Look beyond traditional jeans and make things more interesting by finding new ways to wear this beloved fabric.

If you ask anyone, male or female, what their favorite outfit is, there’s a good chance it includes denim. This fabric, originally designed for cowboys in the late 1800s has become a closet staple like no other. Besides jeans, there are lots of great items out there made from denim — like these bleach-splattered shoes, a sweet dress, bodega bag and pendant. Complement your blues with an updated version of the perfect trench coat, and a cool upcycled necklace.

Bleach Splatter Denim Women’s Cordones
If plain denim is just too boring for you, check out these Bleach Splatter Cordones, that work just as well with or without laces. For every pair sold, TOMS donates one to a child in need.
$69, Toms

Jesse Spanos Flare Jeans by Pray For Mother Nature
These super soft flare jeans by Pray For Mother Nature are the perfect medium-blue shade of denim. The Pray for Mother Nature collection is entirely designed and made in California by Chip Foster, formerly of Chip & Pepper (whose jeans were coveted for making your bum look amazing). A percentage of proceeds benefits Heal the Bay.
on sale for $59.95, Future standard

Pray For Mother Nature Cuts Like a Knife Ruffle Dress
If jeans, or pants, are simply not your thing, you can still be a Blue Jean Baby by trying out a denim dress. This scoop-neck one – also by Pray for Mother Nature, features tiers at the front, worn edges, and a pulled bottom hem.
on sale for $108, Shopbop

Study NY Pipe Necklace
Made in NYC by designer Tara St. James, this gorgeous necklace is crafted using reclaimed copper pipes and vintage silk. It’s the perfect way to add some interest to a simple jeans-and-T-shirt ensemble.
$180, Juno & Jove & Study NY

Remade USA Bodega Bag
Did you ever wonder what happened to all those tie-bleached jeans from the 80s? Well, some of them have been remade into cute bodega bags by designer Shannon South. Every bag is unique and completely made from upcycled denim.
$55, ReMade USA

Jen Abrams Vintage Denim Pendant
Jen Abrams creates simple, statement-making jewelry that is very much designed to go with your favorite pair of jeans. Maybe because it’s made using pre-loved denim. $96-$136, Jen Abrams Collection

Edun Trench Coat
The classic trench gets an update by Edun designer Sharon Wauchob. The frayed edges and powerfully simple details make this the perfect trench to wear with any kind of denim.
$398, Edun

Over the past few years, there has been a growing number of sustainable denim brands on the market, including Levi’s Eco, REUSE, Good Society, Loomstate Organic and the now (sadly) defunct Del Forte Denim.

Traditionally speaking (if you can call it that after only three short years), what makes denim sustainable is the use of 100 percent organic cotton and plant based indigo dyes. Some brands use recycled denim and Del Forte had a great recycling program where they would take your old jeans and recycle them into new ones.

Today however, the eco denim scene is abuzz with Levi’s and H&M’s recent announcement of their plans to globally ban sandblasting by 2011. Together, they are encouraging other brands to follow suit, in the hope that it will become industry practice.

The sandblasting technique involves the “˜blasting’ of an abrasive material in a granular or powder form, at a very high speed and pressure, on specific areas of the garment surface to give it the desired distressed or used look. You know the look some of us achieve more naturally from wearing our favorite pair of jeans for years and years.

Their surprising decision came about from rising concerns over textile workers developing silicosis, a harsh lung disease caused from the airborne particles produced from sandblasting denim.

Turkey imposed a ban on the practice of sandblasting apparel in 2008, following a study conducted by news channel France24 that uncovered numerous denim workers in Istanbul who contracted this incurable disease.

As a result of the ban, some of the large denim companies in Turkey are now subcontracting to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Syria and Egypt, thus proving it may be difficult to monitor.

However, brands that are engaged with their supply chain, such as H&M and Levi’s, are in a better position to police the restriction closely.

But not everyone is convinced that this is a good idea. Monitoring the ban means that someone would have to visit the factories, to which some argue that a more effective solution is to impose a ban on factories that fail to implement good health and safety practices when sandblasting.

And another possible solution could be to provide workers with the appropriate protection, and use dust extraction equipment, making it less of a health risk.

Still, H&M and Levi’s decision to impose the ban is a step in the right direction, toward more responsible production that cares for its workers and their overall health. And because the ban could pose great operational risks for both companies, their actions should be applauded.

While I sit back and watch this play out, I think I’ll stick to buying vintage denim that already comes with that worn out, distressed look.

Image: Vivian Chen

My lovely, celebrity-style dressing room is a spare bedroom I stole in the house, a spare that once housed a maple crib, green nursing glider and armoire of precious, spit-up stained Baby Gap dresses on mini-hangers.

Today, it’s my own little retail Mecca (organic, of course). But I do allow my daughters to visit and check out the blouses and shoe rack, and yes, even borrow on occasion. That sort of thing was taboo when I was growing up. Moms were moms.  Friends were the ones loaning stuff.

My own stylish mother (here with me and Grandma Zelda) towered over me at 5-foot-9 (not counting the beehive do) and always wore at least a size 14. She wasn’t a Laker like Julia Child and her sister, Dorothy, but when she got married, she wore flats so not to surpass 6-foot dad.

I hung out in Mom’s cavernous walk-in closet while she was away at luncheons. But no way could I actually borrow one of those gowns since they hung on me like a puddled curtain. I also was drawn to her off-limits, pointy, size-10 pumps, dyed to match her Jacky suits.

I was the fourth child and the runt of the litter – considerably shorter and smaller than the rest. (My theory is mother smoked a few more cigs and sipped a few more martinis when she was preggers with me.) But to be fair, I’m also considering the DNA link to my small, Polish ancestors.

Cut to my gorgeous teenage daughter with a great sense of style, who caught up with me in stature a few years back. I provide her with her own little Nordstrom Rack down the hall. I take full credit for cultivating her sense of entitlement since I have been most gracious about loaning her items, and have only kvetched a few times when they weren’t returned on time. She is very responsible and that counts.

Combined, Syd and I have a substantial inventory. I’m proud to say a chunk of it is the ski apparel we share for our annual Mommy-Sydney ski weekends in Lake Tahoe.

I was glad to squeeze into a pair of my daughter’s skinny jeans for my birthday outing with friends in August, and only felt a pinch after the second drink. You dirty martini, you!

How does the sharing work? Sometimes we fall for the same cardigan and it can make more sense during hard times to buy one to share and take turns – you know, like college co-eds on a strict budget. Call it the The Daughterhood of the Traveling Pants.

I also prefer to loan rather than buy her a dress for the countless B’Nei Mitzvah parties and other events she seems to attend. If she wears something of mine, it feels like new to her, even though I’ve worn it a dozen times.

This whole lending thing is why those smart couture rental shops, like Boutiqueville in Chicago, do so well. Why own something costly when you can rent for the occasion? When the high is over you send it back. Thank you, it was a great date, but onto other matches.

I should point out it isn’t just us girls sharing the wealth. My daughter also gets warm and fuzzy about wearing her dad’s old sweaters. I seriously think it brings her closer to him in a very sweet way.

Guess teens have been burrowing in oversize wool since Ann-Margret sang “How Lovely to be a Woman” in Bye Bye Birdie. He doesn’t mind her using the old sweaters, or at least, has never complained.

I got to wondering if other kids and parents are comfortable with community closeting or if most families are fiercely territorial about their closets. It certainly requires trust and respect, and the right kind of green deodorant.

I did a bit of research online and found little has been written on the subject. Hurray for me!

But I did stumble upon an interesting post on How to Share Clothes with a Cross-Dressing Husband.

Okay, the ground rules killed me: Killed me! They included keeping his paws out of your underwear drawer, making him replace anything stretched, torn or stained, and drawing the line when it comes to your most precious blouses or skirts (i.e. the ones with price tags still attached). The helpful primer also suggested shopping together to make sure you have the same taste. Oy!

None of this would work in my marriage. My husband is a large man who prefers high-wasted, baggy slacks to hip jeans. If he were a cross-dresser, he’d still be swishing around in those Dean Martin pants.

I do like some of his Oxford shirts and could see slipping into one after a post-sex shower and cocktail in bed, but since we don’t schedule those kind of Hollywood encounters (we don’t eat Chinese out of the box either), it’s all just another fantasy, like wearing my mother’s Yves Saint Laurent caftans.

I do have friends who are married to dainty men with little feet and excellent taste, and I could see trading with one of those fellows, swapping Indian tunics and Moroccan slides for a tux and velvet slippers when those Victor-Victoria mood strikes.

Of course, the well-dressed gay husband is top drawer when it comes to swapping, assuming he would cooperate. His rules might be too stringent for even me. I sort my closet by color but not by texture and season and don’t iron a thing. Crisp is not in my vocabulary.

No, I think I’ll stick with sharing with the girls, my wonderful girls, grabbing a wrap for Lauren when leaving for a party, pulling a dress for Sydney for a Bat Mitzvah. Selecting a hand bag that works. Maybe a trinket or earrings to tie it all together.

Does sharing benefit my daughters more than me? Well, naturally. It goes with the territory when you’re a consummate stylist and mother – who still misses dressing her dolls.

This is the sixth installment in Luanne’s column, Life in the Green Lane.

Main Image: In Style

Image One: Luanne Bradley

This season I’m really digging the high-waisted wide leg jean, but I’ve been having trouble figuring out how to pull it off. I’m petite (or itty bitty as some like to say) and “big” looks most often drown my slight figure.

The other day at the office I noticed a colleague with a similar frame to mine sporting this style. And that’s when I figured it out: all I have to do is pair the jeans with a fitted top and some big heels. I found the perfect high-waisted wide leg jean by AOKI (aoki is Japanese for green tree). The premium denim brand uses only organic cotton to make styles fitting for every body type. The Traci jean is the model I’m after. Grab yourself a pair now for $198 on GomiNYC.

We all have that pair of jeans that we just can’t bear to part with. As each day passes, our fondness grows, as do the gaping holes in the knees, bum, and inseam, which we naturally attempt to ignore in an unsuccessful bout of denial. We start devising all sorts of schemes to continue the legacy of our tattered denim – scouring the racks and sites for any remaining pairs, or, in desperation, persuading a friend to trade her True Religions for your "super cute" Sevens. Sure. Honey, it’s time for some therapy – for your jeans, of course.

Check out Denim Therapy – the ultimate savior for your torn treasures.

Denim Therapy was started in New York City by folks who understand the importance of a great pair of jeans. Unlike those patches that will inevitably crumble off in the wash, Denim Therapy uses a reconstruction technique that weaves in new cotton fibers to your existing denim fabric, thus repairing unsightly holes. All you have to do is fill out the form on their website, mail in your babies, and in two weeks, you’ll be up and running with your favorite jeans as if they were brand new. Repair costs are estimated at $7/inch, plus shipping.

I was helping my friend shop for a pair of designer jeans last weekend and we got to talking about hems. Why, oh why do designers cut denim so long that no one, short of a supermodel, is tall enough to wear jeans straight off the rack?

Not only are we paying top dollar for brand names, we then have to invest extra time and money in the tailoring process. This has always infuriated me. What a waste of resources, energy and time! If we pieced together the denim scraps for all hemmed jeans, we could probably circle the earth.

It’s not just denim. In overall garment production, about 15% of fabric is wasted in the cutting process.  That’s a lot of excess and it’s terrible for the environment.

Luckily, genius fashion and textile designer Mark Liu has come to the rescue. He has developed cutting techniques that create zero waste. Mark cuts out pattern pieces like a jigsaw puzzle from a single piece of fabric. Naturally, this begs the question: why aren’t more designers doing it? Mark’s innovation is such an important step towards sustainable design, and he truly believes that these types of eco-efficiencies can be used to create top-quality products. Now, if only the denim designers would crib his notes.

Image: Stique

Creating wearable clothing from an artistic vision is a talent I can only dream of having. Add a green layer to that and you’ve truly blown me away. If you don’t know Linda Loudermilk, eco-designer to the stars (and now everyone), it’s time to get acquainted. 

Through extensive research and development, Loudermilk has sourced a broad spectrum of materials and processes to ensure that all of her clothing is sustainable and environmentally friendly. And, in my opinion, this trim dress is the smartest number in her haute couture denim line. The sexy silhouette works on many body types and can be dressed up or down for different occasions. And considering all the work put into her clothing, this frock is a steal at only $288.

Week of the Dress

Dresses are versatile, flattering, and comfortable. Be sure to check out our favorites this week at EcoSalon.

Image: Kaight

You don’t have to wait for Fleet Week to enjoy the seafaring vibe. Nautical style is always classically stylish and works for any age. In a search for the perfect sailor pant, I scooped these Marina Trousers by Del Forte.

The brand is known for using 100% organic cotton and has partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project to help increase the presence of organic farms. Now, when I first envisioned the perfect sailor pants, I did not have denim in mind. But after finding these, I realized that I have successfully covered not one but three major trends – high-waisted, wide leg, and denim – with one purchase instead of three. That means less consumption and stylish looks for many seasons to come. Available at Tobi for $194.

Image: Del Forte

The era of ultra-low and oft-unflattering jeans may finally be coming to an end (notwithstanding the bleats of the thong underwear industry).

High-waist, feminine, flowing jeans have made their biggest comeback since the “Ëœ70s this spring, only now they’re being done in loose, comfortable style. Get in on this trend in a green way with Del Forte’s Willow Trousers.

Made of organic cotton and spandex, the jeans have just enough “give” to look good on a real woman’s figure, and while you may think the high waist is a little dramatic, just realize how effortlessly elegant they’ll be with a white tank top, a canvas shopping bag and flat sandals. The dark rinse works well in all seasons so you’ll be able to wear these pretty jeans for years, and the cut flatters areas like the thighs and bum with gracious appeal. Also available in white if you feel like a spring splurge.

Image: Tobi

Nothing is more comfortable and casually chic than the perfect pair of jeans. They’re also a bit tight after washing and drying.

Minimize the showdown with the zipper, spend time doing something other than laundry, and help the environment with this easy tip: wear your jeans five times before washing them.

Many of us wash our jeans after only one or two wears, but rarely are jeans genuinely soiled enough to require this (consider the original purpose of denim: to withstand days of panning for gold in mud and muck). A definitive denim study from a French environmental organization found that simply skipping a few washes a week will have the same energy savings as turning off 4,000 standard lightbulbs for an hour. We just like the thought of an extra day of stretch.

- via Treehugger
- Image: fxp