She-bible designers Deirdre Nagayama and Stacy Rodgers have been best friends since their junior year at Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Francisco. With all the pressure to conform to a particular style as 16-year-olds will, did they fold?

“We went to catholic school with uniforms which is kind of funny. We both liked the ease of getting dressed with a uniform and yet were still able to flex our individual style. When you wear a uniform, your socks, shoes, and jewelry matter that much more. Coats too, since San Francisco can be very chilly. There is more anticipation of what people will wear on weekends since we were all so used to wearing the same things.”

Thankfully, the She-bible designers survived their schooling with style and individuality intact enough to create one of the more pretty yet functional lifestyle lines around today. Think perfect amount of drape meets perfect color meets well, a really great fit.

And while fit never comes easily for designers, especially if the designer stays shut in their studio and doesn’t get much feedback from customers), the She-bible girls have found a win-win situation by recently opening a brick and mortar shop.The two say having a store has really opened their eyes to the broad range of their customer.

“We dress 20-year-olds and 60-year-olds and everything in between. We aim to make our customers feel beautiful and comfortable in their clothes,” the two say.

Also beautiful is the fact the two sew and print their line in their home town of San Francisco.

Thanks to She-Bible for today’s giveaway, featuring the Robyn Tunic, is made from 100 percent organic tissue jersey tunic and features winged sleeves all the way to the bottom.

Wings? Do you need them to fly away from all the bad fashion out there? This tunic will help you.

Just leave a comment below. Good luck!

(Legalese: contest rules and FTC compliance.)

The post She-Bible Robyn Tunic Giveaway appeared first on EcoSalon.

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 a list of what I consider the top 10 eco boutiques. Have at ’em!

Beklina

I just can’t convey how much I love this site, from the photos to the clothes. Always clean and easy to navigate, Beklina loves their indie designers and is willing to experiment with styles other boutiques are hesitant to try.

Love the Lina Rennell and Mociun offerings as well as these vegan moccasins by Manimal.

Beklina’s site says “Our fashion is modern organic, reflecting Northern California’s grace and beauty,” says Beklina, who believes clothing and design can be “precious, radical, nurturing, healing and wonderful.”

Guess it’s working cause whenever I go to their site, I’m instantly happy.

Embodies

I met Embodies owner Kenlynn Wilson last year at a trade show in New York. I could tell by the look in her eye she was the real deal when it came to being serious about eco.

She 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.

Greenloop

Besides running a fabulous online boutique, Greenloop owner Aysia Wright is commonly used as a resource for both designers and the eco-community. She’s everywhere.

Having just wrapped up her Project Green Search in L.A., Wright’s returned to her home base of Portland, Oregon where she recently moved the brick and mortar Greenloop inside Seven Planet.

Check out the site for a veritable who’s who of eco-designers including Del Forte denim, Charmone shoes (crazy close-outs on them as I write) and Loomstate.

Arboretum

Guided by William McDonough and Michael Braungart’s Hannover Principles on our inter-dependence on nature, Arboretum owners Kate Morison and Andrea Barrett have created their own eco-study of beautiful designed clothing and accessories to show us.

Both women hail from Sonoma County where, they say a connection with the land is a part of their everyday life.
“From the rugged coastline to the majestic redwoods, we have drawn vast inspiration from our environment. Our inspiration and shared vision led us to build an Arboretum.”

Love their picks of Stewart and Brown, Rag & Bone and Prairie Underground.

Clary Sage Organics

After a busy day wearing my blogger and retailer hats, I want to slip on lounging wear with comfort and ease.

Clary Sage is my go to brand for comfy but stylish yoga pants, camisole tops and my very favorite, Convertible Wrap (feels delicious).

In addition to their own line, they have an “After Yoga” section with easy slip on skirts, tunic t-shirts and go-to hoodies.

Just when you thought you were completely satisfied with their clothing selections, they offer a great range of Lotions and Potions including my favorite body care line, Farmaesthetics and perfumes by Tsi~La (Ylang Ylang is mmm…). Search the site for your own new favorites.

Kaight

Kate Macgregor, the founder and owner of Kaight has carefully edited her boutique for men and women that dig clothing and accessories “thoughtfully designed” with organic and sustainable textiles.

Like most of the eco-boutiques listed here, Kaight specializes in emerging and independent designers who use organic, recycled and sustainable materials.

Love their Ashley Watson bags, Melissa Shoe selection as well as Dream & Awake vintage dresses.

Tobi

In addition to their traditional shopping, Tobi offers an Eco-Tobi site which I hope continues to grow.

If you can’t get to the actual brick and mortar shop in San Francisco, their 1-to-1 shopping experience can be had onlinewhich involves live chat with one of the owners to get style advice or sizing questions answered before you buy.

Lots of great natural body and hair care lines including Pangea, Hamadi and Pure Fiji as well as basics from Alternative Apparel and tried and true lines by Edun, Prairie Underground and Stewart and Brown.

Jessa Brinkmeyer, owner of Pivot

Pivot
This Chicago-based online boutique is run by Jessa Brinkmeyer on the premise that being eco doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Brinkmeyer says “A big part of building an eco-smart wardrobe is finding pieces you can keep and love.”

Very true. By picking even one sustainably designed article of clothing from Pivot, you’ve in fact begun your journey.
You might want to start with a great fitting She-Bible cardigan or Lara Miller sweater that will stylishly last you for years.

Sodafine

Sodafine has got to be one of the sweetest shops going.

Based in Brooklyn, the boutique’s owner Erin Weckerle focuses her buying on “innovative and unique handmade clothing, accessories and gift items.”

Weckerle also carries a selective collection of vintage clothing, (I recently was gifted a beautiful vintage slip from a friend who stopped in there) as well as lines utilizing eco-friendly fabrics and sustainable labor practices.

The site says “Many of the items you’ll find at Sodafine are made by individuals who call themselves artists and see their production of clothing/accessories as just one facet of their artistic process”¦We are eager to assist young artists and craftspeople with information(and inspiration) for marketing their wares. We intend to provide an interesting model of the intersection of art, craft, and fashion at work in everyday life.”

And they have.

Check out great pieces from Feral Childe, Popomomo as well as Sodafine’s own in-house line.

Kind

Kind states that their boutique is for “Living happy, living gently,” which makes me love them all the more.

Mixing sustainably designed as well as vintage finds with things for your nest, Kind is a one-stop shop with quality pieces, consciously handpicked to really reflect their store.

Check out clothing by Mika Machida and Nixxi as well as shoes by Neuaura and Olsen Haus.

The post Top 10 Online Eco-Boutiques appeared first on EcoSalon.

From Philip Lim’s Fall 2009 RTW

One of fashion’s best design trends to enter the current style scene is the element of draping.
Some of you are fanning yourselves wondering if I’ve taken a punch to the head but I tell you, it is a gift to us.
Luscious fabric looped and laying in places you need it to camouflage abdominal imperfections, draped dramatically to show one’s décolletage or side-swept to pull away the eye from areas beyond our control.
Yes, draping.

According to the Institute of Draped Clothes, (there is one), “In the ancient world, whether in Rome, Greece, Egypt, or Mesopotamia, draping was considered the most civilized way to dress. It was the art of the elite to gracefully arrange the folds of elegant togas and other draped garments. This tradition survives today in the unequaled grace of the sari. Yet at the same time, draped clothing has been the daily working attire of ordinary people, from the old ‘great kilt’ of Scotland, to the sarong and dhoti of southern Asia.”

Current fashion draping trends have steered away from the kilt and sari proper but inspiration from the ancient world lingers in pieces from internationally-recognized designers like Philip Lim (above) and here with Donna Karan:

For a more eco-approach to draping I suggest these burgeoning designers who prove that draping can be done responsibly:

Sublet’s Catherine Dress at Greenloop

She-Bible’s Monarch Top at Beklina

Prairie Underground Mothette Light Dress at Embodies

The post Trend Alert – Draped & Divine appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s that time of year again.

All around us, springing up like buttery daffodils, are the eco-fashion shows slated to saturate Earth Day venues.

Here are a handful that caught my eye:

The 3rd Annual Project Earth Day Runway Show and Student Competition

Held at the Openhouse Gallery, a vanguard multipurpose exhibition and installation space located on Mulberry Street in the heart of trendsetting NoLIta.

Supported by the US Green Building Council, and co-produced by the Creative Director of The Four Hundred, Bahar Shahpar. The show will feature an exciting student competition judged by an esteemed panel of judges from the worlds of fashion, beauty, architecture, and sustainability, and of course presenting the best in sustainable fashion on the runway.

Project Earth Day provides a platform for green-minded leaders and future leaders in the building and fashion industries to collaborate and experience the best in sustainable fashion. Join top names in the design industry and a panel of celebrity judges for this exciting eco-conscious event.

Fashion Takes Action is celebrating its launch as a members-based organization and throwing a party at the Burroughes Building.

In partnership with Earth Day Canada, this event will feature a great line up of DJs: Brendan Canning from BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, Dirty Dale, Andycapp (Bang The Party!, Motown, Slinky Music) & Dali (Slinky Music).

Also Ryerson fashion students will participate in a live eco-designer challenge creating garments made from packaging.

This is a signature FTA GREEN event, which means you can count on there being no bottled water, little waste, LED lighting and more. And, it is a fundraiser event to support Earth Day Canada and Fashion Takes Action.

Stanford University’s first-ever Sustainable Fashion Show is a groundbreaking event on campus promoting a sustainable lifestyle on all fronts in the surrounding Bay Area. Showcasing the work of around twenty unique professional designers in individual sets, and as well as the designs of several student designers from the Stanford Community. Some of the featured designers include: Moda Spia, Feral Childe, Covet, She-Bible, Pi Organic and Aoki Jeans.

Know of any others?

Link to this article so other eco-fashionistas can find information on your show and just what you’re doing to celebrate Earth Day this month!

The post Eco-Fashion Shows Celebrating Earth Day appeared first on EcoSalon.