This week's topic is Fashion. It seems appropriate for 3 reasons…

First would be the big “wedding across the pond” – and to see all the outfits – especially the hats(!) that will be strutting about, and how can one talk fashion this week and not wonder about the secret Wedding dress! Maybe they will surprise me and there will be a “green” element in the wedding and the fashion? According to AirDye (a favorite read of mine) … “you might think that green fashion would be a well-established idea by now. But you’d be wrong. There simply is no clear definition of eco-fashion. To some it means only hand-made, organically grown cotton, and vegetable dyes. To others, who we think are a bit more practical about the need for a scalable sustainable fashion industry, clothing made with recycled plastic bottles and high-tech dyes certainly qualify as sustainable fashion.”

Second …Well, The Botanicals are all excited for their very own Fashion Designer has moved to Botaniumus  – as a matter fact, she came to town TODAY!   Meet Birdelli – she will be modeling as well as designing for the gang of the Botanical Beauties and Beasties. Each day this week, she will be the spokeswoman, and featured Creature. Hello Birdelli!  Today Birdelli is featuring DNYK shoes, bag, belt and bracelet.

Birdelli - Fashion Designer and Model. (Bird of Paradise, Cactus, Bougainvillea)
Birdelli - Fashion Designer and Model. (Bird of Paradise, Cactus, Bougainvillea)

Third … even though the actual date for Spring was 3/20/2011 (Vernal Equinox) and Summer is a while off at 6/21/11 (Summer Solstice )– the reality has been slow coming up here in these parts.  Just about now, is when Spring and Summer clothes/fun is really entering into the real day-to-day. I must say – it is warm welcome from most of us. It was a long cold winter!

Beauty ON us… Are you an Eco-Fashionista?

Save the Earth with Good style! You walk around – why not look good and so promote Sustainable Beauty!

Fashion and Green – it can be tricky but doesn’t need to be…With a little effort there are LOTS of choices in Green fashion today – Green (as in Eco) is the new black  for fashion! Join in the trend – it’s actually pretty easy!

Yum researching resources for Eco Fashion Beauty

Yum has done some research – she found a very nice link from Eco Chick. Here’s the link Online Resources for Ecofashion, Beauty and Green Goodness … and then there are some easy finds- Levis Jeans has an organic line and waterless (!), Whole Foods has some great clothing and Premium Body Care… Many brands are adding “green fashion and beauty” to their collections. As M.S. would say – “It’s a good thing.” Wondering about waterless – check out http://airdye.com/Synthetic textile-dyeing consumes 2.4 trillion gallons of water a year, enough to fill 3,700,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. AirDye reduces water use up to 95 percent.** “

Sticking to our Boston base from yesterday – check this out!  A “Boston-based IVEE is a fashion forward sportswear company dedicated to creating luxuriously comfortable sportswear embodying simple glamour and natural elegance.” Items look very nice on line…I am anxious to try some out! http://www.iveestyle.com/ Here is a way to carry all your cool green stuff around – check out Green Style On The Go®  at www.sakysacks.com. Very Cute! Very Pretty!

Are You Up on Eco-Chic Green Fashion Lingo? Learn the green fashion terms.

100% Organic Cotton: To be considered 100 percent organic, cotton must be “certified by a third party (such as the USDA), following strict guidelines for growing the fiber, using no disallowed synthetic chemicals.

Bamboo: A textile made from the pulp of the fast growing bamboo plant that’s soft, highly water absorbent, and anti-bacterial.

Fair Trade: Fair trade companies look at more than just the bottom line. They look at development as a whole and create more of a partnership with suppliers, which makes for a fairer exchange system where workers get paid fair wages and work under good conditions.

Hemp: A strong fabric sewn from the fibers of the fast growing cannabis plant (a variety that contains virtually no THC, the active ingredient in marijuana).

Recycled/Upcycled: Material that’s been reprocessed at the end of its life into something new and useful.

Sustainable: Describes a product created by a process that can continue indefinitely without causing environmental destruction or usurping resources.

All sorts of fun fashion green info here!

http://www.squidoo.com/eco-chic#module11609300