until you design something for it. Clare Bare lingerie is simple and flattering, designed with every body type in mind.  “

    We think this set would make a great gift for the holidays! Here is another angle:

    Read more of this story - about 1 month
    source: (Feelgood Style)

November 20, 2008

November 19, 2008