Fashion Blog » Green Scene

You eat organically, you support local farmers, you made a pact this summer to water the plants sparingly and taking the train to work instead of the SUV. It’s been a good summer for you and the environment, and you feel like you’ve made great strides. The garden is more sustainable, you have a compost heap, you even use organic cleaning products so you don’t kill the environment with Clorox, stain removers, and the inevitable harsh chemicals that fill the aisles at the shopping plaza. Basically, you are an Environmental God or Goddess, and you wonder about the next terrain: clothing. What can you do to make your clothing more organic, more sustainable, more natural, and better for the environment? Do you like the hippie hemp look, or do you want something more, and are afraid of slipping from being the “environmentally conscious professional” to the “bat lady with her compost heap and henna tattoos”.

Never fear! Instead of thinking “organic” clothing, think about reusable and recyclable clothing instead. Donate to your local Salvation Army with all of your old (but still functional) pieces so you can start the chain of recycling for the less fortunate. Now that you’re such a good person that gives back to the community, you can reward yourself with a few new clothing purchases. You don’t have to go shopping at the local Salvation Army to find recyclable fashions: there are plenty of online sites that specialize in reusable clothing, vintage pieces, and handmade goods, like Etsy.com or even some independent stores on Ebay.com.

Here are some of my top picks from Etsy.com:

Austin Leeds Tailored Vintage Blazer: $30.00


Vintage 80s 90s BLACK Velvet with GOLD Trim and STUD Accents STRAPLESS Dress XXS XS: $32.00


Handmade clasp clutch purse with butterflies on taupe: $60.00

So, if you didn’t get the chance to plant a tree and celebrate Earth Day properly last month, don’t fret, for it’s never to late to go green! Before you bust out your re-usable shopping bags and recycling bins, make sure you are properly outfitted first!

My favorite runway look this week is from Diane Von Furstenberg’s Spring 2008 Ready-to-Wear collection. Not only do I love this shade of green, but the silhouette has a blousy, boho feel, and the headscarf gives the look a very cute 70’s vibe.

Not ready to drop some serious $$$ on DVF? The look below won’t break the bank and might leave you some leftover cash for those energy-saving light bulbs you’ve been meaning to pick up.

          Black pleated jumpsuit, $29.80, forever21.com

          Satin floral-print scarf, $39, bananarepublic.com  

Steve Madden Vallii wedges in green,
$74, zappos.com

Shop for more women’s jumpsuits here.

Shop for more women’s scarves here.

Shop for more women’s wedge sandals here.

Image Source: Style.com

Okay, so these shoes aren’t exactly on sale like my usally “Deal of the Day” posts, but in the spirit of Earth Day I felt the need to introduce you to these economically friendly & CUTE shoes from NeuAura:

Swan: $84

Cardinal: $94

Raven: $89

NeuAura’s mission is to “provide fun and exciting quality footwear that does not involve unnecessary harm to animals and to the environment.”  Their shoe boxes & tissue paper used for packaging are made from 100% recycled paper.  They even offer shoe recycling programs!  Pretty cool.

Click here to view their entire collection.

Would you ride a bike to work? What about a DKNY bike?

Neon orange bikes, like the one pictured above, will be sprinkled around New York City courtesy of DKNY next week. The company partnered up with the city’s Department of Transportation for this pro-environment campaign that aims to promote bike riding.

The non-gas guzzling modes of transportation will be chained up at bike stations in various city neighborhoods.

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An early Christmas gift for Fashionistas.  According to Women’s Wear Daily, eco-friendly designer Rogan Gregory, of Rogan and Bono’s Edun line, is joining the ranks of Targets high fashion collaborators.  There aren’t many details at this point, but the news is buzzing.

I don’t know about you, but I get tons of store catalogs in the mail every month. It drives me crazy because I only look at a fraction of them (you know, the one’s I actually signed up for) and end up throwing the rest in the recycling bin once I get sick of them cluttering my dining room table. It always seems like such a monumental waste to me, so I was glad to read about GreenDimes on Girlawhirl today.

For $16, GreenDimes will help you rid your mailbox of unsolicited catalogs and other junk mail by getting your name off of thousands of mailing lists. There are a few steps involved, but in 8 weeks you’ll see a reduction of retail catalogs, credit card offers and other stuff you never asked for. You can reduce by up to 90% for good, which saves trees, water and dining room tables. Plus, the company plants 10 trees with every mail reduction kit purchase.

Here’s some more inspiration to help you kick the catalogs:

• 100 million trees are cut down each year to create the approximately 4.5 million tons of junk mail in the United States

• 28 billion gallons of water go into the production of American junk mail annually

Okay, I’m sold, but I’m keeping my J.Crew and Anthropologie catalogs.

Fashion Week Daily reports that Victoria’s Secret is going green with it’s über-trendy Pink line. Well, not the whole line, but what they have planned is a step in the right direction. The company plans to produce a few eco-conscious mini collections, featuring tanks and t-shirts made with organic cotton, under the Pink banner.  Commenting on the inspiration for the environmentally-friendly shift (VS also recently agreed to find more sustainable alternatives for its catalog business), the company’s spokesperson said that Victoria’s Secret was responding to the concerns of it’s customers, who are “very aware of the environment right now.”

Let’s take the “right now” out of the equation and start demanding more corporate responsibility when it comes to the environment.  After all, it’s our dollars they’re after.

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