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

The post 10 Holiday Party Dresses (You Can Use Year-Round) appeared first on EcoSalon.

The best eco-friendly boutiques online.

Eco-boutiques are popping up all over the web thanks to visionary retailers willing to take risks. While the debate over green consumption asks tough questions (is marketing lots of green stuff the answer to our consumerism woes?), it is clear that when it comes to eco fashion, the mantra is quality over quantity.

While some sites carry tried and true lines we’ve been following for years, others are peddling cutting edge sustainable fashion – making conscious consumption more provocative than ever.

Here’s an updated list of what we consider the top online eco boutiques going.

Start your shopping engines…

Annie Novotny, the designer behind Frei, opened Workshop in 2009 in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. Her boutique’s 100 year old building houses her own line as well as lines like Brooklyn’s Loup Charmant, Shades of Gray vintage jewelry, D.S. & Durga perfume and a great selection of vintage leather handbags and belts for accessorizing.

Novotny’s shop also serves as a gallery and an actual workshop space for sewing classes.

In Roman mythology, Juno and Jove ruled as the divine queen and king of all gods, online they rule as a fantastic source for shopping over 70 designers. This online boutique (and store based in Sarasota, Florida), is massive but never overwhelming. Owner and buyer Olivia Bono has done well balancing high fashion with wardrobe staples including clothing, shoes, body care, home and even a nice section for men.

Whenever I want something totally different and inspiring, I click on over to Beklina. Not only is owner/buyer Lina Rennell one of the best online site curators, she designs an eponymous (eye candy) line featured on her site. Here is where you find architecturally and artistically pleasing clothes infused with all the glamor and femininity a site can offer. An additional bonus is Rennell selling fabric yardage from her own line and sustainable sweetheart, Caitlin Mociun’s of you guessed it, Mociun.

Joslin Van Arsdale’s Eco Citizen is a San Francisco staple for lines including The Podolls, Stewart+Brown, Feral Childe and more. Van Arsdale caters to women more than men but still has some fun organic pieces for your significant other you can quickly purchase before checking out with a cart full of your own new duds. We love the Jade Tribe and Collina Strada bags.

Everything at Olivine is special, (their tag line of “Atelier” says it all). With plenty of beautiful clothing, trendy beauty products and the healthiest dose of Swedish Hasbeens and Prairie Underground around, Olivine is a source of sustainable inspiration. Did I mention there’s cute baby gear too?

Three core passions inspired founder, Shana Yansen to start Jute and Jackfruit and now tie into the company’s core mission: to be smart, sustainable and chic. She accomplishes all three in her Boston based online shop filled with flattering Kelly Lane dresses, Turk+Taylor tops and Indigenous’ Fair Trade clothing.

Super girl Kate McGregor of Kaight is always on trend with her role as buyer and owner of New York City’s premier brick and mortar shops as well as having a major online presence via her blog and Facebook. McGregor can often be found working with leading sustainable designers, housing shops within her shop (Melissa shoes and a vintage section), as well as hosting fun store events. Kaight is the complete package.

In 2008, a conference speaker told Future:Standard owner/buyer Jessica Althoff  “You do not have to choose between your passions. If you want to combine them, you should.” Two years later Future:Standard was born from Althoff’s desire to support the environment, promote fair labor practices, and spend her days looking at (and wearing), beautiful clothes. We love all her indie lines that aren’t so frequently seen in other online boutiques.

Cow Jones Industrials’ owner Donna Oakes runs her vegan boutique from upstate New York as well as online with an eye for the pretty and playful: Think Popomomo tunics and dresses, Feral Childe frocks and a wide array of vegan shoes and hand bags by top designers. Vegan paradise fulfilled.

Label Gazer gives you a snapshot of socially responsible, ethical and eco-friendly fashion, then links you to where you can immediately buy it. Thieves, Elroy, The Uniform Project, Studio Jux and more, all presented so stylishly and clean with additional links to sales, sites and a designer database.

In early 2008, Mission Savvy founder Jennifer Miller picked up her journal and began writing, documenting careless acts of
animal neglect. From this introspection, Miller realized a way she could fuse both her love of clothing and animals was to open a vegan boutique (online and brick and mortar in Charleston, West Virginia). Not so strange a jump seeing as each collection of clothing is based on themed animal rights or “Missions.” Her clothing, footwear and accessories highlight not only a raised consciousness in fashion but of our furry friends.

Kate Morison and Andrea Barrett, founders of Arboretum hail from Sonoma’s wine country where the living is easy and the clothing, organic perfume and shoes coming out of this brick and mortar (as well as online eco-boutique), is refreshing. We love that they offer staple capsule collections for both men and women and only wish we lived in the same town to shop and see more!

Enjoy the pretty sounds of chirping birds as you shop. Not kidding.

Did you know that Tobi had a whole Eco Tobi section? A great selection of Matt and Nat handbags, wallets and clutches, tons of Melissa shoes, Prairie Underground and Alternative Apparel, make Tobi a perfect destination spot for those stylish staple pieces that never grow old.

Another great online boutique, Embodies also has a shop based in Larkspur, California. Owner Kenlynn Wilson bases her criteria on a few things: What fabrics are used in the clothing, where the items are manufactured (and under what conditions), what types of dyes are used in the clothing as well as the packaging the clothes are being shipped in. Curating with a careful eye, Wilson’s due diligence yields a great stable of fashion-forward eco-designers. Look for Alabama Chanin, Calleen Cordero cuff bracelets and select Linda Loudermilk.

In 2007, inspired by the fashionable direction green and ethical designers were taking, A Green Wardrobe decided to launch promoting all the organic, sustainable, or recycled and repurposed material clothing they could find from top designers. Look for Juleselin, Kris Nations jewelry, Numanu and Les Fees de Bengale.

UPDATEd 4.27.11: This post has been updated with more amazing boutiques since the original publish date.

BTC Elements combines smart style with sustainability, hand-selecting each item in their boutique’s collection of clothing, gifts, and accessories with an eye to the environment and social justice. The result: fresh, inspiring designs that are both earth friendly and ethically sourced.

Look for lines including Raw Earth & Wild Sky, Kelly B and Feral Childe.

Kathleen Rowan and Deana Bracken, run Green With Glamour from both Los Angeles and Chicago, building and curating the Green with Glamour® collection. Founded in 2007, the duo has always operated sustainably whether it’s buying for the shop or running the site on a certified carbon neutral webhost. GwG reaches eco-chic shoppers worldwide and continues to promote the concept of living with style while passionately caring for our beautiful planet.

We love that they carry Dallas based Koch, as well as a lot of L.A. based Popomomo and EcoSkin.

Equita, (Italian for fairness), is a design-conscious shop showcasing the finest in green, sweatshop-free and Fair Trade essentials for the body and home. Each item is hand-selected and thoughtfully edited to ensure a mix that is design-conscious, functional, eco-friendly, and socially conscious. In addition to ethical fashion and footwear, Equita carries green home decor, sustainable furniture, fair trade handbags and jewelry, organic and fair trade body care, ethical baby clothing, fair trade sport and wellness gear, and specialty gourmet treats.

Is that it?

Top image: Annie Novotny of Workshop, from Chicago Magazine

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Dream. Compassion. Freedom. Instinct. Voice. These are the missions of Mission Savvy, an online eco boutique founded by green entrepreneur, fashionista and animal advocate Jennifer Miller. After years of heartache at the prevalence of animal abuse in our world, Miller put her savvy into action and founded Mission Savvy.

Featuring vegan, ethical fashions curated for stylish everyday wear, Mission Savvy donates 5% of all profits to causes that support animal conservation, health, emergency aid, and awareness. We are so pleased to offer a curated selection of designs this week, exclusively for EcoSalon readers.

Use the code “ecosalon” at checkout to receive 10% off in this very special collaboration. These are our select favorites, but the sale is happening sitewide so be sure to visit today!

Jenny Dress by Curator

The perfect warm weather LBD. The flirty A-line looks good on every figure. $110 before EcoSalon discount. $99 using promotion code “ecosalon” at checkout.

Imago Jacket by Kelly Lane

A butterfly print blazer from Kelly’s “Butterfly Collection” we love. Sweetly retro and ultra-feminine. Enough tailoring for a smart fit, and enough ease for summer’s more casual style. $170 before EcoSalon discount. $153 using promotion code “ecosalon” at checkout.

Balance by Olsen Haus

Vegan shoes never looked hotter. Sexy yet neutral to wear with everything all the way to fall. Doubly good because they’re made of recycled materials. $200 before EcoSalon discount. $180 using promotion code “ecosalon” at checkout.

Romantic Pullover by Clary Sage Organics

Slouchy pull-me-close perfection. The Clary Sage sustainable line supports local California organic cotton farmers. $75 before EcoSalon discount. $67.50 using promotion code “ecosalon” at checkout.

Abalone Dress by Feral Childe

Hello, girl! That’s Miller herself modeling this dress and the other selected items. From their Spring Collection, a journey through Roman seaside town Tarquinia, including this watercolor collage dress. $85 before EcoSalon discount. $76.50 using promotion code “ecosalon” at checkout.

Editor’s note: EcoSalon collaborations are always fresh – and exclusive for you. Visit weekly for new flash sales, deals and discounts from the best conscious brands.

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I’m a boutique owner with e-commerce skills – so why am I so fearful of ordering online? If I can’t get what I want locally then I will shop online, but I’m also very smart with my cash and don’t want to spend it on something I’ll just have to send back.

With this type of shopping (and possibly returning), you also have to think of carbon footprints, extra shipping and the fact that when you make the decision to buy something online it was special, on sale or just that perfect item you’d been looking for. It plain stinks to have to start the hunt all over again.

For those of you that have it nailed, I think we’d all love you to share your secrets in the comments, but for now, here are some tips that can get your online retail shopping ball rolling.

Know your measurements

You might think you can do it yourself, but just to play it safe, go to your favorite local tailor and have him or her measure you up. Get your bust, your hips and your waist measured so there’s no doubt.

Sites like Beklina have spots to click for sizing based on each size. Founder and designer Angelina Rennell says it’s important to know your measurements because designers all have slightly different sizing.

“A lot of our customers will email before making big purchases to double check on how the item is running – small, true to size, etc. We often get out the garment and measure for them. They can then compare that to their measurements. Customers should always feel comfortable emailing about sizing questions, sharing their size and inquire how the fit it running. They may say things like they’re really short or tall or big-busted and we can gauge if the style will work for them,” says Rennell.

If a brand fits, stick with it

You might be a fan of a line because you know they generally run a size large and whatever you get just always fits well. You might love the width of a certain type of shoe and the fact that they are always true to size. You know these things because you’ve always had success when buying them so stick with your winners.

Jennifer Miller owner of Charleston, West Virginia’s Mission Savvy says bamboo and hemp styles by labels such as EcoSkin are always reliably comfortable and true to size.

“The designer brings something new to the table every season and my online customers look forward to that. As far as dresses go, customers know what to expect from another tried and true label like Kelly Lane for colorful pieces. They also really appreciate that she goes up to a size XL and will follow her anywhere to get something new.”

Sizing or color question? Call the boutique!

The beauty of buying from small boutiques is that you don’t have to talk to someone halfway around the world who is not even in the boutique to get an answer.

Never feel silly calling. Small boutiques need to thrive and they can’t without you buying something that you’ll love and keep.

Julie Merriman, owner of Seattle’s Olivine says she always wants to make sure that her customers get the best possible customer service and make sure they love whatever arrives in the mail for them.

“One of the things I love about an online store versus a retail store is that people just don’t need as much help. Regardless, I am always happy to help customers with their questions,” she says.

You’ve got your order and it’s not that it fits bad, it’s just not like the picture

Before you give up and throw it back in the box or envelope to ship it back to the boutique, give them a call and tell them your feelings about the fit. Ask how they would style it and quite possibly with a few suggestions, your dream top or pants are again just that.

Olivia Bono owner of Sarasota, Florida’s Juno and Jove says a good design is made to fit lots of different body types.

“I consider the picture of the online model a starting point. You should get an idea of the fit and the unique details of the garment from the product photography, but style is about self expression. I myself am a medium, but I will often buy a size (or two) up or down depending on how I want to make that garment work on my body. We also like to keep our local tailors in business! If a pocket on the hip sags a bit too much or a wrap front top makes you feel a little too flashy, take it in to get tacked and tucked,” she says.

Beware the “Sale” designers

I have a t-shirt that says “I Heart Designers” and I really do but for those items that are always on sale, I say beware. There’s often some really good reasons why they are – including the fit, tightness, sheerness or armpit holes being too big. Or it might have been the buyer’s fault – caught up in the hype of the market, thinking they could really sell the piece or they misjudged their customer’s taste. Many things come into play and it’s worth it to call the shop you’re ordering from. If it’s cheap enough and can be altered by your favorite tailor, then it might still be worth the purchase.

For me, the big red flag is that both an urban and suburban boutique could not sell it. This means the piece was really just a design failure.

Final tip?

Make sure you don’t just buy sale items all the time. Splurge on the pieces you love versus filling your closet with clothes that are just okay.

Shouldn’t dressing be more than just being conscious? Maybe even (gasp) a lot of fun?

Image: Pecico

The post How to Order Clothes Online (And Get What You Want) appeared first on EcoSalon.

You know warm days are truly coming to an end when fashion packs are racing around New York City’s famed fashion week dressed in fall looks determining what we’ll be wearing the following spring. Next week, sustainable style gets its day in the sun when the Now spring ’11 showcase goes on display. Showing menswear, womenswear and accessories from a strong bunch of independent, consciously-minded labels, the NOW Showcase has grown substantially since they launched – going from nine designers to eighteen.

“Since we started two years ago, we have doubled in size. I think our success is due to the honest community we have formed. Many of the designers return each season and really like the atmosphere and vibe of the show. We are non-competitive and all support and help each other out throughout the year. We have a loyal following of buyers as well as designers, its become a place people come to because they know they will see old and new friends,” says Creem designer, Raina Blyer.

Knowing that there’s enough love and goodwill to power most of New York City at NOW, we turn to the designers to ask them one question: “What was your favorite part of designing spring 11?”

Here’s what they had to say.

modaspia

“Sewing the collection up was fun but nothing compared to styling the pieces for the look book. A sexy, ethereal sort of 20’s vibe came through when we shot it. I stayed up the night  before stringing necklaces from African beads that we draped on the model. It was a great look and different from anything we’d done previously.” – Designer Ursula Dean

Kelly Lane

“One of my favorite parts of the design process is the development of a new print for the collection and how the print then influences the creation of new styles, while also breathing new life into past styles.

Each season, the collection, and especially the print, are created with a particular theme in mind. This season we found our inspiration in butterflies and all of their beautiful stages.

Instead of working with literal shapes emerging from the forms, or even the movement of butterflies, we cast the woman as the ultimate polymorphic creature. The print was created to be a second skin, cloaking the wearer in series of hand-drawn circles that reflect the ultimate feminine form and symbol for transformation.” – Designer Kelly Lane

Creem

“This season has been exciting for me because I am working on expanding my Creem collection which is a relatively new project for me. It’s been fun to switch heads and switch customer. The concept of Creem collection is to remain seasonless, so the collections will all blend into each other and pieces will remain relevant. My favorite place on earth is the beach and being near the ocean. My goal as been to bring the wonderful feeling of calm and openness that the ocean gives me into the collection. It has been great fun spending the summer at my studio dreaming of the beach all day.” – Designer Raina Blyer

Feral Childe

“Our favorite part of designing Spring 11 is when we get together at my studio in Oakland to make the drawings and collages that will become the prints. We start each collection this way. Moriah and I live on opposite coasts, so we love the stretch of studio time we get, and the chance to catch up on each others’ lives. It’s like a working retreat. We draw and talk all day, go on hikes, and eat and drink heartily to celebrate each day’s work.

This season we wanted to make a print that would more directly relate to the construction of a garment, rather than another allover print. We knew we loved the imagery from this book TARQUINIA that’s been sitting on our studio shelf for years now. In the book there are photos of ancient tomb paintings and bronzes that we felt would look great as the cutouts you see on the print. We also wanted to create a textile print that wasn’t just another allover image; we wanted to make a print with narrative elements yet change depending on construction of the garment. I also loved making the props for the spring 11 photo shoot. I took elements from our drawings and prints, and turned them into larger-than-life 3D objects. ” – Designers Alice Wu and Moriah Carlson

Turk + Taylor

“The most exciting part of designing for spring is color and fabric. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome. It started out with a thought: “What if we made clothes out of an old hot air balloon?” And that’s what we did. Windbreakers and poncho-y dresses that are uber fun, totally out of the box showstoppers. Seams and color vary with each piece, so all are one-of-a-kind.
In addition to the balloon, we designed an oversized buffalo plaid in a similar color palate – pink, orange, yellow and blue. It’s truly amazing and perfect for a western shirt and cinched caftan tunic. We rounded out the fabrics with another custom-milled boardshort plaid, striped linen and a selection of vintage yardage.” – Designers Mark Lee Morris and Andrew Wayne Soernsen

Rebe

“My favorite part was creating pieces from mill ends that were playful and practical. I was inspired by “dots and dashes” bringing together my past designs with present concepts.” – Designer Debra Weiss

Feisty Elle

“My favorite part of designing spring 11 was challenging myself to design necklaces, something I’d never done before. I sought to use felt and bamboo in unique ways and succeeded in making some really fun, lightweight statement designs.” – Designer Leslie Yang

(Stay tuned for a second post on the NOW Showcase designers this week)

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