HSN - Sustainable Clothes

I do like watching home shopping shows to just look at what they are selling.  I was so pleasantly surprised to learn about a great designer who sells on HSN and makes his clothing line in the United States, Antthony Designs by Antthony Mark Hankins.  His clothes are fun, sophisticated and offer just enough bling to make your look stand out. He is an amazing designer who graduated from Pratt University.  By the time he was around twenty-five he built a multi-million dollar fashion business.

Being Satisfied With What You Have & Making it Work

I love cute children's clothes.  As the mother of two toddlers, it's easy to get in the habit of buying clothes for children.  Their clothes are beautiful and so colorful, shopping becomes very enticing.  But this summer, I decided to make do with what I had for the children, many hand me downs for my 18-month old and past summer clothes for my three-year old. The reason, just too many clothes.  Even though I saw many nice clothes the kids could have, I decided not to indulge which saved me a lot of money and space.

Beautiful Made in USA Clothes by Rachel's Promise

5 Hot Sustainable Pants for Women

It's always great to find a pair of pants that has fabric that feels great or they are just eye-turning pants that catch people's attention.  I love a beautiful pair of pants and I always take notice. For me, it's important to find sustainable pants - I love vintage pants, second-hand pants, pants made from sustainable fabrics, and of course, pants Made in the USA.  Here is a selection of gorgeous pants.

The first pair of pants is from Raven & Lilly, founded by Kirsten Dickerson, a sustainable company that makes clothing and accessories in various, including the United States, for the economic benefit of disenfranchised women and their families.  These women include women rescued from sex trafficking, women escaping poverty and lack of means to education, and homeless women.

Raven & Lilly Wrap Tie Pant

Emma's Sustainable Gown

This is what Emma Watson said about the gown she wore to the Met Gala

Thank you Calvin Klein & Eco Age for collaborating with me and creating the most amazing gown. I am proud to say it is truly sustainable and represents a connec...tion between myself and all the people in the supply chain who played a role in creating it.

The body of the gown is crafted from three different fabrics, all woven from yarns made from recycled plastic bottles (!). Plastic is one of the biggest pollutants on the planet. Being able to repurpose this waste and incorporate it into my gown for the ‪#‎MetGala‬ proves the power that creativity, technology and fashion can have by working together.

The Burden of Too Many Clothes

As the warmer weather gets here in the Northeast,  many of us start our spring cleaning.

Have you ever just looked around your surroundings at home and felt overwhelmed? No, not by our family — who, of course can be demanding at times, and no not by our pets which we must also take care of and love — but by our things.  I am especially concerned about the clothes, handbags, coats, and shoes that go unworn. They are a constant presence in your life that “something is wrong here and something needs to be done.” Clothes become a burden when we don’t wear them.

Earth Day Presentation

Earth Day is coming up on Friday, April 22nd. 


Check out all of the events that will be going on in your communities to help save the earth!


I will be giving a presentation on sustainable fashion at the Honest Weight Food Co-Op in Albany on Saturaday, April 23rd for Earth Day.  I have collaborated with a master tailor, Fatima Bey, who will be doing a workshop after I speak on upcylcing clothing.  Attendees are asked to bring two old items that will be recycled/upcycled into a scarf.  This should be a fun day.  Come, make a scarf, and learn about sustainable fashion.  The workshop starts is from 11:30am to 1pm. 


                  

A Beautfiful Shirt

I love it when someone taps into a need and makes a great business.

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, a British socialite, goddaughter of Prince Charles, created an elegant women's "bodyshirt" called the Kubbi, made from eco-friendly fabric and is made to last.  She always loved the look of men's shirts with their regal cuffs and stately collars.  She loved the look so much that she used to cut up her father's old shirts to attach to her clothes.  The shirt is basically a snug,  cotton jersey snap bodysuit that has a tailored top with a collar and cuffs.  The Kubbi hugs the body's silhouette, resists wrinkling and is also machine washable. 


                               

The Kubbi Shirt

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month - April 27th Denim Day

Please be aware that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

One of the big events coming up is Denim Day which is on April 27th.  This day was established to remind people that sexual assault has nothing to do with what a person is wearing.  The day was created as a response to a teenager who was violently raped in 1998 by a 45-year old driving instructor hired to teach her to drive.  The instructor was found guilty, however, the Italian Supreme Court overruled the conviction stating that she was wearing tight jeans and basically caused the rape.   The instructor's defense was referred to as the "denim defense."  Denim Day was created in 1999 to symbolically protest against the erroneous and stereotypical idea that rape is caused by what people wear.

                           
          

"I created Denim Day in LA in 1999. In 2011, the campaign expanded into a national movement: Denim Day USA. Growing to an international level in 2015, the GUESS? Foundation brought the campaign to Canada, as well as to it’s inspirational origins of Italy," says Patti Giggans founder of Denim Day and Executive Director of Peace Over Violence.

Sexual violence is a major public health issue according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and they provide the following facts. 

• 1 in 5 women (18.3%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives
• 1 in 71 men (1.4%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives

We wear denim so much.  Let's definitely wear it on Wednesday, April 27th.

 

From Bottle to Runway

It takes most plastics 450 years to decompose, some even 1,000 years.  Waste2Wear, a Dutch company based in China, is reducing plastic pollution by creating fabric from PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles. Plastic bottles are recycled into safe and certifiable non-toxic polyester yarn. The yarn is created into Waste2Wear® fabric by itself or is blended with other sustainable fabrics to manufacture clothes. Monique Collignon Couture Light uses 70% of Waste2Wear fabrics in her women's clothing line that was recently featured at Mercedes-Benz Amsterdam Fashion Week.


                             

                 Monique Collignon Couture Light

3 Great Etsy Sustainable Fashion Designers

I love discovering on Etsy. There are so many wonderfully talented people offering great services from business cards to blogger templates to handmade clothes and shoes. I found three wonderful fashion designers who offer quality and unique clothes. It's great to wear clothes that are different that shows your sense of style. And, of course, it's commendable supporting small fashion designers who are making clothes on their own, often with their hands.

I love the structured yet feminine look of Vespertine on Etsy.com.   This fashion line is created by Melanie who graduated from the prestigious Ryerson University's School of Fashion in Canada.  "My philosophy is that good design is created mindfully within the context of the bigger picture: how our actions as women and as consumers impact our lives, the lives of others and the planet," says Melanie on why she is a sustainable fashion designer.  "My vision is to support the transitions taking place in women's lives as they embrace change, and their shift toward making more sustainable choices."



        

  Geo Blouse

        

Statement Dress

        

Bamboo Cotton Cowl Neck Blouse

Jos. A. Banks and the Perils of Fast Fashion

In 2012 Jos. A. Banks offered an incredible sale, "Buy 1, Get 7 Free" - with the purchase of one suit, the customer would get  2 free suits, 2 dress shirts, 2 silk ties, plus an Android smartphone!  Continuously, throughout the past years, they have famously offered their "By 1, Get 3 Free" deal on suits.  The ridiculous "get 3 suits free" marketing ploy was famously parodied on "Saturday Night Live" when a skit was done exclaiming that Jos. A. Banks suits were cheaper than paper towels and the actor used the suits to clean her house.  The company still offers outrageous sales of clothing that are continuously 70% off.  

Making Old New Again

Storyboard Furniture, located in Toronto, takes old trees that are going to be or have been knocked down and brings new life to them by recycling them into beautiful furniture.  "Oftentimes we are commissioned to make furniture from ill fated trees. We coordinate with a certified arborist to safely do the tree removal," says the company.  Each tree has a story and they want to save that story for generations to come.  From sitting in a chair that was an tree stump that you played on as a child to a mantle from an old church that was torn down, each piece from this company has a story to tell. 

Toronto Spalted Sugar Maple from Cohen and Master Tree and Shrub Service

Fashion Sustainability

How Seawaorld Can Inspire Sustainable Fashion

This Sweatshirt Will Last 30 Years! Guaranteed!

There is something particularly comfy about that old sweatshirt that you have loved and have also "lived-in" on the weekends, rainy nights, and cool summer evenings.  Years ago, sweatshirts lasted a long time.  They were made of quality materials, impeccably stitched, and they felt --- oh so good against your skin. Fast forward to today, when most sweatshirts are made of synthetic blends that have a poor texture against the skin, pill and fray easily.  There is no emphasis on quality during production so the stitching falls apart and the garment does not handle well in the wash. 


U.K. designer Tom Cridland felt something needed to be done to make a better sweatshirt.  "The 30 Year Sweatshirt is our bona fide sustainable fashion campaign. The reason why we chose a sweatshirt as the garment to guarantee for three decades is because we obviously had to consider what sort of clothing people would actually want to hang onto for that long. A sweatshirt is timeless and is the cornerstone of many people’s casual wardrobe,” Kirkland told Forbes Magazine.  His sustainable fashion company started with $9,000 in 2013 and in 2015 had over $1 million of sales. 





                             
                                             
                                              Tom Cridland, Sustainable Fashion Designer

ANOTHER SUSTAINABLE VICTORY! Marriott Towels to be MADE IN USA

The Marriott Hotel Chain announced on March 10, 2016 that all towels and bathmats in its 3,000 US hotels will be Made in the USA.  This is a tremendous victory for US workers who will now be able to have these manufacturing jobs that were taken overseas.  "If you can bring 150 jobs back to the USA and we can put on all our towels and bath mats 'Made in the USA,' I think that gives a certain amount of pride to all of our associates and management," said Bill Marriott, chairman of the Board of Marriott.  The company annually produces 7.5 million towels, not including washcloths and bath mats and is committed to "creating a sustainable infrastructure."


“As a global company based in the United States, we’re proud to be the first hospitality company to commit to providing our guests with ‘Made in USA’ bathroom towels in our U.S. hotels,” said Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson.




             

The "Shame" of the Academy Awards

Remember...Clothes don't make the person. 

I was disappointed to see and hear the reaction that Jenny Beavan received from some audience members when she won the Costume Design award for "Mad Max: Fury Road."  Some huge celebrities appeared to choose not to clap for her based upon the fact that she was not dressed up.  There were quite a few looks of disapproval.  It was a quick and somber reminder that celebrities, despite the incredible wealth, luxurious lives and opportunities --- have flaws like all of us and can be catty, narrow, and bully others. 
 

And the Sustainable Oscar Goes to...

Sophie Turner and Lily Cole!   

These two actors wore eco friendly dresses to the Academy Awards.

The dresses worn were in support of Red Carpet Green Dress which encourages fashion designers to create gowns that are ethically produced and environmental friendly for celebrity red carpet events. The goal of the organization is to "draw attention to the importance of more sustainable practices in fashion.”  Lily Cole's dress, designed by Vivienne Westwood was made of plastic bottles.  Vivienne Westwood is an iconic designer and is a major figure in the sustainable fashion movement. 


                              


“In order for a shift to occur we must make informed decisions to live more harmoniously with our planet and I’ve joined Red Carpet Green Dress because its message aligns with this idea.”
Vivienne Westwood

5 Great Finds At A Used Clothing Event

As spring time nears and we start to clear our closets to possibly make room for more clothes, consider purchasing second-hand clothes.  The reuse of clothes saves clothes from landfills as well as keeps more money in our pockets.

I've been considering getting a new pair of heels for a while.  I wanted something that was comfortable that I could wear with dresses and jeans.  I was prepared to shell out money --- precious money that could be put into savings, used for household necessities, even schooling --- for shoes that I did need.  Well, I unexpectedly was able to get some clothes from a second-hand clothing spring sale.  I wound up saving hundreds of dollars possibly because I got shirts and dresses that I needed. 
I found a silk blouse from Neiman Marcus, a couple of dresses by Calvin Klein, even a Coach handbag.  All were in great condition, included top designers and cost only $5.  The handbags, a few vintage, were also in excellent condition and most cost $5, the designer ones were $10.

From Scratch to Reality - Sustainable Designers at NYC Fashion Week 2016

One of the emerging sustainable fashion designers who showed her collection at Fashion Week 2016 is Ev Bassar, who is also a young philanthropist.  She makes beautifully fluid garments of primarily organic cotton, wool and leather.  Her clothes have a fantasy appeal looking as if they belong in a dark fairy tale.  Each piece is knitted, crocheted, sewn or felted using various techniques and is custom-made at her home in New York City.  Bassar is very eco-friendly and recently stated in an article from Eluxe Magazine that, "The leather I buy and use comes from a store that selects animals who have died of natural death and weren't killed intentionally for fashion purposes."  She intensely wants to help and not hurt.  To that end she established a foundation, HeartEd, to help children with congenital heart defects.  I like her clothes because they have a raw but rich edge to them which appeals to one's innate desire to construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct themselves.

                                                  
                   
                       

Beautiful & Sustainble Evening Wear

At the Grammy's we saw some of the best evening wear on the runway from classic design houses like Gucci - Florence Welch wore a whimsical Gucci dress - to newer fashion lines like DSquared2 - Zendaya wore a pantsuit from the line.  You may ask, are sustainable designers doing gorgeous clothes like these?  You can bet, YES!  Sustainable fashion, which focuses upon making clothes that are environmentally friendly and ethically manufactured, is starting to boom.   Fashion is the number two polluter of the environment.  A growing number of designers want to address this as well as ensure that their products are not made with exploited labor.  Therefore, people who are looking for eco-friendly clothes are seeing more options.  You can get stunning red carpet looks similar to what we saw at the Grammy's from Reformation.

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Hair to Dye for at the Grammy's

Another top trend at the Grammy's and on the street is dyed hair.  You see it coming and going, purple hair, pink hair, greenish-silver hair, dyed hair is in and the more radical the color the more normal the look.

At the 2016 Grammy's, celebrities amped up their look with dyed locks.  Kate Perry wowed with purple hair, Megan Traynor dyed her blond tresses auburn and Lady Gaga pumped up the volume with flaming red hair, in tribute to David Bowie.  While these ladies did full-on, all over the head hair color, I loved Ciara's pop of honey color tresses that framed her gorgeous face.

You can get these looks with eco-friendly permanent or temporary color or you can also use hair extensions and wigs.  Here are a few of my suggestions on getting the look but keeping it relatively natural and healthy for your hair.   Madison Reed delivers salon-quality hair color that has no parabans nor ammonia and is PPD & Resorcinal free.  The product is absolutely luxurious.  EcoColors is also has safe products.  For fantasy color streaking, I recommend Blingirls Chalk-it Hair Coloring Chalk.

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Top 3 Jewelry Trends at the 2016 Grammy's

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Rings, rings, and more rings. 

That was the one of the biggest trends at the Grammy's, celebrities were going big with rings often wearing four or more rings on one hand.  Always gorgeous Demi Lovato, above, looked beyond fabulous in her black dress with five rings full finger rings --- two on one hand and three on the other.  Ellie Goulding looked stunning during her acclaimed performance with Andra Day, Goulding wore four rings on each hand.  Welch wore three rings on each hand with her middle fingers embellished with a permanent tattoo.  Nail rings, which are so delicately gorgeous, were also popular on the red carpet. 

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Five Great Leather Handbags and Made in USA!

A luxuriously supple leather bag is fabulous.  But sometimes it is hard to find the perfect bag. Well,   I found a wonderful company that makes top quality handbags.  Gigi New York.  It's the chic and a bit edgy.  This company is the recent offspring of the iconic Graphic Image, renowned worldwide for their classic and sophisticated leather diaries.  "Our style is our brand," says owner Tom Glazer, who runs the New York company that was started by his father in 1969, with his sister Carol O'Connell.  The newer generation company, GiGi, has gorgeously sleek leather accessories plus a beautiful range of leather handbags and wallets.  The company also collaborates with some of the top people in fashion to create elegant handbags of superior quality.  Their  Nina Griscom Collection is handmade in New York.  In a recent New York Times article where she discussed the manufacturing of the product, she said, "“I do everything.  I have zero staff. I pick the zipper, the lining, everything, I’m not phoning this in.”  Ms. Griscom's made to order line has an exquisite simplicity.  They certainly don't need any bells nor whistles. 

Other items I loved were their stylish agendas.  I loved the white gold agenda.  I also love their French inspired collection from Kat Tanita, author of the fashion lifestyle blog withlovefromkat.com.
The silhouettes are clean and timeless.

                                                

 Charlotte Tote, Bone Embossed Python

Feminizing the "Button-Up"

Tailored button-up shirts, whether masculine with boxy edges or feminine with loose contours, are beautiful on women.  But it's the attention to detail, the seaming, the fabric, the collar, the silhouette, and, of course, the buttons, that make a shirt look exceptionally elegant on a woman.

Rue Mercer has mastered the shirt, in fact, they call their capsule line of women's shirts, "A Shirt Like No Other."  The shirts, meticulously handcrafted in Manhattan, are modern, luxurious and feminine. The line was established by two women, Pamela Semmache and Julie Luyindula, who saw a lack of quality and style in women's button up shirts.  Since the button up shirt is a key piece in women's wardrobe they wanted design shirts that were more elegant yet still wearable for everyday.  The designers describe their shirts as Paris chic meeting New York City edge.  What a vibrant mix!

The designers are proud to make their garments in New York.  "The energy we find everyday in New York is amazing. People are open-minded and they love discovering emerging designers. We also feel that everything is possible in New York, if you put your heart and passion into what you're doing."
                               

Pamela Semmache and Julie Luyindula

Photo Credit:  www.fashbe.com

                           

Opera

Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Valentine's Day for me is not only a romantic holiday, it's a way to say thank you and I love you to family, friends, co-workers, and other special people in our lives.  Below, I have chosen some of my favorite gifts.  All of these are considered sustainable in that they were either made in the United States and/or they are environmentally friendly and ethically made. 

I love Sabon a luxury bath and fragrance boutique.  They have several locations in New York State including Times Square.  What makes this store so special is commitment to customer service and making superior products.  They have a spectacular range of fragrances and body products.  The company began from the owner's experimentation with an ancient aboriginal recipe to make soap and blossomed into an international company.  I also love the company's commitment to the environment.  The website states, "We are humbled by the majesty of our planet.  In return, we recycle all plastic, paper and glass; use recyclable packaging and biodegradable packing material. We support Friends of the Earth, and refrain from testing our products on animals."  I love that!

Sabon - Love Beyond Words  

Upcycling Garments from Recycled Materials

Designers are finding more ways to take renew the life of old clothing and material to resurrect beautiful and stunning fashions.  This is upcycling. 

Tawny Holt, a fashion designer, is the owner of Armour sans Anguish http://www.armoursansanguish.com/ in California.  She also has an Etsy shop.

Holt makes handcrafted clothing from lingerie, old prom dresses, bedsheets and tablecloths.  She primarily designs custom bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses.  Her dresses have beautiful flow and graceful silhouettes.  They evoke a romantic and whimsical nature.  It's hard to believe that such spectacular dresses came from thrown away clothes.  

Holt follows New York Fashion Week shows to stay informed on new trends in fashion.  "I joke that I look at all the New York Fashion Week photos every season to make sure that lace and ruffles are still happening somewhere, since those are my favorite things, and I’m always going to be doing them! So I check in to make sure they’re not over," says Holt.  She finds her fabric inventory from places such as rag houses, flea markets, and thrift stores.  In addition, Holt also has a group of people who send her salvaged fabric.  

In an interview Liz Volt from Wear Your Voice, Holt says that her career as a bridal designer was spontaneous and that she didn't go to school for fashion.  "This definitely wasn’t something I planned on. I never marketed myself as a bridal designer, or intended to be one! But the things that I was making happened to be fluttery and layered and romantic, and people started coming to me for that."

Here are some of her gorgeous designs. 

Let's Celebrate Black History Month!

Today, we celebrate Aurora James, the founder of Brother Vellies, a shoe wear company that is introducing authentic African footwear to the United States.  The company has contributes to sustainable fashion by first developing sustaining artisan employment in Africa. Brothers Vellies makes sandals, shoes and boots in South Africa, Kenya and Morocco using ancestral methods of shoe making.  Their classic shoes are made from Kudu (a relative of the antelope) leather, which is a byproduct from government mandated culling to prevent over-populations.  Furs from rabbits and other animals come from farmers discarding the fur to make edible food.  Vegetable dyes are used in 70% their products, minimizing the harmful effects that chemical dyes have on the environment and workers who process the dyes in the fashion industry.  For more information on their sustainability practices please click on this link - http://www.brothervellies.com/site/sustainability

Aurora James, Founder of Brother Vellies

James started out as a model and then worked in publicity.  She did not have interest or experience in fashion designing but always was trying to explore her creative side.  "I founded Brother Vellies in January 2013 with the goal of preserving the shoe making craft in Africa and creating new jobs for the artisans in our workshops. I launched the first official collection, Spring 2014, working with shoemakers in South Africa. Not long after we expanded to working in Kenya and Morocco, to continue producing authentic, modern-day desert boots, shoes, slippers and sandals," says James.  "I've always been someone who's very hands-on," she explains. "That's how I learned about shoes, by getting into workshops and physically doing it."  With regard to creating a sustainable supply chain, she learned by fire by the internet.  "I don't have a formal education, so it's just about asking questions. I am a huge question-asker — I will go into a meeting and ask questions that I kind of already know the answer to because you can never be sure. Going into any situation with the idea that you already know anything is a mistake," James said.

Aurora James was one of the 2015 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund Award winners, receiving a year mentorship and $300,000. 


Here are some of her beautiful designs.  Brother Vellies has a store in Manhattan. 

Cloudy Sphere Sandal - $584.00