Fighting Fashionista

Like the rest of the country, my husband and I are obsessed with Mad Men. It’s in no small part because of the show’s amazing wardrobe. From hottie Joan to prim but sexy Betty, not to mention the men’s buttery suits, the aesthetic is captivating.

AMC knows what’s up. They’ve launched a new blog to discuss Mad Men (and women) fashion every week. It’s written by Fashionista blogger Faran Krentcil, and she gives helpful tips about how to duplicate the show’s sartorial artistry. My recent favorite was Betty’s riding outfit:

maybe the most interesting scene of Betty’s is when she’s horse-bound. Her boots and blazer could have been a uniform, except for the gleam of red lipstick under Betty’s helmet. That turned the whole thing from sportswear into showmanship, the same way Betty can slice her domestic duties into something less chore and more art. Hermes reinvented the horseman’s uniform by doing just that, but a boy’s blazer from Brooks Brothers will work too (it’ll look shrunken on you - very sexy), and try Sigerson Morrison for those impossibly straight and tall boots.

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After perusing the Nimli site, I had to show you these awesome clutches from Mad Imports (top) and Raw Bags. So much cuteness. And they’re made of natural, fairly traded, recycled and handmade materials. Picture yourself a la plage in your maxi dress, accessorized by a little handful of love. To complete your tropical vision: Begooddesigns recycled leather flat woven and petal sandals.

A representative from Pamplemosses, a label that makes adorable bamboo T-shirts, pointed me to Nimli.com, where some of their fall line is previewed. Love the hoodie! I want it in Turquoise. Would be cute to wear while teaching Pilates if I ever manage to complete my certification. Great undies too. The graphic on this turquoise tee is also gorgeous — I love to see a lion and a birdie resting peacefully under a tree. The hand-drawn artwork on all of their garments is silkscreened using low-impact waterbased dye. Can’t decide if I prefer the turquoise or the black. All of the above should be available around August 10.

I just found this adorable bamboo top by Pamplemosses on StyleHive. I would, of course, wear it with pants. But I love the swooping back and the pattern around the bottom. Plus, pamplemousse is my favorite foreign word, and the brand is a cute play on the Frenchy word for grapefruit. I also love the off-the-shoulder tee — I love an exposed shoulder — on their site (see below). The brand doesn’t have a ton of outlets (you can buy this shirt here on sale for $66), but when I emailed their info

address about where to buy their garments, they promptly returned a very nice email saying they could ship whatever I wanted directly to me, and even send me pics of their new Fall line, which isn’t on the site yet (I’ll post them when I get them!)

This ring by Alkemie jewelry is gigantic, flowery, and eco-friendly (made from reclaimed metal) — three of my top cravings in any jewelry. The latter characteristic is probably the hardest to find but most important. Mining silver and gold, sadly, is not so nice to the environment (mining enough gold for a a .33-ounce, 18-karat gold band produces 20 tons of cyanide-contaminated waste, according to Men’s Health).

Forever 21 has two organic cotton T-shirts, and they’re cheap! $15. Compare that to Loomstate’s $55 T-shirts (which, I hate to say it, are not as soft as F21’s). F21 says their (really cute, check out the cheetah one too) T’s were “inspired by the Planet Earth television series,” (which rocked, did you see those wild dogs work that crazy formation? and that shark just mow on that poor seal? What a showboat, right? He couldn’t just eat the poor thing, he had to launch himself completely out of the water and down it in one mouthful!) so points for F21 even though their sales people are not helpful and shopping there makes me feel like I should report directly to Leisure World.

It’s awesome that so many online shops are featuring “eco-chic” boutiques. But why do they have to put those ridiculous headbands on the models? All the kids at SXSW were wearing those things. Maybe I’m just getting old but they make me think of dressing up for Halloween as Sacagawea.

According to this article, headband sales at Goody increased 52 percent in 2006. Let’s hope that means the trend is on its way out!

The Budget Fashionista did a poll last week to find out whether her readers had purchased “Green/Eco-friendly fashion.” The results say that 48 percent have, but 51 percent think it’s “too granola.” I’m not that surprised by the results, but I am surprised by the granola categorization. I think most fashionistas these days know that most eco-fashion is no longer made of burlap-like materials, but gorgeous, soft fabrics like bamboo and tencel (although arguments exist about how “eco” these fabrics really are. let’s face it, fashion is by definition not a very earth-friendly pursuit). And there’s plenty of evidence out there that modern eco-style is anything but hippie-dippy. Case in point here is Lara Miller’s bamboo “silvia blouse,” made of bamboo and available at Style Scene.

I have so many happy things to blog about I didn’t know where to start. So here’s an arbitrary item: eco-conscious designer Rogan Gregory is creating a line for Target! He heads up Edun, Loomstate and Rogan. An inexpensive eco-line answers my complaint that eco-friendly clothing is too damn expensive. The clothes will cost between $15 and $45. Nice. Here’s hoping the clothes are too. These shorts will come no where near my body. But I heart the sweatshirt and all tops with off-shoulder potential.

If you’re lucky enough to be in NYC May 9-11 or in L.A. May 16-19, you can check out the line at Barneys. A press release says: “This event marks the first time a mega American retail powerhouse will clear merchandise on their floor to feature a collection from an affordable mass retailer.” Well, hot damn! The line will be available at Target starting May 18 in honor of my birthday, natch. I’ll be in Paris celebrating and doing Pilates, but when I return it’s straight from Charles de Gaulle to Tar-zhay, which is somehow appropriate.

I really want to embrace eco-friendly clothing. I spent more than $600 on earth-friendly clothing in one sitting in November. But I can’t pretend I completely love my purchases. The denim of the Loomstate jeans is a little too flimsy in some areas and too … whatever the opposite of flimsy is in other spots. They also stretched out so much I had to have them taken in. The Edun jeans are cute, I still love the pockets, but the denim is too thick and hard. They feel like they need about 100 more washings — not an eco-friendly thought (you can actually tell in the picture here how stiff they are). I also bought a Loomstate panda t-shirt on Ebay, and the cotton doesn’t hold its shape for any amount of time. But I blame myself because I may have noticed these flaws had I not been so overly eager to love the green stuff.

I hate to log complaints about clothing designers who are trying to make the earth a better place by using organic cotton and other innovative materials. I’m totally down with that. But the fact is that this stuff is more expensive than conventional clothing, and if these designers are going to convert consumers who might not be willing to make sacrifices to save the earth, the quality has to be even *better* than conventional clothing.

One notable exception is the bamboo sweater I bought from Lara Miller. It’s fantastic; no complaints. Also, the Avita bamboo sweater: love it. Other designers: study and learn!

So this is going to be a bit of a cranky post. I got some pictures back today at work that made me consider Botox. Sigh. Let’s never speak of it again, shall we?

Anyway, I went to the Avita Co-op in L.A. on Saturday, since I was in Pasadena to visit my most awesome sister-in-law. I dragged her all the way to West Hollywood for a little eco-shopping adventure. Avita was having a half-off sale, which rocked. We each got cute bamboo tops.

However. I have to say, the cashmere was disappointing. It really wasn’t soft at all; it felt like any old itchy wool. Shudder. One other little complaint: the store did not have nearly the selection of eco-friendly fashions I’d hoped.

Still, I’m excited about my top. It’s a pale green version of the one here, and I’m obsessed with off-the-shoulder tops at the moment. Plus, the bamboo fabric is VERY soft and lovely.

Eco-designer extraordinaire Lara Miller held a trunk show yesterday at Azalea, one of my favorite San Francisco boutiques. I tried on nearly every item in her line and wanted to by one of each. Alas, that would have ended in divorce so I picked one — much like the dress you see here before you, except mine is a lovely shade of blue. Love the color, love that it’s made of hand-loomed bamboo, and love how soft and comfy it is. So much love. It’s technically a “tunic,” but I’m a shorty, so it can easily be a dress. In warmer weather, I can wear a tank (or a bandeau top as Miller said she wears for dinner parties. Sexy!), and when it’s colder, a turtleneck would make it a toasty ensemble.

Miller was there, all the way from her home in Chicago, and I have to say she was THE NICEST fashion designer I have ever met. O.K. I haven’t met too many fashion designers, but she was a sweetheart, donning her designs to show my friend Jen and I the various ways they can be worn. And the ways were many! My favorite was upside down: most of her dresses and tunics could be flipped around for a Princess Leia drapey look. It made me want to try wearing all my tops upside down — easy way to double your wardrobe.

Her materials are soy jersey, recycled cotton knit and bamboo. Past collections have also included silk. All were soft and comfy as could be. Check out her gorgeous spring 2008 line here (.pdf).

P.S. Watch the spring 2008 collection in action here.

Organic Bouquet, which sells sustainable and organically grown flowers, bought the brand Organic Style, and now have launched OrganicStyle.com (is it me or are they using the same logo as the old magazine?) selling, in addition to flowers, gourmet food, gifts for gardeners and nature lovers, bed and bath products and — drumroll — apparel.

If my former favorite magazine had to be reincarnated in this way, I won’t complain too much. It might even be a handy site for holiday shopping.

Hopefully others will think so too. The design and navigation of the site is not bad, but clothing is not presented in the most compelling manner. Two sections, “designerwear” and “sportswear” are divided into “collections 1, 2, 3″ and so on. They could have gotten a little more creative. And the designerwear is a pretty yawn-inducing. I prefer the sportswear section.

They have what they say is the “the first-ever, natural and sustainable bamboo cotton Lycra velour,” which the pants here are made of. I’d rather spend my money on these rather than help Juicy sell yet another velour sweatsuit. Plus, these have a birdie. I believe strongly that JUICY should not appear on anyone’s ass, and that goes double if rhinestones are involved.

The wine in the gift baskets is even organic: McFadden, which although I’ve never tasted it gets a pretty good review on this blog.

Anyhoozle, the site stamps items with a standard: organic, fair trade, eco-friendly, and Veriflora for the flowers. The eco-friendly category is a bit weak, but overall I give the site an A for effort.

Have you ever seen so much cashmere for so little money? This recycled cashmere wrap from Avita costs just $165. UPDATE: Cashmere not so soft.

Recycled cashmere, according to Avita’s website, is the stuff that other factories throw out, and is just as soft as regular cashmere, but about half the price. The site says the designer, Amanda Shi, “devised a way to use the extra material as a way of preserving natural resources.” It’s not clear how exactly it works, and I hesitate to endorse the brand because the company’s factory is in China. I’ve been trying to avoid buying stuff made there because you never know what the labor practices are.

But there’s no question these garments are beautiful. Even though eco-clothing is catching on in a big way, it can still be challenging to find truly fashionable designs. Some of the stuff, while it might not be the hippie stereotype, is still pretty boring.

So I was excited to stumble upon Avita while browsing TreeHugger. Here are a a few of my other favorites:

A green bamboo top that’s surprisingly sexy despite the sweet bows at the collar for $130.

I’m obsessed with off-shoulder kimono sleeve tops. This bamboo number is purple and belted and costs $108.

This complex (in a good way) black top would be perfect for a casual New Year’s Eve or holiday party with jeans and big earrings. Click on the larger image to see all the crocheted details. It’s made of silk and cashmere and goes for $196.

That’s what I keep telling myself, because 20 percent of my purchase went towards rebuilding the West Side Elementary school in Healdsburg, California, which caught fire on October 7 causing major damage. And the rest of my money went to Arboretum (above), a gorgeous new store there that uses the tagline: Fashion. Conscious. Do you love it? I love it. But, the place is not cheap. I was not quite prepared for the grand total presented at the register. I mean, I could have bought a new iPhone. Yikes.

Nevertheless, I got pretty things that I of course above all NEEDED. I will love them and pet them and … o.k. here they are:

1. A pair of silvery-gray Edun jeans, which are made in Africa out of organic cotton. I love the one-pocket pattern (the other one is plain). They’re straight-legged and soft but sturdy enough to hold their shape and be really flattering. Check out how good these do-gooders are in this video.

2. A NatureVsFuture dress made out of organic cotton. I can’t find a picture of the specific dress, but it’s similar to this one, just not asymmetrical, (though I would not have minded that, and I love the obi!). It’s brown, cute, and really soft.

3. Another pair of jeans. These are dark blue Loomstate wide-leg trouser jeans. Also very flattering, although I’m not sure that picture does them justice. They’re super-soft and comfy. Definitely my new airplane jeans.

An epiphany I had on this shopping trip: big pockets work with more substantial backends, and small pockets flatter, well, flatter butts I fall into the former category, no doubt, and both of these jeans fall into the larger pocket category.