Posts with tag EcoFriendly

We love all of the amazing gift ideas at Kir DeVries. They've got so many great eco-friendly gift options like stainless steel water bottles, reusuable bags for grocery shopping and produce, and cute lunch boxes and totes, not to mention cool stuff for the home and clothing and accessories for men, women and kids. We're already in the process of setting up a gift registry on their site to forward to friends & family as a hint about our own holiday wish list.

A lot of us want to "go green" but aren't sure where to start. Here's a little kick in the butt to get you going. We have scoured beauty shelves to find the top 5 best selling natural and organic makeup brands so that you can start to restock your supplies the natural way.

Green actress Maggie Gyllenhaal sported the eco-chic line The Battalion at the recent GenArt SOYJOY fashion show in NYC. Although it is you're typically little black dress paired with tights, booties, and belt, what killed it was the silhouette. That beautifully draped skirt is so modern and works with so many body types. Swoon!

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with Indian-born artist Sowmya Parigi. She creates hand-painted, eco-friendly jute handbags, wine caddies, diaper bags and more, available online at her website SVA Creations.

As a New Orleans local, we're loving what reusable shopping bag company What's ur Bag is doing. Not only have they created a new line of environmentally friendly reusable grocery bags in a range of fun colors and prints, but they're also doing all they can to help bring back the recovering New Orleans economy. The bags are manufactured by a company that was totally destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and rebuilt, and all of the labels, packaging and material come from vendors based in NOLA as well. Their website was designed by a single mom from New Orleans and five percent of all profits go to Hope House, a New Orleans charity that feeds, trains, houses and clothes the homeless.

There are tons of eco-friendly reusable bag options on the market right now, but many are made in China. You can feel good in more ways than one by shopping with a reusable bag from What's ur Bag.

We love all of the amazing independent designers out there. In order to find out more about just what makes all of these creative types tick, we present to you an ongoing segment called Indie Designer Interviews.

Todays interview is with Callie Micks, who creates eco-friendly, fashionable kitchen aprons for women and kids. Callie proves that aprons aren't what they used to be, and one of her customers went so far as to say her apron was "so dangerously cute I would wear it in and out of the kitchen."

By this point we've all heard how important it is to buy eco-friendly products, and that includes fashion. But is it all just hype? Just another marketing gimmick employed by corporate America to try and get us to spend more dollars but feel less guilty about doing it? Many companies have been accused of greenwashing, and it's certainly true that buy buy buy is not the way to help our environment.

No matter what though, people will always want to dress in a way that makes them feel good about the way they look. We shouldn't have to compromise style in our quest to save the planet. Sure, we need to adjust our habits, but that doesn't mean that we'll all end up looking like a bunch of dirty hippies. Here's our list of the top 5 ways to really green up your wardrobe.

Want to save the Earth and still look good doing it? Check out Eco-Tobi's full range of styles for men & women, featuring earth-friendly clothing & accessory brands like Edun, Loomstate, Envirosax and more. Organic beauty products are also available, and all purchases are shipped in 100% recycled materials. They've also joined forces with Carbonfund.org to completely offset the emissions of their operation, so you don't have to feel too guilty about shopping here. Did we mention how much cute stuff they have? Just check out some of their offerings below:

Now hipsters can use sex to sway political opinion -- just like the grown-ups! [Damn I Like That!]

Save $15 on purchases over $100 at Bluefly. Sweet. [Budget Fashionista]

Alexander McQueen is way too self-important artistic for schmoozing, celebrities, and promoting himself. So much so, that he hopes Paris Hilton won't show up at the opening of his new LA store. Zing. Kind of. [Catwalk Queen]

A bunch of fully-clothed women freak out like they're suddenly naked in public. It's an ad for Downy Softener, and it's surprisingly funny. [Trend Hunter]

Eco-friendly fashion is lame and expensive. [Second City Style]

Finally! Now women can pee on the go. [Jezebel]

I'm a big fan of all of the amazing independent designers out there. In an effort to get inside the mind of the indie designer and find out just what makes all of these creative types tick, I present to you an ongoing segment I call Indie Designer Interviews.

Today's interview is with Merle OBrien, the Aspen, Colorado-based designer behind a line of eco handbags called OlovesM, which were recently handed out to celebs attending the Sundance Film Festival. These fashionable and environmentally friendly bags feature predominantly recycled materials, including a snazzy sport/diaper bag made from repurposed yoga mats.

How did you get started as a designer? I was in yoga class and the idea for my bags just popped into my head, so I ran off my mat and started doing a ton of research, and cut and sewed a lot of prototypes until I figured it out. I am one of those people who is always thinking about ideas, and some seem to work, while others just help me learn more do's and dont's about business!!

Organic beauty products are great, I would even go as far as saying they are fabulous. However, sometimes you get a dud and your soap ends up smelling like a salad. I don't know about you but I don't want to smell salad when I am showering. So when I tried this soap by Savon de Marseilles and it smelled good. I was over the moon.

This little bar of magic is free of animal fats and all that nasty stuff. In place of that nasty stuff are vegetables, organic palm and coconut oils. Savon de Marseilles soap is also loaded with lavender, which sooths your tired nerves or if you need a jolt try the verbena-scented soap, which will give you a little invigoration.

The packaging is great too. It has nice and contemporary feel, that way no one will be forced to call you a granola-crunching hippie.

When the skin on your body feels less than firm the solution is simple, you hit the gym. But what do you do when your skin on your face doesn't feel firm? If you asked me a week ago I would have shrugged my shoulders and pushed you into the nearest botox clinic. However, now thanks to Mod.Skin Labs I know the secret to firmer skin in under 20 minutes.

Mod.Skin Labs has a fabulous serum that I have incorporated into my daily skin care regiment --The Face Sculpt Serum. The serum is from the d-age collection and is truly a miracle worker. The formula is 100% natural and instantly firms skin within 20 minutes. Not only that but with continued use it can diminish hyper-pigmentation. I have been using this product for a week now and I can honestly say that my skin feels firmer after I use it. The product is fragrance-free and lightweight, so you can barely tell that it's on.

Some other great things to note about Mod.Skin Labs are that all of their products are natural, organic, and are animal cruelty free. The products come package in gorgeous glass bottles with simple labels, which makes them look great sitting on your bathroom counter.

You can purchase the face serum online for $40 at ModSkinLabs.com

Lauren told us last week that one of the trends for 2008 will be "green," so we're picking eco-friendly Beau Soleil's Beau Wrap Dress today.

The jersey fabric is made of 100% bamboo, a highly sustainable material. The scoop neck, rushing at shoulders and smocking on the back make this an easy, comfortable everyday dress. The dress features a leather wrap belt that ties in the front, but the thing we like best is the on-seam pockets.

Available from Shopbop for $185.50 (on sale from $290).

What is the number one thing women care about when it comes to buying denim? Well, isn't it obvious? It's how it makes your butt look. I know I won't put on a pair that doesn't make my ass look unstoppable. The question is, is that the only thing women care about when buying jeans?

Apparently not.

More and more denim brands are going green. Eco-friendly fabrics and production guidelines are playing a key role in many denim purchases. From pricier brands like Loomstate for Barney's Green collection to Levi's Eco line; there is an organic choice for everyone.

What makes a pair of jeans "green"? Well, its not the color -- "green" jeans are typically 100% organic, zippers and buttons are made of recycled metals, and the blue hues are created with natural dyes. Even tags and labels can be "green" by using recycled paper and soy ink. And that's just the materials!

The denim making process can be hazardous to mama Earth too. Did you know that achieving that vintage look on your jeans can take months or years to achieve using chemicals that end up washing off into soil and rivers? Yuck. Changes in production can include using pumice like stones to wear down the denim or a quicker solution is keeping the hues nice and dark with no fading (that's what Serfontaine does).

All "green" enhancements aside; we all know what women really want, and denim designer Mr. Serfontaine agrees ...

"Women care about whether their butts look good in the jeans"

That being said fit needs to be made to please. All of Serfontaine jeans (which are going green) will be made to make your booty a hit at any party -- favorites include the Skinny Minny and the Waysted jean. I haven't had the pleasure to test out any green jeans, but if I do I will let you all know. But let me tell you one thing -- NOTHING will get me out of my Taverniti's ... those jeans are truly amazing.