Grace & Cello’s “Lucia” recycled wool coat cuts a sophisticated line for women headed to the office or a mid-week cocktail party. Where does recycled wool come from, you may wonder. According to Grace & Cello’s Gerri Brightwell, “The wool in our coats is created by using roll ends, scraps and other pieces of fabric that normally fall to the cutting floor and are wasted. These scraps are reconstituted into the fabric that we use for our coats.” Made in Montreal, not only are these stunning pieces sustainably made, they are also 100% sweatshop-free. So feel good about Grace & Cello’s pattern makers, cutters, and sewers- Maryse, Angelo, Leo, Tony, Mrs. Anna and Cheng hope you like their clothing, too.

The City of Angels has turned out the most coveted coat of the season: The Battalion’s “Ali Cape.” Any woman of high style and sophistication would be hard pressed not to scrounge together the necessary funds for this de rigeur coat, even amidst the current economic downturn. (I could be projecting here.) A draped hood and scarf attaches to this dramatic and colorful cloak, creating layers of fabulosity to this cloak inspired by Ali McGraw’s classic look in the 70’s. This bank account bandit by the Wong sisters is made from bamboo and organic cotton, certified by Oeko-Tex. Even if you can’t feel good about the Ali Cape’s effect on your finances, you can feel great about supporting sustainable manufacturing and farming practices. I’m going to consider it a worthy investment…for your wardrobe and the world. (Okay, that’s pushing it, I realize. I just had to purchase a ticket on the justify train with this one.)

From the right coast of the US, Brooklyn-based Nina Valenti of Naturevsfuture has designed a sleek and super warm coat for freezing cold weather. The “Fleece Zip Up Jacket” is made from recycled Polartec® fleece, a combination of yarn crafted from PCP post-consumer plastic (soda bottles) and PIR post-industrial materials (scraps of fabric and yarn leftovers). This jacket is perfect for art openings, job interviews, and getting wined and dined by someone who’s really worth it. Since 2002, Naturevsfuture has consistently crafted asymetrical sustainable pieces for women who don’t want to just wear their clothing, they want to rock it. Says Valenti, “Naturevsfuture is an artistic statement in the form of clothing. It fuses classic with cutting edge, and deconstructive with a refined elegance to create a new & exciting look, suiting one’s complex personality.” Agreed.

Plaid goes way beyond fad this season with snowboard company Burton. The GMP Dante Jacket is an equal match for slippery slopes and snowy city streets. GMP stands for Green Mountain Project, Burton’s first collection of boots, bindings, gloves, and outerwear that utilizes recycled materials and eco-friendly weatherproofing technology. This coat is absolutely made to last which is the most eco attribute of all, and even comes with a Burton lifetime warranty. It’s such a pleasure to see mainstream companies greening their collections, especially the snowboarding industry, whose business is so enmeshed in the issue of global warming. Ride or die.

From Northwestern designer Emily Katz, comes a cozy ecochic fleece coat. Katz is using reclaimed poly fleece from “mill ends,” that would otherwise go unused, to create the “Wow Rainjacket.” This belted coat in “dusk” bells out below the waist, creating a classic, feminine feel on a very contemporary design. Wow is right.

Seems like eco fashion has finally evolved to a place where true clothes hounds no longer have to sacrifice to save their conscience. Give thanks to the designers making this a reality for us! Amen.

These days, I live in a tropical zone with no snow or pine trees, and my beloved horse is just happy memories, which leaves me to get my holiday tree in a different fashion. Since deforestation is threatening the earth’s ecobalance, and I really can’t stand plastic plants, I have been looking for alternatives to the traditional Xmas tree. Below are some of the options I’ve found.

Wooden trees bring a piece of nature into your home. They can be reused and painted and decorated to fit any style. X’mas tree from Sandra Lindner and Green X-mas Tree from Buro North.

Live potted Xmas trees will make your home fragrant. Get a live rosemary tree or start a tradition by growing your own Xmas tree from scratch.

Shiny metal tealight holder Xmas trees will brighten your season and provide a place to hang your Xmas ornaments. The Estilo stainless steel tealight tree and Nickel plated tree tealite holder are great options.

Xmas tree wall stickers is a great modern alternative for rooms with limited space. Artsy vinyl Xmas tree by Phoebe Washburn and vinyl Xmas tree by Marilyn Minter. The Xmas tree wall graphic decal 1 and Xmas tree wall graphic decal 2 from Etsy comes in lots of different colors.

Something to consider for next Xmas?

Central fireplaces are very decorative and cozy to gather around…not to mention the easiest to install. From top left: Atrium Fireplace, Bathiscafocus Fireplace, Fireorb, and T-eye Rotating Fireplace.

Great fireplaces that need no chimney!

Traditional fireplaces are a part of the architectural structure of a home, and not very easy nor cheap to add in hindsight. But despair not, many of the absolute most amazing fireplace solutions do not require a chimney or advanced installation. These clean-burning fireplaces run on green fuels and provide great decoration, lighting, and heat to any room.

Floor-mounted, clean-burning gas fireplaces. From left a Two-way EcoSmart Fire and the Ponton fireplace.

Modern wall mounted gas fireplaces that don’t need any chimney. From left CHIMO Fireplace and Bubble Fireplace.

Do you know of any great looking, clean-burning, chimney-less fireplaces? Please share.

Known for his equal commitment to high style and sustainability, Rogan Gregory has established a small empire of ethical design. His debut collection Rogan, introduced in 2001, is an homage to vintage workwear featuring hand detailed denim of the highest quality possible. Loomstate is the 100% organic spin-off of that line which launched in ‘04, before “organic denim” was even in the American vocabulary.

In 2005, along with partners Ali Hewson and Bono, the Ohio native launched Edun; a company devoted to the “Trade Not Aid” mission of bringing manufacturing and healthy commerce to impoverished areas of Africa. Also in 2005, Rogan found the time to launch his furniture line Rogan Objects (his personal assistant better be getting six figures), that uses reclaimed wood from old factories and barns in Upstate New York and tooled leather trim to create modern handcrafted pieces that are both rugged and refined.

Things got A Litl Betr in 2006, with his line of finely tailored men’s suits. In 2007, Gregory made news again when he won the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. If all this wasn’t enough-watch out ladies-in May 2008 Rogan is putting out an organic swimwear line for none other than Target! Rogan is actually getting an eco-minded maven like me to shop Target again. Will miracles never cease? Apparently he told the execs there, “’If you let me do it with organic, and if you let me do it in the summer, I’ll do it.’ It’s sexy.” This man possesses a keen sense of style, immeasurable energy, and absolutely loads of ambition…Move over Ralph, here comes Rogan.

(Barney’s Madison Avenue Store Window)

(Image from Inhabitat)

Finally, a New York Fashion Week that brought sustainable design to the foreground. The FutureFashion show has come and gone, much buzz has been created and many have something to say about, skeptics and supporters alike. An article by Lauren David Peden for Vogue shared some inspiring comments from participants, including Barney’s New York fashion director Julie Gilhart, who was instrumental in bringing together the 28 participating designers. Apparently, Julie grimaces at the phrase “eco-chic”, stating, “I hope we don’t use that word anymore. It’s just the way it should be….It’s more luxurious to really think about where your fabric comes from, about the impact of it on the environment, and about fair trade and labor issues.” Adding to the idea of this is ‘just the way it should be done’ was Rogan Gregory, the man behind Loomstate and EDUN, who pointed out that compared to even 5 or 6 years ago, finding high-quality, sustainable fabric is much easier. He tells Vogue, “Now, the demand is greater, so there are all these great fabrics available, which makes designing a lot easier. People understand that this is the way of the future….Why wouldn’t you do this?”

Don’t I know it! When I launched Greenloop in 2004, it was like pulling teeth trying to find even a barely sufficient variety of apparel and accessories to offer that met the ethical and aesthetic criteria I was striving toward. Loomstate was one of the first lines we carried and I was ecstatic to find them. Now, I am happy to say, I can hardly keep up with the new lines being submitted to us on a daily basis. I love it. It is proof positive to me that this was the right thing to do, that the market is growing, and in time, we won’t even need phrases like “eco-fashion” anymore because that is just the way fashion will be.

Of course, the clothes themselves must stand alone in terms of design and quality, in addition to their eco-merits, and from what I have seen and read, they certainly made the grade. Marisa Belger, writing for Todayshow.com, did a really nice review of the event, coupled with an interview with Leslie Hoffman, the executive director of Earth Pledge. Here, Leslie discusses how FutureFashion was born, the impact of the fashion industry on the environment, current trends in eco-fashion, and fibers she is particularly excited about (think fish skin leather and pineapple fiber). Vogue also sets forth a descriptive narrative on many of the pieces, as does Abigail Doan at Inhabitat, reporting that, “Despite the diversity in all of these offerings, it was evident that designers still play it somewhat safe when they are considering an organic palette.”

This is not terribly surprising given the goal here: turning heads toward sustainable fashion to illustrate its potential for becoming mainstream. Abigail at Inhabitat tells us to “drop any ideas that this was a fringe event – early verdicts from around the fashion globe called the designs presented gorgeous and ‘to die for’. If there’s one thing eco-friendly collections are proving, it’s that sexy and stunning can come from materials that are also earth-friendly.”

Well said. Presenting designs that are a little easier to swallow that some of the more cutting edge pieces seen on many conventional fashion show runways helps sway a larger group of people than “fashion for fashion’s sake” concoctions. I mean c’mon now….just how sustainable is a 4 foot wide bubble dress that only covers one breast? (Just making a point here….I hope no one has actually made this, but someone probably has). ‘Sustainable’ fashion of course requires good design and innovation, and nobody says it has to be hum-drum, but it’s also about making clothing that people can actually wear every day. At this stage in the game, being too bold on the design front will keep “eco-fashion” in the novelty realm.

Orli Sharaby, writing for PSFK, applauded Earth Share’s FutureFashion initiative as “genuine, thought-provoking, and world-changing” while also pointing out the lack of sustainable consistency in the other “green” initiatives currently on display at NY Fashion Week. Apparently, “no less than three designers gave out canvas totes as swag at their shows”, an “eco” gesture pretty much wiped out by the same designers’ use of decidedly unsustainable textiles coupled with the staging an energy-sucking runway show. You can read the piece here, which also drags DKNY’s orange bike ‘eco’ stunt through the mud.

I have to say I agree with the sentiments here, yet on the other hand, being a “carrot” (rather than a stick) type person, I applaud any effort at increasing awareness and making change, as inconsistent and seemingly in-genuine as it might be. Let me do one more about face here to say that despite my fondness for carrots, green-washing is a real issue and should be addressed. Progress is small increments is one thing, but “green” initiatives with no substance, that are not followed-up with continuous improvements will only serve to confuse consumers, create confusion and mistrust and move us backwards. I could go on here…and I will, in another story.

The one-of-a-kind pieces that make up the FutureFashion collection are not for sale, but they will be on display in the windows of Barneys New York flagship store at Madison Avenue and 61st Street from February 1st – 21st. I love Leslie Hoffman’s statement here, which really sums it up for me: “Enjoy the show, and consider it the beginning of something that will evolve over time. It is not about this season. It is about every season.”

For years now I’ve found myself, a diehard environmentalist, fascinated by fashion. At first I shoved this frivolous fascination to the archives of my mind, thinking of it as a superfluous pursuit that would distract me from all the “important” work that needs to be done in this ailing world. Now and again, I’d sheepishly ponder my profound interest in online eco-fashion hubs like Eco-Chick and Treehugger.com’s Fashion and Beauty pages, and finally realized why fashion really matters. Fashion is our second skin. It is our most intimate possession. Let’s face it, not even our closest romantic partner has (most likely) spent twelve hours straight attached to our pelvis the way a pair of undies does. A favorite warm sweater can be our greatest comfort on a grey, frigid day. And, unlike the bodies we’re born into, clothing gives us the opportunity to choose our hue, texture, and even our shape to some extent; all these choice directly affect how our fellow humans interact with us on a daily basis.

So how can a self-proclaimed diehard environment like myself still have a closet with so few sustainably-made pieces in it? Is it money or not trying hard enough? I’m on the Greenloop team, I work with Aysia Wright, The Eco Fashionista herself, and my closet is barely chartreuse. Well, I’ve decided 2008 is the year to Green My Closet and I’m going to take the readers of The Tastemaker Diaries with me- for the good of the planet! (And it might give us clothes hounds some new ideas for how to get more stuff to wear. Let’s be real.) Ergo, the first in a series of tips on how we can all integrate some eco-conscious behavior into our shopping lives. More clothes, less guilt. Are you with me, ladies? Good. Let’s get started with the fun things first…

Step #1 Beg, Barter or Bargain

Do you ever covet your most fashionable friends’ wardrobes? Make those fantastic threads your very own without spending a single dollar: host a clothing swap at your house! Gather your stylish compadres with similar body types together to trade clothes in good condition that you’ve all grown tired of…make it a cocktail party and you may find bartering for the premium picks a real breeze. It’s for the environment, right? No harm, no foul I always say.

Do your friends have completely different shapes or tastes from you? Join in a community clothing swap like Swap-o-rama-rama where you turn in a bag of clothes at the door and you get to grab as many clothes inside as you desire. As if that isn’t the greatest thing since sliced bread already, Swap-o-rama-ramas have sewing and screenprinting stations to reinvent your latest acquisitions and turn your secondhand pieces into one-of-a-kind couture…and it’s all free!!! No Swap-o-rama-rama coming soon to a town near you? No problem- start a Swap-O-Rama-Rama or watch this feature of Clothing Swap Inc. on the Today Show and head to ClothingSwap.com for their uberfun events in 2008.

A few companies sell these bamboo bowls, so it is not choices that will be lacking.

I particularly love this first one from Lekker:

At Joanne Hudson Basics, you can find a different style, in a different finish, but just as lovely. I own a few.

Bambu Boutique has also designed a good selection to choose from, including these stunning low bowls.

Then, perhaps you will also want to use a matching salad server

and a large salad bowl too.

Christmas is only a few weeks away. There is still plenty of time to be good to the planet, and your kitchen too. Who said that winter was dull, devoid of colors?