Winter is finally setting in, but if you are fortunate enough, you may have a warm weather escape on your horizon! It turns out that I am the aforementioned lucky duck who writes this post from the middle of the Indian Ocean on a set of exquisite islands off the coast of India, just west of Sri Lanka.

Getting here was a bit of a journey (four different airplanes and five time zones later!) – suffice it to say, there were all together too many changeovers, and I arrived in paradise without my luggage. So, I made a list of the essentials and went shopping. It turns out, you only need a handful of items to live quite well on an island. Here is my list:

1. Edeline Organic Cotton Stripe Dress by Jackpot.

2. Olga Olsson Rose Rio Bikini – luxury swimwear with environmental consideration.

3. Melissa Cute flip flops by Melissa’s Plastic Dreams.

4. Juicy Couture’s Choose Green Jasmine Sunglasses – created from 55 percent bio-based renewable plant materials.

5. Kid Safe Screen in SPF 25 from Marie Veronique Organics.

So, while I hope you do not encounter the missing luggage dilemma I did, I do hope this gives you guidance for a lighter more free-spirited tropical holiday. Because the truth is, less really is more.

The post Beach Retreat: 5 Essential Items for a Tropical Getaway appeared first on EcoSalon.

The streets of Paris exude that je ne sais quoi…  Everywhere you look there is a perfectly-styled ensemble worthy of Scott Schuman’s lens!

It’s an effortless chic that only French women can pull off, in which a thrifted t-shirt layered over another tee and under an oversized blazer achieves the perfect mix of fashion-forward street chic dressing while still firmly grasping the ethos of a classic French woman. The thing I love most about Paris is that there seems to be an invisible line between unspoken but strictly understood rules of dressing that all French women keep secured in the back of their mind. This is countered with a playful exuberance to stand out and style something different when putting together an outfit. The result is unabashed fashion genius! Hm, no wonder it is the fashion capital of the world.

So, here are my humble (et hem, American) observations of la mode a Paris for fall 2010.

– Layering is essential, especially long layers. Have a look at Lily Cole’s ethical line, The North Circular, for all the key pieces for bundling up in style.

– Hats are loved just as much by the French as their compatriots across the channel. You can still sport that fedora going into fall. Get a high grade organically produced one from Livity.

– Black never goes out of style. A classic blazer goes a long way and gets you extra style points in Paris. Scoop one up from Beaumont Organic.

– A beautiful bag makes the woman. The Sway is an new eco-leather line that uses leather scraps to produce lush bags in classic color ways that will last a lifetime.

No matter where you are in the world, a little French infusion is always good for the soul and may even prompt a coup de foudre!

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