Comfortable Organic Cotton Underware

Comfort is key when it comes to the undergarments we wear. After a long day of running around shopping and cooking for clients, taking care of kids or cleaning up and doing laundry, I want to be comfortable.

One really comfortable garment made by Blue Canoe is the Cami Bra. This bra is light and breathable, made out of 87% organic cotton and 13% spandex. It has an elastic band at the bottom and straps that don't slip, so you never need to worry about readjusting or falling straps as you move. These bras are also not itchy and perfect for hot weather!

If you are looking for a new bra and value comfort, the environment and your health, I highly recommend the Cami Bra. Here is a link and picture:

Blue Canoe Cami Bra

Blue Canoe is a small company that uses organic cotton and bamboo fabrics to create excellent quality undergarments and active wear for women. All of their garments are made in San Fransisco and the company practices fair and local trade.

Check It Out! NYC (Sustainable) Fashion's Night Out

Finally- an upcoming fair trade fashion event in NYC to attend! This is going to be one awesome night full of shopping, education and celebration.

A bunch of unique designers and retailers will be showing off their sustainable styles. Anything you purchase at (Sustainable) Fashion's Night Out is something you can continuously feel good about every time you wear it.

Get ready to be inspired by noble causes, beautiful art, and incredible people. Then go home and do something with your inspiration. Inspiration is only worth something if you put it into action.

(Sustainable) Fashion's Night Out
Thursday, September 8, 2011

Textile Art's Center
26 West 8th Street

6:00 - 10:00 pm

Hope to see you there!
http://sustainablefashionsnightout.com/

Great Vintage Finds at Odd Twin

For another way to be eco-fashion conscious- Go Vintage! For some reason, I forgot about this easy and often times affordable way to be stylin' and green. I used to be really into wearing a lot of thrift and vintage pieces when I was in high school and got into swing dancing. Part of the fun of going out was getting dressed up in fun finds from the vintage stores.

Walking around Park Slope in Brooklyn, I stumbled upon this very cute, crazy store, Odd Twin. The dramatic and interesting window display definitely caught my attention- if you walk by, you will know what I mean. The person behind these displays is very creative, has a great eye for color & style, and knows how to make you want to walk in the front door. Plus, every time I walk by- they have a new display! I love it.

Enough about the display, time to move onto the clothing. Ok, seriously everything I tried on in this store was seriously fabulous. It's not just another vintage shop, the owner (and buyer) really knows what she's doing! She selects very stylish, colorful and artfully designed vintage pieces in good condition. You won't have to hunt for the good stuff, because the entire store is filled with it! The sizing is also very good. Most of the stuff I tried on fit me very well and I ended up scoring 2 very adorable, unique dresses.

Besides being eco-friendly, vintage fashions are oftentimes more modestly cut than more contemporary clothing, so if you like cute blousey tops, 3/4 sleeves, little jackets and over-the-knee skirts and dresses, you are sure to find it here. Plus buying vintage also means you won't show up to a social gathering wearing the same dress as that girl...oops!

All in all, I am loving vintage again. The best part about it- it never goes out of style. Thanks for the reminder of how stylish and eco vintage can be Odd Twin!

Check them out online, or better yet, in person.
http://www.oddtwin.com/

Conscious Collection From H & M

I just HAVE to write about H & M's new Conscious Collection, I am so excited! Eco-fashion going mainstream and being easily accessible by so many people, while also being affordable is so beyond awesome. Not only are the designs for this collection super cute, they are white, which make them perfect for the new Spring and Summertime weather. This collection uses recycled fabrics, organic cotton, and tencel. Tencel is a natural and renewable resource.

Here is a cute perfect-for-spring top I got:

Many of their pieces from this collections are very versatile. You can layer tops like this one with other more relaxed slouchy pieces for a comfortable chic look, or pair it with a more structured cardigan or jacket and statement jewelry for a more polished-put-together look.

H & M has put together a whole website all about their Conscious Collection, which includes information about corporate responsibility, a 2009 Sustainability Report, and information about them using greener goods. I love it.

You can check it out here:
http://www.hmconsciouscollection.com/welcome/

You can read more about H & M and shop there from their website:
H & M's Conscious Collection

Wear Your Veggies!

I have been looking for some cute and comfy tees to wear now that the weather is warmer- so discovering this clothing company made my day! These tees are fashion for the food revolution and are basically for anyone who loves veggies, comfort and green businesses (ME!).

These tees are made out of a blend of organic cotton and bamboo, making them very soft, breathable, lightweight and produced in a sustainable way. Here are some cool facts.

Bamboo:

• is the fastest growing plant on Earth
• produces more oxygen than trees
• grows in most climates
• needs very little water to grow

Organic Cotton:

• grows on fields that have been chemical free for at least 3 years
• by buying it you support clean air AND avoid supporting conventionally farmed cotton - which consumes 25% of the world's pesticide (2 BILLION pounds)

This company uses third party monitoring to make sure the shirts are made ethically and uses non-toxic inks for printing the designs. Seriously, I am obsessed! These tees remind me of working in a lush organic vegetable garden in Vermont. They also prove to be a good way to stay healthy - just looking down at your shirt will remind you to eat your veggies!

I got myself two of these tees on sale at the San Francisco Green Festival. If you prefer shopping in person for clothing, don't worry. Green Festival will happen this year in Chicago, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, and again to San Francisco in November (this one will be even bigger!) Each Green Festival has it's own eco-fashion section, so you are sure to find great things wherever you go.

Check their website to browse their collection. They also have baby clothing!
Wear Your Veggies Website

From War to Peace

What a pleasure it is to take a quick trip somewhere new and interesting! There is nothing like travelling and exploring to bring a fresh perspective into your life. I recently took a quick trip to Palo Alto, California and had the pleasure of heading to San Francisco for a day to go to my all-time favorite eco-event, Green Festival!!!

There is so much green-ness in California, I have a lot to share with you about all the cool things and people I saw there. Not only was it inspiring to meet amazing people who change the world everyday by doing good, caring about the environment and about people, but I got to see my sister-in-law and my brother build their own eco-home, piece by piece, (more about that later).

The first thing that I am most excited about is From War to Peace. They create affordable, beautiful and artful jewelry by recycling copper from disarmed nuclear missile systems. They truly take something that is totally destructive and harmful and make something amazing, inspiring and usable. They are a green company and also donate 20% of their proceeds to peace and social justice organizations. How awesome is that?? When I met them at the San Francisco Green Festival I was so amazed at all of the incredible good that they do, I almost cried!

I bought myself this cute blue heart pendant. I love it!

On the website they only currently sell pendants with the chains as well, and that can be a bit pricey. I bought just the pendant, since I already had a chain. They should be adding the ability to buy just a pendant to their online store soon. If you want one right away, just email them and they will sell it to you!

They also make mezuzahs. Here are some they had at the Green Festival table. They are so cute!

Here is a short video of them explaining what they do:
From War to Peace Video

Check out their website:
From War to Peace Website

Style and Substance Come Naturally with Summer Raye Oakes

One of the things I love about New York is that there is so much eco-fashion there. As some of you might know, I am working towards starting my own eco-fashion clothing company, so what better way to start it than to go to the eco-fashion hub of America- NYC!

One really awesome resource in NY for eco-fashion, style and beauty is the well-known model and activist, Summer Rayne Oaks. She has done and continues to do so much for the benefit of people and the environment, this woman is truly inspirational. She has worked with Payless Shoesource, Tommy Hilfiger and Conde Nast to help them become more sustainable, is the author of a best-selling book, Style, Naturally: The Savvy Shopping Guide to Sustainable Fashion and Beauty, runs her own sustainability innovation consulting business, and only models for ethically-made, sustainable fashion companies.

Check out her website and blog:
http://www.summerrayneoakes.com/
http://www.summerrayne.net/blog/

Check out this video about helping fashion shows go green with Summer Rayne:
Fashion Shows Go Green

Toms Shoe Trend is Sweeping the Nation

The Toms shoe craze is sweeping the nation! I know this because they have made their way to mainstream Arizona. I can go out to any regular shopping establishment and find them on the feet of all kinds of people, but mostly on teens and 20-somethings that like fashion, comfort and doing global good. They are even selling these at my local natural food store! I like where this is going...

Toms shoes are known for their "One for One" mission. Buy a pair of shoes and Toms will give a pair to a child in need. They are all about the greater good, what an awesome concept, right?

These shoes come in many different colors and styles, such as flats, boots and wedges. They also have a vegan line. You can easily wear these with a cute skirt, jeans or to a fancy occasion- because they also have a glitter collection.

Check it out:

TOMS website

If You're Gonna be Lazy... Be a Lazy Environmentalist

It all started out with caring about the environment. This led to a satellite radio show, writing two books about green products, companies and trends, owning an eco-design company, producing and hosting an award-winning eco-reality show, and finally, becoming a national spokesperson and CEO. This guy Josh Dorfman, aka The Lazy Environmentalist, continues to find easy, stylish and inspiring ways for regular people to go green. He also is an example of how someone who really cares about something meaningful and important can turn his passion into a successful career. (Amazing!)

The Lazy Environmentalist is an excellent resource for learning all about great solutions to everyday challenges in making greener lifestyle choices for everything we use in our day-to-day lives.

Check out the books The Lazy Environmentalist and The Lazy Environmentalist on a Budget. Also, these great websites are handy tools to use for more info and inspiration on easily going MORE green.

The Lazy Environmentalist Website

The Lazy Environmentalist TV Show

Let's Sport & Play in Comfort

This cute and super comfortable sports bra wicks away moisture and provides support, all while supporting awesome values like helping the environment and promoting fair trade. This sports bra also lasts for a very long time, so you will get good use out of it. I have two of these, and wear them all the time for hiking, jogging and being active.

Patagonia clothing company is dedicated to promoting fair labor and environmental protection, is a member of 1% For the Planet and uses organic, natural and recycled fabrics. Check them out to find out more and to see more of their clothing and sports gear collection:

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/home

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/patagonia-womens-active-mesh-bra?slc=en_US&sct=US&p=32103-0-867-155

Feel-Good Fashion: Paper to Pearls

Want to accessorize fabulously and do good at the same time? Paper to Pearls makes beautifully handmade, fair trade necklaces crafted from recycled paper by poverty stricken women in refugee camps in northern Uganda.

The income these women earn helps them to buy more nutritious food for their families, have access to better health care, send their children to school and have income to spend in their communities. It also helps them to gain pride, dignity and hope for the future.

In addition, net revenue from the necklace sales is given back to beaders in the form of education, training and entrepreneurship development.

Check out Paper to Pearls

Style Studio: Luxury-Eco Jeans with Linda Loudermilk

See how luxury eco-denim is made in this exclusive factory tour with fabulous eco-designer Linda Loudermilk.

http://www.style.com/video/fashion-moments/fashion-moments/1896809784/linda-loudermilk/1898342302

Always Stylish, Matt & Nat Bags

Looking for a new fab bag? Check out Matt and Nat bags, high quality, stylish, vegan AND environmentally conscious. These bags are so great, even Ellen DeGeneres gave them away last year on her show during 12 days of giveaways!

Check out the latest arrivals at:
www.mattandnat.com