Entries Tagged as 'Guide'

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Closet care tips to help your wardrobe last a lifetime, courtesy of Hudson & Jane

As we well know, the best way be a conscientious consumer is to shop less overall and take care of the clothes we already have. I recently got to write a few articles about how to take better care of your wardrobe on behalf of one of my favorite clients, Hudson & Jane, the lovely high-end men’s [...]

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

How to Host a Clothing Exchange

For the past few years, I’ve gotten together with friends every six months or so for a clothing exchange. Without fail, I always find a few things I love. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the clothing swap concept, and many of you have probably done it before, but I wanted to pass along how [...]

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

Shweek, Day 7: Loeffler Randall

Loeffler Randall Simone; Eloise, $501 (sale); and Mabel, $419 (sale). While Loeffler Randall isn’t a brand that necessarily touts its social responsibility, I add it to the list for the same reason that it’s made the ranks of a handful of eco boutiques: These shoes are brilliantly designed and crafted. The overall classic aesthetic, made [...]

Saturday, June 6th, 2009

Shweek, Day 6: Terra Plana

Yep, it’s the weekend, so “Shoe Week” just became a portmanteau. (Why didn’t I think of this earlier?!) Terra Plana Dida, $195, and Herb, $140. Terra Plana has a wonderful history of crafting some of the most holistically conscientious shoes around. (Some, in fact, so based in theory that style is left entirely by the [...]

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Shoe Week, Day 5: Coclico

Coclico Nuance, $320. Yes, Coclico again! I must admit, I usually shy away from suede for its less hardy nature, but the suede on this shoe makes it feel aMAzing on the foot. (And it’s a blue suede shoe!) Since the first time I wrote about this brand, it has added a Sustainability page to [...]

Thursday, June 4th, 2009

Shoe Week, Day 4: Melissa

Melissa Joy + Alexandre Herchcovitch, $85. As if in reference to the jellies we wore when we were 10, all Melissa shoes are made of plastic. With a few key differences… theirs is recycled! And recyclable. And vegan and non-toxic, all manufactured in an eco-friendly facility in Brazil. This brand can be controversial for eco [...]

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Shoe Week, Day 3: Manimal

Manimal Ribcage Flat and Double Fringe Bootie, $180-$200. I was introduced to this brand through the most excellent earrings I’ve ever owned, and its hallmark moccasin designs are no disappointment whatsoever. I love the double-fringe high top and am excited about the new two-tone option (bottom right in the image). Each piece is handmade by [...]

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

Shoe Week, Day 2: Olsen Haus

Olsen Haus Charm, $225. All Olsen Haus shoes are vegan. “The livestock/leather industry is the largest contributor to global warming, land devastation, environmental pollution, usage of valuable natural resources and water supply contamination. … From start to finish, the amount of energy required to create a leather hide is 20 times greater than the production [...]

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Shoe Week, Day 1: Corso Como

Several weeks ago, I started a conversation about shoes that are both socially responsible and stylish. Amber commented, “there aren’t a lot of eco-friendly cute shoes,” and Grechen was inspired to make an awesome list of Eco-Friendly Shoes Around $50 (That Aren’t Ugly). (Marais, Melissa and TOMS are all on the list, so be sure [...]

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Ethical Shopping: Buying is the New Boycotting

Editor’s note: Today, I was excited to be able to publish a piece on the PopTech blog about my passion, ethical shopping. It gave me a great excuse to polish up some of that “permanent content” I’ve been promising for this site, so consider this the starting point for something of an “ethical shopping manifesto.” [...]

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

NY Fashion Week Notes

Several quick jots… Marc by Marc Jacobs, as always, was excellent. Check out NYLON’s First Look, as previewed above. Diane Von Furstenberg was also awesome. Showings from eco-fashion houses Organic by John Patrick and Bodkin have had some nice highlights. Via Ethical Style’s Behind the Seams. Black models are crediting “the Obama effect” for more [...]

Thursday, February 12th, 2009

Inspired By Boy

… by Band of Outsiders. Oversized Knits I’m a huge fan. Off-the-shoulder is back! American Apparel has an entire page’s worth of Oversized tops, including the AA Unisex California Fleece Sweatshirt, $47. Alternative Raw Edge Off Shoulder Tee, $22. Pencil Skirt Larsen Gray and Camilla Norrback have both been designing perfect pencil skirts the past few [...]

Thursday, November 20th, 2008

Happy Handmade Holiday 2008!

In the imaginary profile of my “ideal self,” I make lots of things. I sew lovely dresses, cook gourmet meals (complete with garnishes) and send handmade thank-you cards to everyone I appreciate. But my real self… doesn’t quite get there. What to do when I wanted to make as many handmade Christmas presents as possible [...]

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Chicago’s Pivot Boutique: Why it’s Smart

Oh, beautiful Chicago — the architecture, the neighborhoods, the parks, the youthfulness, the mob lore… and Pivot. My first visit to Chicago’s only eco boutique lived up to every one of my (high) expectations. The shop is sleek, quirky and just the right size — small enough to feel intimate, but large enough that its [...]

Saturday, July 19th, 2008

Wearable Art: Kansas City’s West 18th Street Fashion Show

Well, it’s about TIME I wrote a little something about June’s West Eighteenth Street Fashion Show — particularly because a) I was in it, b) it’s been more than a month (!) and c) I’ve been a bit surprised at how little coverage it received. Call me old fashion fashioned (I’ll be here all week, [...]

Monday, May 26th, 2008

H&M f/w 2008 preview

I know this is the wrong attitude to have, but as nice as this Memorial Day weekend has been, it’s also been muggy and hot. Which means sweating. Which means I’m not as excited about summer now as I was a week ago (pre-first-sweat-of-the-season). Guess that makes now as good a time as any to [...]

Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

Good gifts: Holiday 2007

Priced from low to high, may I present . . . MY gift list! Because the best gifts are those we want ourselves, oui? $1+: iTunes gift cards No jewel cases or cross-country transportation required. (On the receiving end, I plan to immediately purchase Cat Power: The Greatest, Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever to Tell, Blonde [...]

Saturday, October 27th, 2007

PFW runway run down

Techno music: check. Beautiful people sitting runway-side: check. Non-toxic makeup on models: check. Some of the nation’s hottest eco-friendly fashion designers: check. FSC-certified wood on the runway: check. All expenses paid by sponsors so independent designers can strut their stuff: check. “Move fashion forward for a sustainable future”: check. Empowered yet? If not, just read [...]

Monday, October 8th, 2007

“The most sustainable fashion week in the world”

At Paris Fashion Week, Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquiere told Women’s Wear Daily that his runway isn’t so much a forum for pandering to rich women, but a platform for advancing a thought or two. Portland Fashion Week is all about advancing thoughts, too — Italy’s Book Moda calls Portland’s FW “most sustainable fashion week in the [...]