Nine sizzling (sustainable) summer sandals to add to your warm weather wardrobe. Comfortable footwear that is anything but boring.

Sandals say summer more than any other shoe. A great pair of flat ones are a must-have in anyone’s warm weather wardrobe. This season, there’s a huge variety of sandals to choose from – metallic, nude, bright color, strappy, simple, feminine, masculine, patterned – you name it. They are all extremely comfortable and made in ways that make you tread lighter on the earth.

1. Rachel Comey Santos Slip-ins
These simple open toe slide sandals are perfect for a more simple, masculine outfit. Pair with skinny denim, simple ankle-length pants and a blazer for summer soirees with a more downtown vibe. Sustainably made in Peru from black perforated leather with caramel leather detail. Kiltie on upper strap with a wide stitched leather welt.
$391, Rachel Comey

2. ECCO Hill Move
ECCO has always been known to make durable shoes that are good for your feet. They used to not look so good, but that’s all changed now. These have an almost gold sheen to them and the sporty details are the perfect way to incorporate that trend into your summer wardrobe. Did I mention they are super comfy?
Approx. $120, ECCO

3. Neuaura Mansi Sandals
These casual yet elegant sandals by Neuaura are made with eco-friendly faux nubuck and washed canvas. The combination is a great contrast and the canvas almost looks like an animal print (trend alert!). Perfect to pair with those summer yellows. Made in an ethical factory in China.
$85, Neuaura

4. Coclico Rori Bunny Sandals
These are the perfect complement to those nude and white summer looks. Soft beige suede wraps around the ankle with a concealed velcro strap in this fresh, casual take on the gladiator sandal. Like all Coclico shoes, they are crafted with care with minimal environmental impact.
$259, Coclico

5. Madison Turquoise Faux Suede Sandals
This cute flat sandals from Beyond Skin – the British purveyor of vegan footwear – is new for summer and comes in an array of wearable shades. This one in mint green is our favorite. Featuring a slingback, peep toe, and padded insoles for extra comfort, they are handmade in Spain.
Approx. $137, Beyond Skin

6. Olsen Haus St.Croix
These elegant tie-around sandals are 100% vegan – made from microfiber suede and faux leather. This pretty combination of white and nude is totally right for summer, but these also come in black, if that’s more your thing. Pair with flowy summer dresses, florals or all-white.
$165, Olsen Haus

7. Rachel Comey Kiefer Sandals
Tie dye is a big trend for summer. These open toe sandals by Rachel Comey feature a bleached denim upper as well as mud leather straps and cotton laces. Pair with head-to-toe tie dye or let these be the accent of an otherwise simple outfit. Sustainably made in Peru.
$356, Rachel Comey

8. El Naturalista Sassi Sandals
Footwear by Spanish label El Naturalista is always made as natural as possible, and the company aims to bring attention to preservation and support to the environment on a global level. These stylish sandals feature a great crisscross pattern on the premium leather upper. The natural rubber outsoles are comfortable, durable and biodegrade much faster than synthetic materials.
$145, Zappos

9. Form & Fauna Garzon Flat
These beautiful bohemian criss-cross sandals by ethical shoe label Form & Fauna hit on two of summer’s trends – bright pink and animal print. Pair them with other brights for a color blocking look or use them to spice up a natural, nude look. Italian synthetic upper in pink faux reptile, patent burgundy, and crème.
Contact for price, Form & Fauna

The post 9 Sizzling Summer Sandals appeared first on EcoSalon.

The top stories of the week at EcoSalon.

In the week of the national explosion of extravagance know as the Superbowl, we ask – are we comfortable that the funding for one advert could give water to 140,000 people – for life?

Starre Vartan wanted us to think about the words “nude” and “skin-colored.”

We looked at 20 foods to give you energy and made you feel like a real person.

Jenine Sheroes turns people into art – more specifically, their hair into leaves.

Finally, we can’t help self-mentioning our popular, bargain-packed EcoSalon Boxes, of which there’s a few left! (Sorry for the plug – but we’re only human).

The post The Friday 5: Oh-So-Human Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

What’s your nude?

Adding yet another thing to the list of stuff white people take for granted: Undergarments that more or less match their skin tones. While I distinctly remember thinking the “nude” crayon in my big box of Crayolas seemed strange (and indeed, after public outcry, it was changed), and that “skin-colored” bandaids were anything but for darker people’s scraped knees or banged thumbs, I never thought about lingerie. That’s probably because I’m white.

If you are like most (white) women, you probably have white bras, black bras, riotously colorful bras, and at least one or two “nude” colored bras – they’re as great for tees as the classic white button down. There’s the NuBra that’s just two cups that adhere to each breast and attach in the middle – but it only comes in white women’s skin tone (though evidently, only Caucasian women buy this product anyway, according to their customer page).

But NuBra’s not the only guilty party here; Victoria’s Secret’s new BioFit bra comes in both nude and buff, in case you are a really pale white woman instead of a normal pale one. Look at any conventional or boutique brand of bra and you’ll see plenty for white women to cover up with – but little for women of other skin tones.

So what’s a bra-wearing black woman to do? Make change herself, of course. Tara Raines is an African-American psychologist who decided to lobby for darker-hued nude bras. This came not only after her own fruitless searches, but when she discovered that friends and family would buy buff and nude colored bras and dye the bras themselves.

Raines says: “Women of color have tremendous spending power in the U.S. and it’s absurd to think that in 2012 we are essentially disenfranchised when we shop for lingerie,” says Raines. “It’s my hope that this campaign will drive not only awareness, but swift action by bra makers.”

The What’s Your Nude campaign has a simple aim: To get lingerie manufacturers to make bras in a wider variety of skin tones. The campaign is asking women of all colors to “contact their preferred bra manufacturer or bra retailer on February 1st via phone, email, social media or snail mail.” However, you can still call in and participate in social media. Follow the What’s Your Nude campaign on Twitter and spread the word by using the #WhatsYourNude hashtag.

“I don’t think it’s too much to ask that bra makers include darker hues when manufacturing their collections,” says Raines. “Women of color deserve to look and feel sexy, and a big part of that is looking like ourselves.”

Perhaps brands should do away with the “nude” descriptive entirely. As Alexandra Phoner-Faury writes in Essence (regarding the nude trend for F/W 2011), “While beige may be ‘nude’ for most white women, ‘nude’ for me would be brown. This isn’t the first time this loaded word has been used in the pages of glossies, but it is the first time that the fashion world’s hidden racism has been exposed on such a large scale and caused many to finally take a closer look at the ingrained language of fashion.”

Image: tanakawho

The post On Defining Nude appeared first on EcoSalon.