If you’re anything like me, you love watching the Oscars every year for the pageantry, the recognition of good movies, and — let’s face it — the fashion. Just once I’d like to swan around on a red carpet in a ridiculously gorgeous dress, hobnobbing with celebrities and thanking all the little people. I’m a girl; that’s how we roll.

Anyway, while most of the attention is placed on what the actresses are wearing, you may have noticed the woman in blue sitting next to James Cameron. That woman is his wife, Suzy Amis Cameron, and she was wearing the most eco-friendly dress of the night. Read more…

We’ve had several long freezing snaps in the mountains of Tennessee this winter. During the last one, which lasted about a week, I realized my wardrobe was seriously lacking in decent base layers that I could wear underneath my jeans and sweaters. I’ve been wearing the same pink Lands End long johns for about 15 years now. They’re warm and comfy and still fit, but they’re so thick they don’t fit very well under my skinny jeans. Because I knew we’d probably have a few more cold snaps and because I have a weeklong New York City trip later this month, I decided to invest in some new long undies this winter that would work under more than just my ski pants.

That’s when I fell in love with Patagonia’s Capilene line.
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The following is a guest post by the beautiful Sarah P. from Seattle, WA.

My husband jokes that I have a lady who survived the Great Depression living inside of me.

Yes, it’s true. I am a thrifty, recycle and reuse kind of girl with a penchant for innovation. So it’s sweetly fitting to write about Nicole Miller’s new venture The Field House. Inspired by the turn of the century general store, The Field House hopes to revive that early 1900 spirit of sustainability, creativity and local community. Here you can support local artisans while buying basics of soap, in-season vegetables, and nuts still housed in their shells. You can also purchase your not-so- basic afghans, woolen blankets that carry on Native American folk art traditions, and dishware with insect themes. Get your “glamor on” while perusing the many perfumes, candles, stylish jeans and flannels that are fashionable and still have the essence of the Victorian period. If you’re in need of a snack, The Field House can also help you out with a simple cup of soup or small sandwiches which are priced and portioned to treat both your stomach and wallet well.

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Photo courtesy of cafemama

I like to think of myself as a frugal, savvy girl. Mind you, I said “like to.” Unfortunately, wanting to be frugal and actually maintaining the discipline to be frugal are often two very different things for me. I’m weak. I admit it. So I make concessions. I try to prioritize. I justify one purchase by avoiding another. It’s not a perfect system, but my bank account and I haven’t had a falling out just yet, so I must be doing relatively OK.

One thing I have a hard time spending money on is workout clothes. When I go to the gym, I’m there to work out, not to impress anybody. There are those who say the gym is a great place to meet people, but I do not live in an episode of Sex & the City. Anyone who thinks I’m going to find a date during my workouts has never been to my gym. That being the case, if I’m going to spend money on a new outfit, I’d much rather it be one people other than doughy, late-middle-aged suburban men in nylon track suits are going to see. New workout clothes might motivate me off to an extra gym visit or two initially, but new boots or jeans motivate me off my couch into a more active social life. I know where my money is best spent; this is not rocket science to me.

As a result, I’ve had some of the same cotton tank tops in my gym bag rotation for five years or more. They’re not holey or threadbare just yet, but I have to admit—five years of workouts has left them a bit, er, ripe around the edges. Ordinary detergent was no match for the stank. Even baking soda, miracle odor eliminator that it is, couldn’t lift it out. I was about ready to admit defeat and cut the non-stinky parts into cleaning rags when I remembered that my friend the Internet knows everything and I’d yet to ask for advice on this one.

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I was just thinking about whether or not I’d host a Halloween party this year when it occurred to me that in all of my efforts to be green, I’ve never thought much about being green on holidays — especially on Halloween. Halloween is one of those especially consumer-driven holidays, so at first glance I thought it might be hard to ‘greenify’ a spooky party, but I started searching around the internet for ideas and found some great ones. Read more…

While I was in New York last week, I’d planned to look up Lunessa and stop in.  I went to high school with Elise Perelman, who owns Lunessa, and I’ve long admired her work.  As luck would have it, I was in SoHo after a meeting, took a phone call and wandered around while I talked.  As soon as I ended the call, I looked up and there was the blue and white butterfly sign.

The store is lovely.  There’s a great range of jewelry, from affordable to extravagant, and everything is handmade and original.  I am particularly in love with Elise’s Vintage Sundrop line, and I picked up a pair of earrings that I haven’t taken off since.  They’re made from bronze colored Swarovski crystals from the 1950’s.  They go with everything, and I can dress them up or down.  Plus, I love the sense of history they carry and the new twist on old materials.

Elise also teaches classes on recycling old jewelry into new pieces.  Students bring in mate-less earrings, broken chains, and pieces that just don’t fit with current styles, and learn how to give them new life.  If you’re in the area, check it out.  I’m hoping I’ll have time to take a class the next time I’m in town.

I just got back from a trip to New York City.  Before the trip, I’d spent a really long time looking for sensible, but attractive flats, so I could walk around the city and still look presentable.  Unfortunately, the flats I bought weren’t as sensible as I thought, and by the afternoon of my first day, my blisters had blisters, my feet were bruised, and I was miserable.

I was wandering around SoHo, dreading the trek back to my hotel, when suddenly, there was a pop-up Terra Plana store, set up just for their current end of season sale.  The salesman, Phil, was super helpful, and helped me find an adorable pair of flats with a recycled quilt inset.  The shoes have a flexible sole with rubber triangles for traction, and move with my feet, instead of rubbing against them. They totally saved me! Read more…

One of the most difficult things about trying to be an eco-friendly consumer is that, too often, it comes with a high price tag. Originally, I thought that given the change in the seasons, reviewing some fall and winter coats (for the gals) might be a great option for my September post. Having never bought an eco-friendly coat, I dove into my online research with gusto, certain I would find a long list of great resources to share with you.

Instead, I ended up with a long list of coats way out of my price-range: $581 for a made in the U.S.A. vegan coat? $ 310 for a organic cotton trench ? $276 for an organic cotton fleece trench made with low impact dyes? Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for investing in clothing that is well-made and sustainable, but I’m also for trying not to break the bank.

You may have noticed a trend in my blogging style: practicality. I like to challenge myself to think of ways that I can live a green lifestyle without having to spend a lot of cash, if any. So, here are my ideas for finding a green coat without breaking the bank. Read more…

Yesterday morning, Rachel and I shot a Go Green segment for WROC-TV (as you may have guessed from yesterday’s post).  The video is up, but I can’t imbed it, so you’ll have to head over to RochesterHomepage.net to watch.

They did a great closeup on Rachel’s purple leather cuff.  It’s from her Summer 2009 Recycled Leather collection.  You can read more about the collection at Made By Rachel, and if you live in Rochester, you can find the collection at Thread.

While you’re over at Rochester Homepage, check out this video about vertical gardening.  It’s really cool.  Did you know you can grow eggplant on the side of your house?

Please welcome today’s poster, Rachel.

Hello! I’m Rachel and I’m looking forward to sharing my journey towards a more eco-friendly wardrobe with you. By way of introduction, I’m a full-time graduate student hoping to complete a Ph.D. and live to tell about it. When I’m not reading/writing/researching issues of gender in education, I’m over here, blogging about my creative journey in all-things handmade and making recycled clothing and accessory collections for Made By Rachel.

When Allie and Courtney asked me if I wanted to write on eco-friendly clothing, I spent four weeks trying to figure out what on earth I was going to write for my first post. Being a practical gal, I decided to stick with what I know best: clothing reconstruction. Two years ago, after committing to working with recycled materials for all of my collections, I made a large recycled t-shirt collection. (You can see most of it here.) All of the materials for this collection were 100% re-used; what I couldn’t find in thrift stores, I found in my own wardrobe and in the closets of friends and family members. Sewing this collection really got me thinking about why I bother buying new at all if I have the time to recreate what I already own? I had just taken the Wardrobe Re-Fashion Pledge and decided it was time to challenge myself to stick to a “new-to-me” take on fashion.

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