Feelgood Style

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Punk, graphic, dynamic, assured, bright and striking … definitely not mellow. A color usually reserved for the hot Summer months, yellow is the new breakout color for fall. We’re seeing everything from gorgeous, long satin charteuse evening dresses at Donna Karan, to vibrant, eclectic and feminine at Marni, to futuristic, modern and slick at Balenciaga.

Traditionally not an easy color to wear vis-a-vis a neutral brown for example, there are nonetheless some gorgeous organic and natural makeup shades to wear with what is sure to be your new favorite color come Fall:

Bold shades of yellow :: Striking when worn with a strong, matte red lip, barely there eyes, well defined eye-line & strong brows. Color picks - Suki Cream Stain in Dahlia for lips & cheeks, Alima Satin Matte Eyeliner in Black.
Olive/Chartreuse shades of yellow: whether your look is purposely unstudied or crafted and defined, keep it neutral for day and use a kick of gold to make your eyes pop for evening. A gorgeous neutral for lips with a strong eye looks great. Color picks - Suki Triple Cream Eye Definer in Amber, Suki Rich Pigment Mascara in Black Velvet, Suki Cream Stain in Clay, Alima Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow in Gold Dust.

Photo: Marcio Madeira / Style.com / Balenciaga Fall ‘08

Rocking the world of traditional eco-apparel, Linda Loudermilk forgoes hemp for high fashion.  Referred to as the “Green Queen” and self-proclaimed “Earth Warrior”, she leads the high-end “green” fashion movement with her  meticulously created runway looks. This year her Fall collection is a mix of rocker chic and refined classics.   

With stringent fair trade practices and extensively researched textiles she trademarked the term “Luxury Eco” to describe her line before the concept was known to the masses.  Her pieces are created in Los Angeles with fabrics like seacell (seaweed bonded to wood pulp), sasawashi (Japanese leaves), bamboo and organic cotton.

Introducing her denim line last Spring, she was the first to bring sasawashi denim to the fashion marketplace.  Linda indicates that it takes one pound of pesticides to make one traditional pair of jeans and she was determined to introduce a better alternative.  

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What? Conscious Fashionistas Thrift Couture Show:

Why? They will “style you silly, dress you funky, green your wardrobe, but also pink, yellow, and purple it up. We’ll create outfits that turn heads and have people stop you in the street asking, “Where did you get that?” All at a price that will keep you smiling. Read the rest of this entry »

When my nails are freshly manicured, it somehow makes me feel more, well, polished. I hate walking out of poorly ventilated shops with a headache though. We all know that the ingredients in traditional polish is not good to inhale on a regular basis, but we slather it on anyway - guilty! I am totally guilty…

Until recently when I discovered the SpaRitual line at a little body shop, called Mountain Body, in Park City, Utah. With flavors like, Strawberry Fields Forever and Paradigm Shift (which I am currently admiring as I type!), you not only feel good about wearing the nail lacquer but empowered.

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When I first read about husband and wife team behind Stewart+Brown, Karen Stewart and Howard Brown, I was inspired by their choice to create beautiful designs in a beautiful and sustainable way.

When I actually saw their line for the first time, I got that feeling that Carrie gets around shoes in Sex and the City. Forget the 401(k), I want the dress, the bag and the pants. When it comes to flowy, feminine and most importantly, flattering, Stewart + Brown has you covered. Their sophisticated sense of style is simultaneously relaxed and well-tailored.

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A modern take on a Victorian classic, the Cleo sofa is just one in a collection of completely sustainable and modern furniture.  Greener Lifestyles, based in Seattle, WA doesn’t believe you have to sacrifice your health, the environment or good design for well-made, long lasting pieces for your home.  Priding themselves on impeccible craftsmenship and attention to detail with 100% sustainability their goal, they’re always searching for the best non-toxic materials.  

Responsibly harvested FSC-certified wood is used for the frame, while sustainably harvested rubber tree sap is turned into their biodegradable and mold, mite and mildew-resisting latex cushions.  Anti-microbial and naturally fire-retardant organic wool is used with organic cotton for all cushion batting. 

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A tagua nut sure has a lot of names. Like The Rain Forest Ivory or Vegetable Ivory. Other titles are Corozo (also spelled Corrozzo), Binroji Nut (Japanese), Steinnuss (German), and Coquilla Nut. A tagua nut is the fruit of a palm tree, primarily Phytelephas macrocarpa, which flourishes in tropical rain forests from Paraguay to Panama.

Natives replant palm trees for their seeds instead of logging them, which saves a bit of the rain forests. They polish the shell of the seeds and typically carve them into the shape of a button, living creature, or beautiful jewelry. Just think: an object much like a gem with all the qualities of ivory, but without harming wildlife.

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While we’re on the topic of ethical footwear this week, Natalie Portman has recently designed a line of vegan shoes for Té Casan, and she is having a sale.

In between being a superstar, a main feature in Elle and speaking out for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), she has also found the time to design darling animal-free footwear. Her designs are cute, classic and sophisticated. I dig the Potok and the Pixie (shown here), both on sale.

Natalie has been a vegetarian since age 8, and always noticed the lack of animal-friendly footwear in the luxury designer marketplace. “Té Casan, well-versed in recognizing and developing new talent, collaborated with Portman for her 100% vegan collection.” Read the rest of this entry »

Recently my friends, Emily and Zach, sent lovely, very simple postcards as a save the date for their eco-friendly fiesta and followed them up with an electronic invitation to their wedding in Santa Barbara this fall. As a guest, I am thrilled to have all of the information accessible through email and my computer and was happy not to have to throw away a beautiful albeit bulky invitation. Although I do understand that wedding Evite’s aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. For those not quite ready to give up invitations entirely, check out the eco-friendly letterpress cards from Bella Figura. Bella Figura, a 1% for the Planet vendor, boasts beautiful letterpress designs crafted by Debbie Urbanski and Harold Kyle, whose love for letterpress and style lead them on a rescue mission across the US saving old letterpresses and equipment from the scrapyards and also lead them to eventually marry (what a great story!). Read the rest of this entry »

It’s not everyday that something significant happens in the fashion & beauty industry, and among a used-to- seeing-everything crowd it’s particularly difficult to garner attention. However Italian Vogue have done just that with their newly released all-black issue, titled: The Diversity Issue.

The issue has already been written about by Cathryn Horyn for The New York Times with interviews featuring photographer Steven Meisel, and Franca Sozzani, Editor-In-Chief of Italian Vogue. Asked about the inspiration for such an unprecedented issue, Sozzani says that she was moved as much by seeing black girls on the streets of New York as by Barack Obama’s stunning rise and visibility. Needless to say fashion media and blogs are headed toward a fever pitched frenzy over the whole thing.

With the issue already sold out around the country and with newsstands and magazine retailers barely able to keep up (not to mention some waiting lists of up to 400 people), you’ll be lucky to get your hands on one. If you are one of the fortunate (or being the fashionista you are you have a subscription to Italian Vogue so you don’t need to join the ranks of us that need to madly scramble to get a copy), let’s hope it’s a memento of the genesis of a new era in the beauty & fashion industries that is inclusive of all races.

Photo credit: Tyra Banks photographed by Steven Meisel, for Italian Vogue

For more articles:

• The New York Times: http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/beauty-and-soul/
• MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25570118/