It’s a sustainable sale that’s perfect for spring: curtsey at Ideeli.  Here’s the skinny, from their site:

I first noticed Ross Menuez when I saw his Kuma Bear on Gilt.com.  Last weekend, I fell in love with his work – again – when I saw his balsa silkscreened images:

The images – including the above camel, as well as a leopard, cloudscape, monster, sakura flowers, stallion and scrubjay (my second favorite) – are silkscreened onto 24 x 44 inch pieces of sustainably harvested balsa. Each style is limited to an edition of 300.

And – I have never been more intrigued by a camel.

Ross Menuez is the man behind Salvor, a SoHo based company that makes bags, t-shirts, pillows and other printed items, originally through Areaware.  The company has received international acclaim for its nature-based, op-art styled designs, like plant-printed bags and even elephant-print onesies. (Yeah, baby stuff. On my eco-fashion website. You saw it here first.)

Large Owl Cushion
(…and it comes in eleven other animal shapes – jeez.)

Kuma Bear in Dot

Prices run anywhere from $18 for a key fob (green gorilla!) to $350 for the above special edition silkscreened balsa wood art.  I’ve found sales at both Nimli.com and Gilt.com, though, so if you see something you love, keep your eyes open…and as always, I will too.

I love questions: asking them, pondering them, answering them.  Almost every post I write, both here and at The Demoiselles,  shows my passion for reexamining the obvious.  When I first heard of FormSpring, I realized I could use it to collect a few more questions and, if they fit, post the answers here.  If you’d like to ask a question – nothing is too obtuse! – click here.

What is your personal style motto?

Asked by NuclearCandy

The short answer to that question - my “style mantra,” if you will - sounds a lot like what you’d hear if we were ordering drinks at some swanky bar: I like it classic, with a twist.

To me, personal style transcends what’s on the runway or in the stores.  It’s easy to pick up something trendy, wear it for six months, then go shopping again, but it’s also superficial.  Like fast food, fast fashion has no nutrition, no depth.  It’s just another thing to fill you up (or cover your body) for a few hours.

Instead of keeping on top of the trends, I tend to watch them from the periphery.  If something feels right – if it catches my eye or makes me think - I find a way to work it in with the classic pieces I already wear.  I’d rather pair my cage booties with a classic pencil skirt and cashmere sweater than wear them with boyfriend jeans and an animal-print top, because that pencil skirt and cashmere sweater will still be sexy in three years, and the other stuff will be sitting in a Goodwill somewhere.

That’s not to say that I don’t love trends.  I do!  I just don’t take much stock in their longevity.  My trendy stuff is usually bought on the cheap side, at places like Target or using online sample sale websites like Gilt, while the classics are high quality and a little more expensive.  I won’t pay more than $25 for a trendy floral-print dress (by the way, Target has a ton made of 100% cotton – don’t go polyester, ladies!) but I will pay upwards of $100 for a perfectly fitted classic trench coat, or for a local designer’s take on the A-line dress.

I see myself as a bit of an unconventional housewife: I’m a regular girl with housework, a boyfriend and a dog, but I’m also an eco-conscious socialite that loves to do happy hour in four-inch heels.  My personal style needs to work whether I’m at the office, out with friends or on a trip to the dog park.  ”Classic with a twist” means my clothes will last longer, both in style and substance, and still look current when I run into that ex boyfriend at the bar and want to make an impression.

I’ve been hunting for a piece of “statement jewelry” for years. I finally found my match on my last birthday: it’s a gold and copper sandstone ring, which I nabbed for just a few dollars at  an out-of-the-way vintage shop.

What you can’t see from the crappy photos – which my broken camera and I apologize for – is the insane sparkle of the sandstone, which catches the eye of almost anyone that sees my hands at a still moment.  It gave me a whole new appreciation for cocktail rings: versatile enough for work and happy hour, interesting enough to catch the eye and, if you get the right shape for your finger, very, very comfortable.

Blue Sandstone Ring: $38 on Etsy

There’s that sparkle.  I can see this really popping with the pale pinks, lace and silk that are bound to be popular this spring and summer.

Rosie the Riveter Sterling Cocktail Ring: $150 on Etsy

This one looks stunning on, and thick enough to survive getting bumped into something.

Ursula Ring: $32 on Etsy

This is the more modern version – without being too trendy to end up dust-covered in a drawer.  It’s made of sterling and onyx, so it won’t stain your fingers, either.

Elizabeth Street Garnet Dangle Ring: $120 on Nimli

There’s only one rule with cocktail rings: they must have lots of sparkle. When they first attained popularity in the prohibition era, it was because they were so fun and bright. Attending a secret “cocktail party” was dangerous, illegal…and exciting! Women put on their finest, and a big, sparkling cocktail ring was a status symbol everyone wanted.

Nugaard Designs Small Golden Grass Circle Ring: $58 on Nimli

Sparkle can come in many forms, though. Though lots of diamonds and jewels are the standard, shining gold threads or a single, sparkling stone in a great setting can be just as striking.

Kezha Hatier Anemone Ring: $268 on Nimli

This last one needs to go on sale for a zillion percent off. It’s big, bold, and ocean-themed (I love anything ocean-themed) and just the right size and length for my little fingers.

Do you have any cocktail rings, or “statement jewelry”?

There are a few items that should be in every woman’s wardrobe: the classic v-neck, a cashmere sweater, a pair of perfectly-fitting jeans, a little black dress.

On the flip side, there are trends: sequins, dolman sleeves, bell bottoms, fringe.  No matter how long they last or how often they come back into fashion, you can only wear them for a finite amount of time before they put you at risk for dating yourself, like those middle-aged women on Jerry Springer trying to rock crop tops and cut-offs.

There are some trends, though, that surpass that dated look and, even though they’re not classified as “must haves” for every wardrobe, they might as well be.  Boot-cut jeans, a pair of wedges or peep-toe pumps…don’t most of us own these and wear them pretty regularly?

If you see where I’m going, consider this: I would like to add Houndstooth to the list of Must Haves That You Never Think About.

I don’t understand why the houndstooth pattern doesn’t appear in every woman’s wardrobe.  It’s one of those classic-but-not-quite-popular patterns that can be paired with almost any style without looking boring or frumpy.  It adds texture, it’s versitle, and it keeps creeping back into fashion every few years, ever since it was first introduced only God knows when in the Scottish Lowlands.  (No, really: no one knows when it was first made.  Hand-woven houndstooth check wool may just be the original eco-fashion.)

Here’s the worst part of my whole “Houndstooth is amazing” tirade: I don’t own any houndstooth. It doesn’t make a bit of sense to me, because I’ve loved it for years.  Maybe it’s because the pattern is so scarce these days, or because the price for items made using the pattern is oftentimes high, but for whatever reason I haven’t gotten my hands on – yeah, I’ll say it – this wardrobe essential.

But I’m considering making it my next mission.

Nimli’s AngelRox The Pencil: $178

All of the items in this post are sustainable – either from local stores, made of natural materials and/or handmade - and, low and behold, they all feature a houndstooth pattern.  Click the images to be taken to the listing page for each item, and while you’re at it, read up on the history of houndstooth, so when people compliment your new wardrobe edition you can tell them all about it.

Mapel’s BB Dakota Vintage Houndstooth Coat: $98 $58.80 

As I mentioned, Houndstooth checks originated in woven wool cloth in the Scottish Lowlands.  The traditional houndstooth colors are black and white, but sometimes brown and white are used and, occasionally, other colors are substituted.  In the modern day, it’s most popular in tweed and wool fabrics, which is why it’s often used for heavier-weight garments like blazers, close-cut skirts and overcoats.

Clementiny Clothing’s Cutie Houndstooth Ruffle Jacket: $62

Though it has been popular off and on throughout the years, Houndstooth made its biggest resurgence in the fashion world in the 1960s: Ann Klein used it in her menswear-inspired line, Geoffrey Beene combined it with lace(!), and Chevrolet even upholstered its Camaros in houndstooth.

Maric Fine Goods’ The Jacqueline Clutch: $39

In the 1980s, a few designers (including Chanel) dabbled in houndstooth again, but it wasn’t until the new millenium that the pattern made a real comeback.  Louis Vuitton, Moschino and Armani all used houndstooth in their 2005 ready-to-wear collections, and the pattern trickled down into less couture lines throughout the next year.

Mapel’s Tulle Houndstooth Peacoat: $68

Like most trends, houndstooth seems to come into its hey day every twenty or so years.  However, this isn’t like bell-bottoms or neon shorts: while houndstooth isn’t currently popular, it also isn’t something you’d only see on a fashion-clueless throwback.  Some of the most fashion-forward girls I know keep a tweed houndstooth jacket as a winter staple, or a houndstooth pencil skirt as part of their go-to interview outfit.  Who’s with me?

Should houndstooth be a wardrobe staple, or should it fade away until its likely return in 2020?

.

For more information on the history of Houndstooth, see this article at EHow.com.

[[Every so often, I ask a single bleary-eyed question: “What about Wednesday?” It’s my day to post whatever the hell I feel like, with no regard to fashion, eco-consciousness or, occasionally, even coherent thoughts.  It used to be a weekly thing, but since quality rocks and quantity is overrated, I've scaled things back a little.]]

This may be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. There’s just something about the piano that breaks my heart.

Now that greenwashing is all the rage, more and more companies are trying to capitalize on the trend, not by adopting more eco-friendly practices, but by flat-out lying to you.  Plastics are “partially recyclable” (which usually means they’re not) and paper towels are suddenly a green choice, because “they’re made from trees – a natural resource!”  (Yes, that’s a real tag line.  I know, I can’t believe it either.)

Everywhere I go, I see more and more ugly brown-and-green scratchy packaging.  It’s like these companies think that wrapping a toxic product in something green – literally – will dupe us into thinking that because it looks natural, it must be natural.

Imagine my surprise when I first saw method, a brand of cleaning and home care products that got its start with corporate giant Target.  methodis pretty and clean-looking, and boasts the words “all natural” on all its aesthetically-pleasing, colorful bottles.  It looks more marketing-conscious than eco-conscious, but after I did the research, I found out that method is the read deal: green, through and through.  

Green tea and aloe: my favorite method scent.  

When Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan founded methodin 2001, their goal was simple: to “turn the consumer packaged-goods industry on its head.”  Between Lowry’s chemical engineering skills and environmental degree, and Ryan’s high-end marketing resume (think Saturn and Gap) they’ve found a way to do it, too.  Every product methodmakes uses nontoxic ingredients that are assessed and scored by the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency, as well as recognized by the US Environmental Protection Agency as safe for people and the environment.

So where does all this fancy packaging and mass marketing come in?  As many of us know, there’s an unspoken rule among green companies: solidarity.  We’re taught to buy from small shops, not big boxes, to support our local community.

Lowry and Ryan see it differently, and made the decision to launch method in Target, a national chain, instead of in small, local stores.  They’ve had to defend that decision again and again: 

If you want to use your business to create change, you need to create change where the change is needed. … We’re trying to show people that if they had a misperception that green had to cost a lot of money or green had to be difficult or green had to be penance-oriented or [can't come in bright colors, that] you can do it, and it’s actually really easy. Because if it’s not easy, people aren’t going to do it.  

–Lowry, when asked why method was launched in mainstream stores

When you’ve already researched how to go green, it’s easy to find the products you need, in the styles you want, at prices you can afford.  If you haven’t ever shopped at Trader Joe’s, though, or if your only access to clothes, housewares and food are major chain stores, just the idea of green products sounds scary.  Isn’t it all granola and dirty feet?  If I buy green cleaning products, will my house smell like patchouli?

That’s the misconception that method is trying to quash.  Nontoxic cleaning products can be pretty; they can smell really good; and they can look great on your kitchen counter instead of being stuck under the sink.

Green can be pretty, and green can be cheap.

 That’s not to say that method is skimping on quality just to make a pretty container.  All of their packaging is recycled and recyclable, which means there’s literally no waste product to be had.  They even design the shape and weight of their packages to ensure that they’re more easily recycled or composted (depending on the product).

Not only that, but method is continuously making efforts to further its carbon neutrality.  The company has purchased wind and solar energy credits to combat their factory emissions, and has added financial incentives for suppliers (hi, Target) that have their own sustainability initiatives.  (Corporations, take note: this is the good kind of bullying.)

Did I mention that all of their products are paraben-free, phthalate-free and vegan?

Laundry: pretty?  Apparently so.

I’m always on the hunt for fashion designers, websites, and local boutiques that offer beautiful things that are made with a conscience.  Clothes, bedsheets, even dog collars: I want these things to be good for the planet, but I also want them to be kind to my eyes.  I’ve always believed that going green is about adding another kind of beauty to your life, not about sacrificing that beauty to save the planet.

It is heartening to see that method agrees.

More information:
An interview with Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan: Grist.com.
method’s Homepage. (Check out the Company Info.)
Images via MethodHome.com and Amazon.com -
click the image to be taken to the product’s listing.  

As I recover from a brief medical emergency – seven-day migraines are no fun – I’ll be around a little less than usual.  However, it’s fashion week in New York city, so I’m sure that all of you intrepid internet readers have lots of other eye candy to keep you busy while I’m recuperating.

It can all be so tempting, though: the thousand-dollar tank tops, the unattainable gowns…hell, can we even afford the nail polish the runway models are wearing?

Apparently, we can.  I got this email from Zoya (maker of long-lasting three-free nail polish) this morning:

“Extended though Sunday 2/21/2010. In honor of NYFW (New York Fashion Week) Zoya, The New Color of Fashion, wants to give a “Fashion Reward” to all our followers and fans.

Place any Zoya or Qtica order of $10 (on http://www.zoya.com, http://www.qtica.com or http://www.artofbeauty.com/) and get any 2 Zoya Nail Polish shades (0.5oz bottles) as our Free gift to you.
Simply add all the items that you want to purchase online to your shopping cart.
Enter the code NYFW in the “code” field and press the “update” button.
A $14 discount will appear in the shopping cart for the value of the 2 Zoya Nail Polishes.

Offer valid [through] Sunday, 2/21/2010, at 5PM ET. Standard shipping charges apply.
Offer valid for consumer online orders only. Free ground shipping for orders over $55 in Continental USA only.
Not valid with any other coupon code or offer.”

In short: grab a couple of your favorite polishes (or remover, or makeup, or whatever) and get two more polishes absolutely free.  My current favorite is still Gwin (from the Spring 2010 Reverie collection, pictured below).

So, instead of dressing up and going out for fashion week, I’m going to lay a little lower…and strap on a pair of heels so I can have my own runway show.  (I don’t care if it sounds tacky.  The cat loves it.)

Sometimes, “covet” isn’t a strong enough word to suggest the impression a trend, or an untrendy “fashion idea,” has made on me.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been obsessed with the color grey.

Maybe I’m just copying Elle (who stopped wearing color for a few months in 2009), or maybe I’m exemplifying a subdued time in my life, but whatever the reason, I almost never leave the house without a grey article of clothing, or handbag, or hunk of jewelry.

And I still want more.

Elwood Strange Fruit Jumper Short: $50 at Nimli
Sustainability: made from natural bamboo cotton

Compose Grey Winter Hobo: $48 at Mapel
Sustainability: vegan leather; from a small, local, woman-owned boutique.

STELLA McCARTNEY Pumps:$290 $145 at Yoox
Sustainability: made with eco-leather (genuine leather is banned from all S.McCartney collections)

Nixxi Batwing Top: $130 $91 at Nimli
Sustainability: made with tencel (remember? the more eco-friendly chemical manufacturing process) and wool

Compared to black and brown, grey is just so interesting. It also doesn’t show wear or fading nearly as much as black or brown, and makes colors – especially primary colors and jewel tones – stand out without looking garish.

What do you think of grey as a neutral?

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 4:53 PM, a Magnitude 7.0 earthquake began approximately 15 miles from Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Over 200,00 people were killed by the earthquake, another 300,000 were injured, and 1 million people have been displaced from their homes.    The city of Port-au-Price has been destroyed.

Search crews are still pulling bodies from the rubble, and occasionally, they find someone that is still alive, clinging to hope after being trapped under concrete for a full month.

Evan Muncie was found by chance, just after the search efforts have been called off.

Today marks one full month since the day of the earthquake.

People, as a rule, are so very good in a crisis.  When the United States was rocked by tragedy on September 11, 2001, we came together to aid each other, support each other – to give each other hope.  When a tsunami destroyed many of the coastal cities of Southeast Asia in 2004, we sent aid, volunteers, whatever we could spare.  When the levies failed in New Orleans, we held back our rage at a failed government and went to work ourselves, rebuilding cities, rebuilding lives.  People – just regular people – gave their money, their sweat, and their hearts to take care of those in need after acts of God, after tragedies too big to understand.

But the further away the crisis is, by distance and by time, the harder it is to stay connected to it.

We may have made a ten dollar pledge via text message, or donated the proceeds of a t-shirt or two, but that doesn’t end the wake of this disaster.  Though we have all but forgotten as the news media coverage has dwindled, the earth hasn’t.  Since the initial earthquake, there have been 59 aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or greater.  One of these was magnitude 6.0, just seven minutes after the quake, and the other was magnitude 5.9…and it occured eight days later.

Try to imagine losing your home, your loved ones, your sense of community and your belongings in natural disaster so devestating that it will ring in your ears for the rest of your life.  Then imagine, eight days later, feeling those tremors again.

Imagine that fear.

You may have donated already.  You may have bought a t-shirt with a cool design based on the promise that “a portion of the proceeds” would go to charities that support Haiti.  (Why not all of the proceeds?  Because, apparently, profiting from a tragedy is a noble venture.  Yeah, I don’t get it either.)

It’s true: no matter the amount or the method, your support is important.  It is vital for those still suffering – for the millions of people grieving, hurt and homeless.  But please, don’t stop just because the initial crisis is over.  Go a step further, and donate to a charity that gives the highest percentage of your money to Haiti relief:

• American Red Cross.
• Salvation Army Haiti Earthquake Disaster Response.
• Doctors Without Borders.
• CARE.

…and there are so many more.  When you donate, make sure your money is being used wisely – check out this interview with Daniel Borochoff, founder of CharityWatch.org, then go to Charity Watch’s Top Rated Charities page and look under the International Relief section to find the charity that best uses your funds to help others in need.

This isn’t over for them.  It shouldn’t be over for us, either.

Images via CNN.com, Getty Images, the Washington Post and Hope for Haiti Online.