I can’t believe it’s been three years since I first heard about b green organic clothing.  I visited their green festival booth back in March of oh-nine and made a purchase right then and there: b green organic classic bikini-cut panties.  To this day, they’re still my favorite pair!

I recently wore my b greens during a workout (I’m using Running Mate – similar to Couch to 5K – to get myself back in shape) and was surprised at how well they held up: no bunching, wedgies, or weirdness.  If that doesn’t constitute a panty party…well, I’m having one anyway, so too bad.

While I love my lacy, mesh, frilly stuff, there’s something to be said about a pair of classic cotton panties.  b green carries lots of different styles, but they’re all cut to the same four forms: bikini, thong, brief and short:

• Organic Classic Bikini
• Organic String Bikini
• Organic Bikini with Lace
• Organic Boy Short
• Organic Hot Short (yowza!)
• Organic Hot Short with Lace
• Organic Hi-Cut Brief
• Organic Thong
• Organic Thong with Lace

Oh, and that’s the other theme: every pair of b green panties is made using 95% organic cotton.  Their absolute commitment to eco-friendly materials is as important to them now as it was when they began.  Consistency!  I love it.

Along with panties, b green also makes classic tees, menswear (including organic cotton boxers and briefs) and my current obsession, activewear.  I recently resolved that I would only buy green workout gear from now on (including the recycled Under Armour top we found at Nordstrom Rack last week) and am really excited that I have b green as an option for yoga pants and a hoodie – which I am sorely in need of.

Organic Athletica Hoodie

Organic Sports Cami and Organic Yoga Crop Pant

Speaking of active, have you recently started a new fitness routine?  I’d love an accountability buddy!

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Whenever we have a hard day at the HQ, there’s only one two things that can fix it:

Coffee + Shopping.

It’s true – every time. We fight with our partners – coffee + shopping. We show up wearing the same thing – coffee + shopping. The moon falls out of the sky – coffee  + shopping. Our collective, next-to-each-other, shared BFF epitaph – coffee + shopping.

You get the drift.

After a tough work day yesterday, we decided to coffee + shopping and head into Nordstrom Rack for some eye-candy and affordable fashion. As we walked the three story Seattle store, we started to feel a little odd. Other-dimension-odd.

Everywhere we looked – there were ethical fashion and beauty products.

A massive Burt’s Bees & Origins display!

Don’t get me wrong – we’re born’n'bred Seattle girls – Nordstrom is an amazing store (one of the best ever, we say!) and they have been carrying ethical designers and products for years, but we’re not used to seeing high-end ethical brands so deeply discounted! We’re talking insane-level discounts here…

We only covered a small portion of the apparel section (much to our dismay), but within that time, we found more eco-friendly clothes than we were prepared for.

This top that I’m holding was pulled from the activewear section (we’re having a year of running & yoga, so, you know, gotta go coffee + shopping). It’s a long-sleeved, hooded, running top made by super-reputable company, Under Armour. As a part of their UA Green line, it’s made from 100% recycled fabric & printed with soy-based inks. What even? This is awesome! Even better – $27. (Here it is on the Under Armour site.)

Okay, eco-fashion-philes, ready to have your mind blown?

I hold in my trembling hands an EDUN dress for $9.99.

I know, right? Sadly, I left it at the store (easily distracted by shiny things – in this case, there was a shiny quesadilla calling my name), but EDUN was everywhere! We also found an adorable skirt (straight from the runway) for less than $70.

Amazing ethical brands carried at Nordstrom & Nordstrom Rack, not pictured:

• Threads4Thought
• Alternative Apparel
• R44 Standard Issue by Rogan
• Stem
• Splendid
• Nau
• Dayna Decker
• SPROUT Watches
• Petunia Pickle Bottom
• Timberland EarthKeepers
• Eileen Fisher
• Whish
• Tela Beauty Organics
• L’Occitane
• Jack Black
• Kiehl’s
• Jedidiah

…Amazing, right? Definitely count the Nordstrom stores as part of your eco-arsenal! Stay tuned for more eco-shopping sojourns…

Earlier this week I proclaimed my desire to go to Scotland to see Highland Cattle in their indigenous habitat.  Today I found Re-Dress, an Irish organization that utilizes education, cooperative practices and public events to encourage ethical fashion practices.  If I stumble across an ethical English designer tomorrow, that’s it, I give in, I’m flying to the British Isles.

(Dear Universe: I’d like to fly to the British Isles, please, so feel free to send an awesome designer my way.  Also, a free plane ticket.)

Re-dress was founded in 2008 by Rosie O’ Reilly, Kellie Dalton and Kate Nolan, three ladies that have a passion for their home country of Ireland and wanted to promote ethical, local fashion practices.  They created Re-dress to do just that.  Here’s their mission:

“Better Fashion is – aesthetically and creatively inspiring, environmental respectful acknowledging the limitations of our world’s resources & respectful of  the rights of the people manufacturing and creating garments globally.
Better Fashion is measured by its merits, not its profit margins and it starts with you.”

Since 2008, Re-dress has focused on consumer education and awareness through their public events, art installations, and their Better Fashion work: Better Fashion Week, Better Fashion Resources and Better Fashion Industry.  They even have a full list of fabric definitions!  My favorite of their consumer awareness projects, however, is their made in Ireland swing tag.

It’s simple, really: every single product with the made in Ireland swing tag is guaranteed to be made in Ireland. If you live in Ireland, choosing products with this swing tag means you’re buying locally, and guarantees that your purchase helps the Irish economy.  It also guarantees a type of quality and ethics not always found in fashion cooperatives:

“Successful applicants of the made in Ireland project are expected to commit to:

• Achieve best practice standards in their own fields.
• Aspire to provide the highest quality of design, finish, service & presentation in their products.
• Ensure the highest standard of accountability within their production facilities including the recognition and application of employment rights and labour standards.
• Apsire to increase their manufacturing and production capacity here in Ireland.”

The made in Ireland website lists its members – all Irish fashion and jewelry designers, of course – on its website.  Because I love eye candy (and I know you do too), here are some of my favorites:

eilis boyle

eilisboyle.com

Emma Manley

emmamanley.com

Heather Finn

heatherfinn.com

Lisa Shawgi

lisashawgi.com

Sinead Doyle

sineaddoyle.com

You can find the rest of the made in Ireland members here.

I love Valentine’s Day, and one of the reasons is that my partner and I decided, at the start of our relationship, that we would do nothing romantic on Valentine’s Day. (New Years Eve is our “romantic holiday.”) Instead, we’d hook up with our not-paired-up friends and do whatever the hell suited us. Still, I’ll take any excuse to buy a new dress, so I almost always wear one on V-day.

Whether or not you have a partner, I suggest that you find something interesting or unique to do on Valentine’s Day: go to a live show, take a winter hike, or eat a kind of food you’ve never tried before. Do something memorable, whether or not you do something romantic.

And do it in a dress.

When it comes to classic, versatile, eco-friendly dresses, Gaiam is so underrated. I love the modest high neck on the Rose Pleated Dress, and would wear it to a Valentine’s dinner, then bring it out again for a spring wedding. Similarly, the Kimono Dress goes with anything and everything. It’s snowing in Seattle, and I’d still wear it – with black leggings, cute snow boots and a cardigan. In a few months I’d pair it with a big, chunky necklace and wood-heeled wedges. The Empire Waist Maxi is so classic v-day, with its bright red color and low v-neck, that it’s probably the most “obvious” choice for this list. And red is such an underrated color! More people should wear red.

All three dresses are made from bamboo and organic cotton.

God, how I wish the ASOS dress was available in more sizes. It’s so casual, but also interesting, you know? Both the FIN Oslo dress and the Cangiari dress would be GREAT for food babies. (It’s Valentine’s Day, which means I will definitely be eating dessert. Lots of it.)

Barring the silly names – Senorita dress? Really? – I whole-heartedly approve of these organic cotton dresses by Athleta. They come in so many colors! If you’re doing anything physical on Valentine’s Day – and I’m seriously considering going on a winter hike – this dress, under or over other warming layers – would be really fun.

Eye-catching organic cotton dresses are hard to find, but it is possible. Annie Greenabelle’s aesthetic is feminine and vintage – sometimes almost so feminine that it’s saccharine. This is one of Greenabelle’s more mellow dresses, but you can find her others the dress section of ModCloth.

And Theory…oh, Theory. I can’t wait until I have the funds to wear Theory dresses all the time. They’re so stunning! This beauty is made from silk and bamboo, so please don’t wear it hiking. Thanks.

This is such a “Valentine’s Day, whatever” dress. When I first saw the striped version I thought, “Uh, yeah, big chunky boots, obviously,” and though the second is a little more feminine due to its purple-ness, it’s still a little more chill, and easier to punk up, than some of the other dresses on this list. If you’re feeling bitter over Valentine’s Day, please wear this dress, and also wear too much eye makeup, and also listen to early nineties grunge bands.

(I’m so demanding.)

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I consider myself a definitely wedge connoisseur… All wedges get a fair chance in my world, and each get the same amount of respect.

Well, until the bar is raised, anyway. Then it’s time, again, for the world of wedges to step up their game. This bar-raising occured promptly after I set eyes on the Quail Boots from Naya.

The leather feels so soft and buttery (cliché as it might be, it’s the damn truth), and the color was the perfect shade of putty (or “Lunar Taupe“) mixed with mud that I love. My favorite part of the boot, though – that wedge. It reminded me of the Diane Von Furstenberg wedges I fell in love with last year, with their rustic, driftwood feel and detailed layers. Also well worth mentioning – the arch support is beyond satisfactory (which is nice when you’re 3+ inches off the ground).

For those who aren’t familiar with Naya and their fierce dedication to sustainability, this is some of the only leather I’m okay when it comes to shoes. Their dying methods are eco-friendly and conscious, as they use vegetable tanning processes that are much more gentle on the environment (thought admittedly still not good). They use as many recycled materials as possible and carry that philosophy to their packaging, which prevents them from pushing one of my biggest buttons: ethical designers and retailers who use excessive shipping materials. Ugh.

Admittedly, though – I have beef. This won’t come as a surprise to many women, but… my calves, ladies. I can’t count the number of times an argument between my calves and boot shafts have resulted in bloodshed [sidenote: possibly because there aren't any?] and this boot was no different. I managed to surgically insert my leg into the boot for these photos, but it was a very tight squeeze, and my calves are about 16″.

Were my calves an inch or two smaller, I would be wearing these boots until they were forced from my loving feet. The comfort level is high, the design is spot on, and the sizing is pretty typical – and not necessarily bad! Just bad for me.

I’m pretty sure that these boots would be my “wear over jeans” and “wear with tights” and “wear with dresses” boots. Mostly I just want wake up in the morning knowing that I have a ridiculously good-looking pair of boots that will go with just about everything I own waiting for me in my closet. Isn’t that the best feeling ever?

If you love these, they are available from the following retailers:

• Amazon
• Piperlime
• Endless
• Zappos

We received a complimentary pair of summery Naya wedge sandals in exchange for reviewing the above boots.  Look for them next summer!

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For those who don’t know, Livia Firth is an eco-fashion warrior champion badass who happens to be married to Mr. Darcy Colin Firth.

She first caught our eye when she announced her Green Carpet Challenge where she proclaimed that all her red carpet dresses for the year would be sustainable – and she did it! (Beautifully, no less.) When I heard that she was planning on debuting a line of sustainable dresses, I was more than impressed. I’m definitely please to see that her Green Carpet Challenge was a success! (I definitely get excited when I see a sustainable designer’s dress on the red carpet.)

She’s working with one of our favorite websites, Yooxygen, and Reclaim To Wear - an system that aids designers in using reclaimed fabrics, saved from the trash! Recently, she debuted a dress from her line, inspired by a vintage dress from her grandmother.

Gorgeous silver! Not into it? Well, it comes in five colors. Five. 

In case you’re still not impressed, her line is also charitable.

I love this dress in the dark brown!

Yep! – it benefits an organization in Livia’s native country, Italy, called Cooperativa Rinascere. All of this heartwarming stuff is making me start to wonder if Livia is trying to compensate for something. Maybe she’s an ex-assassin who is trying to seriously realign her karma. Maybe. She’s probably just a really nice person. And, yeah… probably not an assassin. (Damn.)

Here line definitely falls into the “eco-friendly luxury fashion” category, as the price is $832. Ouch. But, hey… It’s good fodder for my daily afternoon fantasy, aka the only place where I could actually afford this dress (and trust me – if I could, it would be on me right now).

What do you think of the dress? How would you style it?

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I am so ambivalent about ModCloth. I love that they introduce me to independent designers – they led me to today’s independent fashion designer, Kelly Lane – but hate that they change the name of every design they feature. Give me the designer’s vision for the piece, ModCloth. Words have power. Let the designers’ titles speak to me!

I did manage to find the real name of each of Kelly Lane’s designs, so I’m going to give you both until ModCloth gets it together.

Orbit Dress: $219.99

See what I mean? Kelly Lane calls this the Orbit Dress, and ModCloth calls it the Be Right Block Dress. That’s so “ho hum” to me, especially when I look at Kelly Lane’s background: she’s always had a “passion to create,” and the first sentence on her “about” page mentions both color and concept. Concept! That’s words, ModCloth!

(Do you think someone at ModCloth might see this and listen? I could be a dress-naming hero! Maybe there will be a parade.)

Still, the match between ModCloth’s vintage style and Kelly Lane’s patterns and themes is perfect. They’re meant to be together.

Aurora Dress (aka Living la Vida Local): $209.99 $146.99

“During childhood, my canvases were many: smooth, concrete basement floors in my parents’ new home, textured wall-paper in the hallways, etc.”

…can you imagine, as a child, painting on a cool basement floor? I don’t know whether that’s what she meant – she mentions wall paper, so likely not – but it makes me want to find every photo of a design-inspired concrete floor on Tumblr and save it in my “look at this in ten years when you’re thinking about kids” folder.

Meteor Skirt (aka What’s Your Tri-Angle): $94.99

Are you seeing Kelly Lane’s astronomical theme yet? Her 2011 Fall/Winter collection is inspired by the stars, “from the ruddy textures of a lunar landscape to the blinding center of a vibrant supernova.” It’s lovely to see a vintage style mixed with a starry palette…without it looking kitschy.

Shooting Star Dress (aka Daily Dose of Darling Dress): $189.99

…and, of course, everything is made ethically. All of the designs featured here are composed of hemp, organic cotton and/or tencel, and the tags are even made of recycled paper! All designs are crafted in New York, too, so there’s a really cool local element to her work, too.

Adromeda Dress (aka Composition Book): $189.99

This is, hands down, my favorite dress in the collection. The color-blocking and patterns are very post-holidays forgiving (ahem) but the cut skims the body in a sexy, bold way that I really adore. It would definitely be my “Stylish Party With Too Many Delicious Appetizers” dress.

Speaking of which, I have a hankering for a really good party with really good food. Maybe a clothing swap? (If you’re in Seattle, you’re invited!)

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Ugghhhh, I’m so tired.  Can you hear the whine in my voice?  That’s my tired whine.  It is distinct from my other whines.  (I bet your whines are distinct, too; you just haven’t noticed.)

I have this awesome 100% cotton, horizontally-striped maxi dress at home, but it’s too short and, after my holiday fun, probably a little too tight. But I really, really want to be wearing a 100% cotton, horizontally-striped maxi dress because horizontally-striped maxi dresses are surprisingly forgiving when it comes to sleepy, overfull or otherwise…messy…kinds of days.

This long sweater dress by Splendid is perfect.  It’s made using organic cotton and hemp, and it’s sweater-y, and it’s long long long…but it only comes in an extra small and a small.  Sigh.

I’m trying to think of something else that, in one fell swoop, could make me feel as comfortable as a horizontally-striped maxi dress.  Do you have an “I’m tired so shut up and let me pretend these are my pajamas” outfit?

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Your word of the day, dear readers, is mei.  Mei translates from Chinese to “beautiful,” a word that is often replaced with “cute,” “pretty” or “hot,” but is much more classy and should be used more often (in English or Chinese).

Mei Vintage, a woman-owned handbag company, has the perfect descriptive name: they create beautiful handbags from vintage-sourced materials – handbags that are just waiting for you caress and coo at them. (Who needs kids when I’ve got handbags?)

Mei Vintage handbags, which are priced from $150 to $300, are created using environmentally conscious materials – a practice I find to be, well, beautiful!  Their bags are made using leather remnants, which would otherwise be thrown away, as well as vintage kimono fabric and hemp lining.  This melding of new and vintage materials creates something classic yet so unique that some of their designs are only made in a limited run.  Each color combination comes in small batches, and everything is handmade in the USA.

Designer Alice Huang spent her formative years in Los Angeles and various parts of Asia. This bi-continental lifestyle set her creative juices flowing.  As she entered college, Alice began collecting vintage kimonos and, when she began designing her handbags, she took inspiration not only from her two homelands, but also from her other travels around the world. The result is a set of designs that are universally beautiful – not to west coast contemporary, not too classically Asian.

You can purchase Mei Vintage handbags and wallets at MeiVintage.com.

Images via the Mei Vintage Facebook page. Like them for free shipping!

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The end of the year is so dangerous for me. It’s especially dangerous this year: I’ve just resolved that I’d like to buy a house, which means “save save save”…which actually means “quit buying all the things on the internet.”

But mooooooom, LovingEco is having a saaaaaale.

LovingEco, an ethical sample sale website that we adore so much we partnered with them in September, is currently offering eight different brands at up to 90% off. Some of our favorites are likely to sell out fast.

 
I love sassy models.

I want to wear the Long Sleeve Lengthen Tee (priced at $32 – 57% off) to work on my off days. Haven’t slept? Wear an over-size (but slim-fit) tee and pretend you’re still in pajamas. Woke up with a headache? Curl up with your hands shoved into the sleeves and make your most pitiful face.

So basically I want to wear it every day.

I’d obviously pair my sleepytime shirt with these vegan ballerina flats by Kailia. Be still my heart! They were originally $119 – now only ten bucks!

The sale of this limited edition necklace by actress Maria Bello and her non-profit organization, We Advance, supports women in Haiti. Each piece is handcrafted from recycled materials, and gives you an “ethnic” look without forcing you to jump on the cultural appropriation train. At $32.95, this necklace is more than 50% off.

Vaute Couture (pronounced “vote” – think “haute” with a V) makes all of its products without the use of any animal products, byproducts or suffering. I love the shirt on the right – called “Friends, Not Entertainment” – and the script on the left is delicious. Both shirts are on sale for $28.80.

There’s a lot more LovingEco temptation to be had: PeaceBOMB bracelets, Blissoma skincare, Cityzen Green clothing, and Sword + Fern necklaces. It’s all just becoming too much for me. Time to remind myself of my goals by looking at pictures of my dream house…

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