NY Fashion Week GreenShows Highlights: Playful Short Dresses

Short is the new hemline for Fall 2010! During NY Fashion Week GreenShows we saw an assortment of playful, flirty dresses anything from above the knee to mini-dresses that are very chic and sophisticated, always keeping the environment in mind. 

I really love how eco-designers are really experimenting with interesting designs, new sustainable fabrics and even digitally-printed fabric which is less toxic on the environment. Checkout some of the great dresses we will see these Fall from eco-fashion designers:


 
Deux FM's Audrey Dress

  
Samantha Pleet's Pleeted Mini Dress

Deux FM's Charlotte Dress in Gunmetal
 
Samantha Pleet's Sexy Serf Dress  

 
Ekovaruhuset's Mika Machida's wool dress with printed cranes

 
Samantha Pleet's Ultra Bustier Dress-Black front/leopard print back

 
John Patrick's Organic's digitally-printed silk chiffon


 Tell us, which one is your favorite?

Photo credit: Ecouterre

Eco Glamorous Makeup Looks for Spring

Skin is in for spring! On most of the looks we saw on the runway for Spring 2010, skin was kept flawlessly sheer to provide a clean backdrop to the brightly colored lips in shades of corals, and pinks. Lips were also kept nude to give eyes the focus in startling pop shadows and cats eye styles.

Natural-Looking Makeup 
Spring 2010 Makeup is all about sporting a natural-looking skin with a hint of color. Its all about showing your glowing skin and very girl-next door. I personally love this look because its very simple yet flattering.
Eco Glamorous Look: A natural look is about flawless skin so it is important that you take care of your skin inside and out to keep it looking its best. You want to start by eating natural, whole foods and using skin products that are organic or made with natural ingredients. To achieve glowing flawless skin try this DIY Spa Facial, then go for Alima Mineral Foundation for a natural, luminous, silky skin look in seconds!


Pretty Coral Lips
Think,pinks, corals, peachy lips for spring which are very flattering shades for almost all skin tones. I also like the fact that these colors are very romantic and playful!


Eco Glamorous look: Try Cargo Plant Love Lipstick by Evangeline Lily which is a very pretty coral shade. You can also try Mineral Fusion Lip Gloss in Gleam one of my favorite shades.


Purples and Turquoise Shadows
Quite the opposite of the natural look, colorful makeup is a hot makeup trend for Spring 2010. Shades of Purples, Turquoise, and Pinks add a lot of fun and look fresh for spring 2010!
 
Eco Glamorous Look: Try Josie Maran Natural Wonder Powder Palette which has a nice mixture of spring colors, specially a very pretty turquoise, Spring's hottest color.  Also try Nvey Organic Eyeshadow in Plum Shimmer for a playful touch of purple.


Cat Eyes

The cat eye look were everywhere in the Spring 2010 runways, they were paired up with nude lips and almost-nude blushes to give cheekbones just little lift without a lot of color.


Eco Glamorous look: For dramatic, smoky or cat eyes try Illuminare Beyond Black Eyeliner which is a richly pigmented, silky cream mineral eyeliner you could ever dream of!  Also try ZuZu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner in Raven, one of my favorites natural eyeliners to achieve this look!

Its time to look glamorous this Spring while taking care of our bodies and our planet!

Jean Paul Gaultier Sexy Eco-Friendly Shoes

For those who believe that “eco footwear” aren't anything but fashionable, think twice. Runway icon Jean Paul Gaultier has teamed up with Brazilian eco footwear brand Melissa and created an eco-chic shoe collection set to be released Spring 2010. 

The Jean Paul Gaultier and Melissa collaboration features a stunning, chiseled-heel plastic stiletto that is not only 100% recyclable, but sexy and stylish.

“Working with Melissa has been a coup de pied à la mode,” Gaultier said in a statement. “I’ve enjoyed the challenge of creating a high-heeled plastic shoe with all the values of my design ethos.”

This shoes will be available in black, caramel, tangerine, lime and beige, the heel will be available this June for $320.

Melissa has proven itself to be a green company as well as a go-to shoe for the fashion set. During this season's Sao Paulo Fashion Week, the Bienal is hosting an exhibit of past and current Melissa collaborators, such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexandre Herchcovitch, and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Take a look at the wonderful, environmentally friendly and stylish world of Melissa:


NY Fashion Week GreenShows: Thieves by Sonja den Elzen Fall/Winter 2010

Sonja den Elzen is a Toronto-based designer with a respect for the environment. This new eco collection from Thieves Fall/Winter 2010 is a mix of structural tailoring with easy asymmetry. Each piece in den Elzen’s collection has its own beautiful personality, and all are made with eco-friendly fabrics like organic wool and cotton, peace silk, bamboo, tencel and vegetable tanned leather. The colors palette for this collection is very muted with lots of black and greys. This sustainable collection is sure to appeal the edgy-urban eco-fashionista!







Photo Credit: Ecouterre

Simple Ideas for an Eco-Friendly Living Space


Many people think they have to do mayor undertaking and renovation to be greener, you can if you want of course, but in fact you can start by taking small steps to help the planet. There are many little things that each of us can do by doing simple and inexpensive tweaks to reduce waste and chemicals and save fuel and other natural resources. Just take a look at these great ideas to create an eco-friendly home:

Find new uses for old stuff. Turn a wine bottle into a vase and a ladder into a towel rack.  Re-purposing things conserves manufacturing energy and landfill space. Check out these cool repurposing ideas.

Try organic-cotton towels. The cotton is grown pesticide-free, and they're fluffy ($5-$15 each, westelm.com). Also, use fabric shower curtains; they have a longer shelf life than the plastic kind, and once you toss them out, they do decompose in landfills.

Add color, not chemicals. Applying regular paint releases toxins that drift from homes into the atmosphere and contribute to air pollution.  Look for companies that sell non-volatile organic compounds (VOC) or low-VOCs. They are better for the environment. Try this eco favorite: Benjamin Moore's Aura ($55 a gallon, myaurapaint.com for stores).

Try organic sheets, while you're at it. These 350-thread-count Pottery Barn ones ($89 for full size) feel luxe; Target's organic line is also soft. And don't limit yourself to sheets--go for comforters and duvets in organic cotton, wool or silk, too.

Buy the right wood. Yes, wood furniture and knickknacks are long lasting and stylish, but ecologically, the best pieces are from well-managed forests; look for a seal from the Forest Stewardship Council. 

Use eco wallpaper. Look for wallpapers made with nontoxic glues and environmentally friendly fabric. Try Madison and Grow, the wallpaper is hand silk-screened using water-based ink. The papers are clay coated for extra durability and can be wiped with a damp sponge. Their manufacturing process emits no VOC’s.

Control the temperature with window shades. Reducing the amount of fuel used for heating and electricity used for air-conditioning are two key things you can do. Raise shades in winter to let in sunlight and lower them in summer to block out rays.

Buy vintage. The short explanation: New pieces take natural resources to produce; retro ones don't require any. Find deals at ebay.com, garage sales and thrift shops--or raid your grandma's attic for everything from rockers to china.   Another great alternative is to buy refurbished/redesigned recycled furniture if rummage sales and a bit of DIY aren’t your thing. Try MetroSofa.com which has Green furniture that is simply gorgeous.

Switch to natural cleaners. They are just as effective as regular products--minus the chemicals that get washed down the drain and can end up in water systems. Mrs. Meyer's makes nice-smelling ones that work for every room in the house (from $5, mrsmeyers.com). You can also make your own non-toxic household cleaners.

Have other great eco-friendly ideas for a living space? Share with us!