Fighting Fashionista

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).

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.

It’s unique, in a kinda tribal yet fashion-y way. You can attach the straps lower to make it a smaller bag. And if you type in luckybreaks4 at checkout you get 25 percent off! WANT.

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.

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.

These are a weird color but I love it. Brown/gray? Is that possible? as the Flight of the Conchords would say. I’m seeing a lot of gray for the fall and winter seasons, and since I’m a slave to fashion I will obediently purchase these boots.

So I went to Anthropologie for the sale, and of course found something awesome that was not on sale. Love this dress… it’s shiny, soft linen. But it’s not too flashy — you could wear it to work or out at night. It’s super comfy and covers my arms, which makes me happy. Plus it’s not too terribly expensive even though it’s not on sale ($158). UPDATE: The shiny goes away.

My favorite shirt is getting really old. It used to be black, but now it’s kind of gray with bleach marks. It is a lot like this shirt but mine’s cotton, which is SO MUCH better than effing poly slash rayon. Beau & Eros, please make a cotton off-shoulder top again? Or, someone else?