BurdaStyle co-founder Nora Abousteit and creative director/Project Runway alum/Dahl designer Alison Kelly just launched “everything you need to know for a fashion-forward wardrobe,” in their new book, The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook. Featuring five fully customizable sewing patterns that offer “infinite fashion possibilities” and comprehensive step-by-step instructions, this is the go-to guide for sewing hobbyists and budding designers alike. The book features five popular basic patterns for a blouse, skirt, dress, bag and jacket which are turned into 15 distinct projects, along with dozens of user-submitted customizations for extra inspiration.

The key to BurdaStyle’s success of open sourcing, social media and taking the age-old art of sewing and making it hip again is brilliant and EcoSalon is a big fan. This book is but a representation of what the site offers daily to over half a million members that faithfully follow to learn how to create easy-to-make, great-fitting garments. Offline, BurdaStyle members have formed more than 260 sewing clubs worldwide, from China to New Zealand, South Africa to Norway, with 181 clubs in the United States alone. Members meet up to sew, socialize, and talk through projects and sewing issues face-to-face.

We guess that this book will inspire many more designer conversations and we’re happy to give you an opportunity to win it! Just go to our Facebook page and leave a comment and you are in the drawing.

Good luck!

The post BurdaStyle Book Giveaway appeared first on EcoSalon.

Alison Kelly’s Dahl dresses can’t help but make you feel pretty.

Dahl’s 50s-inspired tank dress (cut from their very first custom printed silk), will have you spring or summer party ready. We also advise you carelessly spin a few times to fluff out the full skirt and feel even more bubbly. $224

Look for Lustables daily at EcoSalon. 100% gorgeous green finds, and never sponsored. Submit your favorite to tips@ecosalon.com

The post Lustables: Getting Dahled Up appeared first on EcoSalon.

There’s always something going on in the fashion world despite the crowned achievements of fashion weeks and celebrity collaborations taking center stage.

For instance, a good contest for budding designers to partake in, news so juicy you won’t be able to stop talking about it and of course, a trend someone has picked up on that you had on your radar but didn’t quite know how to make it sustainable.

Here’s a little overview of some of our favorite blogs covering fashionable things.

Ecouterre’s Denim Challenge sponsored by the Gap, garnered a slew of very talented submissions that you can peruse here. Tough decisions to be made for the Ecouterre staff and judges (shh, one is me) but the grand prize winner will be showcased on Ecouterre, Inhabitat, and the Gap 1969 Stream, as well as receive a $200 gift certificate. While lucky finalists will get their name, design, and a link to their portfolio or website showcased on Ecouterre and the Gap 1969 Stream and a fancy new Ecouterre t-shirt.

(See image above from the challenge and definitely one of my top picks. Wide leg jeans can do that?!)

Burda Image

BurdaStyle’s Party Through The Decades contest sponsored by Bernina. The contest is open to BurdaStyle members (reason to join now?) and will serve to be an exciting platform to showcase “Your joie de vivre in a fabulous party look,” says creative director and site editor Alison Kelly (you might remember her name from Project Runway years ago?)

Check out Alison’s favorite party looks spawning over the past few decades on the site.

FIT Image

The Eco-Fashion: Going Green exhibit over at FIT will be wrapping up on November 13th so get on over there to witness first hand the information and actual garments thathighlight both the positive and negative environmental practices of the fashion industry through the ages.

Treehugger writes here about how you can get an “Earthy education” by attending.

Paige Green Image

Educating yourself about eco-fashion and developing a consciousness about it is half the challenge, living it is quite the other. Many challenges are out there right now to live a more simple fashion life but when I saw this Fibershed challenge I realized I needed to step it up.

The Fibershed challenge “Is inspired by the need to swing the pendulum of our production – and our consumption to a more balanced state, that supports the health of all humans and the greater ecological system of which we are apart; through the re-integration of organic fibers, natural dyes, and a regional base that supports local communities and economies,” says the site.

The challenge to live for one year in clothing made from fibers within a geographical region 150 miles from founder Rebecca Burgess’ front door. You can go to the site and pledge money which will go to:

Pay Farmers fairly for their fiber
Pay local mill to process the fibers
Pay for professional documentation of the project- photo and film
Pay for knit patterns to be drafted and samples to be created

Go to Fibershed now and pledge!

Vogue Image

On the other end of the fashion spectrum, we have Anna Wintour and Vogue. I love this post by writer Johanna Bjork from Concrete Flower on “Vogue’s Vague Eco-Fashion Foray,” where Vogue supreme goddess Anna Wintour has finally discovered eco-fashion, but, well, doesn’t know what it is.

Bjork writes of the sustainable choices Vogue picked: “A steep price tag is just not enough to make something eco. While some of these materials may be better than their alternatives, most of these fashion houses make loads of crap from ‘conventional’ materials, probably in Asian factories. One eco piece does not make up for all the rest. We call this greenwashing.”

Here, here. Anna, call me.

The post Ecouterre’s Denim Challenge, Burda Style Parties and Anna Wintour Gets Called Out appeared first on EcoSalon.

When Alison Kelly wore this Victoriana top on Project Runway, she said that everyone wanted one, so she started making them and making them and well. Don’t worry, not everyone from here to Tulsa has one, but they are popular.

Now with her own atelier studio in Brooklyn, Kelly is busy designing not only tops like this, but custom pieces and showing the masses that she was born to design.

This top is actually very chameleon like hidden under a fitted blazer, layered under a long cardigan or worn alone with skinny jeans or pencil skirts. Manufactured in New York City, this remnant silk top will add a little sweetness to your wardrobe and a little romance to your day.

And for $98, this top is a steal. Here’s Alison wearing it and rocking it in her “Who me I’m just a knock-out in anything look.”

(cough) Girl crush.

The post Alison Kelly’s Sought-After Victoriana Top appeared first on EcoSalon.

Tiered T-shirt Dress by Dahl

One of my very favorite designers, Alison Kelly of Project Runway fame, is finally coming over to the green side where eco-designers dwell.

Look for a small capsule collection she and her soul mate, Dane Risch, are putting together for both men and women.

(For the record: cutest couple going!)

The dress, made from 100% Tencel, a soft and buttery fiber made from wood pulp cellulose, is pure comfort and is so sweet.

Alison says: “The colors are putty, cafe au lait and black. I use these color names to conjure up the proper tones, seeing that the computer monitor can sometimes manipulate color. This top is available in all of my size offerings. It hits about mid-thigh so it can also be worn as a dress.”

Oh Alison, you had me at putty.

Leave a comment below to win and for official rules, click here.

The post A Living Dahl: T-Shirt Dress Giveaway from a Project Runway Alum appeared first on EcoSalon.

Wedding bells are in the air and plans are in progress to make some name changes.

Despite the fact that weddings are typically big events, you can absolutely still adhere to being eco-conscious, from your dress to your gifts.

There are plenty of resources for you, from author/designer/former Martha Stewart employee Emily Anderson’s eco-chic weddings to Eco-Wedding (a complete bridal resource). Lots more out there, but I liked these two a lot.

There are also many designers who are more than willing to custom-design a stunning bridal gown or bridesmaid’s dress for your big day so that you’re not only the belle of the ball but can spin yarns about how you stayed true to your beliefs. Green isn’t just a trend in your life, it is your life.

Harper Della Piana/Seams

Designing, sewing, embroidering and beading international styles and vintage clothes, Harper Della-Piana hails from a career in New York making costumes and clothes for major motion pictures, television, Broadway and a celebrity clientele. Her Boston-area business combines retro details with modern lines, ethnic elements with western styles, and think-out-of-the-box innovations in hemp, peace silk and other sustainable fibers.

Tara Lynn

Vermont’s Tara Lynn has been dreaming and designing hemp wedding gowns since 1999. Tara Lynn’s gowns are made of 100% hemp, hemp/cotton and hemp/silk blends that look and feel luxurious. Not to mention all the fabulous embroidery.

Holly Stalder

You want couture but you want it eco-friendly? Check out Holly Stalder. Salvaging decadent fabrics, faded velvet ribbons and Edwardian lace, the Portland, Oregon designer creates one-of-a-kind and limited run bridal dresses, and accessories.

You might want to check out her current collection, as well.

I say smokin’.

Alison Kelly

The former Project Runway beauty has moved beyond the show and truly into her own as a versatile and coveted designer.

Though she doesn’t advertise it past an inner circle (sorry, Alison), she’s also a green wedding gown designer that many women (including her sister’s bridesmaids) have called on for their big day.

Working with an array of textiles, most of her dresses are made from organic cottons, silk and rayon with organic materials utilized when possible. Shop her collection while you’re at it.

Editor’s note: It’s Eco Wedding Week here at EcoSalon. Look for green wedding tips, product reviews and stories throughout our sections all week long.

The post Eco-Wedding Bells Are Ringing appeared first on EcoSalon.

The more I talk with designers, the more I want you to know what they’re thinking. Here’s some insight.

I recently asked nine various shades of green designers what they thought about the question:

“Does collaborating with big names like Target, Kohl’s or Wal-Mart sound enticing to you?”

Heyne Bogut: I think in order to make that work you need to have a very packaged and defined product that can be understood and categorized quickly and easily. I’m always up for a challenge and I like the idea of contributing to pop culture in any way, shape or form, but it’s tricky to water down what you do enough to make it work in those places.

Plus, there’s the quality end to consider, and the concern for what conditions it’s made under. So, basically, the idea is intriguing, but a lot depends on what these partners are like to work with. I know people who design product for Wal-Mart and the process is living hell. I’ve been approached in the past by mass producers and have found the attempted collaborations uneven and unsatisfying.

Mociun: I think collaborating with someone like Eastpac or Keds would be great. Or some company that makes things I don’t. I would love to have a printed backpack or something like that. So I guess I would be more interested in doing a collaboration with a company where I could design print one of their products. And doing something with a company like Target could be cool, just to get exposure and see what production on a really large scale would be like.

Harper Della-Piana:  There would be positives connected to working with companies like that, of course. The prospect of making a large-scale impact on my company’s finances; provided the pieces I design for a company like that are made in the U.S. or by ethical workrooms would be part of the guarantee. I would not work on a project with a company like that if it didn’t have a positive impact on the workers or the environment in some way.

Alison Kelly/Dahl: Collaborating with larger corporations is at once appealing and unappealing. First, you will have to mass produce your collection in a ghastly inexpensive manner. Department stores like these aspire for quantity, not quality, which leads you to the question of whether or not you’ll want to forfeit the integrity of your designs by having to use cheaper textiles, eliminate important design elements and manufacture in China. I have a friend who just turned down an Anthropologie deal because they would not succumb to her eco-friendly standards. It becomes a question of morality.

Cmarchuska: I have mixed views about collaborating with big names like Wal-mart or Target. Ultimately, I feel  there could be some great opportunities for exposure and marketing when combining efforts with a major retailer.  However, it is tough as a small start-up/new designer to find favorable agreements for both parties. I think I would work with a major retailer if the terms were right.

Souchi: I understand why designers are enticed by these types of collaborations but I have no interest in this avenue of exposure. The type of collaborating that would excite me would be to work with artists I admire in all mediums. I think Marc Jacobs is fantastic with this. His collaborations with Stephen Sprouse and Murakami were great because they were new and unexpected for a house that traditionally was about the brown and camel logo. Or when Hermes hired Martin Margiela to be its house designer. For me, it would be a combo of materials – mixing yarn ideas with metal smiths or painters.

AK Vintage: Enticing?  Yes. Very much so, in fact. I’m interested in building my business and doing it as green as possible. I think if big box stores like these were ever to approach me they would obviously be interested in the sustainability of my product/brand just as much as my ability as a designer, because that is part of the identity I’m creating for my lines as well as for myself.  And, under these circumstances, I would absolutely be open to having that conversation.

Mothlove: I grew up in a small town, where my quaint little downtown full of mom & pop shops not only supported its community, but was supported by its community. Wal-Mart arrived in our town, and that sad story we’ve already heard started playing. A small, yet thriving community ceased to exist. Those small shops now represent the individually-owned boutiques I pursue as a designer.

I believe in the independent, the well-crafted and the local. I also believe that the designer-to-boutique, boutique-to-customer [relationship] creates community; communities with consumer awareness, communities that self sustain and support. Of course, financially the idea of big box collaboration is tempting, but I’d lose my story. And the consumer would lose its culture.

Aster And Sage: Collaborating with Target or Wal-Mart is definitely an enticing idea. I daydream about my imaginary Target collection all the time. Mmmm, yes.

Read more candid thoughts from eco designers.

Image: j.reed

The post 9 Designers Sound Off on Mega-Collaborations appeared first on EcoSalon.

The precious items – steel-framed spectacles, a pair of sandals, a bowl, a plate and a pocket watch – went on the block at Antiquorum Auctioneers in Manhattan on Thursday, despite a public outcry. The auction had led to uproar in India, with one minister calling it “gross commercialization”.

That outcry prompted the seller, L.A. filmmaker and collector James Otis, to reconsider and try to ditch the auction, but the lot went under the hammer as planned. That’s because the government rejected Otis’s last minute offer to donate the items to India if leaders would greatly increase spending on the poor or include the items in a traveling worldwide exhibit.

Anand Sharma, a junior foreign minister, argued the terms regarding the reallocation of money would violate India’s sovereignty and that Gandhi himself would have rejected those terms. Really?

The sandals and glasses of a beloved man who went on hunger strikes as a non-violent protest of abhorrent political policies and poverty were showcased in dramatic Hollywood fashion, striking a raw nerve as much of the world reels from the harsh realities exposed in Slumdog Millionaire.

According to a report in the New York Times, as soon as Lot 364 came up there was a hush in the room. A slide show of Gandhi played on the screen along with a recording of light piano music. Some 60 people vied for bids, as well as Internet and phone offers, quickly pushing the $10,000 increments to the million dollar mark within minutes.

Now that pocket watch is in the hands of flamboyant tycoon Vijay Mallya – listed by Forbes in 2006 as the 746st richest person in the world. He owns the company that makes Kingfisher beer and Bagpiper whiskey, has a fleet of vintage cars and a stud farm with 200 horses.

People who know him in the Bay Area where he keeps one of his many palatial residences say he lives an extremely opulent life, incorporating gold into his walls and flooring and throwing birthday parties for his children on his yacht.

Mallya has promised to return the items to India for public display, and according to BBC sources, India’s culture ministry worked closely with the businessman to obtain the items to insure they would indeed come home.

Gandhi’s great grandson, Tushar, said on Indian television: “I am delighted, absolutely delighted that Vijay Mallya bought these things and they will now come back to India.” He also said the sandals were made by his great-grandfather with his own hands.

But the Press Trust of India reports that the Indian government is still angry over its powerlessness to prevent the auction. It will seek to obtain injunctions in European and U.S. courts to block any future auctions of Gandhi’s possessions.

The government rightly argued the sale in insulted the memory of a man who rejected material wealth. Putting his meager belongings on the auction block obviously ran counter to Gandhi’s message.

“We want to preempt any auction of Gandhi items in the future by making it known that selling or buying these heritage articles is illegal,” a senior official was quoted as saying. “No one has the right to do this.”

The report said the culture ministry wanted to create a database of Gandhi memorabilia in India and abroad to make them easier to track.

Meantime, we are all left wondering why so much fuss has been made about the man’s material goods rather than his message – which is needed now more than ever.

How much is it worth now that we are embroiled in global violence and watching our economies stoop to new levels because of unparalleled corporate greed? Let’s see who buys the message!

Images: Ulti Seit for the New York Times

The post Are Gandhi's Possessions Worth More Than His Message? appeared first on EcoSalon.

When ex-Project Runway designer Alison Kelly embarked upon her journey as designer she realized it might be one of those lonely occupations.

So, not skimping on creating collections for her Atelier Dahl, but yearning for company, she decided to collaborate with her boyfriend and Salt and Samovar bass player Dane Risch to create Dahl and Dane, an organic t-shirt line that allows you to declare your love for husbands, boyfriends, furry pets, organic produce, even reusable bags if that tickles your fancy.

To be featured next month in Self magazine, the kitschy shirts were also recently featured on the Today Show and continue to garner press because they speak volumes of one’s love for things without having to talk about it.

After all, what you love is what you love.

You can custom design their men’s, women’s unisex or even children’s t-shirts in a variety of colors with creative statements like “I mom,” I life,” or “I me.”

For those of you who know your love is strongest for only one person, jazz it up with their initials and wear it with pride.

Order the t-shirts for Valentines Day by January 26^th and you’ll have it delivered to your door in time for holiday gifting.

Order past that and you won’t feel the love until it’s too late.

The post There's Love in These T-Shirts Yet appeared first on EcoSalon.