Posts with tag eco chic

We're big fans of the environment, and of cute accessories, so we're always happy to find a new fun bag that succeeds on both levels like this Ecologie bag.

Ecologie bags remind us of the preppy canvas bags we carried in grade school, with their boxy shape and contrasting handles. But unlike those ice haulers, these bags are made of a lightweight, machine washable fabric that is also durable and reusable. And did we mention light?

Men and women alike can be sustainably stylish. Here are the must-haves:

1. The reusable bag. It doesn't have to be Anya Hindmarch's bag you see at right (which we've all seen about enough of, frankly), but re-usable bags are eco-friendly and can say a lot about you. You read? Get one at a bookstore. In fact, you probably already have one. They're called tote bags. Use them when you go to the farmer's market (or the drug store) and feel good about yourself.

Simply put, Simple brand shoes have always ruled, but their ecoSNEAKS and GreenToe (Green Piggies for the kiddies) lines are so fantastic that we feel a bit guilty wearing anything else.

Simple started out as a "stereotypical, anti-stereotype brand offering good shoes." They claim to have learned a few things along the way, and we are inclined to believe them. They say the biggest lesson thus far is this: "HOW we make our shoes is just as important as WHY we make them."

In keeping with the theme of green for St. Patrick's Day, we're looking at some things that aren't physically green, but rather, enviromentally "green."

Nixie clothing is a line of high-end children's fashions that is eco-conscious. Based in the UK, the company was started with the understanding that we often dress our children in mass-produced clothing that will eventually end up in landfills; not to mention that the conditions under which the clothing was manufactured are horrible, and might have been made by children. Nixie operates on the philosophy of sweat shop free and fair trade

The inspiration behind the designs was taken from nature: opening of flowers and the movement of butterfly wings. They use vintage fabrics that have been gathered over years, in combination with reconditioned textiles, i.e. "recycled."

I can't wear green today. I just can't, even with the darling Adelaide dress by Diane von Furstenberg staring at me, I just can't bring myself to put on something green. Unless it's a dress made of hundred dollar bills.

However, I can wear something "green," meaning environmentally friendly. The folks over at eco-chic online retailer Pangaya have just put up a few pieces from Stewart+Brown, a line of clothing by partners Karen Stewart and Howard Brown that seeks to extract "the bare minimum from Earth's precious capital." Their designs use organic cotton and other natural fabrics, and from what I can tell, are very feminine and soft. I particularly love the Yoked Tee, made from knit t-shirt material, but desgned with ruffles, a yoke, and gathered sleeves that definitely take it beyond a plain old Hanes undershirt.

The Yoked Tee by Stewart+Brown is available from Pangaya for $70.

Several months ago, we pointed out that Levi's was "going green" by introducing a line of jeans, Levi's Eco, that is environmentally friendly. The line, which was scheduled to launch back in November, is made from organic cotton that is sourced from the nearest avilable source to its Hungary factory, coconut shells for buttons environmentally -friendly dyes of natural indigo, potato starch, mimosa flower, and Marseille soap, and recycled cardboard for the labels.

The folks over at uber-eco blog TreeHugger have an update on the global green brand. According to the TreeHuggers, the organic cotton jeans are "high-end and costly, but are pretty comparable to other jeans that we've seen." Though the jeans were reported to be made in Hungary, the company's high-end line, Capital E, is made in North Carolina. Eco jeans are available in all of the Levi's U.S and Europe stores.

We're all fairly familiar with the "hobo bag" -- the big, slouchy bag that often takes the shape of a deep crescent. However, if you think about what a hobo's bag really is, the image you should get is a vagabond carrying a long stick over his shoulder that dangles a small pillowcase tied onto the end.

The smart little handbags by Posch are more like a real hobo's bag than the overpriced designer leather bags we know. Posch's bags are made from recycled bedsheets and pillowcases. Sure, it sounds strange, but just call them "bags made from vintage fabrics" and you'll feel better. Though some of the designs really do look like a string attached to a pillowcase, I am quite fond of the Unique Midnight Forest Bag (shown) as something to carry while running around town doing errands. And how can you not like the fact that the designer is recycling?

The bags are available from The Natural Store.

No, it's not a typo.

The new cosmetics collection from Aveda is called Envirometal," because the cases are made from recycled metal and encourage you to not throw away your empty plastic powder, blush, shadow, and even lip containers; you refill Aveda's compacts and lipstick cases when you use up the stuff inside. The mirrors in the compacts are also lead-free.

Granted, Aveda products aren't exactly made for the Drugstore Beauty Queen (i.e. "not cheap"), but we don't have to tell you how much all the damage to the environment is costing us.

[via: TreeHugger]

Her styles are a little bit "Secretary," and definitely stylish, and who knew that the designs from Camilla Norrback are earth-friendly, too?

Camilla Norrback is a Swedish designer who uses natural materials that are all ecologically sound or environment-certified. The fabrics are processed and coloured in a way that have the lowest impact on the environment, and the finished garments do not contain chemicals that are harmful to the future fashionista who will be wearing them.

The look shown is a gold pussy bow blouse and a uniform-grey wool skirt.

Camilla Norrback clothing can be found in the US at the Art Fiend Foundation in New York.

[via: Style Will Save Us]

I am all about striving toward a more environmentally responsible 2007 today! First, we outfitted the bedroom with sheets made from renewable source bamboo, and now we're outfitting ourselves!

Low Impact Living is a destination website that shows visitors how to reduce their impact on the environment. They cover everything from specific products like Air Filters to service/product providers like Architects who can help design environmentally friendly structures. Of course, we here at Styledash love that Low Impact Living also provides an area where you can find clothing for Babies, Kids, and Adults. If one of your grander resolutions for 2007 is "reduce my environmental impact," then a good step is to shop responsibly for clothes at Low Impact Living.

So you told yourself that you'd try to "tread more lightly" on the earth this year. You put recycling bins in your kitchen for aluminum, glass and plastic, you bought a Prius, and you're buying locally-, sustainably-grown organic produce. Nice job.

In your home, you can also go a little more eco-friendly with bamboo bedding. Bamboo, as we have mentioned before, is considered eco-chic because it's a renewable source (it grows very very fast). Bamboo is also a bit of a luxury (is that an oxymoron?) because it's as soft as cashmere. Cuddledown has bedding made from 61% bamboo, 32 % cotton, 6 % cashmere that creates a very durable, highly absorbent and breathable set of sheets that also has a luscious, graceful drape. Do good, and sleep good!

The sheets and pillowcases are ivory with chainstitched embellishments in ivory, garnet, or gold.

Very!!!

And it certainly helps that Los Angeles-based deisgner Deborah Lindquist is environmentally-conscious. Her designs are all made with "reincarnated" and new Earth-friendly fabrics including recycled cashmere, repurposed kimonos and saris, vintage silk scarves, and sustainable materials such as hemp, organic cotton, and organic wool. Her clothes are fresh, fun, feminine, and use a lot of bright colors.

I am head over heels in love with the pink bustier and skirt that is pictured. I am not totally sure what the pieces are made of, and it's hard to believe that they are "green."

Yes, of course we know that eco-chic is making a lot of progress in the fashion world. Being environmentally responsible doesn't mean you have to look like a hippie. We have beauitful bamboo "cashmere" sweaters and green jeans from the likes of Loomstate, but come on. That's like...the fashion equivalent of Gap.

Not until we came across the designs of Linda Loudermilk did we finally nod our heads enthusiatically and whisper "yes..." Loudermilk manufactures garmets from fabrics made from recycled plastics and self-sustaining plants like bamboo.

Just take a peek at the Fall 2006 collection. While I'm not exactly in love with the look of airy white dresses over black turtlenecks and tights, I like the individual pieces. The look pictured on the right is my favorite. The pant and coat are made from bamboo, and the shirt inside is made of soy silk.

Thanks to The Stylephile, the fashion and style blog-zine from Variety magazine, I have just found out that Max Studio uses ecologically-safe fabrics and environmentally sound practices in their manufacturing. It's always nice to make a conscious decision to buy from a designer or brand that publicly states their "green-ness," but it's even nicer to find out that a fairly big line like Max Studio is ecologically responsible. Their fall and winter lines feature soy cashmere sweaters and bamboo French terry hoodies. The wrap sweater pictured on the right is aprially made from bamboo. How awesome is that?

On a side note, it seems that The Stylephile is dedicating a chunk of time this Holiday season to "green," and we are all for it!

[via: The Stylephile]

Sami Designs is named for the Sami people, who are the indigenous people of Scandinavia. Jonano, which is the eco-chic line of Sami Designs, is a Sami word that ranslates into "everybody healthy." This is the philosophy behind the clothing of Jonano, all made from natural, certified organic or eco-friendly fabrics as per Fair Trade standards.

I will admit that I was not inspired by most of the women's clothing from Jonano, but I did find myself cooing over the Sami Baby clothing, particularly the red and white Tomte separates. Everything is made from 100% Egyptian organic cotton and dyes that have a low impact on the environment. The Sami Baby candy-stripe pants are $19.50, and match with the Plum Tee for the same price.