Today’s conscious perfume lover can now find beauty in a nature-based signature scent.

When Coco Chanel famously said, “Wear perfume wherever you want to be kissed,” she was no doubt planning herself a romantic February 14th. Sales of perfume always go up dramatically around Valentine’s Day, but beyond our desire to feel more attractive to others, why do we “wear” perfume?

Like our choice to wear certain clothes, we simply want to carry around something beautiful that reflects how we feel inside. Today’s conscious consumer, increasingly aware of the benefits of environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, can now find that beauty in a nature-based signature scent.

Jenny Pao, a San Francisco based holistic healer and founder of Nectar Essences has been developing homeopathic flower-essence sprays for her bespoke clients since 2007. “I had so many people ask for aromatic counterparts to our healing sprays.” So just in time for Valentine’s Day, Pao has launched three new organic perfumes. Made with 97% certified organic ingredients, they’re botanical and free of synthetic fragrances and chemicals.

Amethyst captures the scent of pink rose and scarlet rhododendron along with hints of cedar, nutmeg and cacao. Hints of amber and sandalwood underlie an aromatic bouquet of five different roses in Rose Quartz While Turquoise carries the scent of night blooming jasmine and Ylang Ylang balanced with a woodsy, equatorian Palo Santo.

“Organic perfume is more subtle than synthetic fragrance,” Pao says. “It is never overpowering and the scent has depth.” She recommends that the perfumes are reapplied on your pulse points every 3 hours.

In addition to providing a burst of olfactory heaven, each perfume is infused with gemstones for balancing emotional and mental well-being. The perfect way to start a romantic evening.

Does Edun’s far reaching ad campaign have the ability to change consumer mindsets?

Without the glossy ad campaigns typically employed by fashion houses, star-ethical line, Edun has managed to become the most well known and celebrity beloved conscious clothing collection out there (having Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson as the line’s founders doesn’t hurt). Posting double digit growth last year and announcing plans that both Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus will pick up the line, the fast-growing sustainable clothing label has just unveiled their first advertising campaign.

An advance look at the ads reveal Edun’s spring looks shown alongside six species of butterflies indigenous to Africa. According to a WWD interview with Hewson in Africa – where the brand reportedly produces much of its clothing and supports local farming communities and factories – she explains, “We really wanted to capture the essence of Edun, and of what inspires the brand, which is duality and transformation.”

Some of fashion’s hottest design talent was enlisted to create the campaign, Photographer Ryan McGinley was the visionary behind the engaging images, British Dazed and Confused Editor, Jefferson Hack, served as the on-shoot creative director.

Skeptics have pointed out that Edun’s partner company – luxury group LVMH bought a 49% stake in the company in May 2009  - utilizes far from sustainable practices. And a now infamous campaign featuring Bono with Hewson, parading through one of the poorest landscapes in the world carrying LVMH luxury bags, may not have not helped win over the critics either.

What is clearly persuasive is the reach of the label. With the campaign set to break in the March issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, Dazed & Confused, AnOther, T The New York Times Magazine and the Sunday Times of London, its ability to change mindsets is far-reaching. Also included as part of the campaign, is a launch event set to take place during New York Fashion Week and short “blink videos” that will appear on Edun.com and via social media outlets. The message that “eco-friendly” and “socially-aware” are desirable clothing attributes is about to get some wings.

The pullover with a high collared neck still has a powerful allure that communicates, “I’m different.”

The Gap revived this imagery in their 2006 “Keep It Simple” Campaign.

More familiar to the British as a polo neck, English polo players first wore turtlenecks in the 1860s. Their adoption by Noel Coward in the 1920s turned turtlenecks into a middle-class fashion trend, and early feminists made them into a unisex item. Since the middle of the 20th century black polo necks have been identified as the uniform of radical academics, philosophers, artists and intellectuals.

Stone memorably paired a gray mock turtleneck from the Gap with a Valentino skirt and Armani jacket for the 1996 Oscars.

As an anti-tie, smart form of dress for those who reject formal wear, the turtleneck – also available in a simpler variant as a mock turtle neck – was surely a deliberate fashion choice made by Apple visionary, Steve Jobs. Communicating a desire to stand apart from others, his ubiquitous black turtleneck became an essential part of his uniform as the leader of those who think different.

Jil Sander Turtleneck Sweater, Céline Leather Strap Bag

Enjoying a revival this season, the winter staple was seen anchoring looks on the runways of Ralph Lauren, Celine and Jil Sander. A fantastic layering piece for when you want to wear dresses year round. They’re at their best worn with skinny jeans, slim fit trousers or a pencil skirt. In this age of so-called fashion democratization, the pullover with a high collared neck still has a powerful allure that communicates, “I’m different.”

ALSO READ:

Now & Then: The History of Tights

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Now & Then: The History of the Chevron Stripe

Now & Then: The History of Penny Loafers

Now & Then: The History of Go-Go Boots

Now & Then: The History of the Poet Blouse

Now & Then: The History of Ladylike Gloves

A sense of community: A recently opened jewelry store in San Francisco might have hit on the secret to sustainable success.

Design and sustainability collide at the unique D & H Jewelers in San Francisco’s Castro district. Since opening its doors a year ago, the store has created a recession-resistant niche by not only changing the way people buy jewelry but reviving the art of customer service and engaging the local community in the process.

The staid days when conventional bridal jewelry formed the core of the jewelry business are gone. Today’s jewelry buyer wants more than a beautiful piece to mark a special occasion. Instead, they long for jewelry that is an occasion in itself. D&H delivers by taking customers on a magical journey brought to life through storytelling of a diamond’s travels, the people who sourced it, and the modern fashion that influenced a final piece’s design. And, it’s a journey made all the more warm and inviting when they’ve offered you a fine glass of organic wine.

Skillfully co-curated by the owners Lindsay Daunell and Shawn Higgins, the store includes items from the Bay Area’s established sustainable designers like Kirsten Muenster, Dawes Design, Jeannie Hwang and new talent like Corey Egan and Studio Dong. We caught up with engaging co-owner Shawn Higgins recently. Here’s what he had to say:

Why did you decide to open a store of your own? As a graduate gemologist with more than twenty-two years in the jewelry business, I got tired of explaining to others what I could be doing myself. With the many years worth of connections I have made throughout the world, I saw an opportunity to begin a better way of doing business. I’ve seen the worst of my industry – how it adversely affects people and their communities. I even considered changing careers at one point because I didn’t want to contribute any more to that. Then it dawned on me, why not take what I already know and change the way it’s done.

How have you seen the jewelry industry evolve in recent times? The industry is starting to bend to the will of the consumer to provide more transparent knowledge of blood diamonds, and “dirty” gold. More people want to know that their jewelry is locally made. They want to know where the precious metals are from and where their stones are sourced.

In engagement rings we are finding that consumers are much more attracted to the non-traditional center stones, instead of the traditional big white round diamond. More often than not, we are designing and selling engagement rings with color centers, like sapphires.

We’re constantly pushing the limit of design in our store. We try to keep a traditional feel in the pieces but focus on unique and specialty designers, so that people can end up with a timeless piece that is both handmade and fashion forward. We love showing and designing work that can’t be found anywhere else.

The Morning Star Eclipse, by Jeannie Hwang, made in reclaimed 14K white gold with obverse set black diamonds

I’ve never seen jewelry like this anywhere else. Tell us about what makes the jewelry lines in your store unique? Most of the designer lines that we carry are actually local people we have known for years and grown up with in the industry.  Each line has a unique vision, feel and personality.  What is also unique is that every artist we carry, including our own line, has signed on to a recycled metal campaign. That means all of the precious metal is from a recycled source. Sometimes the diamonds are sourced through Canada, but we have many other collectives we tap into.  One in particular I am very proud of is a collective of women in Lesotho Africa. The collective was set up with the help of a Dutch company so that women who had been miners for DeBeers for over 30 years could instead do river mining, or panning for diamonds, and the money that they would earn would help pay for their retirement. They are now retired with a little more cash than they would of working for DeBeers.

Other colored stone sources in the store and direct sales of colored stones have provided a scholarship for an African girl to go to faceting school. They have helped fund wells in the communities where these farmers have small mining operations – and by small I mean a hole in the ground large enough for a single individual to drop into.  We are trying to bring the dollars back to the community where the wealth actually comes from.

You also create custom jewelry. How do you verify the stones you use are conflict free? We have third party certification that documents a clear chain of custody from miner to customer 90% of the time. We are still striving for that 100%.

Ice Cube rings by Jeannie Hwang, made from reclaimed 14K white gold and either blue or white diamonds

Hanging out in your store is so much fun! Is this part of the strategy? Our store is the first and only of it’s kind to have a wine bar within the store. On our mezzanine level, clients can enjoy wine from sustainable vineyards and just hang out or shop with us. The Rose Cut wine bar really epitomizes our philosophy of creating a fun luxury environment that people want to come and shop and enjoy. One of the main reasons internet sales has grown so much is because customer service has been dying a slow death in America. I believe an experience like this is the new future of retailing. Thanks to my contacts throughout the world we’re lucky enough to end up with some amazing finds. We have a hand-made chess set by Hratch Nargizian, one of the finest metal artists alive today, which took 5 years to make. We also have things like Frida Kahlo’s earrings made by Pablo Picasso for her, here for sale.

Fostering a sense of community is the secret to your success. How have you achieved this so quickly? We have no secrets.  My industry has been shrouded in secrecy both from customers and each other for many years. When we find a new more sustainable source for our products we share with our artists. It sounds simple but most people tend to hold their knowledge and sources close to their cuff because they think it gives them the competitive edge.

Frankly, what’s missing in today’s customer service is customer service. I am amazed when I visit other stores how the associates will not even bother to say “hi.”  Call me old school, but I’ve always said, “If you can’t make a customer, make a friend.” Especially in the jewelry industry where you might be selling someone an important purchase like an engagement ring. We meet wonderful people who share our interests – quality, sustainable jewelry and wine – and so a natural – and very fun – community results.

 Hand woven bronze chain by Kirsten Muenster

Ila & I locket made from reclaimed 18K and sterling silver oxidized and re-purposed antique diamonds. The locket opens to reveal a place to put precious pictures or have a special message engraved on the sterling silver insert.

Our guide to this year’s best fashion exhibits.

Did you miss the magical Savage Beauty exhibit at the MET last year?  Take comfort by buying the book – a showstopper in itself – and vow not to miss another this year. Curatorial staff are realizing the particular appeal of fashion exhibits and the increased ticket sales potential. If an article in WWD on how museums are “getting fashionable” is any indication, they’ve cottoned on. “There’s a loyal following — besides the fact that fashion is fashionable,” Pamela Golbin, chief curator at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris was quoted, “There’s something very intimate about clothes.” More and more new fashion exhibits are popping up here in the United States all over the world. Several exciting ones are due to debut this year.

Here are our top 10 don’t-miss fashion exhibits of 2012.

1.  Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada: On Fashion, opens May 10 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Featuring over 80 designs by Schiaparelli and an installation that will give the effect of the two designers being in conversation with one another on subjects such as art, politics and the role of women now and then. With director Baz Luhrman serving as the exhibition’s creative consultant this show promises to follow up on the success of last year’s groundbreaking Alexander McQueen exhibit.

2. FIT NY and the CFDA collaborate to celebrate Impact: Fifty Years of the CFDA at the FIT museum from the 10th of February through until the 17th of April. The leading trade organization of fashion designers presents a tribute to the creativity of American talent and will showcase designs from Halston, Norman Norell, Pauline Trigère, Geoffrey Beene, Bill Blass, Rudi Gernreich, Bob Mackie, James Galanos, Diane von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, Michael Kors, Isabel Toledo, Rodarte, and Proenza Schouler.

3. Chanel: Designs for the Modern Woman at the Mint Museum Randolph in Charlotte, North Carolina continues thru February 26. Pioneering clothing that was comfortable, casual and enduring in its construction and style, Coco Chanel (1883-1971) remains a pivotal figure responsible for much of what is still considered modern in women’s fashion in the 21st century.

4. A retrospective of designer Christian Louboutin at London’s Design Museum opens March 28 – July 1 and promises to be as red-hot as his signature soles. The exhibition coincides with the publication of a coffee table book documenting Lobuoutin’s work. Mulholland Drive director David Lynch photographed some of the designer’s most fantastical creations and John Malkovich wrote the foreword.

5. If you are in London, you must check out Fifty Years of James Bond Style at the Barbican, opening in April. In addition to Mr. Bond’s Savile Row tailoring, expect to see  lavish Bond-girl finery by Giorgio Armani, Givenchy, Roberto Cavalli, Thierry Mugler, Miuccia Prada, Oscar de la Renta, Emanuel Ungaro and Donatella Versace.

6. Also opening in the 2012 Olympic Games host city is the sure-to-impress Ballgowns: British Glamour Since 1950 exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum 
running May 19, thru January 26, 2013. Featuring evening wear from the V&A’s vast collection of British designers, the exhibit will show a selection of royal ballgowns including a Norman Hartnell gown designed for Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Princess Diana’s “Elvis Dress” designed by Catherine Walker and gowns worn by today’s young royals.

7. Paying tribute to the legendary French designer Yves Saint Laurent — The Retrospective opens March 25 at the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colarado. Organized thematically, the presentation showcases over 200 pieces that explore the full arc of Saint Laurent’s developing style and turbulent inner life.

8. If you didn’t catch The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk at the Dallas Museum of Art, Texas (runs thru February 12) head to San Francisco’s Deyoung Museum where it will run from March 24  - August 19. Dubbed fashion’s enfant terrible, his often provocative messages are enhanced by the sublime construction of his clothing.

9. Set to open on the last night of Paris Fashion Week, March 9, and run until September 16 at the famous Museé des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, the Louis Vuitton – Marc Jacobs exhibit weighs the careers of both designers. The show aims to compare their bodies of work and offers a potential explanation as to why Jacobs and his ready-to-wear approach could never replace Galliano at Dior.

10. Azzedine Alaïa in the 21st Century currently at the Groninger Museum in Holland and running thru May 6, celebrates the body-con creations of the great Tunisian-born couturier. Now in his 70′s, the designer recently became an outspoken proponent of slow fashion, saying “Four collections for women, four collections for men, another four collections to sell, and everything needs do be done within four, five months—it’s a one-way course towards emptiness. It’s inhuman.”

Top Image: Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty

An instant classic, whether or not you put pennies in your loafers for luck.

The iconic loafer was born in Wilton, Maine in 1934. Originally made to be worn indoors, they were designed with a distinctive strip of leather across the saddle with a diamond cutout for comfort and durability. First called Weejuns (sounding like Norwegians), they were made by legendary boot maker, G.H.Bass. But when prep school students in the 1950s decided to insert a penny into the diamond shaped slit, the name “penny loafers” stuck and the hand-sewn slip on with the ivy league heritage became ubiquitous for collegiate cool.

Emerging beyond a teenage fixation, the shoes evolved over the years with certain additions like tassels on the front and the introduction in 1966 by Italian designer, Gucci, of a metal horse snaffle bit. Paired with suits by continental businessmen in the 70s and adopted back by Regan-era men, they bordered on becoming a Wall Street uniform, reaching widespread use by the 1980s.

Welcome to the end of the tyranny of high heel. No longer the domain of sockless Italians or Gordon Gekko wannabes, the preppy stable now comes in every fabrication imaginable, including silver, studs and sequins. And as a much-needed alternative to the ballet shoe, a new generation of be-boppers (Elle Fanning for one) has fallen in love with the boy-meets-girl style just in time for fall’s decidedly bookish 70s looks.

Bridget Bardot proving an iconic shoe style is too sexy cool for school.

A new licensing deal hopes to utilize the waste fabric of the home sewing world.

Savvy, stylish designer Elizabeth Brunner is known for her innovative line of luxury separates created skillfully from San Francisco designer’s remnants and salvaged scraps. Her label, Piece X Piece, has won her admiring fans among the Bay Area’s green-leaning design scene.

Followers of Piece X Piece have learned that incorporating a piece from her line of tunics, vests and dresses is an easy way to add a graphic, urban aesthetic to an existing wardrobe. Like all good ideas that are brilliant in their obviousness and simplicity, her unique approach to sustainability truly delivers. It was only a matter of time before a larger audience caught on.

So when an art director from McCall’s Generation Next division – a new category for the pattern company created to attract and inspire new home sewers – called Brunner last year to ask if she’d be interested in licensing the use of some of her designs for their Spring 2012 designs, she couldn’t have been more excited.

The pattern for the ultra flattering Division Tunic is now available to home sewers looking to use up any fabric scraps.

“My Mom used McCall’s patterns since I was a kid. Needless to say my mom is super thrilled,” Brunner said by email.

“Most home sewers have lots of extra fabric that is either left over from other projects or was bought for another purpose but never used. This is a chance to really take a good look around at what you have and fall back in love with why you bought it in the first place. Fabric is a great place to start thinking about sustainable fashion, since it’s easy to fold up and hide away but the rediscovery of what you already have on hand can be really rewarding.”

The first pattern released is the ultra flattering fitted and flared Division Tunic, which is available to order now.

One of the most compelling aspects of Brunner’s pieces are their distinctive character, due to the variance of fabric remnants that are donated by designers including Lina Rennell, Stewart+Brown and Erica Tanov. Brunner is curious about the future of her work and her patterns ability to inspire, “This is a real opportunity for the home sewer to get creative with the fabric they have to create something truly unique and one-of a-kind, she says, “I really hope I get to see some of these home creations.”

A popular blog is proving fashion doesn’t quit when you hit 60.

Have you checked out Ari Seth Cohen’s Advanced Style blog yet? Since its launch in 2009 the site has been a hit with stylistas young and mature, but ever since fall fashion’s foresighted focus on throwback looks like turbans, furs, pearls and gloves, the blog documenting septuagenarians’ sense of style is emerging as fashion’s freshest perspective.

Is this the beginning of a reversal in only young people being represented as beautiful in magazine media?

Gorgeous-granny-get-up appeal isn’t difficult to understand. The familiar tale of an inspirationally elegant grandmother who was artfully put together and never went out of the house without “putting her face on,” is a common refrain among fashion followers.

So much of the sustainability movement is about old ideas that seem new again – victory gardens, canning and sewing circles – it’s not a surprise that the blog is rich in green philosophy.

Because when you take away the idealized forms and faces we’re used to seeing in fashion imagery – the bondage of self-limiting beliefs designed to induce consumer craving – a true sense of what personal style is, comes into sharp relief.

As Cohen’s subjects demonstrate, it’s not about buying the latest or greatest new thing that makes someone look good, it’s the humor, enthusiasm and joy that goes into putting an outfit together that renders them striking.

Reminding us that bodies will age but minds can choose not to.

These women’s taste for life and joy in their clothes are deeply empowering. While bodies will age, minds can choose not to. When you start dressing purely for yourself, every new item is purchased with the intent you’ll have it forever. Of all the eco-friendly fashion approaches, it’s clear that developing a signature style is the happiest path to a sustainable wardrobe.

Does the return of gloves this season require us to reconsider what “lady like” means?

On July 1, 2011, Daphne Guinness – whose visionary and eccentric style has captured the imagination of the fashion world – staged a mock funeral wake to debut her much-anticipated design, a glove made in white gold chain mail. Handmade to fit her arm completely, it features intricately articulated fingers and more than 5,000 diamonds creating decorative birds along the arm.

Posing in an Alexander McQueen bodysuit, Guinness lay motionless at a mock funeral with the armored glove revealing the essence of her style.

Named Contra Mundum (or Against The World), Guinness explains, “It’s sort of us against the world. It’s about wanting to watch, but not wanting to be seen. I feel it’s a pact, if that makes any sense.” The glove is at once an incredible testament to the handmade – considered to be one of the most technologically advanced pieces in the world it’s worth an estimated $1.76 million dollars – and reveals the core message of Guinness’ style iconry – the concept of fashion as a form of armor, protection for a delicate soul.

With winter’s icy temperatures chilling our extremities, you may be pulling on a (more affordable) pair yourself this month. But beyond their functionality, gloves have long been understood as an accessory able to translate the cultural expectations of women.

It’s the subtle interpretation and manipulation of what gloves can mean, that make them such fascinating fashion watching.

From their early history, gloves were emblems of status and power, worn by royalty and the aristocracy. Taking on a symbolic importance in the chivalrous middle ages, they were used as a form of guarantee, thrown down as a challenge and given as a token of affection from a lady to a suitor.

Have you ever tried to do anything with gloves on? It’s difficult. But women then found a way around the problem by slipping their hands out of the finger-part, and popping them out the opening. To this day they are a cultural signifier that remains shorthand for class. And it’s the subtle interpretation and manipulation of what that can mean, that makes them such fascinating fashion watching.

The last interest in gloves was in the middle of last century, their power cleverly manipulated by actress Grace Kelly.

Grace Kelly, the ice princess ideal of 50s womanhood was famous for her white gloves. Even then – at a time where rebellion hellions such as Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift and Elvis Presley were emerging –  the “lady like” gloves appeared to be a throwback to an earlier time. But in an era where many female star’s careers were manhandled by big studio bosses – Kelly’s cleverly calculated image of austerity and steely resolve unnerved her MGM bosses and secured her freedom from roles that required her to “wear thirty-five different costumes and look pretty and frightened.”

Gloves in fashion now. Models in Christian Dior opera gloves. Harper’s Bazaar Spain, December edition.

It was a glove affair on Fall’s 2011 runways. Designers including Alber Elbaz, Frida Giannini at Gucci, Miuccia Prada, Jean Paul Gaultier and Donna Karan ushered in a season of forties glamour revolving around a new on-the knee skirt length replete with conservative pearls, shrugs and gloves. The mid-length opera gloves seen at Lanvin had a surprising modern look, conveying power and strength – the “lady like” characteristics now essential for life as a woman in the 21^st century.