Beauty and brilliance meet in Allison Parris’ Spring/Summer 2013 collection.

When you meet Allison Parris and her Spring/Summer 2013 collection, you can’t help but smile. Words like charming, pretty, party and fun fill the air. Parris, in her eighth year of showing her own, eponymous line, seems at ease with it all. In her words, the collection is simply “light and happy.” But, below the fancy frill lies more than just the cheerful and feminine. It is femininity at its best—powerful, free and evocative.

“Right now, when you have so many strong, ambitious, stylish and successful women to look up to, that’s who girls should admire,” Parris tells EcoSalon. “Not Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan,” she adds. That’s why nearly each dress in the collection is inspired by (and named after) one of her closest friends who fit the bill of brilliant and beautiful.

With this upcoming season, Parris has stayed true to her roots, keeping her raw silk organza and recycled PET tutu-style dresses, while introducing other glitzy, body-hugging styles like the Arden dress (above) and the Greta (below), both lined with recycled PET from the U.S. The finished garments are also made in the U.S.—close to Parris’ home in the New York Garment District. “I need a little contrast in my life,” says Parris about her new sequin numbers.

Designer, Allison Parris, models her new look, The Arden dress.

Other pieces are fresh takes on the full-bodied skirt style. The Julia (below), made from embroidered cotton, effortlessly takes the woman who wears her from day to evening—a place Parris calls “our sweet spot.” And if anyone knows about hitting the sweet spot head on, it’s Parris.

More looks we love:

Images: Jennifer Barckley

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Sustainable fashion gets a spotlight at New York City’s Green Festival.

Last weekend, New York City’s cavernous Javits Center was overtaken by the Green Festival, an annual touring trade show filled with eco-enthusiasts promoting the latest in green living. On the Saturday of the show, behind booths promoting dairy-free cheese nibs, eco-friendly dog beds, and ElectroYoga, festival-goers had the chance to check out a selection of rising eco-fashion designers during T.H.R.E.A.D.S, a fashion show produced by Conscious Living TV.

The featured designers – including A.D.O., Allison Parris New York, Artists and Revolutionaries, Heart, and Vaute Couture, with shoes by Cri de Coeur – were connected by their uses of sustainable fabrics, fair trade practices, and cutting-edge design. Despite the less-than-ideal convention center setting, the inventiveness of the garments was evident. Highlights at the jump.

Vaute Couture

With a mission to “create more reasons to not wear animals,” Vaute Couture has developed a following in the vegan fashion community, including celebrities like Alicia Silverstone and Emily Deschanel, with its collection of animal-friendly garments. In addition to being a fashion pioneer, designer Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart is also an ardent animal and environmental activist.

A.D.O.

Using GOTS-certified fabrics and natural Ayurvedic herb dye, A.D.O. designer Anjelika Krishna creates comfortable ready-to-wear clothing with a modern, feminine aesthetic. Most of A.D.O.’s fabrics are inspired by and sourced from India, and garments are produced locally in the New York garment district.

Allison Parris

Allison Parris’s background in bridal design certainly had an influence on her latest collection of party dresses, made with fabrics like raw organic silk and recycled PET. Flirty and feminine, they’re perfect for wedding season.

Artists and Revolutionaries

Based out of Brooklyn, Artists and Revolutionaries creates edgy separates using repurposed leather, cashmere, washed wool, and organic cottons. Designer John-Michael infuses his pieces with more edge than most are used to seeing in sustainable-collections, with amazing results.

Heart

Each of Heart’s garments utilizes or takes inspiration from original photography, resulting in unique pieces like the Bali Ball Gown (pictured above). Chicago-area designer Jenny Greco, photographer Christina Noël, and painter Lisa Selby describe their line as “wearable art meets clothing with a conscience.”

Images: Jessica Marati

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10 Holiday dresses that will take you from the company party to year-round glam girl.

Holiday dresses can be the bane of our December existence. If you’re lucky, you’re able to swap frocks with a friend or know of a fabulous consignment boutique that helps justify buying something new for a single party. Why not think even further with your purchase this year and how you could wear it year round? We’ve found 10 dresses that can do just that and with just a spark of creativity, can be the dress that keeps on giving.

Carrie Parry’s Red Bow Dress

Carrie Parry’s Red Bow Dress made from 100% organic wool is a feminine, shift dress with a removable bow collar that “transitions easily from a day at the office to a night on the town.” We love the festive red tights for the holidays as they add a fun style element to what could otherwise be a boring shift with safe, black tights and shoes.

(Also available in black.)

Camilla Norback’s Butterfly Sleeve Dress

If you opt for a LBD this year, try stepping outside the straight and narrow you’re seeing in popular department store windows and add a little flounce and flair. Swedish designer Camilla Norback offers up this lacy dress that is just as much country as rock and roll.

Feral Childe’s Pleated Prokofiev Dress

Known for their graphic prints and seamless melding of color and shapes, Feral Childe always produces collections with at least one truly  stand out dress. This Prokofiev Dress in their Orchestra Print is that one. What can’t you do with this dress for a holiday party or, better yet, year round?

Dahl by Alison Kelly

Alison Kelly’s dresses are just as pretty as she is. Feminine, playful and at times glamorous, Dahl dresses come in a variety of colors (see site for more), and with 10 styles to choose from, you’re bound to find a style just for you.

Kelly Lane’s Galaxy Dress

Kelly Lane’s Galaxy dress is part funk, part lady. While the top part of the dress echoes the lines of a built in shrug, the rest of the dress is a basic shift that flatters. Worn with black opaque tights for a holiday party or teal tights for a night out, this dress will shape shift its way into your style universe.

Popomomo Palazzo Pantso

H

It’s not a dress or a skirt, but these Palazzo Pants from Popomomo are a perfect fill in for holiday parties with a sexy cropped top and statement piece of jewelry or, just kicking back. The drawstring waist is an additional selling point for those holiday parties don’t come without their fair share of eating (and stomach expansion).

H Fredriksson’s Drip Dress

H Fredriksson’s Drip Dress drapes where it should and is made from a buttery soft silk. Contrast the shine of the fabric with a knitted tight post-party, add boots and a fitted black t-shirt and you have a whole other date in your Drip Dress.

Prairie Underground’s Austen Blouse

Not all parties you go to this holiday season are going to be under dim lights with a live band playing Duke Ellington. This Austen Blouse by Prairie Underground is actually long enough to wear as a dress (albeit mini), and looks great with patterned tights and a pair of shimmering flats or after your holidays are over with purple tights and heeled brown booties. This is also a great neckline to show off your favorite necklace.

Allison Parris’ Sammi Feather Dress

This is the dress that is made specifically for everything fun and fabulous that you do. Made from a raw organic silk, the Sammi Dress from Allison Parris will elevate you to a new level of sustainable with a fashion-forward feather crinoline skirt to balance out the industrial, exposed zipper on the back. Can you wear this dress again? Of course, but it better be in another state.

Lina Rennell Check Cocktail Dress

You didn’t wait all year to make a New Year’s resolution to start working out or intensifying your yoga practice, no, you did it faithfully – all year. Slip that toned body into Lina Rennell’s Check Cocktail Dress and watch how the other party goers keep using you as a gauge for how much they shouldn’t eat. This dress is for year-round and has so many possibilities for cardigan sweaters and boyfriend blazers, sandals and platform heels, this dress just brings it.

Top image: Allison Parris

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You’ve got to wonder how designers get their ideas, what makes them complete whole collections based on architecture, a movie, a skyline or a color from deep within a forest.

What makes one stick out more than another? How can one be so inspired to create?

I caught up with four designers.

Where Do You Draw Inspiration From?

Nature Vs. Future/Designer Nina Valenti:

I just love to draw. I love playing with line, balance & texture. I get inspired by fabric, shapes and form. I love architecture, interior and furniture design. Living in New York City, there are so many buildings around me and I always love to look up and notice the way the shapes cut into the sky and  look so different from every angle. I get inspired on my Brooklyn bike rides under the Verrazano bridge. I just absorb my surroundings, then sit down and draw most of my collections on the subway.

Allison Parris:

Because my mom is an interior designer, I have so much exposure to old architecture and interior details that I do tend to take from that (even when it’s subconsciously!). Having an eco-friendly brand, however, a lot of what I like to do is play up the great textures that you can find in some of these raw materials. I think it gives another dimension to the clothing and really gives the garment a life of its own.

Moda Spia/Designer Ursula Dean:

My inspiration comes from film, travel, the playground. I love the billowy clothes of children in old fairy tale illustrations as much as Brigit Bardot’s care-free glamour.

Jackson, Johnston & Roe:

We draw inspiration from where we’ve grown up, the cities and surroundings we live in currently and from the endless archive of fashion of the past… both in history and within our families. Lately we have been inspired by traveling – not just the destination, but what you take for your trip. We think of our collections as everything you’ll need to have with you on your travels, and we consider packaging and versatility as well as the longevity and wear of the clothes. We are inspired by the quality of construction in garments from the past and we strive to bring that quality to our line.\

Image: Digital Sophia Photography

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Eco-fabrics are touted as being sustainable, strong and the way of the future, but do they have a longer shelf life than non eco-fabrics?

I caught up with seven amazing designers who responded to the question:

Do you think it’s truth or myth that eco-fabrics will last longer than traditional fabrics?

Alabama Chanin

It is myth to believe that we can answer questions of sustainability by placing eco and traditional products into one basket and weighing them. Like people, not all eco-fabrics, or products, are created equal. At the heart of the myth is our desire for an easy answer and, unfortunately, there is no easy answer to be found.

Our job as designers (and consumers) is to research with diligence and apply the results of our diligence to our products (and purchases), thereby creating the most highly sustainable and durable product available on the market today. Given those parameters and working within those guidelines, it is an absolute truth that our eco-fabrics and products will last longer.

In writing this, I am reminded of one of my all-time favorite quotes from famed American interior designer Sister Parish, “(E)ven the simplest wicker basket can become priceless when it is loved and cared for through the generations of a family.”

These generations will provide an answer to the “truth, or myth,” that we have exercised due diligence as designers today.

Loyale

I don’t believe that is true. If you are talking about garment production, many eco-companies create better quality clothing via superior sewing. Hence, the garments will last longer because they are made better. But in contrast, many non eco-fabrics are made with synthetics that will actually outlast natural fibers.

Allison Parris

I think that it depends on which type of eco-fabric you’re talking about. We ended up using a lot of organic silk and cotton in our line, and although they are the obvious choice since the look and quality match that of treated silks/cottons, I think that the “eco-movement” is too relatively new to have overwhelming evidence either way.

I think what the drive to be eco-friendly has instilled in us is a willingness to look at new technology and fibers that were not originally considered for this market. For instance, 50 years ago you needed to line your garments in fragile silk fabric to be in the designer market, but these days the textile industry has made huge advances to the point where fibers from a recycled soda bottle can be woven into a strong satin fabric that feels great against the skin. All of our woven garments have been lined in this recycled PET satin instead of silk, which will in turn give them a far longer life.

Alena Hennessy

Quite simply, I believe that fabrics such as organic cotton twill are more durable and will last longer. The seeds used in organic farming are chosen for their natural hardiness and resistance to pests. The cotton is made without the heavy uses of chemicals, and it has a sturdier, more natural feel. Not only that, but it feels good and is better for your skin, and has also been made with a higher intention and purpose. So all these factors combined to me present a clear-cut choice. Buying organic cotton is a sweeter and smarter investment, for you and for the earth, and it will continue to inspire and implement greener choices in all areas of life, like a stone gathering moss.

Madras 641

In our opinion there’s a great deal of truth in this. Everything has a life cycle and truly only time can tell. But two key points for people to remember are:

1.)  We want to choose fabrics that naturally break down and
2.) We want to look for fabrics that, upon purchase, have had less processing done, which has an impact on the overall quality and life of the item.

Many designers are already using fabrics that are known for durability and long life, such as hemp and others. And, we are consciously researching and wanting to select fabrics that are processed using sustainable methods. We are also looking into lower-impact dyes to minimize the breakdown of conventional fibers. Design decisions like these are all important to the life of our goods.

Consumers play a large role in this, as well. Treatment of the garment matters! Taking proper care of your clothes will help you get lots of extra mileage out of them. Over-washing and certainly dry-cleaning has an impact on the life cycle of any piece of clothing. The way we treat stains, care for and store our garments can add or subtract from the longevity of our clothing.

At M641, we choose to create fashion-forward designs that are also timeless for this very reason. And, really everyone can support their own sustainability efforts by purchasing wardrobe pieces that can be used over multiple seasons. Thus, clothing is less likely to end up in landfills having surpassed ever-changing fads.

Doucette Duvall

We really don’t have the technical experience to answer this question since we do not manufacture “eco-fabric,” however, since we rescue a substantial amount of our goods (and most of those goods were manufactured 20-50 years ago), we can confirm that there is a definitive difference in the quality of fabric.

Premium fabrications, of course, are available today – but at premium prices and in limited quantities. In this regard, our rescues (aka: Doucette Duvall eco-fabrics) surely have a longer (and happier) life.
Spun

As a clothing designer using organic cotton in my pieces, I spend a lot of time discussing the importance of organic cotton versus its conventional counterpart. I find that consumers can easily understand how organically-grown cotton, which is free of pesticides and herbicides, can be a healthier decision for not only them, but farmers and their families.

However, I find that there are misconceptions about the durability of clothing made from organic fabrics versus conventional ones. Some consumers feel that the pesticides and chemicals (such as formaldehyde) used in conventionally-made clothing acts as a protective barrier against numerous washings. Therefore, they feel that conventional clothing is more durable.

This statement is simply not true.

Just as we humans can build up our immune systems to fight against disease and make our bodies stronger, organically grown cotton plants can do the same. We hear time and time again that taking medicines such as antibiotics can hinder our body’s ability to fight disease naturally, often needing us to take stronger medications to fight even the smallest of infections. This is exactly what happens with the cotton plant!

Simply stated, when cotton is grown organically, its fibers grow stronger since it has to defend itself against pests naturally. It is also not weakened by chemicals during the growing process. Clothing made from organic cotton can last longer than conventional, making it not only a great value but yet another reason why choosing organics is a much better decision than conventional cotton.

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