Organic Nail Polish

Nail Polish is a product every girl loves and cant live without but many do not know the harmful effects of breathing in the fumes of non-organic nail polish. My mom was the one who informed me of this and would scold me every time I went to the nail salon to get my nails done with my friends. I used to be embarrassed when she would hand me organic nail polish and told me I could only get my nails done if I used it instead of the nail salon's nail polish. Now looking back on it my mom, of course, was right. I should have listened to her all these years. There are so many cute colors of organic nail polish that looks exactly the same as every other nail polish out there but is actually less harmful for you and the environment. For example this company called Suncoat not only makes organic nail polish but cosmetics as well. This nail polish is sustainable because it is water based and does not use harmful chemicals. It comes in many different shades and the best part is that it is affordable! It was given the Award of Excellence by Alive in 2004 and 2005 and is a national award winning product. I would recommend trying it!

I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas

The book "I'm Dreaming of a Green Christmas" by Anna Getty has some great ideas about how to be sustainable during the holidays. This book was featured in Vogue and has a lot of helpful tips in it. It talks about how to save energy, how to make recycled decorations more chic, as well as recipes and much more. It not only has great ideas about helping our earth but will also save you money!!

Make your own jewelry

Accessories can leave a big whole in your wallet. But instead of splurging on this seasons new "it" accessories you can make your own using some of last seasons jewelry or items that you don't wear anymore. Just by re-stringing an old necklace you can create a new look for free! It is a fun way to revamp whats in your jewelry box and you can do it with friends even. My mom and I have a great time creating unique necklaces and bracelets together from stuff we have around the house and in our jewelry boxes. Here is an example of a Vintage silver and rhinestone chain necklace that was made from old jewelry created by Lulu Frost. It was made from old jewelry that was re-strung and made into a hot new accessory. It goes for $800 but you can make your own using your old jewelry at home.

Elle PortableLight Project

Elle Magazine features this new bag called the Elle Portable Light Project. It is a sustainable bag designed by 8 different designers including Loeffler Randall, Diane von Furstenberg, Tommy Hilfiger, Loomstate, Lutz & Patmos, Rogan, Vena Cava, and Zero + Maria Cornejo. It has a solar panel that is flexible, a HBLED light, a USB cord, and a rechargeable battery pack built into it. The idea was created by Sheila Kennedy, an architect, that wanted to create a bag that would allow people who do not have access to electricy to have it. It can charge your phone and do many different things while using clean sustainable energy and light. The bag shown was designed by Loeffler Randall.

Elle Magazines Tips for a Green Lifestyle

I was reading Elle Magazine and came across their 21 day eco-chic challenge. It has so many great ideas that you can use to help the environment. They are little tips that can make a huge impact such as using a refillable make up container as apposed to one that you just throw away when you are done with it. Or even taking an old toothbrush and instead or throwing it out using it as a way to groom your eyebrows and little fly-a-ways at the edge of your hairline when it is in an up do.

here is the link for the 21 eco-chic challenge. I challenge you to try it!

http://www.elle.com/Life-Love/Entertaining-Design/Green-Lifestyle-Tips

Top Eco Friendly Stores

Here are some great Eco-Friendly clothing stores that I have recently come across and love. Check them out!

1. EcoGanik
2. Blue Canoe (sports wear clothes)
3. revolveclothing.com
4. Ciel Clothing
5. Loyale clothing
6. Perfect Organics

Eco Lecture

Eco-friendly clothing has become so popular they are even starting to teach the importance of it in schools. I am a fashion major and one of the classes I am taking this semester is Apparel Production and a couple weeks ago my professor dedicated a whole class to inform us about how important this topic is. She told us that the fashion industry is going to be the toughest industry to change because of how fast paced it is. New fashions are constantly being made and new trends are replacing the old it would ruin how the whole industry worked. Major things would need to be changed in order to completely get fashion to change but they are on the right track. Eco-friendly clothing is one of the ways they have changed for the better. The fashion industry is slowing making positive changes to help the planet.

Recycled Clothing

Although many might not think of clothing in thrift stores or consignment shops as being eco-friendly they in fact are. By shopping at thrift stores you are buying recycled clothing and the great part is most of the clothing you find there are vintage! Some may think of these types of shops filled with your grandmothers clothing but the truth is that although some are there are many that are not.Thrift stores have become the new chic thing. My favorite consignment shop has to be Second Time Around and it was voted the Best Consignment Shop in Boston so check it out! There are also many opening up in malls such as Providence Place Mall and down town boutiques.

http://www.secondtimearound.net

Fall 2008 House of Organic fashion show

The picture you see as the introduction of my blog is from the"House of Organic" Fall 2008 collection presented by Johanna Hofring the creator of Ekovaruhuset. This show was a collection of many different designers such as Ashley Helvey, Kaori Yamazaki, Desiree Hammen, Melissa Kirgan, to name a few. I looked through this collection and loved all of the clothes. Even though it is from last season this particular show demonstrates how eco fashion can be fashion forward and economically friendly at the same time. One of my favorite looks was the one I posted above created by Anja Hyneynen, a Swedish designer. I love this dress it is so chic and has a light airy feel great for the summer. You can find many more of her styles in one of the Ekovaruhuset boutiques.

Here is the website if you wish to check out more they have a lot of great stuff and fashion ideas!
http://www.inhabitat.com

Ethical Clothing Choices

Looking around my room I am noticing all of my clothing, it seems unhealthy. But like most females who are into fashion and dressing up this seems to justify my non controllable shopping sprees and excessive amounts of clothing piling up in my drawers and cramming my closet. Taking a closer look at my clothes I notice most are made with synthetic fibers and non organic fabrics. I am surprised and saddened by this. I have contributed in a small way to all the pollution and environmental problems our country is now having just by not buying sustainable clothing. Just think of all of the millions of girl just like me who have the same amount of clothing as I do. Think of all the plastic shopping bags from the many shopping trips they have taken and the chemicals used to create their clothing. This alone has had such an impact on our planet. By making ethical choices in our fashion we can help save our environment.

Shopping Trip to Forever 21

Green is slowing becoming the new black. Many big companies are jumping on the "going green" band wagon and making positive changes to help save our environment a little at a time. I went to the mall the other day and was happily surprised when at the register at Forever21 the sales associate asked if I would like to pay an extra dollar for a tote instead of their generic plastic bag. They had 2 or 3 different totes that you could choose from like the one that is shown above. I think totes that can be reused is a great idea for companies to do, grocery stores are doing it so why not retail? The bags can be reused and it will help eliminate some of the plastic that is being thrown away and ending up in landfills.

Introduction

If you are wondering what exactly eco-clothing is I will tell you. It is clothing made from either organic materials or recycled goods. Now a days fabric can be created from organic cotton, bamboo, banana fiber, hemp, indigo,wool and even bottle tops and aluminum cans to name a few. Organic fabric means that the plant or fiber used in creating a fabric did not use any chemicals or pesticides in the process of transforming it into the fabric. Besides from plants and animals recycled fabric can be made from almost anything. A popular fashion trend using recycled materials is in jewelry, designers use either old jewelry or scraps of fabric to create a new modern piece of jewelry. There are millions of trends being created in environmentally friendly ways that you don't need to look like you went searching through the trash to find your outfit.